Smoke and Mirrors: (Fire and Fury Book Two)

by Avery Kingston

  “They’re both doing wonderful. That sweet, little nephew of yours is too precious for words. He has a full head of thick, black hair just like you and Dawn did. Nine pounds fourteen ounces!” she exclaimed.

  “Is that big or something?” Scott asked.

  “Lord, child. Yes; that’s big. You were nearly that large, you were nine pounds one ounce, and that was before we had epidurals. Almost split me in two bringing you into this world.”

  “Gross, Mom,” Scott snarled.

  “They almost had to do a c-section. Harris genes are strong,” Judith giggled. “The doctor looked at Dawn and congratulated her on giving birth to a toddler.”

  Tori cringed at the thought of ten pounds of baby squeezing out of her if her and Scott could ever have kids. But please don’t ask me that Judith, she prayed.

  “Any name yet,” he asked.

  Tori could hear the jingling of the cat’s collar and she groaned inwardly as Scott’s arm jostled next to her, rubbing the damn thing. What an idiot she’d been not to admit to Scott that she was allergic. Damn pride.

  “No.” Judith sounded disgusted. “They better think of something soon or else that poor child will go home nameless.” She imagined Judith was shaking her head in displeasure. “Y’all should head over there tonight after dinner so you can visit with them.”

  Scott squirmed. “We'll see how the evening goes. We’re pretty exhausted.”

  “Well, you have to see the baby,” Judith huffed.

  Tori reached over and squeezed his thigh. “Maybe tomorrow?” Tori suggested. She had the feeling that if they didn’t go Judith would wonder why, which would bring on a slew of questions she wasn’t ready to deal with.

  “Yeah, we will,” Scott agreed, but the hesitation was so clear in his voice. “Where’s Becca staying?”

  “She slept here last night. She’s outside by the pool.” Judith breathed heavily. “Your brother should be here any minute.”

  Good grief this was a lot of family in one day. Tori sucked in a breath trying to not show how overwhelmed she was.

  “So, Victoria, you work for the Smithsonian?” Judith sounded impressed. “What do you do there?”

  The cat crawled over onto her lap and rubbed against her chest, its tail smacking her in the nose. She gave the cat a polite scratch on the head then placed the animal on the ground.

  Tori cleared her tight, itchy throat before answering. “Yes, I do. I consult with them on how to make the exhibits more accessible to visually impaired guests.”

  “How are you doing that? I mean what are some things you suggest?”

  “Well, right now with the rise of 3D printing our options are getting better. For obvious reasons, you can’t have people going around touching fine works of art.”

  The cat jumped back into her lap and rubbed his head under her chin, purring. She pushed it back toward Scott as fur tickled her lips.

  Oh Lord, I think fur is in my throat. I may die.

  Tori tried to continue, “b… but with the new techniques you can replicate and h… h… highlight certain aspects of the paintings and exhibits to indicate what they look like t… tactically.” She rubbed her nose. “I hope to collaborate on that in the spring with a startup company in New York trying to launch their… tech... tech…” Tori let out several sneezes. “Excuse me. Technology.” Tori wiggled her nose.

  “Bless you, dear. Are you getting sick?” Judith asked.

  “No, I’m fine.” Tori knew from five minutes with Judith that she’d make a huge fuss over her being allergic, probably vacuum the house, and put the poor animal in quarantine.

  “If you say so.” Judith sounded skeptical. She was quiet for a moment and Tori heard the screech of brakes in the driveway. “Dad’s home.”

  Tori tried to remember what Scott's dad looked like. She thought Scott resembled his dad, but every time she tried to pull up the image she came up empty.

  “Hey, old man.” Scott stood and hugged his dad, and she heard them exchange a hearty pat on the back. Emotion, along with cat dander, clogged her throat as she wished she could get a glimpse of future Scott.

  Some days her blindness was merely a nuisance, other days it sucked her soul dry. Today was exceptionally difficult.

  “Look who finally came to visit us: our long-lost son. About damn time.” Wayne let out a belly laugh. Tori envisioned him tall, like Scott, scanning the room and owning it from the sound of that deep, southern voice. “And you brought a pretty lady with you.”

  Scott grabbed Tori by the hand and pulled her up. “Dad, this is Tori.” Scott put his arm around her, giving her a squeeze.

  “Pleased to meet you, Sir.” Tori nodded her head but braced herself for another bear hug if he was anything like his wife.

  Scott’s father grabbed her hand and shook it with a strong grip. “Sir?” He chuckled. “Wayne, please. We aren’t that formal here.” Wayne patted her bare shoulder gently with his leathered, calloused hand. “Nice to finally meet a lady friend of Scott’s. We were wondering if Scotty would ever find a girl who’d tame him.”

  “Well, I’m glad I’m the one who did.” Tori flashed a shy grin as her cheeks heated.

  Scott snorted. “Tame me?” Scott feigned shock. “I’ve been trying to catch this girl for years.” He swept Tori up off her feet and plopped her back on the sofa—causing her to squeal in amusement.

  His dad laughed again. Wayne had this hearty, contagious laugh and deep southern twang. He was nice to listen to, and the hollow ache of not seeing him dissipated from her chest as she listened to his kind voice. “So, how about some dinner?” The paper sack rustled. “I’ve got ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and baked potatoes with all the fixings.”

  The smoky scent was heavenly, and Tori’s mouth watered as her stomach rumbled. “It smells amazing. You can’t get good barbecue in DC.”

  “Well, of course those east coast yuppies can’t make down home barbecue,” Wayne teased. “You’re in Texas now, sweetheart—this is the real deal.”

  “You two wash up for dinner and we’ll set the table,” Judith said, grumbling and cursing the sofa under her breath as she got up. “And holler for Becca to come in! That girl spends all her time moping around with those headphones stuck in…” Judith ranted as she shuffled into the kitchen.

  “Help me up?” Tori offered her arm to Scott, and he yanked her up from the couch. He pulled her in close and stole a quick kiss.

  “See, everything is fine.” Scott rubbed her shoulders. “I told you they’d love you.”

  “They’re great. Nice people.” Tori curled her nose and let out several more sneezes.

  “Seriously, are you getting sick?” Scott asked. “Your eyes are swelling and getting red.”

  She groaned. Bruises plus red eyes. Fabulous.

  “No.” Tori sighed. “I thought you were teasing about them having a cat…I’m allergic,” she confessed.

  “Oh, baby, I’m sorry. You should’ve said something.” He gave her a hug.

  She looped her arm with his. “Now show me to the bedroom so I can change clothes then wash off this fur, Scotty.”

  When they got back after changing clothes, his niece, Becca, was sitting on the sofa with her head buried in her phone and Scott could barely believe his eyes.

  “Roo?” Becca’s entire face lit up. “Uncle Scott!”

  She dropped the phone on the sofa, stood, and threw her arms around him. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  He gave her a big, bear hug, swinging her around before letting go.

  “Look at you! You’ve shot up a foot.” She wasn’t the gangly little girl he remembered. He grabbed her jaw and tugged on it. “What happened to all your freckles?”

  Becca laughed. “They're still there, I just know how to hide them now with makeup.” She gave him another squeeze as her eyes darted to Tori. “Seriously, nobody calls me Roo anymore. It’s embarrassing.”

  Scott ruffled her long, dark brown hair, which was still wet from the pool,
and tried not to think about how revealing her bathing-suit was. It made him uncomfortable. Scott smiled at his niece. “She was dubbed Roo back when she was little,” he explained, “because when we read her Winnie the Pooh she’d bounce around pretending to be Roo. It stuck.” Scott placed his hand on Tori’s arm. “Roo, this is my girl, Tori.”

  Tori smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Rebecca.”

  Becca bit her lip and darted her gaze back to Scott. “Can you call me Becca?”

  “Becca, not Roo. Got it.” Tori grinned.

  Lord, teenage girls were touchy. If he and Tori had kids, please let them all be boys.

  Right then, his mom wandered into the room. “Scott, would you mind running up to the store? We're out of tea.”

  “Sure, Mom,” Scott lowered his voice. “You can’t have a meal in this house without sweet tea—it would be a sin.”

  “Can I ride with you?” Becca asked.

  “Sure,” Scott said. “Tori, you want to come?”

  “Nah, I’ll let you two catch up. I’ll help your mother with dinner.” Tori rubbed his back.

  “All right.” Scott grabbed his keys and Oakley’s off the coffee table. “Come on Roo; let’s roll.”

  Once inside the car, his niece turned into her normal, chatty self.

  “So, tell me about this girl,” Becca began. “Grandma keeps wondering if she's the one.” She made air quotes on the last words, rolling her eyes as she leaned back and kicked her feet up on the dash. “How long have you known her?”

  Scott gave a sideways grin. “Ten years.”

  “Ten years?” Her eyes grew wide. “What the heck took you so long to bring her here?”

  “She was in college when we first met, and I was getting shipped off to BUD/S then deployed. With her career and mine it just didn’t work out for us to be together.”

  Becca snickered “So you were friends with benefits?”

  Scott’s jaw dropped open. “Excuse me?” He cleared his throat, glancing away. “That’s an inappropriate question to ask your uncle. Where did you hear of such a thing?”

  “I’m almost fifteen; I’m not stupid.” Becca laughed hysterically. “I take that as a yes.”

  “We always kept in contact and made time for each other while I was in town.” Scott shook his head. Becca had no filter on her mouth, never had. “We're both in the same place now and ready to settle down.”

  “Has she always been, ya know…”

  “Blind? No, that just happened last year.”

  “How?”

  Scott let out a heavy breath. “She was in a terrible car accident.” He hadn’t even told his parents yet. The Donaghue scandal would come out eventually. Scott wanted them to meet Tori first before that soured their impression of her. The entire world had assumed the girl in the car was either a prostitute or having a long-term affair with a married man. That was the last thing he wanted his parents to think. That explanation would be better done in person. So far, he'd dodged the how she went blind question.

  “Dang.” Becca pulled her feet off the dash and curled her fingers around her seatbelt. “Can they fix it?”

  Scott shook his head. “About as much chance of me sprouting a new leg.”

  “God, I'd die.”

  “She’s a fighter.”

  “She’s really pretty.”.

  Scott wrinkled his brow; she sounded surprised at that. “You don’t think I can snag a hot girl or something?”

  “Oh God no, that’s not it at all.” She laughed. “I’m not supposed to say this because you're my uncle—and it's gross—but you're super hot. Like when my friends see photos of you they freak out. They all stalk you on Instagram. It’s so freaking disgusting.”

  Scott broke into a hearty laugh. “So that’s where all those fourteen-year-old girls I’ve had to block came from. Good grief.”

  “Anyway,” Becca continued. “Grandma warned me she was blind, and I guess I assumed she’d be plain; but she’s dressed all cute and puts on makeup. How on earth does she do that?”

  “You should ask her that.”

  She shook her head. “Yeah, I don’t think I could. I’m afraid I’ll say or do something stupid that will offend her.” She sighed.

  Was Roo uncomfortable? “Tori’s just a regular girl who happens to be blind. It doesn’t need to freak you out.” He thought for a minute. “Does my leg bother you?”

  Becca looked down at his prosthetic. “No, because it’s been like that as long as I can remember.”

  “Well, you’ve had time to adjust,” he said. “You were eight when it happened. The first time I came home to visit afterward, you took one look at my peg, burst into tears, and ran and hid in the other room.” Scott’s laugh echoed through the car.

  “No, I didn’t!” Becca scoffed.

  “Oh yes, you did.” Scott’s laugher died down. “My point is, Roo, that you got used to it over time and realized I’m still the same Scott. Tori is a really cool girl. She’s feisty and smart and has a great sense of humor. You two are gonna hit it off; I know it.”

  “Well, I like her better than Brandi for you, that’s for sure.”

  Scott peered at Becca and frowned. He hadn’t thought about Brandi in a long time. Brandi had been his high school sweetheart then they had a brief stent about a year after his injury. “What was wrong with Brandi?”

  “Nothing. Brandi's great.” Becca shrugged.

  “Well now you aren’t making a bit of sense.”

  “Everyone at church still whispers how you two should've wound up together. Even Grandma used to always say,” she mimicked Judith’s tone, “it was such a shame that you didn't marry her.” Becca rolled her eyes. “They don’t know you like I do.”

  “Oh, and what do you mean by that?” His brow raised.

  “That you aren’t as wholesome as they think you are.” Becca giggled. "What happened with you and her anyway?”

  Scott frowned. That was still somewhat of a question mark. Brandi had seemed to be crazy about him, then she’d called it quits. “It just wasn't meant to be,” Scott answered truthfully.

  Scott and Becca ran into the store, grabbed the tea, then got back in the car. He let Becca pick the music and she blared it the whole drive home, singing along at the top of her lungs.

  At last, he pulled back into his parents’ driveway, right behind his brother’s motorcycle. A mixture of nervous dread and excitement settled in his stomach. With Chad, he never knew how things would go.

  His brother was sitting on the front swing, smoking a cigarette, talking on the phone with his head down. He glanced up as they approached. “I gotta go. Ok, bye.” He hung up the phone and stood up as a wide grin crept across his lips.

  “Hey, little brother!” Chad took one last puff of his cigarette before stomping it out on the concrete. Chad ran his hand through his reddish-brown locks that Scott noticed were long overdue for a cut. He gave Scott a big, warm hug. “How the hell have you been?”

  “Great; good to see you.” Scott fake grinned after they broke apart. His stomach churned. His brother looked even worse than the last time he saw him. Chad's green eyes had huge, dark circles under them and his face was gaunt. It appeared as if he hadn’t slept in days. “Did you just get here?”

  “Yeah, I haven’t gone in yet, had some business I was finishing up.” Chad scratched his thick, unkempt beard. “Hey, Roo.” Chad nodded to Becca and gave her a sideways squeeze.

  “Hey, Uncle Chad.” She pulled away. “I’m gonna head inside.” She gave the boys a wave and disappeared into the house.

  “I’m surprised Mom hasn’t come out and grabbed you and introduced you to Tori,” Scott said.

  “Tori? Who the hell is Tori?” Chad furrowed his brow.

  “She’s my girlfriend. Mom didn’t tell you I brought a girl home?” Scott narrowed his eyes. His mom wasn’t one to keep her mouth shut about anything. He knew once he told his mom about Tori the word would spread like wildfire through his entire family, even
down to his cousins.

  “I’m kidding.” Chad slapped Scott on the arm. “Mom filled me in. You should’ve seen the look on your face thinking I was about to walk in there not knowing she was blind and say something stupid to embarrass you.” Chad grinned.

  Scott laughed, slapping his brother on the back. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to my girl.”

  Scott opened the door and they wandered into the kitchen where the ladies were. His mom was bent over the open oven swapping a pie for fresh cornbread, Tori had her back turned to them washing dishes, and Becca was sitting at the table buried in her phone.

  “Got the tea and picked up a stray on the porch.” Scott sat the grocery bag on the counter.

  “Thank the Lord you finally got here. Dinner is getting cold. Now make that tea for me, one of you; you know how I like it, right?”

  “So sweet it makes you diabetic?” Chad eyed Tori from behind as she bent over in her teeny shorts.

  Scott shot him a scowl.

  Tori shut the dishwasher and wiped her hands off with the dish towel hanging on the cabinet drawer. She turned, leaning her butt up against the counter. “You must be Chad?” Tori flashed her ultra megawatt smile.

  “And you must be the Tori that my mom’s been raving on and on about.” Chad ogled her from the front side with a devilish smirk on his face.

  Scott shot him another glare. Dude! he mouthed and threw his arms up.

  Chad just shrugged unapologetically.

  Seriously, man, right here. Scott rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, Judith, you’re too kind.” Tori blushed, brushing the hair out of her face. Scott punched his brother in the arm and reached into the cabinet for a pitcher.

  “I just tell it like it is,” Judith said. “This girl's a keeper. Not only is she sweet as can be and a pretty, little thing, she can cook too. She helped put the lattice on the apple pie.” Judith patted Tori on the cheek, causing her to flinch a little.

  “I thought you weren’t cooking tonight?” Scott chuckled.

  “Well, we have to have bread and dessert,” his mother stated.

  “Yeah, if the pie topping is a crooked mess, you’ll have to forgive me for that.” Tori shrugged with a grin.