Secrets: The Hero Chronicles (Volume 1) (24 page)

The man handed us the menus and rambled off the specials. I didn’t listen; I just nodded. I couldn’t help but stare at Elle. He stopped talking. Elle was staring at me like I was supposed to say or do something.

“Nicholas, he would like to know what you want to drink.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Water will be fine. Thank you.”

The man nodded and walked away. Elle must have given him her drink order already. We looked at the menu for a minute after he left, and then Elle put her menu down.

“Nicholas, I have a question. Where are the prices on the menu?”

I glanced down and saw that there were no prices. “I’m not sure, but don’t worry about the cost. It’s my treat.”

“No, my dad gave me money. He doesn’t want me to grow up thinking that men should pay for everything. He wants me to be independent, regardless of the fact that my mom told me he always refuses to let her pay for anything, ever.”

“Well, how about this—I asked you out this time, so I will pay. Next time you can ask me out, and then you can pay.”

She smiled. “What makes you think that I would ask you out?” She pulled up the menu, covering part of her face so only her eyes were exposed.

“Well, that’s what I offer to all of my dates that I bring here.”

“Nicholas Keller,” she said in a motherly tone. I smiled at her; she smiled back. “Okay, I will pay when I ask you out—
if
I ask you out, Mr. Keller.”

“Very funny, Ms. Canan.”

We both laughed. The server who brought out our drinks was a girl who looked to be about the same age as us. We ordered our food and she brought it out quickly. The food was delicious. Cora was an excellent cook, but this melted in my mouth—or maybe it was so good because Elle was sitting across from me. I guess it wasn’t fair to judge Cora’s cooking ability when Elle was around; she always made everything better. I think they could have served me a grilled cheese sandwich, and I would have thought it was the best thing I had ever had.

“Would either of you like dessert?” our server asked.

Elle immediately spoke up, “No, thank you.”

I smiled, “No, I’m fine, thanks.”

“I will bring out your check,” she said, clearing the table.

“So how was your food, Elle?”

“It was better than I thought it could be. I think it was the best dinner I’ve ever had. How was yours?”

“I was thinking the same thing. So are you ready to go?” I asked.

“I would like to use the restroom first.”

“Okay, I will pay and meet you at the front door.”

“Are you sure you don’t want some money, Nicholas?”

I didn’t even answer her. I just stared at her, showing just enough frustration to get my point across.

“Okay, okay. I just thought I would ask again. I will see you in a minute.”

Elle got up. As soon as she walked away there were some loud voices over by the bar that caught my attention. It was dark, so I couldn’t see what it was all about. Our server appeared next to our table. I was expecting her to leave the check, but she just stood there. When she didn’t put down the check, I looked up and met her eyes. She looked like she was seeing a ghost or something.

“Are you okay, miss?”

“I just wanted to tell you that it’s been an honor to serve you tonight. The manager has picked up the bill for you.”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

She smiled and said, “You don’t know me, but I know you. Someone who works here used to go to school with you and recognized you.”

Her comments caught me off guard. Then it hit me. Someone here knew my secret and told the staff. Without hesitation I got up and walked with a quickened pace past the waitress and headed straight for the door. The people at every table I passed were staring at me. I avoided eye contact with everyone. I was getting close to the front door where Elle was already standing.

“Alex, Alex! It’s me, Tina, Tina McBride!”

Suddenly, she grabbed my arm. I wanted to rip my arm away, but I didn’t want to cause a scene. Elle’s back was still toward me, so there was a chance I could get out of here without Elle knowing anything happened.

I looked directly into Tina’s eyes. The years hadn’t changed her much. “Tina, I know, it’s been a while.”

“A while? It’s been five-plus years, and I owe you so much!”

“Listen, I don’t have time to talk now. I promise that I will come back so we can catch up.”

I moved past her and walked towards Elle, who was now facing us. I handed the valet my ticket at the door. I was hoping that Tina wouldn’t follow me outside.

“So how did you know that waitress?”

“She was at the football game when I got hurt.”

“Did she want an autograph or a date?”

“No, just making sure that I was okay.”

“Well, I hope so. I would hate to have to beat up a girl on our first date.”

I was too nervous to say something witty back; I was just concerned about getting out of there fast.

The truck pulled up. I opened the door for Elle, not waiting for the valet. I walked around to the driver side of the truck. I glanced up and saw that the doors of the restaurant were full of people staring at me. I got in, hoping Elle didn’t look over to see all the people. Luckily, she was looking in a small compact mirror, putting on some lip gloss.

Driving away, panic set in. What was I going to do? People now knew who I was and that I was living here in Winsor. I had to tell Cora, but if I did, we would be gone tomorrow, no questions asked. We had some close calls before, but never someone actually recognizing me. This was a first. If I told Cora, it would mean never speaking or seeing Elle again.

“Nicholas, are you okay? You look like there’s something wrong.”

I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that I had lines on my forehead from the thoughts I was having. I relaxed, eliminating the lines. “Yes, I’m fine. I just need my Tic Tacs.”

Elle had been around me enough to know about my sickness. She took the pack I had in the cup holder and took out three for me. “Here.”

I reached out to take them from her, but she pulled her hand back and said, “No, just open your mouth.” She then put them into my mouth one at a time. Her hand brushed my cheek slowly on the last one. Normally this type of thing would get me feeling nervous, stirring feelings that I was looking forward to, but I was too concerned about being recognized to allow these feelings to affect me.

“Maybe the food was a little too rich for you, Nicholas.”

I smiled. “Yeah, that has to be it.”

“Nicholas, if you aren’t feeling well, we can finish our date another night. This won’t be our last one.” Her face was full of concern, looking closely at me. I had to fight the nausea, which was overwhelming, because I would probably be gone tomorrow.

“No, Elle, I’ll be fine.” I tried to look as normal as possible.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll be fine.”

“So, what’s next?” she asked.

“It’s a surprise.”

It was just a thirty-minute drive to the small town of Newton. I was anxious to get out of the truck into the night air, hoping for some more relief. We pulled into the Eden Park entrance, where the Krohn Conservatory was having their annual butterfly exhibit.

“Nicholas, I can’t believe you are bringing me here. I love butterflies!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Nicholas Keller, don’t play dumb!”

We pulled into the conservatory’s parking lot.

“Nicholas, my parents always used to take me here during the butterfly show. This place means a lot to me.” She didn’t know it yet, but this place meant a lot to me too. “But Nicholas, I don’t think it’s open after 5 p.m.”

“Don’t worry. I have it under control.”

The Krohn Conservatory was a large glass building that resembled an old-world church. We walked up to the big glass doors, which opened for us.

“Hey, Keller. Hello, Elle,” Matt said.

“Matt, why are you here?” Elle asked.

“My mother is the exhibit sponsor. Keller, you have two hours. Have a good time.” Even months after football, the guys still used my last name instead of calling me Nicholas. Matt walked into the office and disappeared.

“Nicholas, this is amazing,” said Elle, smiling.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs to the rainforest exhibit. Everything was covered with different types of exotic plants. It had been a long time since I had been here, but it still looked the same. The same mini-river cut right down the center, filled with different types of colorful fish. We walked down the concrete path that ran along the stream. Off in the distance there was a two-story waterfall that fed the stream. Elle stopped to look at every plant, not wanting to miss anything. She didn’t speak, but she flashed a smile from time to time to make sure I knew she was really enjoying herself.

We got to the massive waterfall and stood on the bridge that went across the stream right in front of the falls. The spray of the water felt good. We stood there hand in hand.

“I love this place so much, Nicholas. It takes away all of my worries.”

The words sparked my worries again. I got out my Tic Tacs.

“Still sick?” she asked, looking concerned again.

“Yes, a little, but being here with you sure helps. Come here.” I took Elle’s hand and walked her back behind the waterfall into a narrow stone passage that went all the way to the other side of the waterfall. The roaring sound of the water was quieted behind the stone wall. The stone passage was lit by several yellow built-in lights along the top of the wall.

I stopped her halfway through the tunnel. I took her other hand, turning her to face me. “This is why I brought you here. When I was young, my dad used to bring me here. He would give me a quarter and tell me to hide it in the stones. He told me to make a wish, and if the quarter stayed hidden for at least a month, the wish would come true.” I pulled two quarters out of my pocket and handed her one.

“So am I supposed to say the wish out loud, or is it like a birthday wish?”

“Either is fine.”

“I will say it out loud then. I’m so happy to have met someone so wonderful, honest, and handsome. My wish is that I will get to spend a lot more time with him.” She walked a couple of feet away from me and put the quarter up on a stone as high as she could reach. Elle walked back over to me.

“I wish that you will always remember this night no matter what happens.” I placed the quarter between two stones right next to me.

“You definitely got your wish, Nicholas, because I will never forget this, ever.” She took both my hands. “I promise I won’t forget. . . . Okay, let’s go look at the butterflies now.” She led me down the path to the butterfly exhibit.

The rest of the evening was a complete blur. I became so preoccupied with having been recognized that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. I could only think about what I was going to tell Cora. The car ride home was quiet.

“Nicholas, are you sure everything is okay?”

“Sorry, still feeling sick.”

“Okay, good. No, I mean, I thought that it was something that I did or said.”

“No, Elle, you didn’t do anything.”

Her dazzling smile appeared. “That’s a relief.” She squeezed my hand.

We pulled into her driveway. I got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side to open the door for her. The nausea I had been feeling was now accompanied by my nerves. This could be the last time I would ever see Elle. We walked up the path to the front door.

“Elle, I just want you to know how much I enjoy being with you. And no matter what happens, I want you to know how much I care for you.”

“Nicholas, I feel the same way.”

Just then the front door opened. Mr. Canan was standing there, arms crossed.

Elle whispered, “Save that thought.” She winked and walked in past her dad.

“Goodnight, Mr. Keller,” he said.

“Goodnight, Mr. Canan,” I said, and he shut the door.

When I got home, Cora was sitting on the couch watching an old black and white movie. “So how was your date?” she asked.

“It was okay.”

“What? Just okay? What went wrong? Was the food at Wendell’s bad or something?”

“No, the food was good, and Elle loved The Krohn Conservatory.”

“Well then, what?”

In the back of my mind I could hear our moving truck’s engine starting up. “Something happened at dinner.”

Cora’s face became serious. “What happened?” she asked.

“I got sick at the restaurant.”

Her face became motherly. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed. I’m sorry you got sick on your date.” She gave me a gentle pat on my back. She followed me upstairs, and I went straight to bed.

EMERGENCY EXIT

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

I
didn’t sleep well the entire weekend. I didn’t get to see Elle all day Saturday or Sunday because she had relatives in from out of town. She tried to convince her parents to let me come over, but they wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t both her parents—it was just her dad for sure. I couldn’t sneak over to see her at night because two of her cousins were sleeping in her room. The stress from Friday night lingered throughout the rest of the weekend. But no matter how bad it got, I still didn’t tell Cora about what happened at Wendell’s.