by Trisha Grace
Lydia’s hand dropped from her temple, and she stared at Kate with widened eyes. “You moved in with him?” Her finger moved from Kate to Tyler as she tried to grasp the new information. “But you don’t believe in moving in, that’s what you told Benjamin. You said—”
“I know what I said, but this is different. I’ll tell you about it another time,” Kate said as she tried to make a hasty retreat. She grabbed Tyler’s arm, dragging him down the stairs.
But Lydia stretched out her arm, stopping Kate. “No, no, no. You’re not leaving here without giving me a proper answer.”
Kate rolled her eyes. That was Lydia, she had to have every minor detail before letting things go.
“What did she say about moving in?” Tyler asked.
“She said she’ll only move in with someone when she gets married.” Lydia sat on a step of the stairs. “So why did you move in with him?”
Kate sighed. “I know I said that, and I still mean it.” She pointed her finger at Lydia.
“Then why did you move in?” Lydia repeated, sweeping her finger away from her face. “Did you get married without telling me?”
“I’m not in court, Lydia. Don’t use that tone with me,” Kate returned. “It’s a long story. I wanted to tell you about it the last time we met, but things didn’t really go as planned. I’ll fill you in another time; we need to go back to the mansion now.”
“So are you married?”
“No!”
She had to grin when Lydia recoiled from her answer.
“Mansion? As in where you’re staying now? I’m coming with. Give me a minute, and don’t you go speeding out of the house without waiting for me.” Lydia waited for Kate to give her a nod before she brushed past the two of them. “Lend me your clothes.”
On the way back to the mansion, Kate filled Lydia in with what was going on. Lydia listened and didn’t seem surprised by Kate’s decision.
“So you put in the alarm system in gratitude?”
“No,” Kate answered for Tyler. “He just thought it’ll keep the house safe. Stop speaking to him like he’s a suspect.”
“It must be tiring to stay with miss-take-care-of-everything.”
Kate’s jaw dropped, and she looked over her shoulder at Lydia. “Don’t forget who’s paying your tuition fees.”
“She makes me happy,” he said without taking his eyes off the road.
She makes him happy?
He was simply trying to be nice; she was reading too much into it, she thought.
“I’m sorry that you feel that way about her, but she’s welcome to stay as long as she wants,” Tyler continued.
“Even after the year?” Lydia checked.
“Even after the year.” This time, he turned to grin at Kate.
She gave him a small smile. She supposed she could be like one of the guys, turning up at the mansion all the time to enjoy Marianne’s cooking.
“Are you guys dating?”
Shaking her head, Kate looked at Tyler. “Ignore her.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Lydia asked.
“No.”
“Do you always give such short answers?”
“Yes.”
“And sometimes, he doesn’t even reply. You should be glad that he bothered to answer your nosy questions.” Kate added—loudly—reminding Lydia of her hangover and saving Tyler from further mundane questions.
When they arrived at the house, Marianne broke into a smile as they entered the kitchen. “Oh, you two look so alike.”
Lydia was momentarily stunned to see the crowd in the house.
“Sit,” Marianne said.
“I’m sorry about how I reacted to the case, and I’m sorry about last night,” Lydia whispered as she leaned toward Kate.
Kate wrapped her arm over Lydia’s shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “It’s all right.”
“Anyway, I couldn’t find anything. I tried to search for the detective in charge of the case, but he’d retired and disappeared into thin air. There was nothing left in the house either. Even the few neighbors whom I tracked down couldn’t tell me anything.”
“Who are you trying to track?” Ryan asked as he overheard their conversation. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to listen in. You’re searching for a retired cop? I’m sure Ty can help with that.”
Lydia looked at Tyler. “Really?”
Instead of replying Lydia, he turned to Kate.
“I’ve already asked. He said he’ll look into it for us,” Kate replied.
“Oh, Kate, thanks. I’m really sorry about being so rude the last time.” Lydia said as she threw her arms around her. “And Tyler, I like you. You have my blessings for Kate to stay here.”
Ryan’s brows flickered up, and he flashed Joseph a wide grin. “Since everyone is so happy, I’ve got a suggestion.” Ryan turned to Kate. “Joseph, Dan, and I have decided that tonight will be our once-a-month-stay-over-night!”
Tyler stared at the trio as if they’d gone crazy. “The house guests don’t get to decide when they want to stay.”
“Oh, come on, Ty. Ryan and I finally have a day off tomorrow, so we can have a movie marathon tonight,” Joseph said.
“Sounds fun, am I allowed to join?” Kate asked.
“Definitely. Everyone will pick a movie, and we’ll watch them all,” Dan answered.
“Great. I’ll buy popcorn,” she said. “I haven’t done this since high school, can’t wait.”
Ryan flashed a boyish smile at Tyler. “You in?”
Tyler took in a deep breath and shook his head.
“You’re joining us, right?” Kate asked as his eyes met hers.
He sighed. “You won’t enjoy it, trust me.”
“Oh, come on. I’m sure it’ll be fun,” Kate pleaded.
Tyler gave his aloof shrug while the trio exchanged an accomplished nod at each other before Ryan said, “No one is to reveal the movie they’ve chosen until tonight.”
“Lydia, you’re welcomed to join us if you want. You can pick a movie, too,” Joseph added.
“I would love to, but I’ve got research to do and reports to write. You guys go ahead and enjoy yourself.”
“And Evelyn,” Dan continued. “She can join us if she wants.”
“She worked really hard the entire week. I told her to have an early weekend and go enjoy herself. I’ll ask, but I doubt she’ll want to join us.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kate sat on her chair, looking at the team of extremely nervous staff who was sitting on the couch.
Evelyn sat right beside her, staring at the entire team.
Only Laura was missing from the team; Evelyn had fired Laura right after informing Kate of the situation.
“If it were up to me, all of you would’ve packed up your stuff along with Laura,” Evelyn said. “But your other boss wants to give you guys another chance. The rest of you will be demoted to probationary basis.”
Nodding, Kate added, “You’ll be on probation for the next six months. One more mistake and you’re done here. All of you will be split into the remaining teams. You’ll need to report every decision you make to your new team leaders. If any of you don’t agree with how we’re handling the situation, you’re free to resign. Otherwise, let’s put this behind us and get on with our work.”
All of them mumbled some form of agreement and apology before heading out of her office and to their respective desks.
Once they were out, Kate leaned back against her chair. “Thanks, Eve, for coming in to do this with me. We’re having a movie night back at the mansion. Do you want to join us?”
“Can’t, sorry. I’ve got a date.”
She shrugged it off. “I figured, but I told Dan that I’d ask.”
“All right, then. I’m going off for my early weekend. Call me if you need anything,” Evelyn said as she took her bag and sauntered out of the office. “See you on Monday.”
There was plenty of paperwork for Kate to settled, but she decided that she deser
ved an early day off, too. So, she got off work earlier and went out to buy a DVD before returning to the mansion.
That night after dinner, everyone gathered around the coffee table in front of the television.
“I brought Resident Evil, part one. Figured there’s no point watching the later episodes if Kate hasn’t watched the first one,” Ryan said with a wide grin.
Dan laughed. “Great minds think alike. I brought Dawn of the Dead.” The two gave each other high-fives while Joseph threw in his DVD with the other two. “The Others.”
She hadn’t watched any of those movies, but she knew what they were: movies she avoided at all cost—zombie and horror films.
Perfect.
She’d spent the whole afternoon thinking of a movie that everyone could enjoy. She was certain that none of guys would want to watch a chick-flick, so she struck those out.
But the guys clearly didn’t spare any thought for her.
She turned to Tyler while the guys were giving each other the approval of great movie choices. “He brought episode one of the zombie movie for me.”
Tyler’s lips curled.
“What movie did you bring? Twilight?” Ryan asked.
She cleared her throat. “I thought this was supposed to be a night of entertainment.”
“Oh, come on. I bet you chose some romantic chick-flick,” Dan replied.
“No, I didn’t. I chose a comedy that I thought everyone could enjoy,” she said and returned her gaze to Tyler. “What movie did you bring?” It’d better not be part two of the zombie film.
Tyler threw his DVD onto the table. Pirates of the Caribbean.
“See! That’s a neutral film.” She smiled at Tyler. “Thank you.”
“So, what movie did you bring?” Joseph repeated Ryan’s earlier question.
“Fun with Dick and Jane,” she said softly. What she’d thought would be a night of entertainment was going to become a night of horror. She probably wouldn’t be able to get a good night’s sleep in the coming months, not when her mind was filled with all the images of zombies and ghosts, and especially not when she was staying in a mansion surrounded by nothing but trees.
“You don’t have to watch these, I can kick them out,” Tyler said. “It’s not eight yet.”
The rest of the guys burst into a series of grunts and groans.
She wasn’t the least bit interested in watching any of the movies that the three guys had chosen, but she couldn’t ruin movie night for them. “You know what? I asked to be a part of this, so I’ll watch whatever they chose. But just so you guys know, next month I’m bringing The Notebook.”
Ryan hooked his arm over Kate’s shoulders in a brotherly manner and gave her a tight squeeze. “That’s the way. Let’s begin.”
“Go set it up.” Tyler picked up a random DVD on the table and flung it toward Ryan, hitting him in the chest.
Ryan barely caught the DVD, but his smile only grew wider at Tyler’s sudden interruption. Then, ignoring Tyler, Ryan lifted up the DVD. “The movie marathon shall begin with … Dawn of the Dead!”
She rolled her eyes.
Pulling her legs up on the couch, she sat cross-legged with a cushion on her lap.
She tried to enjoy the movie, but fifteen minutes into the show, she found herself struggling to keep her eyes on the television.
She crushed the cushion against her chest as the camera panned toward the door that was left ajar and zoomed in to reveal the silhouette of a young girl in a sleeping gown.
She had to turn away.
Her fingers covered over her mouth, and she channeled all of her concentration onto a spot on the wall.
“Ooh,” Ryan, Dan, and Joseph groaned in unison, and she knew someone must have died or someone’s blood was spilled.
She drew in a deep breath and forced herself to turn back to the television.
Her fingers moved to her necklace and she pulled the locket to her lips, watching as the main character made a mad dash away from the zombie infestation.
A sudden warm touch on her arm made her jump at the same moment the guys erupted into another round of ‘ooh and aah’.
The touch became a gentle squeeze on her arm, keeping her from falling out of the couch.
“Are you all right?” Tyler asked. His brows furrowed, but the corners of his eyes were creased.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling sheepishly.
“Stop watching it. You clearly hate it.”
“It’s all right; I’m just kind of gutless when it comes to this stuff. It’s good training, I guess.” She forced a smile and turned her face back to the screen.
She tried, she really did try to maintain her position and dignity, but the constant fear that something would jump in front of the camera was too strong for her to handle.
The anticipation, the wait, and the uncertainty were causing her more distress than the zombies themselves.
Their gruesome looks and choice of diet didn’t sit particularly well with her stomach, but the anticipation was worse.
She endured for as long as she could until goose bumps covered both her arms. She closed her eyes and leaned onto Tyler’s shoulder while her fingers dug into the sleeve of his shirt. “Let me know when the zombies are no longer around.”
“Kate,” Tyler whispered.
“No, I want to watch. I want to know what happen to them in the end.”
She continued watching the movie behind the filter of Tyler’s sleeve. Despite the few thousand times her eyes cringed shut out of fear, she managed to pry them open.
When the black screen came on and the credits started rolling, she gasped with disbelief. “Seriously? What stupid ending is this?”
“Kate, it’s just a movie.” Joseph said, slightly amused at her reaction.
Leaning back onto Tyler’s shoulder, she continued. “Yeah, but those poor people in the movie. It’s so unfair. This is a stupid movie.”
She knew it was just a movie. She knew no one actually got hurt. Still, it was a horrible ending. She hated stories with horrible endings.
“This is it. Movie night’s over. Get out.” Tyler stated, rubbing his hand down her back.
“Oh, come on!” Ryan protested and nudged her.
She scowled at him, but he nudged her again.
“I’m fine. Let them watch the rest of the movies,” she said after narrowing her eyes at Ryan.
“Fine. But you’re not watching another movie.” With his arm still over her back, Tyler pulled her from the couch and led her up the stairs.
She sighed as she followed him. “You knew this would happen.”
He laughed and pulled her closer, holding her tight. “I’ve known them for a long time.”
“I should’ve listened to you,” she said. “Do they always bring such movies?”
“Yeah.”
“And you always join them?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“I have nothing to do anyway.”
“You watch all those horror movies and you still find the trees around your house peaceful?”
He shook his head and laughed. “Unlike you, I can differentiate between reality and fiction.”
“Really? After watching that movie, you don’t look outside,” her gaze followed her finger as she pointed to the long window, “and—”
“I think we should change the topic before you decide to move out tonight.”
She sighed again. He was right, she needed to occupy her mind with something else. “Can we watch the movies we chose? I don’t think I can sleep now.”
Grinning, he agreed. “Come downstairs with me. Let them know you’re all right.”
She was sure the guys couldn’t be bothered about her. They were just glad they could continue watching the movies they’d brought.
Tyler probably knew that as well. He simply didn’t want to leave her alone, and she must admit that she was immensely grateful.
As they plodded down the stairs, Tyler paused for a m
oment. “Keep your eyes from the TV.”
Only after she nodded did he take her hand and walk over to pick up the DVDs they had brought.
“Are you all right, Kate?” Dan asked. “We have a doc in the house.”
Tyler shot all of them a glare. “I’ll take these back down when we’re done.”
“Keep it; I brought the entire set of resident evil. I thought if we had time, we could watch it all. We’ll definitely have time now.” Ryan grinned brightly. “The two of you can enjoy your movies.”
An entire set? Something was severely wrong with them.
As they went upstairs, Tyler noticed that Kate still had a faraway look in her eyes. “You’re not still thinking about the movie, are you?”
Kate ran her fingers through her hair while her face displayed a mixture of chagrin and embarrassment. “I know it’s absurd. But when I watched something, whatever the show is, I need to know the ending. I need to know that everything worked out fine in the end.”
“And you love crime shows?”
“Those that I watch or read always catch the bad guys.”
“So if the group of people had survived and lived happily ever after, you’d be completely fine.”
She pursed her lips. “Not completely, but I’d definitely feel better.” Chuckling, she continued. “I remember watching this horror movie when I was young. I don’t even remember what the title or the story was. My parents were afraid that I’d get nightmare and told me not to watch it. But I’d already started, and I wanted to know the ending. So I watched, then I didn’t dare to go to bed. In the end, I’d to sleep with my parents for an entire week before getting over it.”
“And you didn’t learn your lesson.”
“Nope. But The Ring really got to me, and that was when I swore off horror films.”
“Then why did you insist on watching the movie just now? You know the bad reaction you’d get.”
“I know,” Kate replied, exasperated with herself. “I thought I would’ve outgrown the fear. I’m not a kid anymore. I’m 25, Ty. It’s kind of pathetic that I react this way to a movie.”
He tried to conceal his grin, but Kate saw right through him.
“I know, it’s stupid.”