Perfection

by Melissa Koberlein

  “Fair enough. I’m sorry.” He smiled and squeezed her hand.

  Celia came back with two plates and set them on the table, breaking their connection. She leaned toward Iris. “I took the liberty of putting some whipped cream on top. Hope you like it.”

  “Thanks. It looks delicious.” Iris licked her lips as Celia took off. She put her paper napkin in her lap and picked up her fork to dig in. She took a bite and moaned, her eyes wide. “This is soooo good.”

  Suddenly, the mini-jukebox at their table started playing “Sexual Healing” by Marvin Gaye. She sat up straight and covered her mouth, the color rising on her cheeks. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  Gage laughed. It was the first time he’d seen her use her Bluetooth like Adam did. And, it was good pie. “Glad you like it.”

  “I’ve never tasted anything like it.” She took another bite followed by another. “It’s so creamy and sweet.”

  He stared down at his turkey sandwich and back up at Iris, who was having a food orgasm with music to boot. Maybe he should have gotten the pie too.

  She polished off the whole slice before he’d eaten one wedge of his sandwich. She set the fork down and shuddered. “That was the best thing I’ve tasted in my life.”

  “Who knew a slice of pie would have this kind of effect on you?”

  Her body shuddered again. “I—I—I—I—I—”

  Gage smirked. She really liked the pie.

  Then her eye twitched unnaturally. Oh no. Not good.

  “Are you okay?” Gage leapt out of his seat to her side of the booth. She convulsed in his arms, her eyes flickering back into her head. Shaking her, he whispered, “Iris.”

  Her lips trembled. Should he yell for help? No, that would be the worst thing he could do.

  “C-a-a-a,” Iris uttered and went still.

  He shook her, his chest clenched. “Iris?”

  She started shuddering again. “I—I—I—I—I—”

  Gage looked around. It wasn’t busy, but there were some men sitting up at the bar that had turned around to see what the commotion was about. Gage did his best to hide her shaking. What was he going to do?

  “Need some help?” a male voice from behind him asked.

  Gage recognized his voice immediately—Garcia. Luke and Derrick had mentioned that he was helping Athena and Eric out at the diner. He tightened his hold on Iris and looked back at him. “Don’t you touch her.”

  Garcia leaned down next Gage to get a better look at Iris. He shook his head. “I think you need help.”

  “Not from you.”

  “Don’t be a fool.” Garcia glanced around at the restaurant. “If you care about her, you will let me help her.”

  He narrowed his eyes at Garcia. “How do I know you didn’t do this to her in the first place?”

  “What purpose would I have to do that?”

  Gage glanced back down at Iris, his heart tightening. She’d gone still. He shook her, but she didn’t stir. He was out of options. He swore under his breath. “Fine. How do we get her out of here?”

  “Leave that to me. I’ll meet you around back with my car.” Garcia stood back up and headed toward Celia. He whispered something to her, and she nodded. She glanced over at Gage and bee-lined it straight to their table.

  “Poor thing. Okay, I’m going to distract those two at the bar and you head through the kitchen and out back.”

  “What did Garcia say to you?”

  “That your girl was baked. I should have known when she ordered pie for lunch.”

  Gage nodded slowly. It wasn’t entirely incorrect. “Thanks for your help.”

  “De nada.”

  Celia turned toward the two men sitting at the bar closest to their booth. They were the only guests that were in a trajectory to notice Gage carrying Iris to the kitchen. “Gary, Bob, can I trouble you two to assist me with the dessert case? It keeps shifting forward on me, and Eric and the boys won’t be back until four.”

  The men shrugged and smiled. Celia had that effect on people.

  “Sure thing,” one of the men said.

  “Great.” She waited for them to walk in front of her and then waved for Gage to make his exit.

  He pulled Iris into his arms and rose from the seat. Focused only on the swinging kitchen door, he hoisted Iris and dashed through the door. The kitchen was empty save Manny, who was facing away from him. He ran for the rear entrance, using his back to push the bar and open it. As soon as the sun hit his face, a black four-door sedan pulled up next to him. Garcia jumped out and opened the back door.

  Gage paused. He wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to get into a car with Garcia. What if he took them back to Bio-Core? What then? He glanced back down at Iris. He didn’t have a clue about what could be wrong with her and no doctor likely would either.

  “Gage?” Garcia asked.

  He climbed into the back of the car and settled Iris on his lap, her head lolling to the side. Garcia got back into the driver’s seat and took off.

  Gage recognized the apartment complex they drove to but didn’t know anyone who lived there. It was just outside of town. Garcia led them to an upstairs apartment. Once inside, he directed Gage to lay Iris on a sofa in the living room. Gage did as asked but didn’t move from her side. He wasn’t going to leave her alone with Garcia for even a second. He did glance around at the apartment. It was well furnished, like he planned on staying for a while.

  Garcia went into another room and came back with a black bag.

  “If you do anything to hurt her—” Gage stood and put himself between Garcia and Iris.

  “I told you before, I’m starting fresh. You can trust me.” Garcia looked down at Iris. “Besides, do you really think I could make her worse than she already is?”

  “Fine.” Gage stepped aside. “What are you going to do?”

  “Well, for starters, I need to run diagnostics.” Garcia knelt next to her. He pulled out a laptop from the bag and set it on the coffee table. He opened his computer and pulled out another device that reminded Gage of a key fob. He tapped a few keys on his computer and placed the device next to Iris’s temple. He paused, looking at his screen, then set the fob down next to his computer.

  “What do you think is wrong with her?” Gage reached for Iris’s still hand. Seeing her like this was awful. Her chest was still rising and falling, but she was unresponsive otherwise.

  “What were you doing when she shut down?”

  Did he just say shut down? A chill ran down Gage’s spine. “Uh, we were eating.”

  “That doesn’t make much sense. Why—huh.” Garcia frowned, his eyes focused on the screen.

  “What? What’s wrong with her?”

  “A glitch.”

  “A glitch?”

  “A glitch caused by peanut butter pie.” Garcia grinned. “Fascinating.”

  “I don’t see how this is fascinating. What can you do to help her?”

  “Right. Sorry.” Garcia grew serious again. “She’s in what you might think of as sleep mode. She needs a reboot.”

  Gage cleared his throat. He didn’t like the way he was talking about her. “Just wake her up, please.”

  “Sure.” He held the device back to her temple and tapped the mouse on his laptop.

  Iris’s eyes flew open, and she sat up with a start.

  “Are you okay?” Gage asked, still holding her hand.

  Iris looked around and then focused on Gage. “I am okay. Where are we?”

  Gage sighed in relief. “We’re at Garcia’s apartment. You had a…” He refused to use the word glitch. “An incident.”

  Her eyes darted back and forth rapidly as if she were replaying the event. “Oh.” She looked back at Gage. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  Gage shook his head. “Don’t be. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

  “It appears you have a…” Garcia paused and looked at Gage. “An allergy to peanuts. You should avoid them in the future.”

  Iris frowned and looked
down at her hands. “Oh no.”

  “What’s wrong?” Gage asked.

  She puckered her lips together in a pout. “No more pie.”

  Gage sighed in relief. “We’ll find another kind of pie for you.”

  15

  Strickland Manor

  Iris

  Iris stretched her arms over her head and away from the sewing machine in front of her. She’d recovered from the pie incident and had been sewing for most of the last two weeks. She was mostly embarrassed for her unexpected lapse in consciousness and didn’t feel any long-term effects from her newly found allergy.

  The fashion show was scheduled for next week. It was perfect timing because the tourist ski season was still in full swing. Mazy and Evie had done a nice job with advertising and marketing the event around town and at the resorts. Adam and Derrick had agreed to handle the music and lighting for the event, while Gage and Luke helped build the runway. Folding chairs would be placed on either side, and there would be standing room beyond that. Dalia had plenty of models for the show, including Evie, Mazy, and Sloan, who was the first to offer her services. Then there was Shannon, the cheerleader who stood too close to Gage. Iris growled, the thought wreaking havoc on her otherwise good mood.

  Dalia interrupted her thoughts. “I can’t believe how much you’ve gotten done.” She examined the blouse Iris just finished on a nearby dress form. “Your stitching is perfection.”

  Iris stood and walked over to the form. She did love that one. But to be fair, she loved all of them. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorites.”

  “And you’re a great designer.”

  Iris stretched again and yawned.

  “Why don’t you call it quits for the day?” Dalia said. “You’ve done so much already.”

  Iris checked the time. She wasn’t scheduled to leave for another hour, and there were a few more pairs of pants she planned to work on. But she had to admit, she was ready for some downtime. There was also a certain someone she was excited to spend time with. “Okay, thanks.”

  “Got any plans for the evening?” Dalia arched her eyebrow.

  “Yes.” Iris smiled, her pulse quickening. She couldn’t wait to see inside her favorite house at the top of the mountain. “Gage is having a party at his house. Adam and Evie are taking me.”

  “You and Gage are the cutest.” Dalia pursed her lips. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Me too.” Iris ran a hand through her hair and headed to the front of the store. “Thanks again.”

  Jack White stood just inside the door. He looked like a fresh new android coming online. He glanced around the store, unsure about why he was here or where to start.

  “Hello, Jack. Is there something I can help you with?” she asked.

  He focused on her and grinned. “Yeah. Um, I’d like to get Daisy something. Do you have any dresses?”

  Iris glanced around, pressing her lips together so the laugh in her throat wouldn’t escape. Do we have any dresses? “Yes.”

  “Oh, good. I’d like to buy one.”

  “Of course. Do you have anything in particular in mind?”

  “Daisy likes blue right now.”

  “Okay.” Iris had no idea what kind of a dress Jack was imagining for Daisy. She dressed wildly and changed her style so often, Iris couldn’t pinpoint anything in particular that would be a correct design.

  Luckily, Dalia came out front. “Oh, Jack, hi. Looking for something for Daisy?”

  Jack nodded. “Yep.”

  Dalia came up behind Iris and put her hands on her shoulders. “Go on. I’ll take care of this.”

  Iris sighed in relief. “Thanks.” She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed toward the door.

  Behind her, she heard Dalia. “A dress? No, Jack. A woman likes to pick out her own. Let’s look at some accessories instead. Maybe a new purse?”

  Brilliant. Iris smiled as she left the store. Dalia was one of a kind.

  Gage’s house was the largest in Ashwater. While the expansive stone exterior looked magnificent from the outside, the interior was even more impressive. There was a massive vaulted wooden ceiling and chandeliers hanging in various rooms on each side. There were also massive windows with views of the town below at the front and back of the house. The house had only the finest furnishings, and there was stone and marble everywhere. The house even had wings. Some kids from school were playing video games in one of the recreational rooms, and some were making drinks in the kitchen. Iris was with Adam, watching the sun set out the large window at the far end of the great room.

  “This is some place, huh?” Adam asked.

  Iris nodded. “Yeah.”

  “The town looks so small from up here.” Adam leaned his head against the glass. “But I can still spot Jack’s.”

  Iris smiled. She could locate the arcade with her special sight tool too. “I saw Jack today. He wanted to buy a dress for Daisy.”

  “That’s not good news.” Adam cringed. “It means Jack’s in trouble again.”

  “In trouble?” Iris turned toward Adam.

  “Yeah. As in, he upset Daisy again.”

  “Does that happen a lot?”

  Adam shrugged. “Occasionally.”

  “Well, I think it’s thoughtful that he buys her gifts like that.”

  A pair of arms reached around her waist, linking in front of her. Gage’s chin rested on her shoulder. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” Iris leaned into him.

  “You two.” Adam chuckled. “I’m out.”

  Gage moved next to Iris as Adam left them. “What do you think of the view?”

  “It’s gorgeous, and the rest of the place is massive. I can’t believe it’s only you and your granddad who live here.”

  “Well, it’s the only home I’ve ever known, so I guess I never really thought about it as too big.” Gage reached for her hand. “Want the tour?”

  She turned toward him, his eyes soft. “Yes, please.”

  Gage smiled and entwined his fingers with hers.

  Her breath caught. He had a smile that could melt her circuity.

  He led her out of the great room and into a hallway where there were doors on either side. He pointed down the passageway. “There’s bedrooms, a study, library, and at the end, there’s the laundry room.” He came to a door close to the back of the house and arched an eyebrow at her. “This is my room.”

  Iris glanced between the door handle and him. What are you waiting for? Her palm warmed in his. She accessed the file from their encounter under the bridge, and her stomach fluttered. She opened the door and walked inside.

  He followed.

  It was a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows on the wall opposite the door. His room was clean. Given her research on culture, boys his age were not known to be neat, but the wealthy could afford maid services. Was that the case here? There was a large bed with a dark blue comforter against one wall, and built-in shelves with trophies and pictures of him playing sports were neatly placed on the other side of the room. In front of the shelves was a set of comfy looking chairs and, in the corner, a guitar in a stand. His scent surrounded her. She closed her eyes and breathed it in—clean clothes and soap.

  She opened her eyes and walked over to the guitar. Her fingers grazed across the strings. “I didn’t know you played an instrument.”

  Gage rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I know the basics. Daisy taught me some when I was younger.”

  She picked up the guitar. “Play something for me.”

  “Oh, I’m really not very good.”

  “I won’t mind.” Iris smiled.

  “Okay.” Gage walked over and took the guitar. She sat down in one of the chairs and folded her hands in her lap. He sat down in the opposite chair, the guitar across his legs. “I don’t know too many songs, but Daisy’s favorite song to teach me was ‘Time after Time’ by Cyndi Lauper. He strummed a few chords, his eyes focused on the strings. It was a slow, soothing melody.

  Then he st
arted to sing.

  Iris’s breath caught in her throat. His voice was mesmerizing—soft and gravelly at the same time. She glanced away and did a quick search for the music and words for the song. Gaining what she needed, she joined him in singing the next verse.

  Gage looked up and smiled. They continued to play and sing together. The air between them was electric. Once they got used to each other, they alternated verses and came back together for the chorus. When the song ended, Iris rubbed her damp palms on her thighs, smiling shyly.

  “I didn’t know you could sing,” Gage said.

  She laughed nervously. “I didn’t know either. It was my first time.”

  “Really?” He set the guitar down and grabbed her hand. He pulled her toward him, and she sat on his lap. He caressed her cheek, his eyelids heavy, focused on her lips. “I’m in awe of you.”

  “I feel the same way about you.” She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. He was strong and soft at the same time, inviting. He opened his mouth to deepen the kiss as his hands found her waist, pulling her closer. She nestled against him and responded, meeting his eagerness. She’d never known that a kiss could affect her this way. It was like the whole world stopped around them and they were the only two people in the universe.

  “Now, that’s what I’m talking about,” Sloan said from the door.

  Iris jumped off Gage and covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing. What was Sloan doing here?

  “Christ, Sloan,” Gage said, shaking his head.

  Sloan swayed her hips into the room, smirking. “Hey, don’t blame the messenger. Adam sent me to look for Iris. He said they have to go.”

  Iris glanced back down at Gage and drew in her bottom lip. She didn’t want to leave his room, let alone his house.

  “Did he say why?” Gage stood and put his arm around her.

  “Something about Evie’s dad and Jack. Daisy called.”

  “Oh no.” Gage pulled her alongside him past Sloan.

  She didn’t know what any of this meant, but Gage looked worried. They met up with Adam and Evie in the front foyer. Adam also looked apprehensive, and Evie was downright scared.