The Caledonian Inheritance (The Athena Effect)

by Anderson, Derrolyn

  Calvin leaned against the tiled counter. “Would you have liked me better if I brought you flowers when I first met you?”

  She heaved a dramatic sigh, “I don’t know… I guess you just took advantage of me being too stupid to know any better.” She looked up with mischievous eyes.

  “Those…” he took a step towards her. “Are fighting words.”

  He lunged for her but she sidestepped him, darting to the opposite side of the table. They circled around a couple of times until she broke away, letting him catch her as they fell down onto the couch.

  He brushed away the golden curls that were tumbling all around her laughing face, replacing them with his lips.

  ~

  Conrad cruised around the parking lot three times before Layla pointed to an empty space right in front of the restaurant and asked, “Why don’t you park there?”

  He looked up anxiously, “I don’t want to put her too close to these trees… They might mess up the finish.”

  When he finally found an appropriate spot he pulled in and darted around the car to offer her his arm, escorting her to the restaurant’s door and holding it open solicitously.

  “Mister Smithson, so nice to see you. Your table is waiting.” The maître‘d led them to a private table tucked in the back of the tastefully appointed restaurant.

  “They know me here,” he boasted, pointing out the obvious.

  Conrad pulled out a chair for Layla and she smoothed her skirt, taking her seat and looking all around her. The walls were painted a deep gold, accented with beautifully lit paintings. Candles on the tables cast a warm glow on the other diner’s faces. The low, friendly murmur of conversation rumbled throughout the room, and soft strains of music trickled in from the lounge. It was the perfect romantic spot for a first date.

  “Would you tell the sommelier to send over a bottle of my usual?” Conrad asked the uniformed man.

  When the wine arrived it was opened with great fanfare, and Conrad inspected the cork judiciously. For a moment Layla was reminded of Professor Reed presiding over the head of the dinner table, but she banished the thought from her mind.

  With Conrad’s approval the wine was poured, and he raised his glass to her, “A toast, to a beautiful girl with beautiful eyes.”

  She blushed ferociously, glad the lighting was low. She raised her glass to clink it with his, and when she took a sip her green and brown eyes met his blue ones over the rim.

  “What do you think?” he asked her expectantly.

  She lowered her glass, bending down to sniff at it. “I’m afraid it’s corked,” she replied.

  He looked surprised, following suit. “I think you’re right.” He snapped his fingers, hailing a busboy. “Send the sommelier.”

  When he arrived, Conrad handed him his glass. “Smell this.”

  The man raised the glass and did as he was told. His eyes told the story even before he spoke, “I’m afraid the wine is tainted.” He swept their glasses from the table, removing the offending bottle. “Allow me to bring a replacement.”

  The second bottle soon arrived, and this time, Conrad nodded towards Layla, “She’ll do the honors this time.”

  She blushed again, setting aside the cork and swirling the glass a few times before she sniffed it. “It’s very nice,” she told the waiter with an encouraging nod.

  When he left, Conrad shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t believe I missed that. Who taught you about wine?”

  She shifted in her seat, suddenly on guard. “Uhm… My uhm… My guardian was a collector. French wine mostly.” She looked up to see him smiling benignly. Whatever he felt, it wasn’t suspicion.

  “What’s good here?” she asked with forced cheer, eager to change the subject. She grasped the menu, suppressing the urge to send him enough confidence to make him forget all about it. She felt that she’d gotten off to a bad start by showing him up, and had to fight the urge to make it all simply go away.

  “I like to start with the duck confit,” he said, eager to move on as well. “And the wild Alaskan salmon in season is delicious.”

  Once they ordered, Layla took Cali’s advice and asked him about his work, surprised to discover how easy it was to get him to talk about himself. The dinner passed by pleasantly, and Layla could see that Conrad was having a really good time. Successful, she kept it up, feigning interest in the details of his latest project.

  At one point he paused to look at her with evaluating eyes, smiling.

  “What?” Layla asked

  “I was thinking how lucky I am… to meet a girl who’s interested in architecture… And also happens to be beautiful.” Conrad beamed happily across the table at her, and she didn’t have the heart to point out that she only really cared about one particular house.

  Instead she demurred, “I’m not beautiful.”

  “Why would you say that?” he asked, feigning shock.

  “I’m too pale... And I have all of these awful freckles.”

  “You could get a spray tan to fix that,” he said.

  “Yes,” she nodded, “I suppose I could.”

  ~

  When they pulled back up to Layla’s house Conrad turned to her with a smile. “I had a really good time.”

  “Me too… Thank you,” Layla replied nervously.

  “I’d like to see you again.”

  “Alright,” she agreed.

  He pulled out his phone, “How about next Saturday?”

  “Okay,” she nodded. “That sounds nice.”

  He entered her information into his phone and got out of the car, coming around to get her door. He walked alongside her to the entrance, pausing when they got to the porch. Layla knew enough to realize that this was the moment for the goodnight kiss, and she tensed up, nervous and anxious, uncertain of what to do.

  She busied herself searching in her purse for the house keys, excruciatingly aware of every second ticking by. A moth flapped frantically around the porch light, echoing Layla’s heart fluttering in her chest. When she finally retrieved her keys, she looked up to see that he’d come much closer to her.

  “Well…” he said, smiling down at her. She stood frozen as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. “I’ll call you.”

  She nodded, surprised, fumbling with the keys until she got the door open. At least she didn’t drop them this time, she thought with a fresh twinge of embarrassment. He stood back to watch her go inside, and the last thing she saw before she shut the door was his back of his blonde head as he walked away.

  “How’d it go?” Michael called from the couch where he was sprawled out watching his favorite movie.

  “It was okay,” she replied.

  He paused the movie, “Just okay?”

  “It was okay…. nice.” She could have been describing the brotherly kiss she’d just received.

  “Wanna watch Star Wars with me?” he asked hopefully.

  She looked into his imploring eyes, tasting a hint of melancholy. Ever since Michael had behaved like such a fool for Max he’d been contrite, going out of his way to try and make it up to her. She could see that he was feeling lonely.

  “I’ll make some popcorn….” he said.

  She arched an eyebrow. “With butter and salt?”

  “Absolutely,” Michael said. The professor had always made them eat their popcorn plain.

  Cali came down the stairs to find both of her cousins in the kitchen, the acrid smell of burnt microwave popcorn filling the air. Michael was poring over the directions on the box while Layla was fiddling with the microwave settings.

  “Need a hand?” Caledonia asked, amused.

  Michael looked up to roll his eyes, “I think we can figure it out.”

  “So, how did it go tonight? What happened?” Cali asked Layla, curious.

  “Nothing,” Layla replied lightly, holding back a smile. The girls grinned at each other because Cali didn’t really need to ask about her mood. She could see that Layla didn’t want to go into details in front of h
er brother.

  “Oh!” Cali suddenly remembered, “Jarod and Crystal eloped, and they’re having a party to celebrate.”

  “Calvin’s brother?” Michael asked. The twins had first met Jarod when he played a part in freeing them from Max and his gang, but they hadn’t seen him since just before they left on their trip to the Caymans.

  Cali nodded, “Yes, and you guys are invited.”

  “A wedding reception!” Layla’s eyes lit up. “How fun! When is it?”

  “This Saturday.”

  Her face fell. “Conrad just asked me out Saturday… I suppose I can cancel.”

  “I’m sure they’ll understand if you can’t make it.”

  “But I want to go!”

  “Do you want to invite him? To the reception?”

  “Conrad?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure Crystal won’t mind if you bring a date.”

  “Maybe,” Layla said, brightening up again. “We should get a really nice present to thank them for everything they did for us!”

  Cali frowned, worried. “I hadn’t thought about a gift.”

  “I’ll do it! I’ll go shopping!” Layla was excited, because now she had a task to keep her busy. She liked nothing more than to be presented with a shopping mission. Caledonia could see her mind racing. “Does she have a china pattern picked out? Is she registered somewhere?”

  “Is she what?” Cali asked, completely confused.

  Layla had grown accustomed to Cali being clueless when it came to social minutiae, and she wasn’t always in the mood to explain everything. She spoke slowly, her hand on Cali’s arm. “Just tell me– What does she want?”

  “I have no idea,” Cali said. “What does anyone want?”

  Layla laughed at the absurdity of her question, and Cali shrugged imploringly. “Will you pick something out?”

  “Sure,” Layla replied. “I’ll find them something nice.”

  Michael put a second attempt at popcorn into the microwave, turning to address Cali, “Do you want to watch Star Wars with us?”

  “Thanks anyway, maybe some other time,” she said, grabbing a couple of apples from a bowl on the counter. “Me and Calvin are watching something upstairs.”

  She started up the stairs, pausing to turn back after a few steps.

  “Is it any good?”

  “What?”

  “Star Wars.”

  The look of horrified shock on Michael’s face made both girls laugh.

  ~

  Chapter Six

  WARNING

  ~

  Layla had just pulled the bag from her morning tea when the doorbell rang. Calvin thumped down the stairs to answer it, yawning as he tightened the drawstring pants that hung loose on his narrow hips. He paused at the open door for a moment before coming into the kitchen with a rectangular parcel wrapped in brown paper. “Package for you,” he told Layla, setting it down before her.

  She was surprised, looking across the table to where Cali sat sipping coffee and working on a crossword puzzle. “It’s from Conrad.”

  “Well… Open it,” Cali smiled. Layla ripped off the wrapper to reveal a large glossy book.

  Calvin poured himself a cup of coffee and slid into a chair close to Cali. Layla noticed how she reached over automatically, stroking his arm with warm pink affection.

  “What’s it about?” Calvin asked Layla, leaning into Cali’s touch. Their colors blended to form a pretty shade of contentment, and if they were cats they’d no doubt be purring. Layla was starting to get used to it.

  “Antebellum architecture,” she replied, leafing through the pages. Glossy pictures of stately homes with Greek columns and imposing facades reminded her of the house that beckoned both of the girls in their dreams. When she held the book up to show them the cover a slip of paper came fluttering out to land on the table. She picked it up to read it, raising her eyes to meet Cali’s curious gaze.

  “He says that he doesn’t want to wait until Saturday to see me. He wants to take me to lunch on Wednesday.”

  “How sweet,” Cali nodded.

  “Smooth move,” Calvin cracked, fielding dirty looks from both girls at the table.

  ~

  Conrad arrived early to pick her up for their lunch date. He stood waiting at the base of the stairs while Layla rushed about her room, hesitating as she tried to decide between the navy blue purse or the black patent one.

  “I’ll go see what’s taking her,” Cali said helpfully, rushing up the stairs.

  “It’s nice out today. Where are you two headed?” Calvin asked, trying to be polite.

  Conrad scanned Cal’s tattooed arm and shaggy hair with barely detectable distaste in his eyes, “I thought we’d take a drive out to a little place I like by the coast.”

  “What place?” Calvin asked.

  “Oh… You probably wouldn’t know it,” he replied, looking up to see Layla appear at the head of the stairs. “There she is.”

  “Thank you for the book,” Layla said when she reached the door.

  “Let’s get going,” Conrad said. He nodded to Calvin and took Layla’s arm, leading her out of the house. Cali joined Calvin at the door to watch them go.

  Calvin slipped his arm around Caledonia’s waist. “I don’t think I like him,” he announced.

  ~

  Conrad set out on a windy two-lane road, arriving at the nearby small town only to pass straight through it.

  “Where are we going?” Layla asked.

  He smiled over at her, “It looked like a beautiful day for a drive, so I thought I’d take you out to a little place I know out on the coast. They make an amazing crab bisque.”

  Once they cleared the town he started to speed up. “Check out how this machine corners,” he said proudly, showing off for her. Layla found herself pressed back into the leather seat, a little frightened. She looked over to see Conrad’s confident excited aura flaring in intensity and clutched the sides of her seat in real fear.

  The scenery flew past her window in a blur, and she closed her eyes. She certainly hoped he knew what he was doing, because she’d never been driven so fast before. She wanted to make him stop but she sat helplessly, unable to make the eye contact required in order to calm him.

  “Uhm… Can you please slow down a little?” she squeaked.

  He glanced in the rear view mirror and his colors changed all at once, shifting to pale green with irritation and anxiety. A split second later a siren and flashing lights told her why.

  “Dammit,” he muttered under his breath, pulling over to the side of the road.

  Layla breathed a sigh of relief, watching as Conrad rolled down the window and collected himself. The sound of footsteps on gravel drew near and he turned with a practiced smile, “Good afternoon officer.”

  “Do you know how fast you were going?” a familiar voice asked.

  Layla’s eyes flew open.

  “I guess I got a little carried away,” Conrad inclined his head apologetically.

  Ramon stooped down to check inside the car. When his eyes landed on Layla they opened as wide as hers. Crimson red shock colored the space between them, hanging in the air. He bolted back up so she could no longer see his face.

  “You know…” Conrad continued, “My grandmother practically runs things around these parts… Maybe you know her? She works out at the courthouse.”

  “I’m going to need to see your license and registration,” Ramon said, all business.

  Conrad produced the documents, renewing the placid smile on his face, “Yes sir.”

  Layla could see Ramon shuffle from foot to foot indecisively as he looked them over. “You’re related to Millie?” he asked.

  Conrad nodded with another ingratiating smile.

  She could hear Ramon exhale before he spoke with a sternness she’d never heard in his voice before, “I’m going to let you go with a warning this time, but you need to slow down. We had to pull a trucker out of a ravine last Friday. He was lucky he make it out of there
alive.”

  “Officer, I can assure you that it won’t happen again.” Conrad said, his voice dripping with sincerity.

  “Good,” Ramon said curtly, turning to walk away.

  Conrad rolled up the window and started the engine back up with a little chuckle. “Dodged that bullet,” he gloated.

  Layla twisted around in her seat to see Ramon standing by his patrol car, watching them leave with yellow concern and bitter green frustration. For some reason, every time he laid eyes on her she left him feeling disappointed. She felt awful about it, ashamed to be seen as someone who behaved so recklessly.

  Conrad drove at a reasonable rate of speed the rest of the way to the coast, prudently keeping watch on his rear view mirror. He put a classical music station on the stereo, smiling with approval when Layla identified Pachelbel’s Canon. She spent the rest of the drive amazing him by correctly naming every symphony, concerto, and movement that followed. It was easy. Classical music was the only music that Professor Reed had allowed her and Michael to listen to.

  They finally arrived at their destination and parked.

  Layla climbed out to see a large Victorian house, perched on a cliff and surrounded by a cluster of tiny cottages. Its manicured gardens and charming gingerbread woodwork stood in stark contrast to the sheer wild beauty of the rugged coastline, and it seemed as out of place as if it had been transported there from another era.

  “It’s beautiful here,” Layla said, stepping out of the car into the brisk ocean air.

  “I knew you’d like it,” Conrad nodded, explaining, “This was an old lumber baron’s summer house. We restored it for a client to convert into a restaurant and inn.”

  Once again he took her arm and held the door for her with a flourish. They were led to a table set inside a glassed-in porch that wrapped around the ocean side of the building, where Conrad took his time pointing out all of the obscure architectural features. He was particularly proud of the way they had seamlessly integrated the new structures with the old, taking pains to preserve the building’s integrity while they added all the modern conveniences.

  Conrad did most of the talking throughout the lunch, describing some of the sensitive historical renovations he’d had a hand in overseeing. At first Layla was relieved, because she’d been afraid that he’d ask her some uncomfortable questions about her past, but after a while she started having a difficult time feigning interest. When Conrad started talking about the remodel of a concert hall in Ukiah her eyes glazed over.