by Tasha Black
“Sure,” Honey said weakly.
“I’ll come with you,” Kitt offered.
“We have some questions for you too, sir,” the officer said. “Follow me please. Miss, you’ll go with Officer Nunez.” He indicated a female cop who was waiting outside.
Honey took a deep breath and stepped outside.
This was reality, in all its gloom. It had been a magical afternoon, but Honey had seen where romance led her.
She had learned her lesson for good this time.
She hoped.
Chapter 26
Kitt enjoyed his conversation with the police officers very much. They brought him a cup of bitter coffee and then a plate of doughnuts as he told them precisely what had happened at the crime scene.
“My god, man,” Officer Brown said when he was finished. “I don’t know how you were able to keep your cool and remember all the details. You probably saved that girl’s life.”
Of course Kitt remembered exactly what happened and in what order. He had used his gift to slow his perception, remove the brick with burning rags tied to it from the floor of the cabin, take it outside, extinguish the flames in the dirt, and capture Wade Travers.
“You have the makings of a good cop,” Officer Kravitz told him.
“Thank you,” Kitt replied through a mouthful of doughnuts.
So far they had not indicated that they suspected him of anything, except being a hero.
“Here you go, man,” another officer said, tossing him something.
He grabbed it. It was a sweatshirt. On the front it said Purple Mountain PD.
“Go on, put it on, son,” Officer Brown told him.
Kitt pulled the shirt on over his bare chest.
“Aw, Bill,” Officer Kravitz pretended to pout.
“No flirting, Kravitz,” Brown teased her. “He’s a hero, not a Chippendale.”
They all laughed, even Officer Kravitz.
Kitt laughed too, though he did not know what a Chippendale was. He thought maybe it was a style of furniture, but why would Officer Kravitz flirt with a piece of furniture? At any rate, he enjoyed the camaraderie of the group of uniformed warriors.
Just then, Officer Nunez walked past, with Honey in tow. Honey was not laughing and Officer Nunez looked very business-like.
“I’m gonna drive her back,” Officer Nunez said to the group.
Kitt put his half-eaten doughnut back on the plate and straightened up.
“Not yet, son,” Officer Brown told him. “We’ll take you back in a few minutes.”
They made him repeat his story twice more. He wondered why, but thought it best to comply calmly.
Then at last Officer Brown drove him back to the resort.
Kitt looked out the window, marveling at the speed with which the car took the turns.
Out the window, raindrops began to splatter on the leaves and run down the glass windows of the vehicle like tears.
“You gonna be okay, son?” Officer Brown gave him a half smile that was just visible through his gray beard.
“Yes,” Kitt said. “Wade Travers has been imprisoned, Honey will be safe.”
“You really like her, huh?”
“Yes,” Kitt said, not bothering to explain how inadequately those few words described the hugeness of his feelings for Honey. “But she’s not so sure about me.”
“Well, stay the course,” Officer Brown advised. “She looked pretty shaken up. But she’ll come around. You’re nothing like that other fellow.”
“Thank you,” Kitt said.
When they pulled up in the main parking lot, Kitt hopped out of the car and dashed through the rain toward the cabins.
He wanted badly to find Honey, but he knew she didn’t want to see him.
So instead he went to his own cabin. It was a large space, with bunks for more than twenty men. But right now they were all working. Kitt would have time alone to contemplate what to do about Honey.
Once he arrived, he saw that his brothers were sitting at the communal table at the end of the room, playing checkers.
“Remington, Indiana,” he said happily.
“Are you okay, Kitt?” The deeper note of Remington’s voice told Kitt he was really concerned. “Malik said that we could come back here and wait for you. Did they believe you?”
“I’m fine,” Kitt replied. “The police were very courteous.”
“Yeah, it looks like he’s one of them now,” Indiana winked, inclining his head toward Kitt’s new shirt.
Kitt looked down at it proudly. The cotton stretched tightly over the muscles of his chest and biceps but it fit him well compared to most garments.
“Where’s Honey?” Remington asked.
Kitt ran a hand through his hair and began to pace.
“Oh man,” Indiana laughed. “You’ve got it bad, brother.”
“Don’t laugh at his pain,” Remington chided. “What happened, Kitt?”
“She doesn’t want me,” Kitt said.
“They told us to expect that,” Indiana said. “Earth women aren’t inclined to feel comfortable with men from Aerie right away, they need time.”
“It’s not that,” Kitt said.
“Then what is it?” Indiana asked.
“She thinks she’s cursed,” Kitt muttered.
“What?” Remington turned his chair to Kitt.
“She thinks she’s cursed,” Kitt repeated. “She said that it’s her fault that Wade Travers went crazy, that it was because she went on a date with him. And she said if she goes on a date with me I’ll go crazy too.”
Indiana began laughing delightedly.
“Damn it, Indy,” Remington roared. “Stop laughing at Kitt’s problem.”
“This sounds like it’s Honey’s problem, not Kitt’s,” Indiana chuckled.
“That’s it,” Remington said, slamming his fist on the table and causing all the checkers to leap off their squares.
“Sorry, brother, sorry,” Indiana said. His expression grew more serious.
Kitt appreciated it. His brother Indiana reminded him of the famous Bugs Bunny. It was hard for the high-spirited fellow to contain his good humor for long. But it was not always the most helpful way to be.
“So how do we solve this problem?” Remington stood and began to pace alongside Kitt.
“I don’t know,” Kitt said. “How can I prove to her that I won’t go crazy if she dates me?”
Chapter 27
Honey sat in her favorite spot on the little sectional sofa of the cabin.
Surrounded by her friends, with a mug of tea in her hands, she felt incredibly cozy. It was hard to believe that just hours before she had been shaking with fear on the floor, expecting the whole place would soon be engulfed in flames.
“You seem so calm,” Addy observed.
“Yeah,” Honey said. “I think I may still be in shock.”
“So how did Kitt deal with the fire?” Nikki leaned forward, waiting for an answer.
“He, um, just grabbed the thing and ran outside with it,” Honey said.
“Wow,” Nikki said, sitting back.
“Damn,” Addy said. “How badly did he burn his hands?”
“He didn’t,” Honey said. “I think he’s got super powers.”
The other two laughed.
At least they still thought she was being funny.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Addy asked.
“That’s what makes it so hard,” Honey replied.
“That’s what she said,” Addy said quickly.
Nikki rolled her eyes.
“Sorry.” Addy shrugged. “Had to be said. Anyway, what are you talking about? He’s a nice guy. Finally. I mean, no offense Honey, but you’ve picked some weirdoes in the past.”
“That may be the understatement of the year,” Honey sighed.
“I get it about Wade,” Nikki said. “But who else was there?”
Addy laughed.
“It started freshman year of college,” Honey
said. “I was dating a guy at Tarker’s Hollow. He seemed nice enough, I mean he was a little vain, but good-looking guys often are. Anyway, we were going for a walk one night and he started freaking out.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki’s voice was fascinated. “Like he was yelling at you?”
Honey shook her head. “Like he started saying stuff about me being in danger, and that he hadn’t realized it was a full moon. And then he got really… amorous.”
“Sounds like he was just putting the moves on you,” Nikki said. “In a creepy way, maybe, but still…”
“Oh, it gets better,” Addy said.
“Anyway, yeah, he was pawing at me one minute and then the next minute he ripped all his own clothes off,” Honey said sadly.
“Wh-what?” Nikki was hanging on her every word. “Did he try to assault you? Did he rip your clothes?”
Honey shook her head.
“Nope. He ran off into the woods naked. I was left standing there with a pile of his clothes.”
Addy laughed her head off, while Nikki shook her head in wonder.
“What did you do?” Nikki asked.
“I, um, folded them,” Honey replied, trying to ignore Addy’s snorts of laughter, “and went back to my dorm.”
“You folded his clothes?” Nikki’s brow was furrowed.
“Well, I was kind of surprised,” Honey said. “I think I did it out of force of habit.”
“I’m not gonna lie, Honey,” Nikki said. “That might be the weirdest bad date story I ever heard. But one guy going bonkers is just… bad luck.”
“My next boyfriend decided he didn’t like women,” Honey said.
“A lot of people come out in college,” Addy said. “It’s no big deal.”
“And then there was the drummer,” Honey went on.
“Drummers are notoriously bad drivers,” Addy said. “I think they technically pay higher insurance rates.”
“What happened?” Nikki asked.
“He asked me out a bunch of times, but I was kind of… shell-shocked from the last two,” Honey explained. “Then the day I finally said yes, he borrowed a friend’s car to pick me up and take me to dinner in the city. But he blew a red light on the way to my dorm and when the police tried to pull him over he tried to evade them for some reason.”
“He just really wanted to see you,” Addy pointed out. “You should have said yes sooner so he wouldn’t be so scared to blow his shot.”
“Anyway, he got kicked out of school because of jail and all,” Honey said. “So basically, my track record is not good.”
“Surely you had one or two decent boyfriends,” Nikki said.
“Where would she have found the time?” Addy cackled.
“I took a little break,” Honey said. “Then I decided to give Wade a chance. I mean he seemed a little dick-ish, but mostly normal.”
She looked around at the broken door and screens.
“Yikes,” Nikki said.
“I’m pretty much cursed,” Honey said.
“You don’t mean that,” Nikki said.
“I think I do,” Honey replied thoughtfully. “It’s probably best if I just lay low, get a couple of cats, and focus on opening my own dance school when I graduate. Maybe my brother will get married and have kids and I can be an auntie.”
“Being an auntie is definitely where it’s at,” Addy said immediately. “But I wouldn’t give up on love just yet.”
“Kitt seems special, Honey,” Nikki said softly. “And I think you guys have a real bond.”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to mess things up with my bad mojo,” Honey said sadly. “Besides, he’s not completely normal.”
“He’s a freaking alien, Honey,” Addy pointed out. “It would be weird if he did seem completely normal.”
“No, I mean these guys make a match for life,” Honey said. “And Kitt told me he wanted to choose me as his mate.”
“That makes sense then,” Nikki said. “It’s a little intense, but it makes sense.”
“But he’s also seeing another girl,” Honey told them, and bit her lip.
“What?” Addy demanded, her joking tone gone.
“I saw them together a couple of times,” Honey said. “It’s Violet, the girl he wanted to see in the morning.”
“In fairness, they might just be friends,” Nikki said.
“I don’t think so,” Honey said. “I heard what he was saying to her. It’s pretty much the same stuff he says to me. I think I’m just drawn to men who have no heart.”
“Honey, that’s crazy,” Addy said.
Addy slid across the couch and wrapped an arm around Honey.
And that was the simple gesture of empathy that finally made Honey cry.
“Oh, Honey, no,” Addy said. “Don’t cry.”
“I can’t believe it,” Nikki said. “I’ve read about these guys - they pair bond, like birds or something. He can’t just go after two girls at once.”
Honey looked up from her spot on Addy’s shoulder.
“He said, ‘Every morning we talk about your mother, and all I want to talk about is us.’ And she said, ‘There is no us,’ and he said, ‘There should be.’”
“Jesus,” Addy muttered and rubbed Honey’s back vigorously, as if she might rub the whole memory right out of her.
“Why would they talk about her mother?” Nikki wondered.
“I don’t know,” Honey sobbed and fell back on Addy’s shoulder.
“There’s something odd about that conversation…” Nikki mused.
“Go get us something stronger than chamomile,” Addy said to Nikki over her shoulder.
Nikki shrugged and dashed off to the kitchen.
“Listen, Honey,” Addy said. “I’ve known you a long time. Maybe it’s true, maybe you need to stay on your, uh, man diet a little longer. But you’re going to be just fine.”
“How do you know?” Honey asked her best friend’s tear-stained shirt.
“Because you’ve got me,” Addy replied triumphantly.
“And me,” Nikki added as she joined them again. “And this sangria.”
“It is really good sangria,” Honey admitted, wiping her eyes and sitting up to take the jar from Nikki.
“Yes,” Addy said with satisfaction, “it is really good sangria. To new beginnings.”
“New beginnings,” Nikki echoed.
“New beginnings,” Honey repeated.
There was a light tap on the door.
Honey looked up and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the big masculine form.
“Addy,” Remington’s deep voice called from the doorway.
Oh.
Addy got up and went to the door.
“Hey, buddy,” she said through the screen. “What’s up?”
“Is Honey okay?” He sounded angry.
“She’s shaken up, but she’s fine,” Addy said. “How are Kitt’s burns?”
Remington stared at her for a full five seconds.
“Fine,” he said stiffly.
Honey wondered if Addy would recognize it was a lie. If she did, she didn’t let on.
“That’s good,” Addy said.
“He wants to see her,” Remington growled. “But he doesn’t want to upset her.”
“Good thing he sent you,” Addy quipped.
The humor was lost on Remington.
“Can he come to her?”
Addy turned to Honey.
Though it killed her, Honey shook her head. Tears prickled her eyes and she wrapped her arms around herself.
“She wants a break,” Addy told Remington.
“A break from what?” The big alien sounded angry and confused.
“Walk with me,” Addy said, stepping outside with him.
Nikki slid over closer on the sofa and put an arm around Honey.
“It’ll get easier,” she said.
“How do you know?” Honey asked.
“Because you’re too smart and too determined to let this
get you down,” Nikki said. “Bottoms up.”
They clinked glasses and Honey found herself glad, not for the first time, that Nikki had joined them this summer.
Chapter 28
Honey sat at one of the front tables in the ballroom, flanked by Nikki and Addy.
The entire staff of the resort was awash with gossip about Wade’s arrest, and speculation about whether Honey was dating the foreign waiter who had saved her from the fire.
Had she wanted to, Honey could have taken her pick of male staff to dance with for today’s demo. Wade was safely out of the picture, and Honey herself was a figure of romance and intrigue.
But it was too late, of course.
And to add insult to injury, just this morning, she had walked past the pavilion and seen Kitt there with Violet again.
Whatever he had said about wanting to be with Honey, about loving her, he was certainly not holding back on pursuing his consolation prize.
Her heart ached with loneliness.
She had never felt a connection like the one she felt with Kitt - it was kinesthetic as well as emotional. Seeing that it meant nothing to him made her feel hollow inside, like maybe she was the one without a heart, after all.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Debra Stine said from the stage, “welcome to Maxwell’s!”
There was light applause from the guests and staff.
“We’re very excited to have all of our activities leaders here this evening to introduce you to how you can spend your time here at Maxwell’s,” Debra said. “I’m going to call Adelaide Barnes, our head swim coach, up first.”
Addy dashed up to the stage, laptop in hand.
“Hey everyone,” she said. “I’m Addy and since I can’t do a swim demo for you, I’ve put together a little presentation.”
The lights were dimmed, and Addy’s swim movie came up on the screen. She had shot it the week before the resort opened after seeing the head swim coaches yammer on in a boring way at each session demo last year.
The movie was pretty funny. It featured a lot of staff members since they had all reported to the resort early.
By the time it was done everyone was laughing and Addy took a little bow and then came back to her seat. It was genius. She had made herself totally approachable. Swim classes would be packed and she’d make a fortune on private lessons, too.