by K. K. Allen
The front door to Island Grille is open, so I go inside and find Johnny leaning against the wall, his eyes pinned on me like he was expecting me to walk in.
“Surprise,” I say sarcastically. “I can see you’re excited to see me.”
He rolls his eyes and pushes off the wall. “There was a murder on the island last night. They haven’t found who did it yet, so Roy wants me to keep an extra-close eye on things today. He’s a little overprotective of his employees.” He passes me and turns the latch on the door. “We’ll just keep this locked until we open. You remember your way around?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
He nods. “I’m going to finish cleaning tables. Napkins need to be wrapped. When you’re done, fill out the schedule in the break room. You won’t always get what you ask for, but the sooner you fill it out, the better your chances.”
He’s not being friendly or anything, but he isn’t being mean either. That’s a definite step up from our prior meetings. I walk past him without a word. Finding the table filled with napkins, I use my magic to fold them as soon as his back is turned. When I’m done, I walk straight to the break room to find the work schedule Johnny mentioned. His name is slotted to work most shifts over the next two weeks, but I find a few spots that ensure I won’t run into him. I finish scribbling my name into the spots and place the cap back on the pen. There.
As soon as the doors open, a couple of Enchanters walk in. Their eyes are filled with sadness, and I have a feeling they’re here to discuss recent events. I debate greeting them at their table quickly or maybe giving them a little time to chat.
“What are you waiting for?” Johnny stops beside me just outside the kitchen doors. “We don’t stare at the customers. We greet them.”
I ignore him, right my shoulders, and step forward to do my job. I skip the usual “how are you doing” and “I’m Kat, and I’ll be your server.” They know my name, and thanks to my impressive memory bank, I know theirs. “Hey, Sondria. Hey, Lark. Can I get you all something to drink?”
My words may not emit my sorrow, but the sad smile on my face ought to do the trick. My emotions are high, and my heart hasn’t stopped aching since I heard the news about Darryl.
They return my smile with generous ones of their own. “Hey, Katrina,” Sondria says. “I think we’ll just have a round of sweet teas.”
When I return to deliver their teas, they’re in deep conversation. I also sense they want to be left alone as much as possible, but when they leave the restaurant a few hours later, they give Roy nothing but compliments about my service.
The brunch crowd starts to come in, and things pick up significantly. At least I’m not the only waitress now. There are several more on the floor, but since I’m covering the section nearest to the water, my tables are full my entire shift. Johnny is working the bar, and aside from a few grumpy glances, we stay out of each other’s way.
After cleaning off my only empty table, I return the wet rag to the bar. Johnny is pouring orange juice into a champagne flute when he catches me staring at him. “Need something?”
His question doesn’t come off sounding annoyed, which confuses me. He has seemed a bit off his game lately. That’s not to say he’s friendly or anything. He’s just—I struggle through my thoughts to come up with something generous—less of an asshole. I squint back at him and open my mouth to ask him what’s up with his lack of hostility, but someone pinches my sides from behind me.
I jump and swivel around, ready to light fire to whoever grabbed me, but when I see Alec standing there with a giant grin on his gorgeous face, my mood shifts instantly. I gasp, unable to help my own smile. “I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
He pulls me closer and surprises me with a kiss on the lips. A strange sensation comes over me, something that tells me this intimate embrace feels wrong. I don’t know why, exactly. Maybe it’s just because I’m at work, but I smile at him anyway.
“We wanted to cheer you on,” he says with a wave at one of the tables behind him. It’s my empty table that I just got done cleaning, and he’s with Brett and Ava. Trisha already called in sick for her shift today, so I don’t expect to see her here.
The fury in Ava’s eyes doesn’t surprise me, but it still grates on my nerves. By now, she should know that I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. This town is big enough for the both of us. No matter what beef she and her parents have with Rose, she needs to get over it.
Alec tugs me forward to the table, and I steal a glance over my shoulder to find Johnny’s mixed reaction. I can’t tell if he’s pissed, annoyed, or neither. I stop dwelling on it the moment I approach the table with Alec.
“Hey, guys.” I smile, ignoring Ava’s narrowed eyes and pursed lips. “Have any of you heard from Trisha? She called in sick earlier.”
Alec shrugs, but Brett speaks up. “She isn’t feeling well. Said she was having headaches and had to stay home.”
I frown, knowing all too well what the headaches are from. “Well, I’m so glad you all came. What can I get you?”
Alec sits in the empty chair beside Ava and looks around the table. “I’ll have a Coke.”
They all give me their orders, and I nod. “I’ll be back.”
I leave them and return quickly with their drinks before doing a round to check on all my customers. I print receipts, grab meals, get more refills, then make my way back over to them.
Alec pulls a chair close to him and pats it for me to sit down. I take a sheepish look around to make sure my customers are good, then I decide it’s okay to sit for a second. But the moment I’m in my chair, I tune in to what they’re discussing, and my stomach tightens at the sound of Darryl French’s name. He’s been the talk of the town today. Work should have been a nice distraction from recent events, but if anything, I feel closer to the madness. Hearing the sadness in everyone’s voices, the memories people have of him… This was a tough loss for Apollo Beach as a whole.
As if he can read my tension, Alec slides an arm around my shoulders and changes the subject to the carnival. Ava jumps in to talk about the garden maze that her father’s firm sponsored as a contribution to the event. Why her father would contribute something toward a charity Rose started is yet another mystery in the grand scheme of things. Ava is excited about it, though. It’s actually fascinating to hear her describe the haunted maze that’s supposedly filled with surprises at every corner.
I’m distracted by Alec, who shifts his weight toward me and smiles when our eyes meet. I smile back. The faces around us blur, and we’re shielded by everything else. Mouths around us still open and close, as if they are speaking, but I can’t hear them.
He leans in slowly so we are only inches apart. “Great first day of work, huh?”
I grin, but the flirting is over quickly when I catch sight of Johnny glaring at us from across the room. “It has been, but I should probably get back to work before the grumpy man at the bar changes that.”
Alec throws a look at Johnny and cringes. “Ouch, yeah, he doesn’t look too happy.” Then his lips brush my cheek, sending heat up my throat and into my cheeks. “I’m excited for our date. You still getting off at two?”
And there it is—the flutter in my stomach reignited. I wish I could be more excited about our date tonight. If last night’s events hadn’t happened, I would be more excited about it. But even Rose encouraged me to go out with Alec as long as we stay together and in public places. She’s an advocate of showing the Equinox that we won’t stop living our lives out of fear. “Yes,” I say, despite my mood. “What are we going to do?”
He weaves his fingers through mine, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “It’s a surprise. I’m going to take Ava home first, and then I’ll be back to grab you.”
“That sounds perfect.”
He grins and leans into me. I catch one last look of his emerald-green eyes and melt when he touches his lips to mine. There’s something different about Alec today, but I can’t place my finger on it.
It’s the same way I felt the last time he kissed me in Weeki Wachee. Again, I push the feeling away. Whatever feels wrong is most likely to do with my stress over everything going on.
I’m back at the bar, asking Johnny for refills for my other tables, when he leans over the counter, bringing his stone-faced expression closer. “Tell the boyfriend it’s hands-off at work.”
I balk in surprise. “What is your problem?”
He stands straight, never taking his mean eyes from mine. “It’s common sense. Save the PDA for after work. If that’s too hard, then I can let Roy know you’ll be handing in your uniform today.” He raises his brows as if he’s won.
I shake my head with a giant roll of my eyes. “Whatever, Johnny. If you have a problem with my behavior at work, then you can let Roy fire me. I’m not listening to you.” With that, I walk away, deciding to do whatever I can to avoid him for the rest of my shift.
At two o’clock on the dot, I rush to the break room to clock out and throw on my change of clothes for my date—a white cotton skirt with pockets and a light blue V-neck blouse. The staff door opens just as I’m slipping on my sandals, and I turn to find Johnny strutting to his locker, avoiding me. Good. I have nothing nice to say to him, anyway.
With a deep, calming breath, I turn on my heel and push my way out of the break room. In the front of the restaurant, Alec is nowhere to be found yet, so I lean up against one of the wood posts and look out at the scene around the island. I can see the large sign for the marina, but the sides of the lot are cloaked by thick shrubs, trees, and overgrown weeds so that I can’t see past the gravel path leads to a giant boathouse. It almost looks like a warehouse with its tan steel-plated frame and triangle roof. It might just be the most modern-looking piece of architecture on this entire island.
“What? He stand you up?”
I snap my head toward the stairs to find Johnny hopping down them while chuckling. Something weighs down my gut, and I glance behind me to find a clock above the main door. It reads two thirty, and my heart sinks.
I look back up at Johnny, who stopped walking and is staring back at me, waiting. “No, he’s just running a little late.”
Johnny hesitates, and I swear he wants to say something, but he snaps his mouth shut instead and sticks his hands in his pockets while glaring into the wind. “Are you sure he’s coming? Because if not, I can—”
“Of course he’s coming,” I say quickly then try to drown out the flare of anger in my chest. One of these days, Johnny just might get the better of me. “Alec wouldn’t stand me up. Maybe that’s something you would do, but not him. He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met.” I say the words, and it almost feels like I’m trying to convince myself more than Johnny. I swallow, embarrassed by my insecurities. “And he likes me.” I don’t know why I throw in this last part, but I regret saying all of it by the time I close my mouth.
Johnny nods, his expression telling me he’s not convinced. “I’m sure he does.” He points toward the marina. “I’ll be there. Come get me if he doesn’t show. Roy will kill me if you walk home alone.”
Another half hour rolls by, then another. At three thirty, I’m contemplating doing something I never thought I would have to do—find Johnny and take him up on his offer, because Alec Stone has officially stood me up.
I’m halfway to the marina when clouds form overhead, darkening the sky. Then it starts to pour. Of course. With my luck, a tropical storm is probably coming through to test my patience. Out of all the people I’ve met in this town, Alec is the last person I ever expected to disappoint me like this.
Water soaks my clothes and presses against my skin like plastic wrap. I think about running just to exhaust some energy, but considering I have no idea where I’m supposed to go once I reach the marina, I probably shouldn’t. Instead, I let the rain bathe me, hoping to feel something, anything, besides this numbness that brings me back to my days in Silver Lake. To when guys flirted then asked me out and talked about me like I was trash after I rejected them. To when the girls had nothing better to do than prove how much better they were than me with their fancy clothes, expensive manicures, and fast cars.
When I realize my thoughts are as dark as the cloud cover, I straighten my posture and fill my chest with air. I was a nobody then, but I refuse to feel that way now. I could be completely overreacting about Alec anyway. What if he’s hurt somewhere? Or sick? What if he didn’t mean to stand me up at all? I take another deep breath, this one calming me.
As I walk through the entrance of the marina, I find several docks extending from a large cement retaining wall where the land stops and the water begins, but Johnny is nowhere to be found. What would he be doing here, anyway?
“Johnny,” I call out while heading for the first dock. I walk out to the very end to where the largest boat is moored and do a slow turn, using my heightened senses to track something that will clue me in to where he went. After a second full circle, I shake my head, feeling silly. I can’t believe I’m looking for Johnny Pierce of all people. I’m better off going back to the Grille and using the phone there to call Charlotte.
When I start to head back to the entrance of the marina, I look up at the sky, my eyes zoning in on the raindrops aimed for my face. With a quick blast of energy, I force the shower to part around me like I’m carrying an umbrella. The magic is subtle so no one would even notice if they happened to see me now, and it uses much less energy than trying to stop the rain completely. Without Charlotte and Rose, I’m not even sure I could. And if I did, without a purpose, I would be breaking Solstice Law.
I’m nearing the main drive to the right of the boathouse when a sudden chill wraps my body. I slow my gait and swallow, suddenly spooked by the fact that I’m all alone when there’s a murderer on the loose. A murderer who is possibly out to possess me. All around me is eerie silence, but a flicker of light through the windows of the boat house alerts my senses. To the right, I hear footsteps coming down the gravel drive, and I watch two figures talk animatedly as they walk toward the dock entrance.
A gasp escapes me as I recognize the figures as Alec and Ava. I muffle my own sounds quickly and jump through the doors of the boathouse before they see me.
Is this what came up? Alec and Ava are hanging out. How can that be more important than our first date? I’m numb as I peer out at them and see enough to conclude that Alec chose Ava over me, plain and simple.
They’re having an intense conversation now—their bodies as close as two can get without kissing. As hard as I try to listen in, I can’t seem to make anything out. Either my emotions or the rain drown out their words. I’m not sure which, but it doesn’t take a genius to understand that they’re close. None of this makes any sense. Earlier today, Alec kissed me in front of her, and now this?
Ava grabs his hand and tugs him toward the water, and just like that, I go from confused and sad to boiling in mere seconds. It’s all I can do to stop myself from calling for lightning to strike down between them. Anything to break them up. I’m still considering doing just that when a strong grip wraps the top of my shoulders and swivels me around.
The force is such a shock to my senses that it takes me a minute to focus on the dark figure looming over me. I gasp as my vision returns and I see Johnny standing there, brows bent with anger.
“What are you doing here?” he growls.
I’m in no mood for this. I place my palms on his chest and push him back to create some space between us. He stumbles then balks at me in surprise. “What the hell, Kat?”
My eyes widen at his loud voice, and I jump toward him to wrap my palm around his mouth. “Be quiet,” I hiss then sneak a look over my shoulder to find Ava and Alec reach the end of the dock. I sigh with relief and turn back to a stunned Johnny before prying my hands from his mouth. “I’m sorry, but you yelled at me.”
“So you decided to shut me up?”
My adrenaline is soaring through me so fast that I can hear the blood pulsing through my veins. Despite
the strange circumstance of the afternoon, I find myself laughing at it all. At my reaction. At Johnny’s confusion. At Alec’s uncharacteristic behavior. And at the looming threat that haunts us all. Emotion overwhelms me. I step back and lean against the wall, holding my stomach while my laughter rocks my body.
“Jesus, Kat. What is wrong with you?” Johnny asks, but he’s not growling now. If anything, I swear I make out a hint of a smile that maybe even reaches his eyes.
“You told me to find you here if Alec stood me up, didn’t you?”
He frowns, but this time, I don’t believe his frown is aimed at me. “I guess I didn’t think he actually would.”
I shrug, giving a dramatic lift of my arms then letting them slap down on my sides. “Well, unfortunately for you, he did.”
Given the events of the last couple of days, it’s a struggle to get moving and face another day. After Johnny borrowed Roy’s clunker of a truck, he took me home yesterday. I thanked him then went straight to bed. In the morning, I asked Charlotte if I’d missed any calls from Alec, and the way she shook her head, slowly and with sadness in her eyes, told me she already knew why I was asking.
Today, the Solstice community will face the recent murder of Darryl French at the Enchanted Theater. We’re going to spend the day remembering him and discussing the evil that must be dealt with. Every sign points to the Equinox. I need to find a way to fill my time before the meeting, so I head to the library after breakfast.
In the hidden den, there’s a bookshelf filled with ancient, mostly handwritten journals from the early Enchanters. The writing can be difficult to make out some of the text, but my grandparents were able to preserve it all fairly well. A book called Lurking Evil is lying open on the couch, as if someone has been brushing up on their knowledge of the Equinox. I sink into the rose-patterned couch and flip the pages back to the beginning, to when Erebus first targeted the Equinox with his evil.