Dark Heart Forever (10 page)

‘Dull?’ I said, catching his eye. ‘Why don’t believe that?’

Evan wrinkled his nose. ‘It’s true. I’m not one of those enigmatic types. I never sat in my bedroom writing poetry and smoking marijuana. Ask my mum. She was practically begging me to rebel. Just so I could be like all the other kids in the neighbourhood.’

I felt Mum’s eyes on me but I didn’t meet them, and the table fell quiet as she continued dishing out food.

‘I must admit,’ Mum said, when we’d finally all been served, ‘I was secretly hoping you’d lead Jane astray. I’d like to see her go a bit wild. She needs to get out more.’

‘What?’ I stared hard at her. Great PR job, Mother. I turned to Evan. ‘Feel free to run like hell. It’s not going to get any better than this.’

Evan shook his head and speared a bean with his fork. ‘I have no intention of going anywhere,’ he said, confidently. ‘Sorry to disappoint you.’

I chewed my food and smiled at the same time, unable to look at Mum. She generally had a nose like a sniffer dog when it came to bullshit, but she seemed to be buying Saint Evan, because she beamed at him as he devoured his food.

‘What a sensible boy. Your mother clearly did a good job bringing you up.’

I glanced warily at Evan, but his face was impassive. ‘She’s a good person,’ he said evenly.

He was definitely ticking all the boxes. Pity my mother couldn’t shut up.

‘She must miss you,’ Mum went on, ignoring my eye signals. ‘You’re so far away.’

Evan shrugged and forked up pork and potato. ‘I guess,’ he said, uncomfortably.

‘Who is your fath—’ Mum began, but I cleared my throat loudly, cutting her off. This was turning into an interrogation.

‘Evan’s going to teach me to drive,’ I announced quickly. ‘Isn’t that great?’

Mum raised an eyebrow. ‘That is great. Just make sure no one sees a sixteen-year-old in possession of a vehicle. Particularly not the local constabulary.’ She picked up her wine glass and took a sip. ‘They’re dying to arrest someone around here.’

‘Really.’ Evan swallowed a mouthful of food. ‘I bet they’ve got their eye on me already.’ He glanced at me and gave a subtle wink. ‘The stranger in town.’

‘Well, I’ll put them straight,’ said Mum. ‘It will be my pleasure. A clean-living, responsible boy will really wind them up.’

Dad and I exchanged a smile. Mum’s hatred of authority was legendary in our family. Weird, considering she was a model citizen in so many ways.

‘Your mother’s a dark horse you know,’ Dad had told me, more than once. ‘She wasn’t always so sensible.’

I could never really get my head around My Mother the Anarchist, but today the subject was proving a handy diversion because Evan had relaxed again. So relaxed in fact, that he missed his mouth with his fork and gravy splashed clumsily off his chin.

‘Oh God, I’m sorry,’ he said, pushing back his chair. ‘What a klutz.’

Mum was already on her feet. ‘Stay there, I’ll get you another napkin,’ she said, darting into the kitchen.

I grinned at Evan as he wiped his beautiful chin.

‘Thank God for that,’ I said. ‘I was beginning to think you weren’t human.’

Evan flashed me a look of what I took as confusion.

‘Who’s not human?’ Mum had appeared next to him, holding out a fresh napkin.

‘No one, Mother. It was a joke.’

‘A joke, yes.’ Her eyes brightened slightly, but her smile looked a little forced. I swallowed, beginning to feel nervous myself, until Evan cut the atmosphere.

‘I’d love some more, if there’s any going?’ He gestured at the casserole dish. ‘It’s delicious, Mrs Jonas.’

‘Call me Anna,’ said Mum, snapping back to normal. ‘Mrs Jonas makes me feel so old.’

Evan smiled, tilting his head back to look up at her, and just for a split second I saw her eyes close and then open quickly. She put one hand on the table.

‘Mum? Are you OK?’

‘I’m fine. I think I moved too fast out of the kitchen.’ She rubbed at her forehead. ‘It gets so hot in there with the oven on.’ She smiled, ignoring Dad’s anxious expression and started moving around the table to her seat.

‘One spoonful enough?’ she asked Evan brightly. ‘How about another potato?’

‘Great, thank you.’ As he held out his plate, I wasn’t sure whether I was imagining the faint pulse in his cheek. But his eyes darted across to me at last and the look he gave me was warm, melting again, and I relaxed. But there was a strange awkward silence, interrupted only by the scrape of Evan’s cutlery on his plate. I tried to catch my mother’s eye, but she seemed intent on looking straight ahead of her as she ate. Dad, noticing my unease, winked at me, putting his knife and fork together.

‘That was delicious, Anna,’ he said. He looked over at Evan. ‘Good to see a healthy appetite around here. Jane and her sister aren’t big eaters.’

‘Hope that’s not a diet you’re on.’ Evan nudged my elbow. ‘You’re perfect.’

Flames shot up my neck again. I shrugged. ‘We do eat.’ I flicked a glance at my father. ‘He’s exaggerating.’

‘I was just the same at her age, Jack,’ said my mother, uncharacteristically coming to my defence. ‘There was a time, when I was sixteen, that my appetite just vanished.’ She looked thoughtfully at me, as I willed the conversation to take a new turn. ‘I was in love at the time.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘You were?’

Mum nodded absently, probably on her way down memory lane. Dad took over.

‘It wasn’t with me,’ he told Evan. ‘Unfortunately.’

Evan took a drink of water. ‘Must have been quite a guy. I don’t think anyone or anything could put me off my food.’ He knocked my leg under the table. ‘Not even the girl I love.’

I held my breath. Was it possible that a boy like him could ever love me?

‘Quite right, too,’ Mum said vaguely. ‘Never lose your head over love.’

Evan’s eyes lowered. ‘No,’ he said quietly, but his hand found mine and he gripped it for a second. I squeezed it back, my legs turning to jelly again.

Mum had come back down from wherever she was. ‘Anyway, it was a long time ago. I was young and … silly at the time.’ She leaned over to Dad and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘And I have my wonderful Jack.’

I groaned and rolled my eyes at Evan. ‘I’m really sorry. She’s not normally like this.’

Evan’s jaw seemed to tighten a little, and I felt bad. He must have been thinking about his own parents. I stood up.

‘I’ll clear the plates,’ I said quickly. ‘That was really good, Mum. Thanks.’

‘No problem,’ she waved her napkin dismissively. ‘A pleasure in fact.’ She and my dad smiled at each other.

‘You want a hand?’ Evan pushed his chair back, but I shook my head.

‘You’re the guest,’ I said, smiling. ‘Talk to Mum.’

‘You have an interesting scar,’ my mother said to Evan, as I collected up the dishes. ‘How did you get it?’

Evan looked blankly at her.

‘The scar,’ Mum said, pouring herself another glass of wine. ‘On your neck?’

Evan opened his mouth, hesitating, before he touched the spot on his throat with his finger. ‘This? I got it when I was working on the boats in Australia. Some hot metal sparks bounced off my neck …’ He rubbed at it gently. ‘Only a metal disc left a little imprint.’

‘Oh Lord,’ said my mother, though her tone was almost bouncy in contrast to a few minutes before. ‘Must have hurt.’

Evan nodded. ‘Just a bit.’

‘Poor you,’ I said, touching his arm. ‘Will it be there forever?’

‘Forever and ever,’ he said, mockingly, but his eyes were soft.

‘Go and get the cheesecake, Jane,’ Mum said, spoiling the moment. ‘It’s in the fridge. Second shelf.’

Evan winked quickly at me as I moved to do my bidding.

‘Cheesecake’s my favourite. You’re a great cook, Anna.’

‘Rubbish.’ I saw her smile, pleased. ‘You’d soon get sick of my repertoire.’ She tapped my arm as I walked through to the kitchen. ‘Ask Jane.’

‘I hope I get the chance to get sick of it,’ Evan said, daringly, and I glanced back at her. But her lips were turned up, smiling.

After lunch, Evan insisted on helping Mum with the washing-up, and Dad went to pick up Dot from Cassidy’s house. I put stuff away in a kind of daze. In the last three hours I’d visited a world inhabited by werewolves and vampires, and introduced my boyfriend to my parents. Who said I led a dull and uneventful life? Things can change in a heartbeat. I looked out of the window at the tops of the trees and in my head remembered the sound of rushing of water, and sad, green eyes, and that delicate, kind boy who’d showed me that there truly is a whole world out there waiting to be explored. A sudden feeling of melancholy came over me as I struggled to see how that boy could possibly fit into my life.

‘I’m going to watch TV,’ said Mum, drying her hands on a tea towel. ‘You two can amuse yourselves.’ She whistled for Bobby, picked up a newspaper from the counter and wandered through to the living room.

Evan rubbed his eyes and then stretched lazily. When he dropped his arms his eyes found mine and he moved closer to me.

‘So, how about I teach you to drive?’

Evan’s car was a beat-up old Saab he said his dad had loaned him for the duration of his stay. It seemed tinny and … well, tiny, compared to my dad’s truck. It was also freezing. I wrapped my arms round myself in the front seat.

‘Sorry about the lack of heating,’ said Evan as he turned the key to start the engine. ‘And it’s not the most reliable of motors.’ He checked in the wing mirror and we began reversing out down the track. ‘Consider this a baptism of fire.’

I glanced at him. ‘Sorry about my mum’s … over-sharing today. She’s not used to visitors.’

Evan’s face was impassive. ‘She’s nice,’ he said. We’d come to the bottom of the track and he turned the car around in the right direction, brushing my leg with his hand as he changed gear. ‘And I’m not used to visiting.’

I relaxed and stuck my hands between my legs, thinking. ‘I’m trying to picture your dad? I recognise the name, but …’

Evan didn’t look at me, concentrating on the winding mountain road. ‘Bill Forrest,’ he said. ‘He lives just the other side of Bale with my stepmother. She has a daughter … Your age I think. Sarah Emerson?’

I froze. Of course. Sarah’s mum had kept her name. I suppose I’d assumed that her dad, Bill, was her real dad. She’d never said otherwise. The one time I’d seen him was two years before with my mum after another bullying session from Sarah. Mum had marched round to his house, ready for war and he’d played the whole thing down. My mouth went dry.

‘Bill Forrest,’ I turned to Evan but he didn’t respond, except to change gear, ‘is Sarah’s father?’

‘Sarah, yeah.’ His tone was light and then he glanced quickly at me. ‘My stepsister’s called Sarah.’

‘Stop the car, please,’ I whispered. I put my hand out to the dashboard and the glove compartment door fell open. Evan, not hearing me, reached across and firmly shut it.

‘Old car,’ he said, rolling his eyes and this time smiling at me. But my expression was defensive. My good mood had evaporated.

‘Jane,’ he said, his eyes narrowing, ‘did you say something?’

‘Sarah is the bitch who made my life hell at school,’ I said, unable to keep the bleating tone out of my voice. ‘She’s … she’s horrible.’ I stared hard at him as his face took on another look. Realisation.

‘Oh God.’ He slowed down to a snail’s pace. ‘I had no idea.’

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Dad in his brand new truck with Dot waving manically in the front seat. Evan lifted a hand limply in greeting. They both grinned at us as they drove past. I could hardly bring myself to smile. I’d known he was too good to be true.

‘Let me out.’ How to describe how I felt at that moment? Flat, disappointed. And angry all over again.

‘Jane …’ Evan pulled up to the verge and stopped the engine. ‘I can’t believe Sarah … ?’ He shook his head. ‘She seems a nice kid.’

‘Ha.’ I stared ahead of me and then closed my eyes. ‘A nice kid she is not.’ I felt him shift beside me, saw out of the corner of my eye his hand creeping over to mine. I jerked my arm away before he could touch it.

‘Hey.’ His voice was gentle. ‘I am not my sister.’

I swung my eyes to look at him. The curve of his cheekbone, the tiny lines at the corners of his eyes, his soft, full lips, the glow of his perfectly tanned skin against his denim shirt.

No, much much prettier than his sister.

But the thought of him, laughing about me with Sarah. Living in the same house as that poisonous … I was shivering again, but not from the cold. All the happiness draining out of me. I felt shrivelled up and small.

‘Does she know?’ I asked quietly.

‘About you?’ He breathed out, his finger tapping the steering wheel nervously. ‘She knows I’ve met a girl.’

‘But does she know my name?’

‘No.’ He pressed his lips together then and turned slowly, cautiously in my direction. ‘Not yet.’

‘I don’t want her to know we … we were dating.’ I swallowed realising that Evan and I were now past tense. At least, I couldn’t see a future.