The Light of Asteria (8 page)

“Hello, Nora dear. The
Vernors wanted me to stop by and pick up a few things for the
festival.” Mrs. Brown’s voice was a little higher than normal. Her
eyes twinkled with the knowledge that she had obviously walked in
on something.

“What do you need?” I asked
politely, trying to act like it was an everyday occurrence that
someone sat ridiculously close to me at my place of employment.
Gavin’s green eyes danced with mischief.

“Mr. Vernor said he had a
few bags in the back marked ‘fall’. Could you check for me please?”
She pointedly stared at Gavin, waiting for an introduction. He was
enjoying himself immensely. I was tempted to ignore her, but that
would really start rumors flying.

“Mrs. Brown, I would like
for you to meet Gavin Frey. He’s in town to pick up some supplies
for his brother,” I explained ... that didn’t sound too bad. She
slowly smiled, looking like a Cheshire cat that had just caught the
most delicious mouse. Gavin stood and confidently walked to the
front.

“Nice to meet you,” she
purred.

“It’s nice to meet you too,
Mrs. Brown.” A smile played on Gavin’s lips as he took her chunky
hand with a small bow. She gasped, and I giggled as I ran to the
back.

“Are you still in school,
Mr. Frey?”

“Please, call me Gavin.”
Mrs. Brown tittered with pleasure. “I graduated last fall. My
brother and I own a farm east of here, and we require some items to
do repair work.” I could feel her undivided attention all the way
in the back room. She probably wasn’t even blinking. Where on earth
were those stupid bags?

“I heard Vernors was the
best place to purchase quality supplies, and so we made the trip.
I’ve been very satisfied.” Gavin’s warm voice echoed through the
store. I pushed my way past the empty stock boxes, finally seeing
the white trash bags with fall scribbled in permanent marker. They
were on the top shelf … terrific.

“Mr. Vernor will be very
glad to know that you’re so pleased. Have you found the customer
service to be satisfactory?”

My pulse accelerated. I
jumped and tipped the bottom of the bag, causing both of them to
fall on my head.

“More than you know, Mrs.
Brown ... more than you know,” Gavin murmured conspiratorially. I
froze. Great. I’m going to be on the front page
tomorrow.

Gavin, stop
it,
I thought, winding my way back to
the front of the store. I fervently hoped Rose hadn’t picked Edna
up for this lovely activity. Now I had to tell her.

“Here you go, Mrs. Brown.
Hope that’s everything.” I tried to act normal.

“Oh, I’m sure it will be
more than enough,” she smirked. “Have a good day, Nora dear …
Gavin, it was so nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure was all
mine,” he crooned. She actually blushed. I bet she hadn’t done that
in years.

Gavin chuckled, as the
cowbell clanged farewell to the town gossip.

“Now you’ve done it!” I
laughed. Really, the paparazzi would probably be here within the
hour. He had no idea what juicy news this would be.

“Can I cash in my rain
check?” he murmured, as he came behind the counter.

“Employees only…” I
reminded, pushing him playfully back. He took my wrist and pulled
me around to the first aisle. I leaned against the wall. At least
we were hidden from view.

“I thought you were just
starting your degree,” I murmured.

“Long story.” His hand
rested on the wall next to my shoulder.

“I’ve got time.” I gazed
into the impossible green, mind blank.

“I don’t … I have to go.”
His face once again inches from mine. I held my breath.

“Dinner?”

“Sure … when.” I
whispered.

“I’m out of town until next
week. … how about … say … next Friday?” He leaned a little
closer.

“Okay,” was all I managed
to squeak out.

He reached for my waist
with his other hand, and I found myself in his arms. Gavin’s
embrace overwhelmed me. The need to
protect shattered my
emotions and was stronger
than anything I had
felt today.

I wrapped my arms around
him, feeling the hard muscles of his torso. An electric current
pounded through me; his slightly hot chest caressed the side of my
face. I started to panic a little, as desperation seeped into the
emotional cocktail already brewing. My lungs burned in protest, and
I took a sharp breath of air through my nose. His scent filled my
lungs. I gasped; his fragrance was equal to his beauty.
If
sunshine and light had a smell this would be it. A hint of the most
delicious fresh, earthy peppermint made it unbelievably attractive.
I took another breath, trying to memorize the scent. I couldn’t
believe anyone or anything could smell this good. The need to
forever stay right here, feeling his warmth, taking in his
intoxicating aroma overpowered every other thought.

Gavin’s embrace tightened as he held me for a
moment more, making my bones melt, and then he abruptly pulled
away. An emotion I couldn’t define swaddled me in warmth.

“I’ll see you Friday,” he murmured. Wonder
and protection combined with the undefined and wrapped tightly one
last time. The emotions intensified, taking my breath away. I
closed my eyes for a moment, desperate to hold on to them. He
flashed one last brilliant smile and headed out the door.

I watched him get in the passenger side of
the black SUV. The emotions faded as the truck sped away. I knew
how I felt, but what if he didn’t want me in that way? His
protection was stronger than any other emotion, but I couldn’t be
certain if he felt the same physical attraction I did. Looking out
the large storefront window, I finally concluded I would have to
find a way to control my mind. If all he wanted was friendship that
would have to be enough for me.

It was almost three, and I whipped around the
store making sure everything was in order. My mind formulated
conversations with Edna, hoping no one had talked to her first.

“Hey Nora, we’re back … is your friend still
here? Mamma wants to meet him.” Mr. Vernor grinned as he came
through the door.

“He had to leave,” I muttered, staring at my
feet.

“I’m sure she’ll meet him another time.” His
smile widened.

“See you Thursday,” I hollered. Gavin had no
idea what he’d just done.

Swiftly strolling through the small parking
lot, and very much looking forward to next Friday, I looked up and
smiled. The day turned out quite nicely, and a chilly breeze kissed
the afternoon air. Brilliant light blue happily blazed in the
cloudless autumn heavens. I was comforted that Gavin was somewhere
under this same sky, putting together whatever it was that required
so many nails.

His emotions always overpowered mine when he
was near, but they faded depending on the distance between us.
Strange as it may seem, that made sense to me. But what if I could
search him out? What if I could find him? My excitement grew as
that notion skipped through my thoughts. Clearing my mind, I closed
my eyes and brought forth every memory I had of him, allowing them
to build. I searched with my soul; a hint of yearning brushed my
face. Encouraged by his timbre, I focused all of my strength and
searched again. Standing there with my eyes closed and arms opened
wide, I inhaled deeply and willed myself to feel. A whisper of
anger now flavored the longing, and I could sense that he was
distancing himself. Or maybe I was so desperate to feel him again
it was just my imagination running rampant. He wasn’t here, and I
was standing in the parking lot looking like a loon. I dropped my
arms and glanced around hoping Mrs. Brown wasn’t documenting the
bizarre behavior. Several male painted buntings floated down and
perched themselves on the roof of the car next to me.

Trying not to lose what little sanity I had
left, I jumped in the Jeep and turned my crazy thoughts to the
immediate problem at hand. I’d take Edna out to dinner after her
nail appointment. It would be easier to tell her about Gavin in a
public place.

“Ed, I’m home … you ready to go?”

“Almost.” Her voice rang above me.

What if Sally knows? I’d better say something
before I drop her off.

“How was work?” she asked, shuffling down the
stairs.

“I sold some special nails today, but I’ll
tell you about it over dinner. How about hitting up Panera’s after
Sally’s?” Playing it up seemed the only way to assure she didn’t
feel left out.

“You look like you won the lottery. What
happened?”

“I don’t want you to be late … we’ll talk in
the Jeep, all right?” Her eyes twinkled, as I stalled for time.

The packed tourist lot gave me an excuse to
concentrate. Edna waited patiently until the Waynesville sign came
into view.

“Okay, so you know the guy that bought the
hammer the other day ... the one Mr. Vernor saw in the store?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he needed some more nails.” Why was
this so hard? “His name is Gavin…. We got to talking, and Mrs.
Brown came into the store….”

Edna silently waited.

“She stopped by to get some stuff for the
festival … anyway, she met him.”

“Is that all?” A smile played on Edna’s lips.
I whipped around the corner, passing the church, barreling my way
through town.

“Well, can I fill you in at dinner? … I just
didn’t want Sally or anyone else to make it sound like I had a
stalker.” I finished lamely.

“Or a boyfriend …” Edna surmised. I could
feel heat flood my face.

“Am I ever going to meet this Gavin?”

“He’s out of town until next week. It’s
almost four. I’ll pick you up in say, half an hour?” I veered the
truck to the front of the salon.

“See you then,” she promised.

Sweat beaded on my brow. Boys, or in this
case a gorgeous man, were uncharted waters. The brief time I had
alone allowed me a reprieve to gather my thoughts. When Edna got
back in the Jeep, I wasn’t quite so flustered. We drove in silence
to the outskirts of town.

“Love the pink,” I muttered, as we found an
oversized booth. She ignored me, waiting for the conversation she
wanted to have. I sighed and finally caved.

“Okay … so I met Gavin coming out of Hol’s
dorm. I was distraught about leaving and wasn’t watching where I
was going.” I kept my eyes down, tripping over my words. “He tried
to talk to me, but I was so upset I didn’t know it. When I went to
see Kate and Hol that Friday, I ran into him again. He apologized
for running into me the first time and then walked me to the
bookstore, overheard Hol ask about my work schedule, and then
showed up last week needing to buy a hammer.” I rambled through the
story quickly, not even sure it made sense.

“Anyway, he ran into Hol when she wasn’t in
great shape, and brought her back to her room so she would be safe,
and I saw him again … which leads us to today.”

“Is that all?” she asked, always seeming to
know.

“Well, I’m going out to dinner with him after
school next Friday,” I muttered, staring into my soup.

I didn’t mention the scene on the hill, and
the he-can-read-my-mind-and-I-can-feel-his-emotions phenomenon. Dr.
Gene wasn’t far from here, and I had a feeling we would be paying
him a visit on our way back home if I brought that up. Too much
info was a bad thing, after all. Edna finally admitted that Sally
had asked who the new fellow in town was. I smirked; at least I got
to her first. We sat there catching up until the deep purple of
twilight shadowed the land.

“This Gavin reminds me of someone I knew when
I was younger than you.” She snickered, surprising me with her
thoughts. “I was about sixteen and was walking through the woods
when the most amazing person I’ve ever met found our ridge. He was
exploring the trails, he said. I’ll never forget his blonde hair
and his deep blue eyes.” A smile lit her face as we walked to the
Jeep.

“What happened?” It never occurred to me Edna
had thought of anyone other than Arthur.

“We spent an entire day together hiking and
laughing … and then I never saw him again.” Her gaze was far away
with the memory, her voice wistful. “Those were the most incredible
ten hours of my life. I can’t explain it right, but it was the
perfect day. I was completely alive. He affected me in a way I
still don’t understand. He was so caring … that’s what I remember
most about him. He was handsome to the point of being beautiful,
and he was kind. When Arthur came courting, I was reminded of my
Michael, and that’s why I agreed to date him.” She sighed. “I’ve
always wondered what happened to him.”

“Did you ever tell Arthur about Michael?”

“No, what would be the point? I was devoted
to Arthur, and he loved me. I can’t explain it, but Michael’s day,
as I like to think of it, was almost magical. It was like we had
been taken to another place … No,” she corrected herself, “it was
like this world was what it was meant to be. For one day, there was
nothing that stems from evil or darkness. There were only two young
kids exploring God’s creation in all its glory. After that day, I
decided to make the most of this life.” She peered into the
darkness that sped by as we wound around her mountain.

We pulled in front of the house, and I turned
off the Jeep’s lights. The view from the front porch was amazing.
During the day, as far as the eye could see, were rolling hills of
trees constantly changing with the seasons. The valley lay as a
small ribbon of land in the distance below. At night the Milky Way
seemed so close, it was as if you were part of the galaxy. City
lights were too bright to see many stars, and the first night I
spent here I was scared senseless. Edna held my hand and rocked me
on the glider under the night’s brilliance.