by Jill Sanders
She was watching him closely. “All my life. You? Have you lived in Boston long?”
“For about ten years. I moved there when I started going to MIT. I just sort of stuck around now that I work there, so to speak.” He shrugged.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you? Some sort of genius?”
He shrugged and felt the same embarrassment that always overtook him when people asked him that question. He was prepared for the look. The same one he always got the moment they realized he was smarter than they were. However, when he glanced up at Joleen, her eyes were filled with something other than jealousy. It was something close to admiration, and he saw interest flicker there as well.
“Seriously?” she asked, leaning a little closer. “How old were you when you graduated high school?”
“That doesn’t matter. Let’s focus on figuring out how we both witnessed the same thing tonight and what caused the crows to go crazy.” He always hated bringing up his past.
“Okay.” She straightened a little. “Let’s think about this logically. So, what? Gas? LSD?” She shook her head and shrugged.
“If it’s not a shared hallucination, then…” He closed his eyes for just a moment and thought about how tired he was. Now that he’d finally gotten something in his stomach, he was feeling too tired to focus. “I just can’t think clearly at the moment. I just drove for sixteen hours straight and this is the first meal I’ve had in about half that time.” He held up the crust of his second slice of pizza.
“Where are you staying?” she asked suddenly. “At the hotel in town?”
“Yeah,” he responded, and she winced. “Why?”
She shook her head. “Not the best accommodations, but it’s all Hidden Creek has to offer, currently.”
He tossed his crusts to Stinky who gobbled them up without even tasting.
“We’re going to head back and get some rest.” He stood up. “How about we meet you tomorrow to go over everything?”
“There’s a café,” she started.
“Lane mentioned you eat there. Café 23?” he asked.
She nodded as she frowned. “What else did Lane mention about me?”
He sighed. “Not much. I thought you were…” He stopped himself from telling her that he’d believed JoJo was a man instead of the beauty standing in front of him. Man, he was more tired than he thought. “Nothing.”
“What?” she asked, those sexy eyes of hers running slowly over his face. She sucked in her bottom lip. How had he not noticed how full they were before now? The thought of what they would feel like under his flashed through his mind.
“So beautiful,” he heard himself saying.
Her eyes narrowed but he noticed them soften slightly.
She was beautiful. He’d noticed that about her in those first moments when she’d come to his rescue. Her soft honey-colored hair was longer than he’d first suspected. She’d pulled it up in a braid, but after being outside in the rain, some of the dark tresses had come loose. Now they were finally dry and flowing around her oval-shaped face. Her caramel eyes showed a depth to them that he hadn’t seen in a lot of people. Something told him that she was more than she let on. He doubted even Lane knew there was more behind her.
She was taller than most women at roughly five eight. Her slender body had curves that he instantly appreciated and desired to explore.
“As you found out, Lane and Charles are an item. Which means my friend doesn’t always see what’s in front of him. At least as far as my beauty goes,” she joked.
He smiled, happy that she hadn’t taken him seriously. “Sorry, I’m punch-drunk tired at this point.”
“Why don’t you let me drive you and Stinky back to the hotel?”
He opened his mouth to deny her, but she arched her eyebrows and looked at him.
“Unless you want to find out if there are more… hallucinations on the walk back to the hotel?”
“I’d appreciate a ride back,” he said quickly. Just then Stinky let out a quick and happy bark and did a couple circles. “Both of us would.”
He kept his eyes peeled for any other dark creatures as she drove them the mile back to the hotel. The rain had let up some.
“Nice town,” he said as they drove past the small businesses. He had passed plenty of towns with the same setup, although this one seemed to be more active than most of the ghost towns he’d encountered on his way down south.
“Yeah, the town lucked out. A few years back things got… weird. We elected a new mayor and then the town seemed to bounce back. Since Jacob St. Clair took over, things have really turned around.”
He was quiet for a moment. “And you chose to stay in your hometown? A lot of people want to move to the city after school.”
She glanced at him and for a moment he thought he’d crossed the line again with her. Then her shoulders relaxed.
“I tried the city life for a year.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t for me.”
He understood that. The noise, the overstimulation; even he struggled with it now and then.
“Which city?” he asked as she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel and parked next to his car.
“I went down to Miami for a semester of school.”
“Miami Dade?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I think I was just so overwhelmed with it all.” She shook her head.
“Did you wash out?”
“No.” She frowned slightly. “Aced all of my classes. It was the personal side of life I couldn’t deal with.”
He glanced at his hotel door. “Well, that’s me, lucky number seven.” He motioned towards the door. “Thanks for coming to my rescue tonight.” When Stinky whined, he sighed. “Our rescue.”
She chuckled. “Any time. I guess I’ll see you in the morning. Let’s say…” She tilted her head and glanced down at her watch. “Ten? That way you can sleep in a little.”
“Thanks.” He reached for the door. “I’ll see you then.” He stood back as Stinky jumped out. This time he kept a tight hold on the leash.
He let himself into his room, removed Stinky’s leash, and tossed his keys and wallet down next to the bag of food he’d gotten before all of this mess started.
“Well, since it’s there,” he told Stinky, “what do you say to some dessert?”
That night, as he lay in the uncomfortable hotel bed with Stinky taking up most of it, he dreamed about a witch. One who could command demons with black fur and had sexy caramel eyes, full lips, and a laugh that had his heart jumping out of his chest.
When he woke, he realized he’d slept better than he had in years. Even Stinky seemed happy when he let him out to do his business.
After showering and collecting what he’d need for his meeting with Joleen, he warned his dog to not mess in the room. Stinky curled up on the bed and acted like he would remain in that spot until he returned.
It was a nice morning and the sun was out, so he decided to walk to the diner, which was less than a block away. When he strolled through the front doors, every single head in the place turned in his direction.
It was almost a Twilight Zone moment. He knew he was an outsider and had heard how small towns could be, but he’d never experienced it firsthand.
Then he spotted Joleen sitting at the counter and talking to an older woman who was pouring a cup of coffee. Joleen was wearing a soft pink shirt and white shorts. Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. Moving over, he stopped beside her. She looked even more beautiful than she had last night.
“Morning,” he said, sitting in the seat next to her.
“Morning.” Joleen smiled. “You look rested.” She glanced around. “Did Stinky stay behind?”
He nodded. “I didn’t think everyone would like him begging for breakfast.”
She chuckled. “Carla, this is Mason. Mason’s in town trying to find out what caused the bird-cident.”
“Oh?” The older woman turned to him. “Where are
you in from?”
“Boston,” he replied.
“Welcome to Hidden Creek.” The woman held up the coffee. “Can I get you a cup?”
“Please, black,” he said before turning to Joleen. “So, I’ve had a few thoughts…”
Joleen touched his arm. “Why don’t we grab a booth in the back?” She motioned with her head.
“Sure.” He stood up and took the cup Carla offered him.
“I’ll be back there in a moment to get your orders,” Carla said before turning away to pour more coffee for another guest.
He followed Joleen to a booth in the back and sat across from her. He noticed that everyone in the café watched them closely.
“I’ll be the talk of the town for a while,” she said with a shrug. Then she leaned forward slightly. “Having lunch with a sexy stranger.” She chuckled.
The boost in his ego after hearing her words had him smiling. “You think I’m sexy?”
She stilled for a moment, as if she hadn’t realized the words that had slipped out of her mouth, then shrugged. “I’m not blind.” She ducked behind a large menu.
Chapter Five
What the heck had she just said? Could she get any stupider around the sexy genius?
“When it gets out that you’re here to figure out why the birds crashed into the store, it will be even more exciting to hear the talk,” she added, figuring she’d change the subject quickly. “There’s almost as much gossip about the birds as there was last year when the cult came into town.”
“Excuse me?”
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “It’s old news now, but when it happened, it put Hidden Creek on the map for a while.” She put her menu down and leaned on the table to tell the story. “Xtina Kincaid, well, she wasn’t married to Michael yet. Anyway, she came back to town after her parents were killed.” She took another sip of her coffee. “We didn’t find out until later that she’d been indoctrinated into a cult a few years back. The leader was obsessed with Xtina. She’d escaped, and when he couldn’t find her, he came into town, killed her parents, and waited until she came back. He moved the entire cult close by. The way it sounded, they worshiped her and called her Mother.” She shook her head. “Anyway, when all that went down, things got… even stranger.” She leaned back as she remembered what she’d witnessed one night on her walk home. She’d been so sure she’d been the only person to see the moon falling, and it had been months before she’d overheard a few people in the café talking about it and realized it hadn’t been just her.
“I remember reading about it, but how have things gotten even more strange than that?” he asked.
Just then Carla walked over and refilled their coffee and took their orders and the subject changed.
“So,” she said after Carla left them alone again. She figured it was easier to move forward instead of bringing up even more craziness. “What sort of questions do you have for me?” She motioned to the small book he carried around to take notes in. He pulled out his reading glasses and flipped open the notepad and looked over the notes he’d written down there.
Her mouth literally dried up when he slipped on the black-framed glasses. Damn, he’d been sexy before, but seeing him in the Clark Kent glasses was like a shot of nitrous to her dormant libido.
She glanced down at his notepad and realized that everything was color coded with little tabs.
“Something tells me you’re very organized,” she said, getting his attention again.
“Hm?” He glanced up. “Sorry, I tend to get engrossed in my work and forget time and place.” He removed his glasses and set them down, then rubbed his eyes. “It was a long night.” He shook his head. “Okay, question one…” He picked up his glasses again, and she let out a little sound of pleasure when he slipped them on again. He glanced up at her and arched his dark eyebrows in question. “You okay?” he asked.
“I like the glasses,” she said before she could stop herself. “They confirm the whole nerd thing.” She felt her face heat.
He looked slightly embarrassed. “Too much reading,” he explained. “I only wear them when my eyes are tired.”
Her smile slipped. “I was seeing double until I had my second cup of coffee,” she admitted as she sipped some more coffee while her eyes ran over him. “Go ahead.” She motioned to his notepad.
“Okay, let’s start with practical questions first. Exactly what time did the first crow hit the window?”
They went through his list of questions, and she watched him as he added notes. By the time they’d finished with their food, she guessed that he’d asked her every question on his list.
She pushed her empty plate aside and leaned closer to him, then lowered her voice. “So, what sort of questions do you have about last night?” She tried to look at his notepad, then gasped a little when she noticed the scribbling. “Is that shorthand?”
“It helps when I need to get things down quickly.”
She smiled at him and felt her desire grow when she noticed just how uncomfortable he was now. “You’re even sexier when you’re embarrassed. Did you know that?” She rested her chin in her hands as she looked at him. “Those glasses, the intellect…” She wiggled her eyebrows, figuring it would be good to lighten the mood. “The whole package.” She waved her hand up and down towards him. “I bet you have to beat the women away.”
He tucked his notepad away and shoved his glasses back in his bag.
He ran his eyes slowly over her and leaned back in the booth. She felt her own body heat under his observation. “Lately, the only thing I’ve had to fend off is aliens.”
She chuckled at his joke. “Okay, what makes you so sure it was an alien?”
He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s your theory?”
She mimicked his moves and leaned back, then started ticking off on her fingers the options she’d thought about since last night. “Some sort of hybrid.”
“We discounted that theory,” he reminded her.
“You did. It’s still on my list.” She smiled. “Science experiment gone wrong.” She held up a second finger. “Mutant.” She added another finger. “Joint hallucination.” Another finger went up. “We could be getting punked by some of my friends.” She thought about last Halloween when Lane and Charles had played a joke on her by placing a dummy in a hockey mask in the back storeroom. “And the last one I keep telling myself is impossible…”
His eyebrows shot up. “Go ahead,” he encouraged her when she didn’t say anything. She bit her lip quickly, then figured she couldn’t deny the possibility.
“Aliens,” she finally added.
He chuckled. “So, that’s the last on your list?” He shook his head slowly. “Still, I suppose it’s something that it even is an item on your list. What? You don’t think that it’s possible that there is other life out there?” he asked.
“Sure.” She raised her shoulders slightly. “I mean, sludge life. You know, primordial ooze.”
“Isn’t that where all life starts?” he asked.
She frowned. “I suppose so. It’s just… That thing… it’s hard to imagine it being alone. I just never thought it would turn into something so… different than there is on earth.” She felt a shiver race through her. “If there was one…”
He reached out and placed his hand over hers. She immediately enjoyed the warmth of his touch. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think it meant to harm me. After thinking about things last night, I realized that it only growled at Stinky. Maybe it was afraid of him. I mean, it did let you approach it.”
He had a point. As she played over the events of the previous night, she realized that there had only been fear in the creature’s eyes.
“Okay, so… friendly aliens?” she offered.
He smiled. “Like ET.” He nodded quickly, then frowned. “That doesn’t mean there aren’t others out there that aren’t friendly.”
She felt another shiver race through her system.
“Okay, now you’ve spooked me.” She rolled her eyes.
“This is cozy,” someone said, catching her attention. Glancing up, she held in a groan as Lane moved over and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, just like a brother would have, if she’d ever had any siblings.
She’d been so preoccupied with Mason and the events of last night that she hadn’t thought about what she was going to say to her best friend.
“Morning,” she said, trying to sound cheerful.
“Morning,” Lane said, smiling over at Mason. For a flash, she thought about the possibility of her best friend stealing Mason from her, then she realized a few things. First off, Lane was totally infatuated and in love with Charles. And second, it was obvious that Mason wasn’t gay. “Looks like you found my girl,” Lane added easily.
“Sure did.” Mason chuckled.
Her heart skipped at the sound and the sight of Mason relaxing. Okay, so he scored points for being extremely comfortable around gay men. Most men in town went out of their way to avoid Lane and Charles. In fact, most men tried to avoid gay men at any cost.
“So, did my girl answer all your science questions?” Lane asked after Carla dropped off a cup of coffee for him.
“She did,” Mason answered easily, leaning back in the booth. She noticed his eyes running over the pair of them. “How long have you two been friends?” he asked, shocking her slightly with the change of subject.
“What’s it been?” she asked Lane easily.
“Five years, three months, and six days,” Lane answered.
“We met the day Lane moved to Hidden Creek,” she said.
“The day I met Charles,” he supplied for Mason. “That day I met the two most important people in my life.”
She nudged him. “Stop it, you’re going to make me cry,” she joked.
Lane’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, I wasn’t talking about you.” He chuckled. “I was talking about Charles and Luthor.”
Joleen rolled her eyes. “Luthor, his golden retriever,” she explained to Mason.
Mason laughed. “The day I got Stinky was one of the best days of my life,” he agreed. She nudged Lane in the ribs and he hugged her tighter. She rested her head on his shoulder.