It took fifteen minutes, but I found a parking spot three blocks from the school. I cut the engine, grabbed my purse, and the bouquet of black roses I had specially ordered for Tamara and ran—it was more like walked really fast in five inch heels—to the school. I was panting by the time I climbed the steps and shouldered my way to the table guarding the way in.
“Hi,” I said, trying to regulate between talking and breathing without wheezing. “I have a ticket on hold under Ali.”
The shrewd little girl with too many freckles and not enough facial expressions stared at me, all judgy and skeptical.
“Ali what?” she demanded with a mouth full of twisted wires.
“Seriously?” I ventured. “You think I’m going to crash a high school play by stealing someone else’s ticket? How many Ali’s could you possibly have on your list?”
Green eyes narrowed behind thin rimmed glasses. “Are you going to answer, or do I have to call security?”
I didn’t know what part of that surprised me more, her attitude, or that they had security at a high school play.
“You have security? What? Are you showcasing the Hope Diamond?”
“Bob!”
Her unexpected shriek made me jump. My head jerked up just as a short, round boy with rosy cheeks and soft, curly brown hair hobbled to the table. He folded his arms and stared at me. Hard.
“Is there a problem?”
“Wow!” I said, seriously impressed. “Things just got real, huh?”
“Ma’am, do you have a ticket?” Bob asked in a gruff tone that was clearly forced to make him sound tougher than he was.
“Ma’am?” I started to laugh, but caught myself, because Bob didn’t seem amused. “Eckrich.” I turned back to the girl “Ali Eckrich.”
Devil Spawn folded her hands on the table. “Do you have ID, Ali Eckrich?”
And people wondered why I hated children.
I dug into my purse, all the while staring at Devil Spawn with the full force of my death glare, and unearthed my driver’s license. I passed it over for inspection. Devil Spawn took a damn long time examining it. I could hear the people behind me mumbling and shifting restlessly.
“Fine.” My license was returned. “You can go in.”
I blinked. “That’s it?”
Devil Spawn shrugged. “You’re on the list. See? Middle aisle, seat twenty seven. Follow the arrows.”
She pointed to my name on a clipboard alongside several other names and seat numbers.
“So why…?”
I decided not to get into it. There was a good chance I would strangle the little brat and there were too many witnesses.
I left and followed the bright, red arrows taped to the wall all the way to a large theater. The dome shaped chamber sunk deep with rows upon rows of plastic, orange seats. Straight ahead, thick, red curtains fell over the stage. All around me, people bustled, rushing to get to their seats before the show began. It took me a moment longer to figure out how the rows were labeled. Someone had gone through a great deal of trouble to slap handwritten numbers on the backs of each seat. I had to push my way through the masses to the center row and make my way down to seat twenty seven.
“Ali!”
Earl waved at me from his seat, which was sandwiched between Beatrice and … Gabriel. On Beatrice’s other side was Jonas and Lydia. My seat, seat number twenty seven, was on Gabriel’s right.
Awesome.
Forcing a smile, I made my way forward.
“Hi!” I pulled my seat down and propped my butt into it before it could fold up again. “Have you guys seen Tamara yet?” I asked, talking around Gabriel. “Is she excited?”
“She could barely sit still all afternoon,” Earl said, chuckling.
“What a lovely arrangement!” Beatrice said, eyeing my bouquet. “I’ve never seen black roses before.”
I chuckled. “Right? Me neither, but apparently they’re quite common. Go figure.”
“You didn’t have to get those, Ali,” Lydia said, leaning forward in her seat.
“I know, but it’s Tamara’s big night so…”
Lydia smiled. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
With no one else saying anything, I had no reason to continue ignoring the man taking up most of the armrest. I drew in a shot of air to calm my nerves and turned to him. My heart jumped in my chest to find him already watching me.
“Hello,” I said, forcing my smile to appear neutral and friendly.
He looked beautiful in his jeans and long sleeved shirt. His hair was still damp and curled around his ears and the back of his collar. I tried not to stare, but I knew I was.
“Hi. You look—”
I never got to find out how I looked when a shadow draped over my back and a familiar voice called out my name.
“Carl! Hi!”
The blond dropped into the seat on my opposite side, all the while beaming at me.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Good! Thank you. How are you?”
He shrugged, wiggling higher in his seat. “Can’t complain.” He gave me the once more. “You look … phenomenal!”
Heat swelled beneath my cheeks. “Thank you.”
I sat back and rested my purse and flowers into my lap.
“You’re not wearing your glasses,” Carl pointed out.
I touched my face out of habit. “Yeah, I lost them, which was the perfect excuse to start wearing my contacts.”
He nodded like that made sense. “Well, you look great either way.”
Uncomfortably aware of the man on my left, I just smiled.
Thankfully, the play took that moment to begin. The buzz of chatter dimmed as the lights did. The curtains were drawn back and the stage lights snapped on to halo Tamara, center stage in her costume and chunky boots. I thought her choice in footwear really made the getup. It was just so her, unique and bold and dancing to the beat of her own drum. Alyssa, Tamara’s arch nemesis, played Odile, the black swan, which I found somehow symbolic and kind of funny. The pair were incredible together. They held the entire audience under their spell. I was almost sad to see it end.
The theater exploded in cheers and applause. Everyone leaped to their feet as the curtains dropped and reopened as Tamara took her bow, followed by the cast and crew. The best part, in my opinion, was when Tamara and Alyssa had to hold hands and bow together. It lasted all of five seconds before the pair parted and stalked off in opposite directions.
“I can’t believe it’s been four hours already!” I said as the house lights flared back on and people began gathering up to leave.
“Right?” Carl agreed, getting to his feet next to me. “All the kids did an amazing job.” He tugged on his coat. “Are you going to the after party?” That was news to me. No one had mentioned an after party. “All the cast families are invited.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Oh, um, I don’t think so. I’m just going to get these to Tamara and head home.”
“Are you sure? Because I have a spare ticket and it’s a free meal. Plus I would really like for you to join me. As friends,” he added quickly. “I know you’re seeing someone so I’ll be a perfect gentleman.”
I looked down at the flowers. “I’m not, actually. We’re not together anymore.”
I had to give Carl credit, he almost managed not to look gleeful at the news.
“Well, in that case, I insist.”
The smart thing to do would have been to decline, gone home, got out of those shoes, and gone to bed. I even considered it before I realized I actually did want to go, not because it was a free meal, I didn’t care about that, but because I was never invited to things. I never got invited to dances or parties. I was kind of curious to see what a high school after party was like.
“All right.”
He wrote down the address of the banquet hall the party would be held at on the back of one of his cards and promised to meet me there before hurrying off. I slipped the card into my purse and turned to
ask Earl, or Lydia where I could find Tamara, but everyone was gone, except Gabriel. I hated the cold swirl of guilt that twisted through me. There was no reason for it. He let me walk away. I was allowed to move on.
“Are you waiting for me?” I wondered.
He unfurled his massive frame out of his seat and towered drastically over me. His gray eyes burned into me with an intensity that made my knees weak.
“Mom didn’t want you to get lost.”
“Oh.” I nodded slowly. “Thank you.”
He said nothing, but turned on his heels and started down the empty aisle towards the doors. I followed.
“Are you going to the party?” I asked, mostly to make conversation.
“No.”
He didn’t elaborate and I didn’t push.
The crowd was directed into the gymnasium. I supposed it was because it was the only place large enough to hold everyone. The noise level was deafening. Everyone was shrieking and laughing and congratulating each other on a job well done. Most of the children were still in their costumes. Gabriel’s family stood tucked away in a far corner, surrounding Tamara who looked flushed and happy in her swan costume. She spotted me and gave a little squeal of joy as she bounded over and took the flowers.
“How did you know?” she gushed, hugging the roses to her chest.
I laughed. “A little birdy told me.”
She grinned. “Thanks for coming and the kick ass costume. It was so much better than she who shall not be named.”
Chuckling, I inclined my head. “Happy I could help, and you were amazing out there.”
Cheeks darkening with pleasure, gray eyes rolled heaven ward dramatically. “I know. I rocked it.” She sobered and met my gaze. “So are you coming to the party?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“Awesome. I wasn’t sure if Gabe asked you, or not.”
It was just another hard punch in the gut.
“Carl Doray asked me,” I said, barely masking the pain gouging into my chest.
A look of confusion twisted Tamara’s glittery face. Her gaze shot past me to where her brother stood talking to their mother.
“Gabe didn’t ask you?”
It was getting harder to speak, but I managed a sharp jerk of my head.
“That’s so weird,” she mused. “He’s the one who asked for two tickets. I guess I just assumed one was for you.”
Or someone else.
“You know what? I’m going to head out and get there before all the parking spots are taken.” I cut a smile across my face that contradicted the swelling knot in my chest. “I’ll see you there, okay? Again, great job!”
With a wave, I slipped into the crowd and hurried to the doors. My heels cracked a little too furiously through the empty hallway all the way to the main doors. I hit the stairs going down at a jog, holding tight to the iron railing.
Once outside, I stopped on the sidewalk and sucked in the night. I stared at the sky and willed myself to pull my shit together. I was an adult, for god sakes, not a teenager. The world would not cease spinning because of some guy. I would be fine.
I would be.
I had to be.
Fueled by a new surge of determination, I marched to my car. My keys jingled in the silence as I fished them out of my purse. I got in behind the wheel and followed the address eight blocks to a Taj Mahal style hall with beautiful ivory columns and marble domes that seemed to glow in the evening. Inside, the walls were lined with vivid oil paintings and the floor was a pathway of brightly colored cut glass. People were already there, making their way into a wide, lavish chamber made entirely of glass that opened to the night. It made the space seem endless and almost magical. Round tables circled the room, draped in white cloth and topped with a single white candle that flickered with all the movement around it. Fine china decorated each place setting and held a single nametag.
I inwardly swore. Whose name did I look for? Carl’s?
“Do you need help finding your name?” A short, thin man in white trousers and a long silk top appeared at my elbow. He smiled kindly and held up a clipboard. “Your name?”
“I don’t think I’m on there,” I confessed. “I was asked at the last minute.”
“Then your friend’s name?”
“Carl Doray?” I peered over his shoulder as he scanned his table chart and blinked when I spotted my name. “There.” I pointed. “That’s me.”
The man beamed. “The Pierce family. They are—”
“Oh, I’m not with them,” I said, immediately feeling horrible. “I mean, I’m very fond of them, but I—”
“Ali!” Carl jogged up to us, digging into the inside pocket of his coat. “Sorry I’m late. I have our tickets here.”
The man took the three purple tickets and peered them over before consulting his charts.
“Here we are,” he said at last. “This way.”
“Where’s Alyssa?” I asked, noticing the girl’s absence.
Carl chuckled as he guided us after the seater. “She’s driving with her friends. They should be here soon.”
Our table was in the front row next to the wide open space reserved for dancing. It was also fairly close to the stage where a band was setting up. My head spiked and no music was even playing.
“Here you are.”
The man pulled out my seat for me and waited until I was seated before nudging me under the table.
“Thank you.”
Inclining his head, he hurried away to help someone else, leaving me alone with Carl.
“This place is breathtaking,” he said, sliding into the chair next to mine. “I’ve never been here before. Have you?”
I shook my head and peered down at the neat little card in my plate. “Who’s Stacey?”
Carl grimaced and snatched the name tag from me. “My wife … ex-wife. Alyssa’s mom.”
“Is she not coming?”
Carl eyed the gold, loopy font. “She was supposed to, but I haven’t seen her.”
“So there’s a chance she could just show up in the middle of the meal and demand her seat back?” I only half teased.
He shook his head. “It’s unlikely. She tends to forget things, like the play.”
I gasped. “She didn’t come to watch Alyssa’s play?”
“She said she would, but like I said, she forgets.”
I couldn’t even wrap my head around that.
“How do you forget your only daughter’s play?”
Carl merely shrugged. “It’s one of the reasons we’re no longer together.”
“I’m sorry.”
He waved away my sympathies. “Let’s not talk about that. Tell me how you’ve been. The last time we talked, you were on the hunt for a missing teenager.”
I laughed and told him about my adventures through the woods with Gabriel, leaving out the part about finding out that my boss was also my secret fantasy lover. I honestly wasn’t sure how to work that one into the conversation. So I opted to leave it out.
“You know, I have never met such a diligent and loyal employee before,” Carl mused. “You’re always there for them.”
“It’s Earl,” I only half lied. “He makes me feel like family. Plus, I like Tamara. She’s … interesting.”
“And Gabriel?”
I couldn’t help it. My gaze dropped to my plate.
“We have a complicated relationship,” I mumbled.
“Were you together?”
I thought about Q, but even then, we were never really together.
I shook my head.
“But you love him.”
It was said so evenly, like it couldn’t possibly be anything else.
“No!” I blurted a little too fast. “Definitely not.”
Carl scrutinized my face until I wanted to snap at him to knock it off. I wasn’t a damn book. But he merely shrugged and sat back.
“If you say so, but I will tell you this, if I had someone like you on my team, I would—”
Aly
ssa arrived with an entourage of giggling girls still in their Swan Lake costumes. Alyssa was the only one in black and the one heading the group. She spotted me and her expression went from I just won an Emmy to what the fuck is this shit in the span of two seconds.
“What’s she doing here?”
“Alyssa.” Carl gave his daughter a frown that clearly warned her not to go there.
“That’s Mom’s spot,” the girl protested, jabbing a finger at my seat. “Why is she in Mom’s spot?”
“Because I asked her to join us.”
“But that’s Mom’s spot!” the girl shouted, causing several heads to turn in our direction.
“You know what, maybe I should—”
Carl stopped me with a hand on my arm when I started to get to my feet. His gaze never left his daughter.
“That’s enough, Alyssa. You’re being rude.”
Brown eyes widened on a stunning face. “I’m being rude? You just invited a complete stranger to take Mom’s place. How are you going to explain that when Mom gets here?”
“She’s not coming, Al,” Carl said sharply.
The girl’s head reared back like her father’s words had smacked her. Her bottom lip trembled.
“You don’t know that!”
Turning on her slipped heels, she stormed away. Her little group hurried after her.
“I think you should go talk to her,” I decided, my heart hurting for the girl.
Carl sighed. “Yeah.” He rose. “I’ll be right back.”
While I wasn’t alone at the table, I didn’t know the couple sitting across from me. Both were in their early forties, and from the looks of them, not the chatting type. Both caught me watching them and quickly looked away. It suited me just fine. I wasn’t in the talking mood anyway. Honestly, I was actually hoping Stacey would show up, not just because I really wanted to leave, but for Alyssa.
No such luck. Carl returned, sans Alyssa and regained his seat.
“I’m so sorry about that,” he said.
The Voyeur Next Door Page 24