Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (152 page)

“
I know,” Ms. Aikers said,
looking at both of us with a worried expression on her face. “Let’s
just hope none of our animals got out.” With that, she stormed out
of the room.

At that very moment, the wolves
crossed my mind, and I feared that the same group of brave,
possibly rabies-infected canines had devoured someone. “I ran into
a pack of wolves in the forest that weren’t acting…natural,” I
chimed in.

“
Really?” Mr. Aikers
said.

“
Yes. They stalked me and
my friends and—“

Jeanie laughed. “That’s ridiculous,”
she said, and before I could say another word, she bolted out the
door, with me hot on her heels.

We checked every pen in
the zoo and were relieved to find that all of the zoo animals were
present and accounted for. Still, it didn’t make me feel much
better. Somewhere in those woods, someone had been killed, and I
was sure those wolves had something to do with it.

Chapter 9

When Jesse’s number showed up on my
caller ID, I quickly answered.

“
Taylor?” he
said.

His voice sent shivers down my spine;
hearing him say my name was an adrenaline rush like none I’d ever
felt before.

“
Yes, this is me,” I
said.

“
What are you doing on your
day off tomorrow?” he asked.

“
I don’t have any big
plans. Why?”

“
Do you like to
rollerblade?”

“
Sure.”

“
Cool. I was wondering if
you’d like to meet at the Alpine Pedal Path. It’s a paved path that
runs along the north shore of Big Bear Lake.”

“
I’ll be there!”

“
Great!”

“
Do you mind if I bring
Max?”

“
Sure. Is two p.m. all
right?”

“
Perfect,” I
said.

“
Goodbye,
Taylor.”

“
Goodbye,” I said, and he
hung up the phone.

* * *

I thought Friday would never come, but
it finally did. I dug through my boxes but couldn’t find the outfit
I wanted. When I finally found my spring pastels, I threw on a
white tank-top with a mint trim and a big mint and silver heart,
and I had pants to match. I finished the summery look off with a
cute white pair of sandals, but then I realized tennis shoes would
be better for the occasion, so I slipped my bright white ones on. I
took one last glance in the mirror and smoothed out my eyeshadow. I
wanted my makeup to look natural and not caked on since we’d be
outside in daylight.

My heart leapt in my chest when Max
and I pulled into the parking lot of the Alpine Pedal Path and I
saw Jesse standing there. Again, I took in his chiseled features,
and he looked so handsome and cute in his rollerblades and helmet
that I simply had to rush out of the car with my dog to greet him.
“C’mon, Max,” I said, “and you better be a good boy
today.”

Jesse waved me over, and we hurried
right up to him. Unfortunately, while I was breathlessly gazing
into Jesse’s winter-blue eyes, my dog was not so happy to see him
and wouldn’t stop barking.

“
It’s okay, Max,” Jesse
said.

To my surprise, the dog calmed down
immediately and sat down next to me, still as a statue except for
his wagging tail.

“
Hi, Jesse,” I said,
overcome by that feeling in the pit of my stomach, as if I’d
swallowed a hornet’s nest. We’d had a few simple conversations on
the phone and via text outside of work, but this was our first
official date, and I hoped we wouldn’t be encumbered by too many
awkward silences and uncomfortable moments.

“
You’re early,” he said,
smiling.

I held on to the leash in my hands. “I
sooner be dead than late,” I said.

He reached for the leash, and I sat on
the bench to put my rollerblade equipment on. As I adjusted my red
helmet, I smiled. “Okay. I’m ready.”

He grinned. “Great.”

With Max’s leash tightly in my grasp,
we started to skate down the mountain trail. It wound through a
pine forest and meadows. Birds flitted overhead, and lizards sunned
themselves on big granite rocks, absorbing the heat and all that
Vitamin D. Max absolutely loved it and couldn’t stop smelling every
little thing as we strolled by. It was such a nice change to
breathe that fresh, clean mountain air after living in the smoggy
city. In fact, it was like being in a completely different
world.

“
So…on the phone you said
you wanted to talk to me about something in person,” Jesse
said.

“
Yeah. I just need to get
something off my chest. I know I told you I don’t want to talk
about that night, but I kinda need to.”

“
What’s on your mind?” he
asked.

“
I feel like it was my
fault that you got shot,” I said, almost tearing up from the guilt
I’d been harboring.

“
Why would you even think
that?”

“
If you hadn’t had to drive
us home, it would have never happened.”

“
Don’t even say that. You
and Julie might have died, because neither one of you was in a
position to drive safely.”

“
I can’t believe that
Jonathon guy was so high on drugs that he actually shot you. It’s
just…crazy. How well do you know him?”

“
He’s, uh…an
acquaintance.”

“
Well, I hope he gets his
act together before he really hurts or kills somebody.”

“
It’ll be taken care of,”
he said, sounding like some godfather in a mobster movie. “In the
meantime, thanks for keeping quiet.”

“
I still don’t get why
those wolves acted the way they did. Do you think they’re
responsible for the attacks on tourists and hikers?”

“
Maybe. A lot of weird
things have been happening around here.”

“
Yeah. Well, it’s over and
done with, like a bad dream, and I just want to forget about it. I
should’ve never let Julie take me to that party in the first place.
I’ve definitely learned my lesson.”

He smiled as if he was glad to hear
it.

“
Let’s get off this lame
subject about drugged-out crazies and infected wolves.”

“
Right,” he agreed. “I’d
love to know more about you,” he said. “Do you like to bike or play
any sports? Collect stamps? Dance around to seventies disco music
singing into a hairbrush when you’re bored?” he said with a grin,
as if imagining it.

I laughed, envisioning it too. “I’m
not really into philately, but I love to sketch designs. I have
hundreds of virtual and hand-drawn designs, and I hope to go into
fashion someday—maybe with my own clothing line or
label.”

“
You’re very
creative.”

“
Yeah, I’ve heard that
before, but the truth is, ideas can come at anytime. If I’m sitting
at a restaurant and one hits me, I’ll sketch it out on a
napkin.”

“
I guess it’s best to get
your idea down while it’s still fresh in your head.”

“
Lots of fashion schools
require a portfolio, so I’ve been trying to get one
together.”

“
Isn’t that
hard?”

“
Not really. Like I said, I
have hundreds of ideas for clothes, accessories, and
shoes.”

“
Taylor, I know I haven’t
known you that long, but I’m pretty sure you can do anything you
put your mind to.”

“
Thanks. When we moved
here, I thought I’d have to give up my future career. I mean, when
it comes to fashion, Big Bear Lake’s not exactly the center of
fashion. Still, I’m learning to adjust and taking inspiration from
the gorgeous natural surroundings and the wonderful people I’ve met
here.”

“
It must be nice to get
away from all those beeping taxis, all the hustle and bustle. It’s
so peaceful here. Besides, if you come up with your own label or
line, you could just run a business online. We country folk have
that there Interwebs too, ya know,” he said, smiling.

I laughed. “Right. Maybe I’ll start a
huge Internet empire, a dot.com—or maybe I’ll just become a painter
instead.”

“
You paint too? Wow. Quite
the artist, aren’t you?”

A smile curled up on my lips. “Drawing
and painting have been hobbies of mine since I was a little girl.
If the fashion thing bombs, I can always turn to one of those. With
all the inspiration around here, all these beautiful landscapes and
animals, I’m sure I’d have never-ending paintings to
sell.”

“
Right. You can stay in Big
Bear Lake and become an artist.”

“
I’d love to. I gotta
admit, I’m falling in love with this place more and more every
day,” I said, though I knew the guy rollerblading next to me had
much to do with that. “It sure is beautiful and peaceful out
here.”

“
Your dog thinks so too,”
he said, nodding toward Max, who looked to be having the time of
his life.

I laughed. “He loves it out here. How
long have you lived here?” I asked.

“
I was born here, and
there’s no way my mom would ever leave.”

“
And your dad? I mean…if
you don’t mind my asking,” I said, realizing it was a touchy
subject for some people.

“
He left before I was
born,” he said.

“
Oh. I’m sorry.”

“
We’ve all gotten along
without him,” he said.

“
Is there someone besides
you and your mom?”

“
Yeah. I’ve got a brother
and a sister.”

“
Who is the oldest?” I
asked.

“
No one really.”

“
Huh?” I asked,
confused.”

He laughed. “We’re triplets, all
seventeen. Technically, Sam is the oldest, then Kierra, then
me.”

“
What’s it like growing up
as one-third of a set of triplets?”

“
We’re pretty close, and my
brother and sister are awesome, even if they can be annoying
sometimes. Kierra is really bossy at times, and I swear Sam lives
to embarrass me.”

I laughed. “Yeah, siblings can be like
that.”

“
Oh? I thought you were an
only child.”

“
No. I have two brothers
and one sister, but they’re all grown and are out on their own. I’m
the baby, the last one to leave the nest.”

“
Another thing we have in
common. We’re both the youngest.”

I laughed. “I guess so!”

“
Well, I don’t know about
you, but I’m ready to get out there and tackle the world head on. I
dream of traveling around the globe. I’ve been stuck here my whole
life, and now that I’m almost eighteen, I want to see what lies
beyond Big Bear Lake.”

“
Any particular places you
want to visit?”

“
So many!”

“
Name one.”

He started gliding, skating backward
so he could face me while he talked. “I want to surf in Teahupoo,
Tahiti. There are these unbelievable swells that roll over a
shallow coral reef. I’ve read and heard that catching a wave is
just like flying. Most people who see waves as tall as Mount
Everest would run in the other direction but not me. I’d love to
ride them.”

“
I had no idea you’re so
adventurous. What are some other things you’d love to
do?”

His eyes lit up, as if he’d been
waiting for someone to ask him that for years. “I also want to
heli-ski down the Chugach Range in Alaska.”

When Max spent too much time sniffing
a flower, I gave him a gentle tug. “Helicopter ski?” I
asked.

“
Yeah. You ski down this
huge mountain, and if you wipe out, you cartwheel. It’s like
falling in space, except you reconnect with the snow every fifty
feet or so. I also want to paraglide over the Grand Tetons and swim
with sharks in Florida, without a cage, of course.”

“
Maybe you could wrestle a
gator in the Everglades,” I said.

“
Yeah! I’ll definitely add
that to my list. I’d love to drive crazy speeds across frozen lakes
in Arjeplog, Sweden and do a ninety-MPH donut!”

“
Wow. Those are some risky
goals you’ve got there, but they sound like a blast.”

“
There are some places in
California I’d like to check out too, like Laguna Beach, for
body-surfing, body-boarding, diving, and tide-pooling.”

“
A thrill-seeker,
huh?”

He grinned. “That I am.”

I pointed to his tattoo, solid black,
with curves that ended in points and interlocked in complex
patterns and abstract designs. “Tell me more about that. I noticed
it the first day at work, but I was too embarrassed to
ask.”

He lifted his short sleeve. “Oh. Well,
this is the symbol of strength, power and bravery.” He pointed to
the swirls in his design. “These represent the past, present, and
future.”

I pointed to the ankh in his design.
“I recognize this one. I have a cross like it.”

“
Cool. I thought long and
hard before I settled on this design. It has a lot of symbolism in
it. If I was going to have something on my arm forever, I wanted it
to mean something.”