Second Sight (15 page)

“
You’re acting really
weird,” Kane finally says, catching up with me as I head into the
stand where Lev must have gone, and for the next ten minutes, I
walk around tall trees whose branches claw upwards and blot out the
sun. Then, as I find myself circling the same area repeatedly, I
stop, suddenly more tired than I ever believed I could be. It was
Lev. I know it was. The pressure of grief is building in my chest
again, and I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep it at
bay, so I stride through the trees and out of the forest so I can
see the road and my Jeep. Kane’s SUV is parked behind my vehicle,
and it’s obvious from the red flash and dazzle his parents have a
lot more money than Jimmie.

“
Lizzie, wait.” He follows
quickly on my heels, but I have to get away. I can barely breathe
as it is. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”

He catches me at the fence, and my hand
fumbles on one of the rusted barbs, tearing the flesh. That’s when
he grabs the wires and shove them apart so I can slip between them.
The sharp pain in my thumb from the barb prompts me to study the
flesh between, glancing to make sure the road is clear. It takes
him a moment to slip through the fence, and by that time, I’m
already at the Jeep, opening the back door. He puts those long legs
to use and runs after me.

“
What is going on?” he asks
breathlessly.

“
I have a flat.” I tug open
the back and reach for the jack, but as soon as Kane sees it, he
pulls it out of my hands.

“
Here, I’ll do
it.”

“
What?” I demand. “Don’t
you think I can do it?”

He shakes his head. “Not with that hand you
just ripped open on the barbed wire. Have you had a tetanus shot
recently?” He unfastens the spare from the back of the Jeep.

“
Last year.” I unfurl my
fist and look at the cut. Still bleeding, of course. The gash is
about an inch long, but, luckily, not very deep; still, that
doesn’t mean it doesn’t sting.

“
Well, I guess that’s one
thing in your favor.” He loosens the lug nuts, assembles the jack,
and begins pumping the vehicle into the air.

“
What are you doing here?”
Sweat dapples my forehead, and I brush my hand across
it.

“
Changing your tire.” He
glances at me and realizes that’s not what I mean. “I was heading
home, Lizzie, and when I spotted you alongside the road, I figured
you had some kind of car trouble. You don’t seem like the mechanic
type.”

“
I’m not,” I admit, wishing
right about now I were.

“
So, who is this guy you
thought you saw?”

“
My ex-boyfriend.” I
swallow hard and look down at him, trying to gauge his expression,
but then things get really weird. Although the sun shimmers down
around us without a single cloud to dampen its brilliance, there is
kind of a dark film surrounding Kane in the same place where Lev’s
wings would have shimmered. At first, I wonder if I’m seeing
things, but even after I blink and wipe my eyes, the film is still
there. So, he’s not exactly your average, everyday Joe, either, I
muse. That would explain how he got to me in the center of the road
so fast he was able to pull me to safety when I didn’t think I
could run away fast enough to avoid the semi.

I just keep blinking, thinking I’ve got to be
seeing things because right now, the last thing I need is another
angel in the mix. And why is it he’s fixated on me? Am I a
supernatural freak magnet? I should be laughing at the absurdity,
but somehow it isn’t funny.

“
What are you staring at?”
Kane stops removing the lug nuts and turns to me. His hand hovers
in place, waiting for me to say something, but I’m not sure what
it’s going to be.

“
You,” I finally mutter,
exhaling slowly, trying to even my breathing. “You remind me of
someone.” My heart is racing, and I can’t seem to curb the
speed.

“
Who?”

“
Lev Walker.” Maybe if he’s
really an angel, that answer will jar his behavior into giving
something away.

“
Never met him.” He turns
his focus back to getting the ruined tire off and replacing it.
“Who is he?” A strand of hair falls into his eyes, and he brushes
it away with the back of his hand, careful not to rub his greasy
fingers across his face.

“
My last
boyfriend.”

“
Boy, does that sound
ominous.” He shakes his head and re-tightens the nuts.

You have no idea,
I think, watching him lower the jack until all
four wheels are back on the ground.

“
Looks like you’re good as
new,” he says, slipping the ruined tire and jack in the back of the
Jeep.

“
Thanks.”

“
No problem.” He’s still
wearing a casual smile, but it doesn’t feel like no problem. I feel
like a big problem most days. “So how about going out with me
sometime? It doesn’t have to be any big deal. We could go as
friends, you know.”

“
I’ll think about it,” I
say, heading to the driver’s side.

“
Think hard,” he says,
watching me climb into the Jeep and start the engine. Although he’s
walked back to the SUV, I still see him standing there, watching me
drive away, a wistful look in his eyes.

Chapter Eleven

When I get back to the house, I notice a red
convertible parked next to Jimmie’s old truck. The contrast between
the two vehicles is stark. Not recognizing the car, I feel my
shoulder muscles tense, and I have to force myself out of the Jeep
rather than just driving away again. The fact that Jimmie’s already
home when he shouldn’t be off work for another hour bothers me, but
I just keep telling myself it’s nothing. I’m a firm believer that
if you say anything enough, you’ll start to believe it.

Or not.

Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of my
stomach, I force myself to trudge up the walk, my book bag slung
across one shoulder. I take a deep breath and slip inside the
house, where I hear muted laughter, signaling our house guest is a
she. From there, I don’t have to be a brain surgeon to realize who
she is, considering Jimmie is here for the first time in a while
before sunset.

Although I’d love to just slip off to my room
undetected, it’s not going to happen, I know, seeing Jimmie on the
couch with Theresa. He’s turned sideways so he can look directly at
her as she leans against the couch and coyly plays with a gold
necklace. Her white cotton peasant blouse accentuates her full
breasts, and she smiles madly as Jimmie talks. He’s wearing worn
jeans and a faded Journey t-shirt, white sneakers and a ball cap.
No matter how I try, I can’t imagine them together as a couple.
Then again, I’m not really sure whom I see Jimmie with.

“
Hey, Lizzie!” Jimmie says
as he spots me trying to sneak past. “Could you come in here for a
minute?” Any other time, in any other situation, I’d welcome that
broad smile Jimmie’s got pasted across his face; in my book, Jimmie
doesn’t smile enough. He’s too filled with worry. But it bothers me
how he just keeps looking at Theresa. It’s disturbing on so many
levels.

“
Okay. I’m here.” I step
into the room and fold my arms across my abdomen.

“
I don’t suppose you
remember Theresa.” He nods toward his guest. “She’s a nurse at the
hospital in Knoxville.”

“
Oh, I remember.” I’m
working hard to keep my tone civil. I know Jimmie has a right to
date anyone he wants, but I’d rather it not feel like a sneak
attack.

Theresa turns to me, a huge grin on her face,
but unlike Jimmie, the warmth never quite reaches her eyes. Her
long black hair falls straight on either side of her face in a
sheet of black silk. She’s beautiful; there’s no doubt about that.
What’s the old expression? Lovely but deadly?

“
You look much better than
the last time I saw you,” she purrs, unsettling me with her gaze.
Her voice is smooth and seductive, but strangely enough, it’s not
working on me like it does Jimmie.

“
All better,” I
agree.

“
Why don’t you have a
seat,” Jimmie says, gesturing to the recliner, which is yet another
reason this feels so uncomfortable—Jimmie always chooses the
recliner, yet here he is, on the couch with Theresa. Maybe it is
stupid to sense something wrong with this. Then again, maybe I just
know Jimmie that well.

“
Um, maybe later. Right now
I’m looking for Griffin. Do you know where I can find
him?”

“
Sure,” Jimmie says. “He
and a friend are in the back yard.”

“
A friend?” Surprise number
two. I frown, wondering who that could be and why anyone would
drive all the way from Hauser’s Landing for a visit with Griffin. I
mean if it were Griffin’s father, Jimmie wouldn’t have used the
word
friend
.
Still, I think, walking through
the house to the back door, there’s only one way to find
out.

Pushing open the screen door, I’m really not
prepared for the scene before me. Griffin and Jayzee sit in the
grass together, laughing and talking rather like Jimmie and
Theresa. If I weren’t already on edge, after seeing my guardian and
my best friend acting the whole Stepford part would have done it.
I’d just as soon go back inside, but Jayzee hears the door squeal
and turns, offering me a big smile.

“
Hey, I just dropped by to
see if you got a chance to ask about Friday night yet.” Her hand is
just inches from Griffin’s, and all this cuddling is making me
nauseated.

Outwardly, I smile; inwardly, I groan with
the realization of what is coming. I’m actually going to have to go
back into the living room and ask, even though I’m not sure I even
want to spend the night at Jayzee’s. The only thing I’ve got going
for me is that the answer is probably going to be a no which would
be just fine with me.

“
No, I didn’t get a chance.
Give me a sec and I’ll find out.” I feel like a ping pong ball
bouncing from one room of lovebirds to another. Still, I force
myself to trudge back to the living room to settle my plans for the
weekend. When I enter, Jimmie doesn’t even realize I’m standing in
the doorway, awkwardly watching the two of them engaging in flirty
banter.

But once I loudly clear my throat, he
definitely senses my presence and tears his gaze from
Theresa’s.

“
Hey, Lizzie.”

I’m really beginning to get annoyed with
feeling like an interloper. I don’t think I’ve ever been this
uncomfortable around Jimmie before. Now Griffin, that’s a totally
different story. He seemed like such a jerk when I first met him it
took quite a while to see the real guy.

Taking a deep breath, I plunged into my
spiel. “Would it be all right if I spent the night over at Jayzee’s
on Friday?” I pause, praying he won’t ask any further questions,
but then again, I know Jimmie. He’s all about asking the right
questions. I nod toward the back yard. “Jayzee is the girl outside.
She came to find out if I’d asked you yet so she’d know.” I’m not
sure he really cares why Jayzee is over here, but I can’t seem to
stop myself from talking. I feel like I’m babbling wildly, kind of
like when I’ve had a zillion sodas and the caffeine has kicked in.
I can’t really seem to shut up then, either.

Jimmie slowly nods. “Yeah, that would be
fine. Just make sure you have your cell charged. I need to be able
to reach you.”

I blink in shock. Just like that, I’m
ungrounded. So I can do normal things which don’t revolve around
drive-bys and angels, not that Jimmie has a clue Jayzee is an
emancipated minor who could get me in so much more trouble than he
thinks. He’s insane. Truly.

Shaking my head, I say, “All righty, then.
I’ll let her know.” I trudge back outside to find Jayzee and
Griffin leaning toward each other, lost in that mesmerizing moment
just before a kiss. I clear my throat loudly, and both of them jump
back, a flush creeping across Griffin’s face.

“
Jimmie didn’t have a
problem with it, so I guess we’re on for Friday,” I manage, but
truthfully I’d rather be anywhere besides the local love shack this
house has suddenly become.

Jayzee beams at me. “Cool. I’m really looking
forward to it.”

That makes one of
us
, I think, unsure exactly how I feel.
Part of me thinks the image of Griffin and Jayzee almost kissing
has something to do with that, but it’s hard to know for sure. The
only thing I’m positive about is that neither Jayzee nor Theresa
appear to be leaving any time soon, so that’s my exit cue. If I
don’t, I’ll go mad.

“
I’ll see you tomorrow at
school,” I say and don’t hang around for some big farewell scene.
Instead, I slip inside, trying to whisk right past the other two
before they even realize I’m there, but no such luck. I have my
hand on the front doorknob when Jimmie peers at me.

“
Lizzie? Where you off to
in such an all-fired hurry?”

“
Just to take a few
pictures at the cemetery,” I reply, opening the door.

He saunters towards me. “Theresa is going to
join us for dinner, and I’ll ask Griffin if he’d like his guest to
stay as well. Spaghetti sounds good, right?”

I smile again. “Sure, Jimmie. Sounds great.
I’ll be back soon.”

Jimmie steps in my path. “Come on, Lizzie.
Why do you need to go to the cemetery? Stay here and spend some
time with me and Theresa.”