by Chris Cannon
For her parents, she’d purchased a new set of dishes and silverware, since they seemed to be using odds and ends they’d scavenged. Her grandmother had confirmed that Jaxon’s present had shown up at Sinclair Estate so that was taken care of.
Maybe counting presents wasn’t like counting sheep because she was still wide awake. Fine. She’d just lie there and close her eyes and eventually she’d have to fall asleep.
When her alarm went off the next morning she struggled to get untangled from the covers which she’d somehow wound tight around herself while she’d been sleeping. She stumbled into her bedroom to shut off the alarm. Then she headed across the hall to turn off the other alarm. The door didn’t open. Could it be locked? The only reason it would be locked would be if someone was in there. Who in the hell was in the spare bedroom?
The doorknob was yanked out of her hand. Rhianna stood on the other side of the door looking groggy. “Sorry. I forgot we locked it.”
Bryn could only stare. Rhianna was here. Alive? “We?”
“I hate that damn alarm.” Jaxon’s voice drifted into the hall. “I’m going back to bed. We don’t have to be anywhere for two hours.”
Bryn saw Jaxon climb back into bed. Rhianna said, “Sounds good to me.” And then she shut the door.
What the hell was going on? This had to be a dream. It couldn’t be real. Her phone rang, and she went to answer it.
“Bryn, how could you let this happen?” her grandmother demanded.
“Let what happen?” Why was her grandmother yelling at her?
“We had Rhianna removed and then you just let her back into Jaxon’s life? What’s wrong with you?”
“This isn’t real,” Bryn said.
“Well if that’s how you feel then you’re no longer our granddaughter. We’re cutting you off. Go live with your parents.”
Bryn stared at the phone. How could her grandparents blame her for Rhianna not being dead? She shook her head. This made no sense.
“You did the right thing,” her mom said.
Bryn blinked and looked at her surroundings. She was standing in her parents’ cabin.
“We’re proud of you, sweetie,” her dad said. “But as you can see, there’s no room for you here.”
The inside of the cabin was tiny but surely they could let her sleep on the couch. “I don’t need a bedroom. I’ll sleep out here.” She pointed at the couch.
“No,” her mom said. “You misunderstood. We don’t want you here. You turned your back on us. Left us for dead. Celebrated Christmas without us.”
The room went fuzzy and Bryn found herself alone in a rundown cabin. “It hasn’t been restored yet, but it has potential,” Jaxon said. “You’ll be fine. It’s not like you ever wanted me in the first place.” And then he disappeared, and she was alone in a rotting cabin in the middle of the woods.
This wasn’t real. Her parents wouldn’t abandon her. Her grandparents wouldn’t kick her out. Rhianna wasn’t coming back to life. This was a stress dream. A stupid nightmare. She closed her eyes and tried to feel the softness of the pillow under her. There. She could feel that. Now she should feel the weight of the blanket. There. There it was. And she was going to wake up now. She opened her eyes and saw the dorm room ceiling.
Thank you, God. She shucked off the covers and went to the spare bedroom door. She reached for the handle and then hesitated. And that was dumb. She turned the handle and the door opened with ease. She flipped on the light switch and looked at the empty room.
The alarm went off, making her jump. How could it be morning already? Whatever. She walked over and smacked the top of the alarm to turn it off and then did the same thing in her room. She felt like crap. It’s not like she could try going back to sleep after those disturbing dreams, so she headed for the shower.
She planned to meet up with Clint and Ivy before they all went home. After she was dressed and packed, she headed down to meet her friends outside of her dorm so they could walk to breakfast together.
Over a cup of coffee and an omelet she told them about her crazy nightmare.
“Wow,” Clint said. “The only thing missing from that dream was dragon-pires.”
“I guess I should be thankful for that.”
“On to happier topics,” Ivy said. “We should pick a date to meet and have lunch over break.”
“I declare that lunch will occur at the Snack Shack on the twenty-eighth at eleven,” Clint said.
“Why then?” Bryn asked.
“No reason. I just like making random decrees.”
Ivy laughed.
After breakfast they all walked to where Bryn was meeting her grandmother. Two hugs later, Bryn climbed into the backseat of the SUV where her grandmother sat waiting for her.
“I have a surprise for you,” her grandmother said. “We’re making a special stop before we go home.”
“Cool.” Hopefully it wouldn’t have anything to do with a Westgate. “Can you give me a hint?”
“No.” Her grandmother sat back in the seat with her hands crossed in her lap. “I don’t want to ruin the surprise.”
Okay then. “How are the decorations coming along for the Christmas Ball?”
“Oh, they’re lovely,” her grandmother said. “I decided to go with the gold and silver trees with the reverse color ornaments and the stars on top are a mix of the two colors.”
“That sounds pretty.”
The SUV didn’t head toward Dragon’s Bluff. “We’re not going shopping,” Bryn said. “Are we going out to my secret estate?”
“It’s not so secret anymore. I shared the plans with Lillith and your grandfather. They were surprisingly agreeable,” her grandmother said. “And yes, that is where we’re going. We’re going to pick out a color palette.”
When they pulled up to the estate, Bryn was once again amazed that she would live in such a massive and amazing place. The sand-colored stone looked even better in the daylight. The wide front porch with the columns gave it an open, airy feel. Inside the massive front door, the spiral design of the foyer floor looked even better in the sunlight. The veins of silver that ran through the floor and the walls sparkled in the light cast from the giant chandelier.
“The chandelier is beautiful.” Made of crystals and silver, it was more modern than anything she’d seen in her grandparents’ house.
“I’m glad you like it. If something like this had been available when I’d decorated our home, I would have chosen it.”
“Can’t you redecorate?” It’s not like they lacked funds.
“If I changed one fixture it would cause a ripple effect and I’d have to change dozens of other lights and fixtures. It’s far more fun to start from scratch.” Her grandmother walked up the stairs to the landing. “Follow me.”
The hallways were light and airy in a way that Sinclair Estate was not. There were clean lines and random bits of sparkle but unlike Westgate Estate everything was in good taste.
The dining room had a back wall of atrium windows which made the room glow. The giant mahogany table which took up the center of the room was gorgeous. It could seat a dozen people with no one having to worry about bumping elbows, but Bryn hoped for something a bit cozier for her everyday meals. Although, if she ever had a dinner with Jaxon’s parents and her mom and dad a little distance between the guests would be a good thing.
Her grandmother sat at the table and opened a large leather portfolio which contained several sketches of the very room they sat in. Each was done up in a different color scheme with samples of paint and wallpaper.
“You totally missed your calling as an interior designer,” Bryn said.
Her grandmother nodded in appreciation. “Is there a color scheme you’d eliminate on first glance?”
“I’m hoping there is no wrong answer to that question.” She didn’t want to offend her grandmother.
“There is not,” her grandmother said. “Since we built your home with lighter colored stone, your options for the interior
can either continue with a neutral palette.” She pointed at the drawing done up in tans, browns, and creams. “Or you can go with any number of colors.”
Of her choices, there was only one that she didn’t like. “The black and gray one isn’t my favorite.”
“Then we can eliminate that one.” Her grandmother placed the sketch back in the portfolio.
One palette jumped out at Bryn. “I like the fall color scheme with the amber, yellow, evergreen, and red.”
“Are you sure you’re not just picking that because it’s familiar?” her grandmother asked.
Bryn laughed. “Well, I was until you asked me that question.”
“I tend to prefer those colors myself. We could use the darker colors as accents while keeping the walls mostly neutral warm tones.”
“I trust you.”
“Thank you.” Her grandmother beamed. “Now I want to show you the adjoining room.”
What kind of room adjoined a dining room? She was about to find out. Her grandmother pointed at a door which Bryn had assumed was a closet.
“After you.”
Curious, Bryn walked over and opened the door. Inside she found a normal sized version of the room she’d just been in. It had the same atrium windows, but the table was meant for no more than four people.
“I love it.”
“I know you prefer less formal meals on a day-to-day basis.”
Everything her grandmother did was so thoughtful. “Thank you for all of this. It’s amazing.”
“You’re welcome. It’s nice to be appreciated.”
After exploring a few more rooms which were unfurnished, they returned to Sinclair Estate. Her grandmother showed her the trees she’d designed for the Christmas Ball. They were gorgeous, of course.
“What’s on the menu for dessert this year?” Last year her grandmother had surprised her with the Christmas cookies she’d missed baking with her parents. Now that she had her parents back what would her grandmother want to serve?
“We never serve the same thing two years in a row, so I can order Christmas cookies for you, but we won’t have them as dessert at the ball.”
“That works for me.”
“For the ball, I was thinking about cake, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about that.”
Hmmm, she hadn’t eaten that particular dessert since someone had poisoned her using carrot cake. “As long as it’s not carrot cake, it might be okay.”
“I was thinking chocolate cake with mint frosting.”
“Sounds good.”
The days before the Christmas Ball flew by in a flurry of activity. Her grandmother involved her in most of the choices for the event which was fun but stressful.
She was in the middle of taste-testing two different types of hot cocoa when Abigail the maid came in and told her that she had a phone call from Jaxon.
“Thanks.” Bryn walked over to the phone and waited for Rindy to put the call through.
“Hello, Bryn?”
“Hey, Jaxon. What’s up?” They hadn’t spoken in four days which was a new record.
“I was wondering if you’d like to show me around the estate your grandmother is building.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected him to ask. “Sure, but where is this coming from?”
“It’s not my idea,” Jaxon said. “It’s my mother’s. She’d like to be invited, too.”
Bryn laughed. “Hold on. Let me ask my grandmother.”
She explained the situation to her grandmother.
“I wondered how long Lillith would be able to stay away. See if they can meet us there this afternoon.”
…
Bryn wasn’t sure what reaction she expected from Jaxon, but the silent treatment he was giving her during the tour didn’t seem right. She grabbed his elbow and let Lillith and her grandmother move farther ahead of them before speaking.
“How am I supposed to interpret your silence?” she asked.
“I’m seventy percent impressed, and thirty percent annoyed,” he said. “The estate is amazing, but if I’m going to live here I’d like to have some input.”
“Oh.” That she could deal with. “I have no issue with that. My grandmother won’t, either.” She looked up expecting to find her grandmother and Lillith. “Where’d they go?”
“I’m sure they’re down the hall.”
They continued walking and came to the stairs which led up to the second floor. “I bet they went up.” Bryn dashed up the stairs but didn’t see them. “That’s weird.”
“Let’s just look around this floor,” Jaxon said.
“Okay, but I don’t think the rooms are finished up here.”
They wandered through a huge bedroom suite which overlooked the back garden. Bryn spotted her grandmother and Lillith on the veranda in the back yard. She opened the terrace door and walked out. “Hello down there.”
Her grandmother looked up and waved. Bryn waved back and then went back into the bedroom, shutting the door. “That’s one problem solved. Now that they know where we are, we can do a little more exploring. They finished a rooftop observation deck recently, but I haven’t been up there yet.”
“That sounds promising.”
They took the stairs to the third floor and looked around for a way to reach the roof. They’d walked up and down the main hall twice, opening doors that led to more rooms, but there was never a set of stairs to the roof.
“Are you sure there’s a rooftop deck?” Jaxon asked.
“I swear my grandmother mentioned it at breakfast yesterday.” Bryn opened a door to an office they’d investigated before, but this time she noticed that the window opened onto a set of stairs in the same way that the windows at school opened onto terraces. “I think I found it.”
They opened the window and ascended the stairs which wrapped around the outside of a turret and led to a large flat area on the roof surrounded by a low wall. There was a fireplace and more surprisingly, a pool.
“Do we have a pool on our roof?” Jaxon asked.
“It looks like we do.”
“That’s kind of awesome,” Jaxon said.
“My grandmother is awesome,” Bryn said.
“Thank you,” her grandmother said from behind her.
Bryn turned to see her grandmother and Lillith walking toward them. “I wondered if you’d find your way up here.”
“You didn’t tell me about the pool,” Bryn said.
“I thought it would be more fun to let you discover it.” Her grandmother tilted her head and looked at Jaxon like she was waiting for him to say something.
“It’s spectacular.” Jaxon glanced sideways at Bryn. “Even with the lack of W’s.”
Everyone laughed.
“I promise you’ll have your W’s on the front gates once they are installed,” her grandmother said.
“We won’t show Ferrin until that’s done,” Lillith said. “Now Marie and I are going to have tea in the small dining room while you two continue to look around. No rush. I feel terrible for saying this, but this is my first afternoon away from Asher and I’m enjoying myself.”
“Every mother needs some time to herself,” her grandmother said. The two women headed back down the stairs.
Jaxon walked toward the wall on the far side of the pool. Bryn followed after him. She wanted to say something like, See, it’s not so bad being stuck with me. Look at the amazing house you get in return. But there was no way to say it without sounding a little bit desperate. So she went with, “Things seem to be falling into place at an alarming rate.”
He nodded. “It’s like your grandmother is trying to help us acclimate to our circumstances.”
“It will certainly be easier to be happy here than in a house we didn’t like.” It was somehow ironic that her mom was happy in a tiny house with her father, but Bryn needed an extravagant mansion to be happy with Jaxon, or maybe that was what Jaxon needed to be happy with her.
“The view is amazing,” Jaxon said.
&
nbsp; Bryn tuned back into her surroundings and looked at the forest that stretched out around them. The trees were bare, but there were enough evergreens mixed in to keep it pretty.
“This could be okay.” Jaxon turned to look at her. “Don’t you think?”
Did he mean them personally or the house? Her answer was yes to both, but she wasn’t sure what he meant, so she said, “I do.”
He smiled and turned his gaze back to the view. His expression changed. “What’s that?”
“Where?” Bryn looked where he pointed.
“By that tree. Is someone sitting there?”
It was hard to tell from this distance. “Maybe someone is taking a coffee break?”
“That’s an optimistic guess,” he said.
Chapter Thirty
“Let’s go see.” Bryn shifted into dragon form.
“No,” Jaxon said. “My mother and your grandmother are here. In case there is an issue, they need to be warned.”
“We can still fly down and go in the back door,” Bryn said. “It will be faster than taking the stairs.”
“Okay.”
She waited for him to shift and then they dove off the roof, aiming for the veranda. Bryn came to a stop, treaded air for a minute, and then dropped to a crouch. Jaxon landed gracefully next to her. They both shifted back to human form.
“Your landings have improved,” he said.
“Thank you.” She opened the back door and they made their way to the small dining room where they reported their concerns.
Her grandmother pulled out a cell phone. “Let’s alert the guards.” She spoke to someone on the phone and then pointed at the two open chairs at the table. “Have some tea while we wait.”
“I thought maybe we’d go see for ourselves.” Bryn edged toward the door.
“You thought wrong,” her grandmother said.
Jaxon gave her a pointed look, but he didn’t rat her out, which was good.
“While we’re waiting, did you want to contribute to the color scheme for the house?” Bryn’s grandmother pointed to the autumn leaf color palette she’d left on the sideboard.
“Some navy would be nice,” he said.
Her grandmother’s cell rang. Her eyes narrowed as she nodded along to whatever she was hearing. “I see. Yes. Yes, that would be best.” She hung up and sighed. “One of the guards will escort us to our SUVs and back to the house.”