A Chance Mistake (14 page)

Before she’d thought of any repercussions of reading his unpublished work, she had the stack in her hand, stepped over to a chair by the bookcase, and sat down.

As she read, the pages slipped down to a stack on the floor. She had skim read to get through as much of the manuscript as possible. How could it possibly be? Two guys were shadowing the main character. Part of the story was a chase scene on bikes. Odd that it was the same as recent events. Oh, bogies, the main character called the bad guys Snotty and Lucifer.

She took in a surprised breath. He’d met a girl at a grocery store and befriended her. Dafina hurried along through the pages half expecting to read about herself reading the story at the end.

Just as she approached the part where Snotty and Lucifer had the main character and the girl trapped inside her home, Kory’s door sprang open.

“Oh…hi, there. What are you doing?” Kory looked at the papers in her hands and the stack on the floor. “So you found the old manuscript, huh?” He smiled broadly.

Whew.
He wasn’t upset at all, even though she felt guiltier than sin. “Yes. Quite the interesting read. How did it go with Ed?”

Kory raked a hand through his hair. “He said he didn’t send the guys. If he’s telling the truth, I guess it was a coincidence that the two picked me.”

“Seems more like it was planned. Two bad guys, a bike chase—” She held up the papers in her hand.

“I chose to get a bike.”

Mm.
And the names of the bad guys similar because he had named them.
“Still too much the same for my liking.” What if Kory orchestrated the whole thing? The thought snaked through her mind and she looked again at his smiling face. Ah, no. Impossible.

She glanced around at the bookcase and the plaid bed cover. “I like your room—the best room ‘ere,” she whispered. “Reminds me of home, it does.”

“I’m glad.” He took her hand to help her up. “You can put the rest of the manuscript on the chair and read it later, if you want. I picked up the pictures on the way back—the ones I had printed for Luke. Want to go see him now?”

Her thoughts raced. “Yes, I would. But could we see your apartment first? I’d love to get an idea how the
American writer
lives.”

He laughed. “Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m sure. Except a bunch of dead plants that didn’t get watered when I was gone.”

“But it’s important, because it’s you—your place.”

“Angel cake,” he said then turned his head toward the doorway. “Aunt Nesta is coming.”

“Wha—”

Kory pulled her close and kissed her gently on the lips, sending her heart to beat at a faster pace. She smiled inside at his words, using an excuse like that to kiss her. Aunt Nesta was a world away.

When he stepped away, his eyes held warm kindness, love.

“The best pretend ‘usband, you are.” She said the words a bit breathlessly, and Kory smiled. Had he smiled because of her words or how she said them? At any rate, he seemed pleased and it multiplied her happiness.

“Just how many pretend husbands have you had?”

“Just you and a stuffed dummy.”

“I see I’m in good company.”

****

Kory took Dafina to his corner coffee place for breakfast. He had to keep telling himself that she was indeed real. How strange to experience complete infatuation at this point in his life. Sure he’d had crushes when in school, but being with Dafina gave him a whole different outlook on his life. Everything proved itself to be more promising, better and more worthwhile, shiny, and in her words, brilliant. The coffee shop seemed more endearing, the pastries more tempting, the coffee more deep and flavorful.

They sat with their coffees at a table by a window. She with her lemon poppy seed muffin, and he with a cheese pastry. He pointed out his apartment from their vantage point. “If you count five floors up and three windows over from the left, you can see my apartment.”

She looked in the direction he pointed. “Aye, I see it. The plants in the window look lively and green. That’s a good sign.”

Hmm, she was right. “It’s probably like dried herbs—you know, still green but no moisture. I forgot to ask my mom if anyone stopped by and watered them.”

“I like this part of the city. Busy—very busy—but it has a quaint feel to it. Maybe it’s the cheerful dark blue and red of the apartments—the green plants and flowers on the balconies. A classy, lively feel.”

“Do you think you could get to like it?”

“As in…?” She gave him a little smile and narrowed her eyes.

“Enough to live here?”

Her eyes narrowed more and her smile all but disappeared.

“Like a second home?” He tried to make it less threatening.

“You mean still keep my real home?”

He nodded and absentmindedly took a bite of pastry.

“I don’t know for sure, Kory Slate, writer of horror.” She smiled again. “What does the writer think of Wales?”

“The writer is completely impressed with Wales and even more so with—”

“What?”

“Not what...” He’d wanted to tease her, but there was no way to go through with it. Besides he wasn’t sure how to tease anymore. He was seriously in love.

“Who?” she asked.

He looked down at his breakfast with one bite out of it. Would she understand the sincerity of his feelings for her? He looked at her lovely face, her expression expectant, waiting for an answer. “It’s you.”

“Ah, Kory. Isn’t it that I remind you of the character in your last book? I remember you called me Carl’s pet name for her…the platinum princess.”

“I did? When?”

“Shortly after Aunt Nesta arrived, I think.”

Whoa.
Wait. No, he didn’t think so. “You’re so much more to me than a character in a book.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. Besides, I call you a lot of different pet names.”

“I know. You like to tease me, you do. Lucky for you the names you use are always something sweet.” Her eyes regarded him coolly and her lips had the faintest hint of amusement.

There had to be some way for them to make a life together. He could well imagine going through time with her, watching her create her gardens and pottery, helping her with her bed and breakfast business in the old stone cottage.

After eating, they stepped into an antique store nearby. She fairly pulled him into the shop. Funny how he never paid attention to the place before. He observed what items drew her interest. A pastel vase—for her flowers of course. He could almost see the thought patterns of her mind visualizing how the colors would work together. She stepped to a case of antique jewelry and perused the ornate designs, pointing out different jewels.

“I love the tiger-eye, I do. Moving—always moving as it does.” She looked closer at the ring with its tag. “Hm. My size, it is,” she said to herself in a barely audible voice. A grouping of white china boxes with roses caught her eye, and she stepped toward them. Then something out around a corner captured her interest. She disappeared from view.

He motioned to a clerk and pointed to the ring. The young man smiled with understanding and kept quiet as he processed the sale and handed Kory the ring in a box. He slipped it in his jacket pocket.

After perusing a display of old books, Kory took her to his apartment building and they rode the elevator up. He opened the door expecting chaos, but thankfully he’d tidied up the place before he’d left on the trip.

He watched her as she took in his apartment. He tried to view it through her eyes as if seeing it for the first time. The worn numbly tan carpet, brown leather sofa, pale green walls with dark brown trim, desk with a chair facing a bulletin board filled with photos, clippings, odds and ends. Stacks of books on the desk along with a computer monitor and post-it notes with snippets of thoughts and doodles. A shoulder-high bookcase on one wall with books by Kory Slate and other authors. Various house plants on a table in front of a window. Live—well watered and cared for plants. A flat screen TV, a couple of well worn chairs…

She stepped to the bookcase with a backward glance to him as she pointed to
The Unseen
then let her arm drop down to her side. Of everything in the apartment, why would she head there first?

“About that book—I did read it. And I know you took pages out of my copy.” Her eyes turned sad.

He rubbed his forehead. He had to know it would come to that. “Look. Dafina, I’m sorry. Believe it or not, my intentions were good—I think.”

“Those two darrens, they had the pages, didn’t they? They showed them to you when we were tied up in the basement.”

“They found the pages in my backpack and showed them to me as a way to threaten me. To tell me bad things would happen, and they got their ideas from
my
book. But…the violent scene that I took out—I couldn’t bear for you to read it. I just couldn’t. The other page, I didn’t write. Ed thought it needed…well.” He couldn’t bring himself to say anymore.

“I understand.” She touched his arm.

“The bad language, too—all added in.” He sighed and felt like such a push-over, going along with it to get his books published. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. Possibly, Ed might be more accommodating. The man seemed nervous and so unlike his usual cranky self. Perhaps Ed needed Kory more than he needed them. The industry was going through a strange transition with everything turning to e-books. “I have to be true to myself. I can’t let it happen again.”

“Good show.” Dafina smiled. A black spot had wedged itself between her two front teeth.

“Poppy seed—”

“Now that’s kind of stretching it. Have you run out of sweet endearments to call me?”

He laughed. “Um, no. You have a poppy seed stuck.” He pointed to his front teeth.

“Oh, no. Where is the powder room?”

“It’s through there, door to the right.” He pointed past the kitchen. He’d never in his life called it the powder room.

When she’d left the room, he sat down on the sofa.
Dafina. She was the one.
How could he have known that taking a trip would be a turning point in his life? Was it only her sense of adventure that pushed her into coming to New York? She had to have some feelings for him, too. The warm, joyful glow of her face. The look in her eyes. The way she returned his kiss…

He heard the slightest clink of a noise. The front doorknob turned. His mind raced. Only his parents and maintenance had a key. With all that had happened, his first response was to find a weapon. All he had was a couch pillow.

Chapter 21

A long lock of auburn hair and an arm covered with a pink, green, and blue striped sweater sleeve was the first image Kory witnessed through the opening door. Sundae. How had she gotten his key? The rest of her materialized and she shut the door with her back by taking a step backward. Eyes dark, brooding. Her face unreadable. She looked up at him and gave a small jump, no smile coming to her face.

“You’re home,” she said. “How was the trip—no don’t tell me. You met someone.”

“I…”
Weird.
How could a petite, beauty creep him out? “How did you get the key to my apartment?”

She looked away, avoiding the question. “I watered your plants when you were gone. Why did you go so far away?”

“Look, Sundae. I don’t understand your concern. Surely, you’ve moved on again like you always have. What are you doing?”

She sighed. “For an intelligent man, you’re such a fool.” The words came out in dripping hatred or an anger that had gone way out of check, slipping into acrid bitterness. He could well imagine a dark halo of maliciousness around her. Her speech issuing a black fog. “I dated other men to make you jealous, because I loved you.”

Loved.
Thank goodness. She realized whatever they had was over. Why had he kept taking her back?
Whoa.
Wait a minute. How did she know he’d gone far away?

So sorry…I heard about your tragic trip. You don’t seem too shook up about it. Guess you only cared about
her
as much as you cared about me.

What? Dafina—please stay where you are
. The woman in front of him was completely unstable.

“Even though she’s dead, don’t come running to me. It’s over.” Tears sprang to her eyes, mixing with her mascara. Black tears totally fitting. She turned to head out the door with her hand on the doorknob. “I don’t know why I even tried—”

Barf.
Why
she
tried?
Give me a break.
How odd that her tears meant nothing to him.

“Only tried to help.” She opened the door.

Footfalls from the hall alerted her, and she turned to see Dafina.

“Who is that?” Sundae’s voice growled.

“I’m sorry, what?” Dafina asked.