“You’re beautiful,” Braden said. “I love the new haircut.”
I fingered my hair, still a little surprised to find it above my shoulders. “Thanks. You look nice, too.”
He handed me the roses and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. I grabbed him around the neck as he pulled away, drawing him into a real kiss, setting the roses on my desk so they wouldn’t get smashed. It felt nice, familiar, and even a little sexy, but I couldn’t tell if any of that meant I loved him.
When we came up for air, Braden smiled and held out his arm. “Shall we? I made reservations at Hodge Mill.”
I took his arm and let him lead me to street level, but when we left the building, I didn’t see his car. Braden lifted his key ring with deliberate slowness and clicked a button. The answering click came from a new Mustang a few spaces away.
“You got a new car!” I squealed as I ran over to it. I love the smell of new cars. I opened the driver’s side door and settled in behind the wheel, testing the feel of the controls.
“Ahem,” Braden said.
I gave him an innocent look. “Yes?”
“I’ll be your chauffeur this evening.” Braden offered his hand to help me out of the car. I took it, allowing him to guide me to the passenger side.
A gentle summer breeze lifted my hair, and I looked toward the west, where the sun was playing tag with a low cloud bank. I fingered the cross at my neck, but was determined not to let recent events ruin this evening.
“Where did you get the money for this?” I asked as Braden pulled the car into the street.
“The down payment was a graduation present from my parents,” he said. “I figured I needed something new for when I start law school in the fall.”
That dampened the mood a bit. I didn’t want to think about him leaving again in a couple of months, only about the time we would have until then.
“So,” Braden said, “I hear you’re dating Evan Blackwood?”
I fought the urge to groan. “Where did you hear that?”
“Your sister mentioned it. It’s cool if you are, I was just curious. We established right up front that we weren’t going to stop one another from seeing other people while we were apart.”
“Juliana is mad at me, and she’s spreading rumors. I’m not seeing Evan, we’re just working together right now. He’s really about the last person I would consider dating.” Not true, my conscience whispered, that’s not what it looked like this morning when you were wondering what it would be like to kiss him.
“Oh.” Braden sounded more relieved than I expected, making me wonder if he had some idea about taking our relationship to a new level tonight, and if so, what that level might be. Kaitlin had hinted strongly that he might propose this summer, but really, was that likely? Maybe he would just tell me he loved me, in which case, I would have to decide on a response.
“So you’re not seeing anyone?” Braden asked.
“No,” I assured him, though I hastened to add. “I could have. It’s not like you don’t have other girlfriends.” I let that last bit dangle as almost a question.
“I don’t have other girlfriends anymore. Last week, I told Charlotte it was over.”
“Oh.” I looked out the window so he wouldn’t see my smile.
We passed the rest of the ride talking about his weekend camping trip, a nice change from the more monstrous conversations I’d been having lately. For the space of the short drive to the restaurant, I let myself forget about the case, about my mom’s pregnancy, and especially about vampires.
Hodge Mill was on form, as usual. They had us seated a minute after we arrived; water glasses showed up thirty seconds after that. Not that they were terribly busy on a Tuesday evening. Only about a quarter of the tables were filled, which was perfect for a private conversation.
An odd tension filled the air over dinner, and we had more trouble finding conversation than usual. Maybe it was because most of my life at that moment was mired in magic, and that was something Braden and I didn’t usually discuss, but I think something else hung between us. We had reached a crossroads, but I didn’t know if we would end up leaving it in the same direction.
“I hear you have a case,” Braden said over dessert.
“Yes, trying to figure out what happened to Nancy Hastings and Belinda Hewitt.”
“Everyone’s saying a vampire attack was involved.”
“Yeah.”
“Should I be worried?” His eyes danced down to my cross.
“Yes.”
“The priest at the Catholic Church was blessing bottles of water this afternoon, and there’s been a run on crosses. I don’t think you can buy one within fifty miles of here.”
“Good.” I let a smile spread across my face, thinking of the entire town gearing up for battle, although I hoped, fiercely, that none of them would have to fight. Maybe, with everyone armed and protected, the vampire would realize the town was too much trouble and leave. Although personally, I wanted to find him first.
“There are a few dissenters, of course.”
“Of course.” I thought about Angie, and shook my head. “But at least word is getting around.”
“Listen.” Braden’s tone grew suddenly serious. “I know we’ve been avoiding the subject for years, but there is something we need to talk about.”
“What?”
“Magic.”
“Why?” I knew why, or at least suspected. If Braden was becoming serious about me, he probably wanted a few answers that I still couldn’t give him, and probably never could.
“Because I got the impression that you wanted to live a normal life.” Braden offered a forced smile. “I mean, you call yourself a normal detective on your business cards.”
“That’s true.” I didn’t know how to explain to him that living a normal life, and running a normal detective agency, weren’t the same thing. With my family, I would probably never lead an entirely normal life, but because of them, I had to make sure people knew I didn’t do spells, or whatever else they supposed magic users did.
“So then, why did you take a paranormal case?” Braden asked.
“It’s what passes for normal around here.” It wasn’t as if I had been asked to perform actual magic, and besides, before I found Belinda, it was always possible that Nancy Hasting’s death had nothing to do with the paranormal.
“Exactly.” Braden sounded as if I had made a brilliant point, but I couldn’t follow him. “Look, I’m not one of those people who hates the sorcerers around here. I probably wouldn’t have started dating you if I did.”
“That’s good to know.” I was liking the conversation less and less. I hoped he would make his point soon.
“But in this town, it’s hard to get anywhere without magic. My parents own an antique shop, and they do well enough, but I’ve got bigger dreams. After law school, I was actually thinking about going into politics.”
“Really?” I tried to picture myself as a politician’s wife, but the image wouldn’t stick. Last summer, he had been talking about going into corporate law and becoming rich, the year before that, trial law. For all I knew, he would change his mind again before graduating with his law degree. His eyes did gleam with excitement when he talked about his plans, but they’d done that before.
“Well, it’s not set in stone or anything, but it’s a thought, and I definitely couldn’t do it in Eagle Rock.”
“True.”
“And you can’t live your dream here, either,” Braden said.
I blinked at him, confused, and wondered how he could know so little about my dreams. My daydreams often involved me waking up one day and discovering that I had some magic after all. Even my more sensible daydreams involved me proving myself to my family, which I couldn’t do anywhere else.
“You’ve taken a case involving vampires,” Braden said, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. “Vampires. You can’t do anything against a vampire, and you shouldn’t have to.”
I pulled my han
d away. “There’s magic everywhere, Braden, it’s just more concentrated here. More difficult to ignore, though some people try really hard.”
“I know,” Braden said, “but there’s also more opportunity in other places. I’ve been watching you slowly suffocate here, ever since we started dating. You don’t like to let other people see, but when you left the sheriff’s department, I finally understood.”
“Did you?” My tone was icy, but he missed it.
“What are your plans if you stay here? Can you follow your dreams?” Braden asked.
I turned away, so he wouldn’t see the impact his words had on me. Could I follow my dreams? Given the nature of my dreams, probably not.
“Look, I got a contact at a P.I. firm in Chicago, close to where I’ll be going to school. He said they might be willing to train you, and take you on as an associate. I know it’s not as glamorous as having your own firm, but they’re established and get steady business, and after a few years, maybe you can strike out on your own.”
Chicago was awfully far away. I wouldn’t see my family very often, and after a few years, Adam and Christina would barely know me.
On the other hand, I probably could go far in a place like Chicago, especially if an established firm was willing to give me a chance. I could build a career for myself from the ground up, like any normal person. I tried to picture myself ten years from now, self-sufficient, the owner of my own firm, doing my best to help people in whatever small ways I could.
It sounded great, so why did it leave me feeling dead inside?
“Wait,” I said, “are you asking me to come with you?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m asking.”
He pulled his chair back and dropped to one knee. My heart beat a wild rhythm in my chest, but for some reason, all I could think was oh no. I hadn’t even figured out what to say if he told me he loved me, and our recent conversation made me feel less certain than ever. At the very least, we hadn’t worked out nearly enough details. What had we spent the last three years talking about, and had any of it been important? I didn’t even know if he wanted children, or when. I did, eventually. As the oldest of seven, I’d always had children in my life, and couldn’t imagine life without them. Braden was an only child, so how would he feel?
The worst part, though, was knowing he planned to leave town permanently. Of all the things we should have talked about, that was at the top of the list. Maybe he had only made the decision recently, given his new career direction, but he couldn’t expect me to make the decision to leave everything I’d ever known in five minutes or less.
All of that flashed through my mind in an instant, making my cheeks burn and my ears fill with a strange buzzing sound. I almost missed his actual words.
“I love you,” Braden said. “Will you marry me?”
I stared at a gold engagement ring with a small but tasteful diamond solitaire, and I knew I couldn’t say yes, but I also knew I couldn’t say no. He had given me too much to think about, and so, even knowing it made me sound like a damaged cliché, I gave him a resounding maybe.
14
CHRISTINA WAS BORN ON A stormy afternoon in May, about a week before I graduated from high school. We all had spring birthdays, ranging from February to May, which Mom’s midwife assured us was perfectly normal. “Lots of women will become fertile at a certain time of year, and tend to have trouble conceiving at other times.”
Despite the storm, the house was filled with excitement and energy at the prospect of a new baby–the seventh child. Mom had never made her desire to have exactly seven children a secret.
Mom always gave birth at home, with the assistance of Linda Eagle, a witch midwife (that’s what she liked to be called). Somewhere around two in the afternoon, Linda shuffled down the stairs, gray hair coming unwound from the tight bun it had been in at two in the morning, and told everyone, “It’s a girl. They’re calling her Christina Pamela Evangeline Medea. Everyone’s doing great.”
We cheered, and I pulled the cake down from the top of the refrigerator. I had chosen the pink frosting, though Nicolas (or possibly Juliana) could have tinted it blue had my guess been wrong. I cut into the cake and we started passing it around, Adam managing to worm a second piece from me before Dad came down to join us.
“I want to see,” Adam said, pulling on Dad’s pants.
“Not now, Adam. In a couple of hours.” Dad managed to get his pants free of Adam’s grip, but then Adam latched on with a far more sinister weapon than his arms–his smile. “Oh, come on up, but one at a time. Cassandra, come with us so you can take Adam back downstairs.”
So together with Adam, I got my first glimpse of the tiny, wrinkled, pink ball of baby. She was nursing when we walked in, but fell asleep a few minutes later. That’s when I got to hold her. She was perfect and beautiful, in a poetic way. Poems usually ignored the amniotic fluid matting the small tufts of hair, or the loose skin that needed filling out. Both of these things would disappear in the next few days, though, and all that would remain would be the precious new life getting its first taste of the world.
After everyone had their peek, I managed the kids to give Mom and Dad some time alone with Christina. When I had the youngest ones bathed and in bed, I disappeared to my own room to study for my finals. That’s when I heard them through the vents.
“I’m not sure,” Mom was saying. “I can’t tell if they’re protected or not. I thought I would feel something. Maybe I should have one more, just to be sure.”
I dropped my book, and put my ear directly to the vent.
“I’m not sure you would feel anything,” Dad said. “It’s the kids who we’re protecting with the power of seven, not ourselves. Cassandra is one of those kids.”
“Yes, but she can’t add to the magic. I just...need to think. I don’t have to decide tonight.”
“Of course not,” Dad said. “We’ve got years.”
* * *
Somehow, Braden and I made it through the rest of dinner, and then Braden dropped me off at my car. He didn’t kiss me good night, which I took as a bad sign, but hopefully, if it was meant to be, we would get through this.
By the time Braden dropped me off at my car, it was nearly dark. I probably had enough time to get home before full dark, but it would be a near thing.
My phone rang. Hoping it was Kaitlin, so I could tell her all about my evening, I answered without checking the caller ID.
“Cassandra Scot, where are you?” It was Dad. I looked up at the twilit sky and let my fingers fly to the cross at my neck.
“I told you I had a date.” I tried to make light of it as I started the engine. “I’m on my way home now.”
“Now may be too late. How can you be so careless? How did you plan to protect yourself if a vampire attacked you? Vampires are strong, and some of them are cunning.” I heard the worry in Dad’s voice, but far from making me feel loved, it made me angry. I knew how to handle myself. I had my cross, a bottle of holy water, and I was on my way home.
That’s not what I said, though. In my attempt to be flippant, I think I crossed a line.
“Well,” I put the car in drive and stepped on the gas, “I guess if I die, it won’t matter if I count as one of the seven or not.”
I don’t know what made me say it. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I stared at the phone in horror. I could hear Dad shouting something on the other end of the line, but I couldn’t make it out. Deciding that anything else I might say would only make matters worse, I hung up and tossed the phone in the passenger seat. Then I banged my head against the steering wheel a few times.
The phone rang. This time, I checked the caller ID, and, seeing my parents’ number, ignored it. After several rings, it went to voice mail. Then it started again.
Maybe I did know why I’d said it. The worry that the baby would replace me had been weighing heavily on my mind since I found out Mom was pregnant. I remembered the conversation I’d overheard, through the vents, the
night Christina was born. It had been the first, but not the last. I had never told them what I’d heard. I had never even hinted at it. Maybe I thought if I ignored it, it would go away.
When the phone went to voice mail the second time, I punched in Kaitlin’s number from memory. I didn’t want to think about vampires or new babies, I needed to talk to someone abut Braden. Kaitlin would probably get angry with me for ruining her fairy tale image of Braden–she would probably even use the words “fairy tale”--but she was still the first person I wanted to confide in.
Her phone went to voice mail without ringing. Now that I thought of it, she had said something about a date with Curtis, so that wasn’t entirely surprising. I still wanted to talk to someone, though, and Madison went to bed by nine o’clock. That left Angie.
Angie answered her phone on the second ring.
“Hi, it’s Cassie. What are you up to right now?”
She hesitated. “I’m staying with my parents tonight–at the hotel.”
That was on the way home, and since her family lived there, behind a threshold, it would be safe. “Would you mind some company?”
“Yes, I mean no. You can come over. Is something wrong?”
“Sort of, I’ll tell you when I get there.” I hung up, and turned the phone off. Then I tossed it in the passenger seat floorboard. Let my parents stew over what I’d said tonight. It served them right. Tomorrow they could reassure me that I was still a part of the family, no matter what, and I would forgive them.
Angie’s parents lived in a set of apartments on the top floor of their resort/hotel. It was a three story building with a sort of rustic hunting lodge look. A large wooden sign on the front read “Table Rock Lodge.” The lake was actually about a mile away, but on a clear night like that one, you could see the outline of the dark lake, dotted with the lights of hundreds of tiny boats.
Mrs. Mueller sat behind the front desk when I entered, reading a book. She had Angie’s eyes and her slight frame, but her face was deeply lined, and she seemed to have a perpetual frown on it. In a way, it reminded me of Jasmine Hewitt, but with less overt malice. Mrs. Mueller’s bark was far worse than her bite.
Cassie Scot: ParaNormal Detective Page 11