Flying in Shadows (The Black Creek Series, Book 2) (8 page)

When he noticed the height of the sun, he tossed Rose the bottle of sunscreen he knew
she wouldn't have thought of. "I don't know how you've never been burnt to a crisp.
It's already early May and you haven't even gotten any summer freckles yet."

"I keep sweat-proof SPF 50 in my pickup. I didn't think of it at four this morning."
She took it from him. "And, thanks. I really shouldn't stay out too much longer. I
promised Lucy a game of cards, and I have a hair appointment with my mom after lunch."

Dipping her chin to the side, Rose covered her mouth and muttered something. He heard
the word, 'prom.' Andy felt a quick tightening at the back of his neck. "I thought
you didn't like that girl stuff. Who is this Tyler, anyway?"

Oops.

Rose bolted to her feet, arms straight and locked at her sides with fists balled.
"I
am
a girl, whether you think so or not, and he's in my calculus class. He gave me a
ride home the night you left with Bimbo Barbie."

He could hear the anger bubble in her voice and still couldn't seem to stop himself.
"Are you dating him?"

She started to walk in a circle. No, she stomped, and he heard some kind of a growl
that sounded suspiciously like a pissed off girl.

"No. We talk in class. He flirts with me. That's right. Me. Because I am a girl."
Her voice kept getting louder. "I refuse to graduate from high school without ever—"

Overturning the tackle box, he shot out of his chair before she could finish her sentence.
His fishing pole went flying as he spun to face her. "Son of a bitch, you're going
to have frigging sex with him?" He clasped his hands on his head and started pacing.
"You've never... and you're going to—"

"Don't you even start with telling me what I'm not supposed to do. And I'm not having
sex with him. It's none of your business. Damn it. Do we have to talk about this?"

The relief was overwhelming and... confusing... and embarrassing. "Then what did you
mean?" He couldn't help but ask. But then, realization came into focus, and he felt
like an ass. "Oh." He stopped pacing and turned to look at her.

"If you laugh... I don't think I could take it. So don't."

Her eyes turned glossy with tears. He knew she wouldn't let them fall.

"And yes, damn it. I'm going to be kissed for the first damned time on my damned prom
night on my damned porch." She grabbed her line and started reeling it in.

"Wait." He reached for her.

"No, really." Her shoulders dropped. She turned so that her back was to him. "I should
be getting to Mrs. Melbourne's."

"Well, yes that, but Dunc's coming soon. He'll likely want your pole."

* * *

Duncan dried the morning dishes as his aunt washed with her gaze directed out the
kitchen window at his brother and Rose. "There. She has him laughing again." Brie
pointed.

"He's an idiot," he added in routine, brotherly fashion.

"No. Just young yet."

"Okay. How about blind?" he amended.

Brie tilted her head toward him. "I'll give you blind and add a pot, or maybe a kettle?

"I choose to be involved with Candi-types because I don't have to be... involved."

"Something a mom always wants to hear," she added, laughing.

He shrugged and took the last dripping plate she held out for him. "Andy's looking
for something entirely different." He dried, then placed the plate in the cupboard,
wiping his hands on the damp towel. "Are you okay here? I think I'll go catch dinner."
He kissed her on the top of her head and grabbed his boots and jacket.

He took his time making his way to them. He'd noticed their conversation had heated
up and knew to stay away from an Andy/Rose spat. He was surprised one of them didn't
end up flat on their back. His boots scraped along the bridge that stretched over
Black Creek as he swaggered his way to them. The bridge was comfortably weathered
with age. His uncle had made it so that he, Andy and their cousins could get back
and forth from Brie's sister's home on the other side of the creek.

He stalled on the bridge, waiting for Andy and Rose to cycle through their tiff. The
variety of his uncle's woodworking led him to ponder his talents as he walked. The
different color schemes and materials he chose when painting a subject, bringing out
their personality and style, or the feel and mood of a certain location. He had painted
and drawn this lake and creek many times, and each piece varied according to the weather,
time of year and mostly his mood. When Duncan decided peace had returned, he meandered
the rest of the way to them.

They both turned to greet him.

"Hey, shrimp. Are you ready for college life?" He picked Rose up and gave her a bear
hug as he swung her around. "You still weigh as much as a football." He easily maneuvered
her under his arm. "You sort of feel like one, too."

Rose laughed out loud and demanded to be put down. "I still have a few weeks of high
school stress before I look toward college, but yes, I'm ready." She dug her hands
into the pockets of her jacket. "We could do lunch sometime."

"NYU's a big school. We'll have to make it a plan or else we may never see each other."

"It's a date then. I really need to get going."

"Could you use another player?" Andy rose from his chair.

"Did you learn how to play canasta at Purdue this year?"

Andy shook his head.

"Another time, then. I can't both play with Mrs. Melbourne and teach you. See you
at the dance."

* * *

Duncan sat comfortably, eyeing his bobber. "So, have you rifled through any Purdue
secure files or data, yet?
Fixed
anything?"

"Holy shit! You do that? Change your grades? I thought we said never anything that
counts as cheating."

"Slow down, little brother. Now you're just hurting my feelings. No grade changes...
but I haven't had any classes start before noon since freshman year. Traceless." He
smiled over to Andy and noticed that he returned the look.

"All of my classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have frigging four-day weekends
each and every blessed week. Traceless."

"Ha," Duncan responded in one, short syllable. "The memories. It's not as fun as tracing
Swiss bank accounts."

"Mmm mmm." Andy shook his head. "The governor's emails topped the list. The things
people put on the net."

Sitting up, Andy leaned forward and craned his head. "What the hell? Did you already
get a friggin' bite?"

Duncan's bobber sunk.

"Someone needs to get us peasants something to eat tonight while you're out sampling
calamari and ribeye." Duncan jerked his line and started turning the reel as he leaned
over and looked in the catch bucket. "Is this all you've managed to snag all morning?
When did you two get out here?"

"I'm not sure. Around four, I guess. I suck at fishing."

"That's not all you suck at."

"Fine. Great. You come out here to cheer me up?"

"Nope." Duncan stood up and grabbed the net, walking closer to the shore. "I came
out here to catch dinner. Giving you shit is just a bonus." He placed his one-pounder
in the bucket of cold water along with Andy's palm-sized blue gills before he reached
for a new worm.

Andy caught his eye and tried to stare him down.

Duncan broke first and they both started laughing.

Andy interrupted, "All right then, Gandhi, tell me what else you think I suck at."

Duncan tossed out his line and sat back comfortably in Rose's chair. "You don't see
what you have right in front of you."

Andy squinted at him. Duncan didn't look back, but nodded his head toward Lucy Melbourne's
house, then crossed his feet at his ankles. Andy quickly loosened his expression and
looked away, then back again.

He let the idea sink in for a good long while before bringing Andy back to Earth.
"I might be returning early this year. I've got a few orders. My history teacher wants
me to paint his daughter's wedding picture." Good subject change.

Andy raised his brows. "No shit? Is there much money in that?"

Duncan lifted one side of his mouth. "Oh, yes."

Chapter 7

She didn't believe her mother when she'd said this would take all day. It did, and
Rose couldn't help but sort of like it. "Call me Candi," she muttered as she sat fidgeting
on her living room couch.

The hair dresser had been all right. She went against her recommendation of wearing
her hair up in intricate braids and dripping curls. For once, she wanted it down.
The trim was great and her hair was smoothed to almost straight. Quiet waves framed
her face and lay over her shoulders, down to the middle of her back.

The best was the nail salon. Not that she would ever go along with some dark color
or fake nails, but her mom joined her for that part. They para-somethinged and exfoli-somethinged
and came out with toes and nails that matched the color of her dress. Subtle. She
looked at her beige toes as they peeked out of her strappy heels. She could handle
subtle.

Watching the clock, she thought of how she hadn't liked this feeling the last time.
Maybe Tyler had played a joke asking her to prom. She'd seen that in a movie somewhere,
hadn't she? It had been six weeks since he'd asked her to the dance. Sure, they talked
on the phone and made arrangements, chatted at school, but he never came over to help
with calculus like he said he would.

Then, she heard the car. Her folks must have, too, because they sauntered out from
the kitchen arm-in-arm. She popped up from the couch and held up a hand before they
could reach the front door. When she opened it, the look on Tyler's face made everything
worth it.

He wore a white tux. How cheesy, she thought. "Hi. I have a flower I'm supposed to
give you," she said.

Her parents stood behind her, and she wondered if it would be okay to just reach over
and shut his gaping mouth for him.

"The dance is over at midnight?" She knew Dave stood with his holster on purpose.
"I expect my daughter to be home by twelve thirty."

My daughter.
That made the embarrassing comment worth it.

Without taking his gaping eyes from her, Tyler nodded with a, "Yes, sir."

They pinned flowers and took pictures before heading to the restaurant. The awkward
silence during the car ride was nothing compared to the feeling when they walked in
and she spotted the other girls, all in fluffy dresses, each with braids and curls.
Why hadn't she looked into this more? And how did she eat at a place like this?

Tyler was... attentive. He was patient and acted like a proud peacock, hanging onto
her every move. Was this what dates did? Because she specifically remembered he said
PDA was stupid.

She ordered what he did, which turned out to be really good, but she assumed really
wrong. The other girls ordered chicken. Every one of them. Was there a manual on this?
She ate crab legs and steak and didn't pass on the dessert. Sharing the cheesecake
with Tyler must have counted for something. Not a single drop of anything got on her
dress. She was so proud. As they made their way back to Tyler's car, she lifted her
brows at the girls who walked along the sidewalk carrying their shoes.

She had to admit the hotel conference center was decorated nicely, but the balloon
arch as they walked in was over the top. Tyler moved in behind her, placing his hands
on her hips as a camera flashed. As he pressed against her, she was sure she had a
holy-shit-is-that-what-I-think-it-is look on her face, because that's exactly what
she was thinking. It reminded her of her mom's warning about boys not wanting just
to kiss. Well, this one would have to deal.

Andy's face remained stone cold as he watched from the moment Rose walked through
the door. He noted she was completely clueless that almost all eyes turned to stare...
girls included. And, yes, he also noted that Tyler took the photo-op as a chance to
cop a feel. Rose glided in as absolutely, without a doubt, the classiest, most beautiful
woman in the room.