by Erin Danzer
Chapter Thirty One
It didn’t take long for Ronnie to pack a bag. She just put some much needed toiletries and a few changes of clothes into her school bag and considered herself packed. She made sure to remember the dress and everything that went with it. She couldn’t leave it at home since Gavin asked so nicely for her to bring it. Besides, he promised to make up an event for her to wear it.
They were about to leave the house when the doorbell rang. Curious, Ronnie left his side to answer it. She peered out the window next to the door and squeaked when she saw Rick standing on her front porch. He saw her looking and nodded. Gavin came to her side as she opened the door. Rick frowned at seeing them together.
“So much for listening to me, Lieutenant Clearwater,” Rick commented.
“These are desperate times,” Gavin replied with a shrug.
“I suppose you’re right,” Rick agreed. “Just remember the rules once you both return home.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes and bit her tongue to keep from saying whatever. “My mom’s not here so we can’t leave yet,” she said instead. “She won’t be home until tomorrow, I think.”
“You don’t know?”
“My grandmother is sick and they left in a hurry last night. I hope to hear from them later today.”
“When you do, tell your mother she needs to return immediately. You’ve been accepted at a school for the specially gifted and she has to meet with the director immediately.”
“And naturally, you’re the director.”
He nodded. “Of course.” He turned his attention to Gavin. “Aren’t you supposed to be at home?”
“Queen Alina asked that I escort Ronnie back to Kalearnia,” he stated. Ronnie glanced at him. It hadn’t exactly gone that way, but it placated Rick, who nodded thoughtfully.
“Very well.” He looked at Ronnie again. “Notify me when your mother returns. We leave tomorrow night at eight.”
Ronnie reached for Gavin’s hand as they watched Rick walk away. He got halfway down the block and suddenly disappeared into the In Between. Ronnie blinked and shook her head, disoriented by his sudden disappearance.
“You really have to teach me how to do that,” she told Gavin.
“It’s one of the first things on my list,” he agreed and they grinned at each other. Ronnie’s phone rang, the tone loud enough to hear on the first floor, and she ran back up to her bedroom to answer it, hoping it was her mom with good news.
“Mom,” she answered the phone, hoping it didn’t go to voice mail.
“Yes, it’s me,” her mom replied. Hearing her mom’s voice brought back the hurt from two hours ago and she had to squash it down to keep from freaking out. She forced herself to focus on her mom’s words. “I have good news. Your grandmother’s going to be fine. It was just a mild heart attack, nothing to really worry about. Your father and I are going to see her this afternoon and stay another night. We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay, good, because I have someone you have to meet right away,” she told her mom as relief flooded her for her grandmother’s good health, replacing her anger about the adoption. She didn’t know what she would do if her grandmother was sick enough to keep her parents out of town after tomorrow.
“Veronica, this really isn’t a good time,” her mom began.
“Mom, it’s really important.” Her mind raced for a good lie. “When I went to the poetry reading with Billy Winthrop right before school started, I met a guy. He introduced himself as the director at a school for specially gifted teens. We’ve talked quite a bit since then and he’s asked me to transfer to his school. Of course, he has to get your permission before I can and classes start Monday.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before? Veronica, really, I should have known before now.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I really didn’t think I would get in. He just called a little while ago to tell me I’ve been accepted.”
Her mom sighed and Ronnie knew she would get the okay. She smiled as her mom agreed and said again that they would be home tomorrow afternoon. Ronnie said goodbye and hung up. She turned to leave the room and found Gavin leaning against the door frame watching her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his cargo pants. Her breath caught in her throat as he smiled and she froze, using every ounce of willpower within her not to cross the room, grab him and kiss him. He chuckled as his eyes met hers and he pushed away from the door frame. Ronnie’s heart pounded as she wondered what he was going to do.
“Come on, Princess, you can show me all the fun things to do in this town before we leave it,” he told her. Her attraction turned to ice in her veins at that word, the reminder of the traumatic revelation from this morning. Gavin frowned and then realized what he’d said, the gleam in his eyes turning to shame.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Should I not call you that anymore?”
Ronnie forcibly shook her head. She said she wanted to feel normal, to do normal things until they returned to Kalearnia and she could get the answers she needed. Gavin calling her Princess was normal. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out as she forced her body to move, crossing the room to him on unsteady legs.
“No,” she replied and his expression turned crestfallen. She quickly continued. “I mean, yes. I want you to keep calling me Princess. I said I want to feel as normal as possible until we leave. You calling me anything else isn’t normal.”
He considered this a moment and then nodded. Ronnie took another step towards him and he pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more,” he apologized. She shook her head.
“You’re only following orders,” she reminded him. “You have nothing to apologize for.” She stepped back and took his hand. “Come on, I’ll show you around town.”
His eyes caught hers and they grinned at each other. “Lead the way, Princess.”
Leaving her car at home, they spent the rest of the morning wandering through town on foot. Ronnie pointed out places she used to go to as a child, her favorite stores, and places she had never been. As they walked down Long Lake Road towards Wind Lake, she realized how much she was going to miss living here. As much as she thought of Wind Lake as a small sporty town, it was still her home. She took Gavin to the Burger Joint for lunch, where they said hi to a few people from school while waiting for a table. Ronnie couldn’t help feeling a little jealous of the girls who gave Gavin appreciative glances, but he seemed not to notice. A grin blossomed on her face as they were finally shown to a table.
“What?” he asked, seeing her expression. He held her chair and pushed it in once she was seated.
“I think every woman in here just swooned when you did that,” she commented as he sat down across from her. He flashed a grin that made her breath catch.
“Did you?” he asked, his dark eyes gleaming knowingly.
“Not until you sat down and smiled like that,” she admitted and he chuckled. “And that was the first time you’ve held my chair for me.”
“Get used to it—the swooning and the manners. We’re taught how to treat a lady where I come from.”
He asked what was good as he opened his menu and then, not finding anything familiar, allowed Ronnie to order their drinks and hamburgers when the waitress came over a few minutes later. Even the waitress seemed flustered by Gavin’s good looks. Ronnie giggled as the girl hurried away from their table.
“Are you giggling because she couldn’t talk straight just now?” he asked. She nodded.
“So you do notice when girls notice you.”
“Of course I do, but there’s only one girl I’m interested in.”
She blushed, but didn’t look away from him. Her heart fluttered as he grinned at her.
“You know, you keep looking at me like that and I might get the wrong idea,” she teased. His grin became more intimate as he leaned towards her.
“That’s exactly what I was hoping for,” he told her and her entire body warmed up as she looked away. She
should have known he would have an answer for her flirtation, but she hadn’t expected him to look at her with such open appeal. The waitress brought their drinks to the table and Ronnie pulled hers close immediately. Gavin chuckled as she took a long drink.
“Problems, Princess?” he teased. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she shook her head.
“No problem. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next eleven and a half months?”
His grin turned cocky, one she was very familiar with. “At least you’re looking forward to it,” he said. She took another drink. If he treated her this way and kept looking at her like that, she would look forward to every day with him.
Their burgers came and Ronnie sat back and watched Gavin take a bite. He moaned with such pleasure that Ronnie was almost embarrassed.
“Divine,” he uttered and she giggled.
“They don’t have cows where you come from?” she asked.
“This is from a cow?” He held up his burger.
She nodded. “Yeah, obviously you don’t eat many hamburgers.”
He shook his head. “There isn’t much livestock to be had and what cows there are, we use for milk. There’s usually pheasant, rabbit and other small game animals for meat, but we also eat a lot of rice and vegetables.”
“Really?” Ronnie wrinkled her nose, already wondering how many times she could sneak back here for a burger. Gavin laughed at her expression.
“I promise you, Princess, it’s not that bad, though it definitely isn’t as good as this.”
Ronnie’s food went practically untouched while she watched Gavin savor his hamburger. She couldn’t help wondering how many times he watched her as fascinated as she was by him now. The only time that came to mind was when she sliced her hand and healed it in front of him. She squirmed in her seat as she thought about that now, one of several intimate moments between them. She wondered what would happen between them once they were in Kalearnia, away from her life here.
Ronnie nibbled at her food while Gavin finished eating. Once they both finished, she paid the bill and they left. They went to see a movie and then she took him to Romero’s for pizza. The sequence was so reminiscent of going out with Shawn a week ago that her heart hurt. Gavin seemed to sense this and paid extra attention to her, flirting a little more and keeping up with the intimate looks. By the time he walked her home, she was nervous, flustered, and blissfully happy all at the same time.
“Are you going to invite me in?” he asked when he walked her to the door. She had forgotten to turn on the porch light so they stood outside in the dark.
“Will it stop you if I say no?”
“Yes.”
His answer shocked her. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She had expected some flirty line about how it hadn’t stopped him before. She unlocked the door with trembling hands and opened the door.
“In that case, I want you to stay with me,” she told him, her voice a little breathless as she reached for his hand and pulled him inside with her.