Dancing with Deception

by Kadi Dillon

  “Hey, baby.” Critter dropped down in a chair beside Rebecca. “My turn, chica.”

  “Mine,” Gideon warned mildly.

  “You used to share Mr. Ass—” He grunted when Gideon jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. Critter rubbed the sore spot. “Fuck.”

  “Sissy.”

  “I need to go put my clothes in the dryer.” Jess kissed her father’s cheek then poked Colin in the belly. “Bring the baskets up before you head to the mainland.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Rebecca slipped off the chair and followed Jess out the door. “Everything okay?”

  “Oh, yes. I don’t want my clothes to mold.”

  They both knew very well that Rose would change the laundry as soon as the cycle ended. “What kind of music do you listen to?”

  “Oh, anything.”

  “I brought some CD’s. Maybe we could put one on. I need to touch up my toe polish.” She was searching for anything, as long as she could spend time with Jess. She felt unbearably sad after witnessing that haunted look.

  She’d been curious as to what Jess had been through. A break up? It made sense. Maybe she could get Jess to confide in her. She found herself needing to know.

  “Sounds good.”

  Since her coral red toe nail polish was still wet, Rebecca propped her feet on the side of the bed while she lay on her back on Jess’s bedroom floor. Ally Bowman’s velvety voice vibrated through the speakers. Eyes closed, Rebecca hummed along to the chart topping song about a hard man and a broken heart.

  “She’s good.”

  Rebecca opened one eye to see Jess reading the insert from the CD case. “Yeah, she’s my favorite artist. She’s a great dancer too. I wish she’d tour in Cleveland. I’d love to steal some of her moves.”

  “Her hair is pretty.”

  Rebecca pictured the long, dark blond tresses framing a classic oval face. “I think it’s real, too. Her eyebrows aren’t very dark.”

  “I like the first song on the album.”

  “Mmm, In Your Eyes. She wrote it for her father.”

  “That’s sad then. I couldn’t picture not being seen for who I was.” Jess closed the case and sat it on her desk.

  “It’s not so bad when you don’t know any different.” Even with her eyes closed, she heard Jess’s quick intake of breath. “Don’t apologize, Jess. What you have with your father is special. It’s right and it’s yours. It is sad some people don’t have that, but it’s the way it is.”

  “I just feel so bad for you. I don’t know what to say to you half the time. I wish things were different for you and your parents.”

  Rebecca mulled that over then shrugged. “I don’t. My mother’s a dried up hag and I mean no offense by that. It’s just how she is. My father’s a con-artist. A thief. If we got along, who knows what I’d be doing right now.”

  “I never thought about it that way.”

  Oh, but she had, Rebecca thought from her spot on the floor. She’d thought of every reason why she should be thankful for meaning so little to her parents.

  “I helped my father steal.” She didn’t know where this urge to share her feelings had come from. But it was strong and she found herself wanting to talk to Jess. To all of them. “Not this time,” she hastened to assure her. “But when I was younger.”

  “You did?” There was so condemnation in her voice, only simple curiosity.

  “I was seven. He got a job at a local craft store and worked there for about two months. He waited for them to hire a new employee before he began to steal so they wouldn’t assume it was him. Anyway, his partner, Danny Blade would take me with him. People never looked twice at a little kid shopping with her Uncle Blade.”

  “Did you know what they were doing?”

  She wanted to tell her no, but it would have been a lie. She had no problem with lying when necessary. But she couldn’t lie to Jess. “Not at first. I caught on quickly though. Whenever a customer made a big purchase, my father would tuck the original receipt away and give them the copy. He’d give it to Danny sometime then the next couple days Danny and I would go in and give him the receipt. He’d refund the money, forge the managers signature then they’d split the take.”

  “He didn’t get caught?”

  “No. He cleaned them out of a few thousand dollars before someone began to notice the difference in returns and receipts. Then, he quit.”

  “How did you help?”

  She felt an old familiar shame begin to bubble. “Once, the manager came over to his register. Danny told me to distract him so I asked for candy because I knew he kept some in his office. I walked with him to get the damn sucker while they made the exchange.”

  “It’s that easy to steal?”

  “Yeah, and Austin and Danny were good at it. That was probably the simplest of the cons. But I wanted to help.” Tears threatened but years of strict control kept them from spilling. “I wanted the con to work because the whole five months or so he worked at that store, he was home. And I knew when it was done, he’d go again.”

  She felt Jess’s hand on hers and she opened both of her eyes. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Rebecca. You were just a kid.”

  “I know.” She sighed and sat up to test her polish. Since it was dry, she stood up and sat down heavily on the bed. “I don’t know which was more stupid. Wanting him to steal or wanting to be with him. I regret both now.”

  “I can’t say that I understand how you felt or feel now. But I can tell you I’ve never met someone who I respected more than I do you.”

  Touched, Rebecca sniffed against a fresh round of tears. “Thank you, Jess.”

  “I wish I could see you dance,” she said absently smoothing down the comforter on her bed. “Gideon said you’re really good.”

  “He said that?”

  Jess smiled. “He also said you have a show in a few weeks in Cleveland.”

  “I do, yes. I could get you a ticket and you could come see it.” Rebecca saw a shadow cross her face. Her expression didn’t change much. She was still smiling but the smile froze. The deep green of her eyes darkened with sadness. “Only if you want.”

  “Oh, I’d love to come. But I can’t. I’ve never—” Her breath hitched slightly. She turned to face the window where the light coming into the room was beginning to fade. “Since we moved here, I haven’t once left the island.”

  Simple shock held Rebecca speechless. She didn’t want to pry but she just couldn’t let it go now. When she found her voice, she managed to ask, “Why?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “I have time if you want to share.”

  Jess scrubbed her hands over face, took two deep breaths before she spoke again. “When I was fifteen, my brothers went to a card game at my friend Josie’s house. I had a big time crush on her brother, Josh. I thought he liked me too, so I begged to go. They’ve never been able to deny me anything.” She smiled a little.

  “Lots of men would be put out with little sister tagging along but neither of them ever got tired of me. That makes me very lucky.” She stopped again, visibly fighting for control. “I went with them to Josie’s and while they were playing cards, I went looking for Josh. Josh’s uncle told me he went down to the stables.”

  She looked over at Rebecca who was listening quietly. “I had it all planned out. We’d bump into each other and I would tell him I was just getting some fresh air. Then we’d talk. He’d confess he liked me then kiss me. It would be my first kiss, there in the stables. But I don’t see him anywhere. I figure he isn’t around so I shrug it off. I like horses anyway so I may as well pet a few.”

  Her voice had gone thin. She spoke in the present as if it were happening now. Her eyes were no longer focused on the window, but distant. Rebecca touched her shoulder. Jess blinked and jerked out of her memories. Clearing her throat, she continued. “Josh’s uncle walked in when I was petting one of the horses. His eyes looked weird. They were bloodshot and kind of glassy. I was young but not st
upid. I knew he was probably drunk, but I didn’t start getting scared until I tried to leave and he wouldn’t let me go.”

  Rebecca’s stomach clenched. She prayed she was wrong, but knew she wasn’t.

  “He laughed. Called me a pretty little thing. He told me I shouldn’t be wasting my time with a boy when I could have a man. I told him my brother’s would worry if I wasn’t back and he laughed again.” Her lips trembled once before she could stop them. “I don’t remember much. When my brother’s found me, they said I was in shock. He raped me, though. That I do remember. And he ran away.”

  “Oh God, Jess.”

  She looked up quickly. “I didn’t handle it well. Didn’t handle it at all. After weeks of therapy and counseling, nothing helped. Colin bought this island and we all moved. I only see my grandparents when they come for Christmas every year. I don’t talk to anyone from Virginia, I haven’t seen Josie since. I don’t leave this island. That’s what worked for me.”

  Jess wondered over to the window to watch the sun disappear into the water. “They’ve all been protecting me. Four years later and I haven’t been on a boat ride, haven’t dated, went shopping.” She sighed so sadly it tore at Rebecca’s heart. “I’ve lived my life like a prisoner to my fears and haven’t wanted it any other way.” She turned and faced Rebecca. Her eyes were bright, chin thrust up. “Until now.”

  “Jess.” What could she say? I’m sorry you were traumatized when you were still an innocent child? She’d never even got her first kiss. She thought of all Jess had missed, all she had given up. Only one question came to mind. “Do you want to go shopping?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Gideon’s thoughts were in turmoil. While life continued to move at a slow tread, his heart was running a marathon. The last time he’d lost his heart, it had been to his baby sister some nineteen years ago. No one and nothing else had ever threatened to take it since.

  Until Rebecca.

  While he and his brother loaded the boat with wood from their supply run, his mother and father were taking care of their tab. Since it had taken better than half a day to pick up and load supplies, Gideon was ready to be home.

  His mother was more relaxed today and he knew the reason for it. Rebecca had volunteered to stay behind with Jess. He remembered seeing the new light that had been in his sister’s eyes when Rebecca said she’d rather stay with Jess and his heart had simply plunged.

  He held back because he knew that behind Rebecca’s confident facade was a bruised and wary heart. He wasn’t sure she would believe him if he told her he was in love with her.

  She was holding a part of herself back. With a normal affair, he wouldn’t have cared. But it angered him every time she held herself away from him. She’d told him about her childhood and he ached for her. But she hadn’t told him how it made her feel. The pain was there as obvious as the color of the sky. But her feelings were her own. For now.

  They tied the wood down and jumped from the pier into the boat they used to ship their equipment and supplies back to Avery. She was a sturdy boat with three years of hard tugging behind her. They had christened her Aphrodite because she was strong and capable.

  Gideon appreciated strong and capable, and it brought him back around to Rebecca Channing. She was damn strong. He saw it in the way she was with Jess, the way she saw right at the beginning that Jess was fragile. He knew his sister would open up to her. She hadn’t met anyone new in four years. He worried at first how she would react when he brought Rebecca to the island. He would never have guessed they would have become best friends.

  While the boat sliced through the water toward Avery, he listened to his parents chatting behind him. He’d never really noticed– or paid attention to– their deep affection for each other. It was something that had just always been there. Rebecca had never had that and it broke his heart. She was so easy to love yet held that part of herself away. He knew she was afraid of being hurt. He’d just have to prove to her that he was sticking. Or, that she would have to stick.

  They could get married. Hell, wasn’t it about time he settled down anyway? He could give his mother those grandbabies she always bugged her two sons about. They could be happy together, he knew. He’d just have to convince her.

  “What’s my second born over there brooding about?”

  He smirked and turned to his mother. “Colin broods. I contemplate.”

  “Doesn’t it get us to about the same place?” Colin smoked lazily.

  “Maybe.”

  “So, what is my second born contemplating about?”

  “About asking Rebecca to marry me.”

  It was completely silent on the boat for a humming two seconds. Then three vibrant voices shouted “what!” at him.

  “I tell them I’m proposing and they say what to me,” he muttered.

  Rose rushed forward and cupped her son’s face in her hands. “Oh, Gideon. I’m so happy for both of you.” She kissed him then held on when his arms came around her.

  “Congratulations, son.”

  “Thank you, Dad.”

  “Does she know about this?” Colin asked with a mile-wide grin on his face.

  “I haven’t asked her yet, smartass.” Hadn’t even told her he loved her, he corrected to himself. “You guys can’t say a word. Clear?”

  “Oh, we won’t spoil it!” Rose kissed him again. “But I have to tell Jess.”

  “Tell her to keep a cork in it.”

  “I am so excited!” Rose did a happy dance on the deck of the boat. “How many grandbabies are you going to give me?”

  “How many you want?”

  “That’s what I want to hear.” She grabbed his face again and just as Gideon expected, tears began to pour from her wide, green eyes. “I love you, Gideon.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  “Let us know when she says yes. We’ll have a little engagement party. Nothing big,” she added at Gideon’s wary glance. “I’ll make roast and potatoes. We can buy some good wine.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” But Gideon’s stomach clenched. With everyone counting on him now, what if she turned him down? He brooded about it until they docked, unloaded, then walked into the quiet house.

  Too quiet.

  “Where are they?” Rose wondered aloud. She picked up a piece of notebook paper from the kitchen table and read it to herself.

  “What is it?” Gideon asked when tears gathered again in her eyes.

  “Jess went to town.” She looked up into her family’s stunned faces. “She went to town with Rebecca.”

  “You look like a fashion model in those jeans. I hate you.”

  Jess grinned at Rebecca’s reflection in the mirror. “They are on sale.”

  Rebecca sipped at her bottle of water and nodded. “You should get them. And a pair of those.” She pointed at the four inch ice-pick heels in electric blue on the display table.

  “I would never wear them. And I would break my ankles trying to walk in them.”

  Her initial nerves had passed. Rebecca saw the tension slowly seep out of her as they walked down the crowded streets of Pelee. After four years of being a prisoner to her own fears, Jess had set herself free. After a cup of coffee, a pretzel, and a fast trip to the bathroom to vomit from her racing nerves, Jess was just fine.

  She paid cash for the jeans and smiled prettily at the clerk. “Thanks so much.”

  “Have a wonderful day.”

  “I am.” She turned to Rebecca as they walked out of the store, a bag in each hand. “Oh, I really am. Thank you so much.”

  “No problem. It’s been torture shopping with you. Really such a bother.”

  They grinned foolishly at each other as they walked down Main Street. The sun was setting casting everything in shadows. Street lights flickered on. Rebecca carried her shopping bags wondering if Rose would like the ruby scarf she’d bought her. They matched the ruby blazer Jess had picked out for her perfectly.

  “This is so much better than shopping onl
ine.”

  Rebecca smiled at Jess. “Cheaper, too. No shipping costs.”

  “There is that.” She stopped at a vender and bought a large soda and a bag of cookies. Rebecca shook her head at the offer for one and they continued down the street. “And I got to try everything on before I bought it. I love my new boots.”

  “They’re hot.”

  “Yes, and I never would have thought of glow-in-the-dark toe socks. How amazing is that?” She giggled. “Everyone should have a pair.”

  “Can you imagine your brother’s in them? Or your dad?”

  They both laughed and rounding the corner, ran straight into Gideon and Colin.

  “Oh.” Jess slapped a hand over her mouth. “Speak of the devils.”

  “What are you doing?” Gideon eyed his sister suspiciously, then Rebecca who carefully wiped a grin off of her face. She couldn’t quite get the image of him wearing glow-in-the-dark toe socks out of her head.

  “Shopping.” Jess laughed. “Isn’t it great? Rebecca took me shopping.” Then her laugh turned into a sob. All three of them rushed forward. Rebecca had the impression that both of her brothers would have tucked her under their arms and ran with her back to the island.

  She wanted to curse herself. She should have known it was too much for Jess. Four years alone and then getting thrown into a crowd of people. What was she thinking?

  Before any of them could convince Jess to come back to the boat, she was laughing again. “I’m sorry. It’s just so great.”

  She threw herself into Rebecca’s arms.

  “Thank you, thank you. Thank you!”

  Rebecca hugged her back while her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

  “I’m going to head home, now. I got some things for Mom. She’s home?”

  “Yeah. I’ll take you back with me.” Colin wrapped an arm around Jess, then tugged at Rebecca’s hair. “See you guys at home.”

  Gideon was painfully silent as the seconds ticked by after Colin and Jess left. His expression had become more unfathomable the longer they stood there. If he was mad at her for bringing Jess to town, she couldn’t tell by his face.