SilverMoonLight (SilverMoonSaga Book 1) (9 page)

Slowly,
taking care not to disturb anything, I edged my way between tables covered with
tools and half-finished frames to the easels at the other end of the room. Numerous
canvases with paintings at various stages of completion stood on them. The
landscapes were beautiful, each one a masterpiece. Would I ever be able to
paint like that? My drawings seemed so amateurish in comparison.

As
I was admiring them, Calum went over to a pile of old picture frames leaning
against the wall. He studied one after the other before selecting three frames.

»These
should fit your pictures, I think.«

He
carried them to a huge workbench and gently took my folder out from under my
arm.

»What
do you think?« he asked, holding the picture of my mother against a light brown
frame adorned with delicate carvings. The intricate handiwork really showed the
picture off to its best advantage. I nodded and watched as he deftly freed the
back of the frame and carefully took out the pane of glass.

»Would
you clean it for me?« he asked, handing it over. »There’s some glass cleaner
and a cloth in the cupboard over there.«

While
I set to work giving the glass a thorough cleaning, Calum inspected the frame
for damage, meticulously dabbing paint and clear lacquer onto the spots where
he found any.

Once
I was finished, I sat next to him on the workbench and watched his concentrated
expression as he worked.

»I’ll
go and see how Sophie’s doing with dinner. You don’t need me, right?« asked Dr.
Erickson. In truth, I had already forgotten he was there.

Calum
worked on in silence as I watched him. His face radiated strength and grace and
I found myself longing to touch his cheek. Not for the first time, I noticed
how long and slender his fingers were. I held my breath for a second at the
thought of him touching me. I was so stupid. Why would he have any more
interest in me than the other girls who, according to Amelie, he had already
rejected?

All
of a sudden, he smiled.

»What
is it?« I asked.

He
just shook his head. I didn’t get an answer, but I was sure he had noticed me
staring at him.

He
laid the picture into the frame, put the back on, and closed the brackets. Then
he turned it around and held it up to the light.

It
was perfect.

He
laid it gently in my lap, then took out the drawing I had done on the cliff.
The sea had been an unusual shade of blue that day, and I had almost succeeded
in capturing the right tone. As Calum looked at the picture in silence, I
noticed that his eyes were exactly the same shade right now.

Peter
and I had stayed up on the cliff until sundown that day. The peaceful but
menacing aura of the sea was clearly visible in the picture.

»Do
you feel like telling me what happened to your mother?« asked Calum,
interrupting my thoughts.

I
took a deep breath. In the weeks following her death I had tried not to talk or
even think about her. I had thought that would make it easier to cope.

Calum
didn’t press me, but instead waited to see whether I would speak. I looked him
in the eyes and knew that I could trust him. Taking a deep breath, I hesitantly
began to tell him about the accident and the last time I had seen her. Calum
laid the picture frame aside and leaned over, moving closer to me.

After
I had finished speaking, he looked at me in silence. Tears rose up into my eyes
and tumbled down my cheeks. He wiped them away.

»I’m
so sorry,« he whispered, putting his arm around me and pulling me into his
chest. I leaned against him. He smelled of the sun and the sea.

»Why
do you do that?« I didn’t dare look at him, but hoped he wouldn’t let me go.

»What
do you mean,« he asked, stroking my hair.

»You
ignored me for weeks,« I reminded him. »And yet now you’re being completely
different.«

»I
don’t know.« His voice sounded husky. »The very first time I saw you, when you
were sitting next to the whale, totally tousled, I had the feeling that you
wouldn’t be good for me.«

Indignant,
I pulled free from his embrace.

»But
you didn’t even know me!«

He
smiled and my anger evaporated on the spot.

»As
I said, it was a feeling. You were standing there in the water,  clinging to
the whale, and I just knew I had to be wary of you.«

»So
what’s different? Have you changed your mind?«

»I
guess so,« he answered, letting me go and turning back to the frame.

I
looked at him in disbelief, but he didn’t seem prepared to explain his change
of heart any further.

»Why
don’t you live with your parents?« I asked once I’d regained my composure.

He
shook his head and answered abruptly: »I never met my parents.« His tone didn’t
invite any further questions on the topic. »This is the picture I like the
best,« he said. I looked at the drawing in front of him.

»I
wonder...« He hesitated.

»Hmm?«

»Whether
you might give it to me?«

I
looked at him. Was he serious?

»I’d
really like to hang it in my room.« His voice sounded hesitant.

»Of
course, if you like it,« I answered, embarrassed by the unexpected praise.

He
selected a white frame, studied it for a few moments and laid it aside. Then he
made his way over to the pile of frames and rummaged around in it. Eventually,
he pulled out a simple light-grey wooden frame and looked at it with a
satisfied expression. He worked on the frame with the same care as he had
devoted to the previous one.

I
sat silently alongside him, lost in my thoughts.

»It’s
getting late,« he said once he was finished. »I’ll frame the other pictures
another time, if you like?«

»Can
I watch you do it?«

»Sure.«

He
put his hands around my waist and lifted me down from the workbench. My body
tingled at his touch. As he lowered me gently to the floor, his closeness threw
me off guard and I had to struggle not to lay my head against his muscular
chest. Then he stepped aside and reached for the pictures.

»Time
for dinner.«

We
walked into the house without saying a word. He was keeping his distance, and I
assumed it was intentional. Sophie and Dr. Erickson admired the two framed
pictures.

»I
still need to show you the picture of your mother I painted,« said Dr.
Erickson.

Calum
and I followed him into the adjoining room. It turned out to be a kind of
library, even though that could easily be said of the house in its entirety.
The walls were covered with bookshelves reaching all the way up to the
dark-blue ceiling, and there were more piles of books on the tables around the
room. Comfortable-looking plaid-upholstered chairs and reading lamps completed
the furnishings.

While
Dr. Erickson searched through his folder of drawings, Calum came over to stand
next to me.

»His
family have been collecting old books for years and years. You’ll find
treasures here that some collectors would pay a fortune for. He has so many
first editions.«

Now
I was even more impressed.

»Ah,
here it is,« cried Dr. Erickson, pulling a yellowed page out of one of the
folders.

He
held it under a lamp and we moved over to him. It was a pencil drawing.

»She
must have been around the same age then as you are now. She often came to us to
paint, and I showed her a few techniques. She was very talented.«

I
stared at him, dumbfounded. So my mother had painted too. Calum looked at me
and gently nudged me down into a leather chair.

»She
never told me she used to paint.« I looked up at Dr. Erickson.

»That
sounds just like her. She was so intent on leaving everything behind her back
then, which I’m not sure, was the right decision. But she was stubborn. Once
she had made a decision, there was no way anyone could talk her out of it.«

I
knew exactly what he meant.

He
turned around to his folders. »I still have the last picture she ever painted
here. It’s pretty much finished; she just wanted to touch up a few things. She
was a real perfectionist.«

As
he pulled out a sheet of paper, I found myself staring at a picture that looked
too real to be a drawing. It was of the Erickson’s garden in full bloom. Every
single flower was lovingly rendered. The old, ivy-covered work shed looked so
realistic that you could almost believe someone was about to walk through the
picture and open the door.

»You
can have it, it belongs to you, now.«

I
took a deep breath. Calum sat on the armrest of the chair and took my hand.

»Dinner,«
Sophie called out, her voice echoing from next door. I was relieved to leave
the room that was so full of memories of my mother.

After
dinner, I hesitantly said I should be making a move.

»It’s
late,« replied Sophie, »Calum, please accompany Emma home, we can’t let her go
alone at this time.«

»I’m
sure I’d be fine—what would happen to me here?« I replied half-heartedly,
hoping that Calum would come anyway.

He
didn’t respond, picking up the framed picture from the table.

»Shall
we?«

»Thank
you, I had a lovely evening,« I said to the Ericksons in appreciation.

»Come
visit us again soon.« They smiled up at me as we walked off to the door.

»You’re
wondering what other secrets your mother might have kept from you, aren’t you?«
said Calum.

»Well,
there are clearly things I didn’t know about her.«

»Do
you know who your father was?«

I
shook my head. »No, she never told me about him, and after a while I stopped
asking. She always got so sad when I brought up the subject.«

He
nodded, seeming to understand. I stole a sideways glance at him.

»Where
did you live before you came to the Ericksons?«

He
looked at me and smiled, but didn’t answer. Not wanting to probe any further, I
bit my lip and lost myself in my thoughts. Calum didn’t say anything more.

»Would
you like to come in?« I asked, once we arrived home. He shook his head and
handed me my picture.

»I
really enjoyed tonight. I’ll wait to do the other pictures until you come back.«

He
looked into my eyes. With that now-familiar raw tugging sensation in my
stomach, I turned around and went into the house.

Chapter Seven

»Emma?«

A
few days later, Ethan came home as darkness was starting to fall. I had already
done my homework and written an email to Jenna telling her all about Calum. She
was interested in every little detail, and just writing about him made my heart
beat more quickly.

I
ran down the steps and nearly stumbled on the last one when I saw who was
standing next to Ethan in the hallway. Calum smiled up at me. Ethan didn’t seem
to notice my confusion, hanging his coat in the cupboard as he spoke.

»I
was at Dr. Erickson’s today, to ask him whether he knows anyone whom you could
take guitar lessons with. Unfortunately, there aren’t any teachers around, but
Calum was kind enough to offer. He plays very well, as you know. If you like,
he could practice with you once a week. What do you think?« He looked at me
expectantly.

I
cleared my throat. I needed to come out with a sensible response. »Sure,« I shrugged,
burying my hands in my trouser pockets. »We can give it a go.«

Calum
smiled at me and my heart did little somersaults. How did he do it?

»Okay.«
Ethan didn’t seem to notice my agitation in the slightest.

»Why
don’t you take Calum to your room, Emma, and show him what you’ve played so
far.«

Then
he turned around and went into the kitchen.

Embarrassed,
Calum and I stood opposite one another. Or rather, I was embarrassed and he was
smiling confidently.

»Shall
we?« he asked. »Or if you’d rather I didn’t give you the lessons...then I can
go.« He fell silent and waited for a response. I tried to get my thoughts in
order.

»But
I’d really love to stay,« he added a few seconds later.

I
looked at him.

»I’d
like that too, so don't go« I murmured, going ahead into my bedroom.

He
followed me, then began to look at everything in my room with curiosity.
Feeling uneasy, I didn’t say a word. The fact that my bedroom wasn’t
particularly big hadn’t bothered me until now, but with Calum there it seemed
to shrink, his presence completely filling the room. Luckily, it was relatively
tidy today. Calum looked with interest at the picture hanging above my bed.

»It
really is beautiful.«

»I
can’t remember if I thanked you?«

He
shook his head.

»I
was happy to do it. And I’ll do the others too, if you like. They’re still in
the work shed, you said you were coming back.«

He
had remembered. I hadn’t been sure whether he really meant it, but I would have
happily gone back the very next day. At school he had seemed strangely distant.
A look or a smile here and there—but nothing more. It had unsettled me more
than I wanted to admit.

»I
can come by again sometime,« I said hesitantly.

»Good,
I’ll look forward to it.«

He
took his guitar out of its case and asked me to show him what I had played so
far. I showed him the sheet music.

»I’d
really like to try some of the songs you and Aidan were playing at the lake,« I
said.

»Okay,
no problem. How do Mondays sound?«

I
hesitated. Normally, to be on the safe side, I avoided doing anything on Monday.
I had hated Mondays for as long as I could remember. Everything bad that had
ever happened in my life had been on a Monday. I had lost my first baby tooth
on a Monday, and the tooth fairy had forgotten me. I had always been convinced
she would have come if it had been any other day of the week. I had started
school on a Monday, and been given a green school bag instead of a purple one.
At the age of eleven, I had broken my leg in sports class on a Monday. Even my
mother’s accident had been on a Monday. But maybe this was a good opportunity
to have a new association with the day, I thought to myself, smiling
subconsciously at the thought.

»What
is it?« Calum was looking at me questioningly.

I
shook my head. »A secret.«

»Are
you going to share it with me?«

I
shook my head again.

He
looked me confidently in the eyes.

»Someday
you will.«

»I’m
not so sure about that,« I responded.

»Would
it be okay if we met somewhere else? Your room is quite small, and...« He
stared at me with those blue eyes of his, and I felt sure he could feel the
tension in the room too.

»I
know a lovely spot,« he continued. ‘’If it’s warm enough, we can practice there
undisturbed.«

I
nodded. He packed up his things and looked at me expectantly until I stood up
and accompanied him to the front door. Leaning against the doorframe, I watched
as he made his way back to the parsonage. After a few meters, he turned around
and waved. Smiling, I waved back.

Feeling
elated, I ran into Amelie’s room to tell her what had happened.

»Who
would have thought it?« She shook her mane of hair. »I knew there was something
going on with you guys. Clearly he finds you more interesting than Valerie, so
he’s got his wits about him.«

I
gave her a bear hug.

»I’ll
be alone with him, just imagine!«

»Take
care, okay?« Amelie urged me. »It’s a bit strange how his moods seem to change
so quickly. I don’t want you to get hurt.«

I
ignored her concerns.

The
weekend dragged out at a mercilessly slow pace. By Sunday evening, I was so
exhausted that I fell asleep at the dinner table.

»Hey,
what’s up with you, Emma?« Peter nudged me.

»I’m
totally shattered. If none of you mind, I think I’ll go to bed.«

»I
hope you’re not coming down with something,« asked Bree with concern.

»No,
no, I’m fine. Just tired.«

I
trudged off to my room and fell asleep without even washing my face.

On
Monday, my lessons passed at a snail’s pace and I became increasingly squirrell.
As Amelie and I drove back home, my thoughts were filled with Calum and our
meeting. What if he didn’t come? We had seen each other in the cafeteria
earlier that day and he had smiled, but we didn’t talk. Where would he take me?
What should I wear?

I
decided on jeans and a purple shirt, then went down to the kitchen. I needed a
cup of tea; coffee would just make me more nervous.

Amelie
came in and took the kettle out of my hands.

»Sit
down,« she ordered, and I obeyed without protest. »You’re so nervous you’ll end
up breaking Mom’s good cups. I’ll make you some tea and you concentrate on
taking deep breaths. I can’t bear to see you like this; you were all over the
place, even in the car. I mean, come on—this can’t be your first date! Pull
yourself together.« She shook her head like a disapproving aunt.

I
couldn’t help but laugh, and felt myself relaxing.

»It’s
not a date« I replied.

I
drank the tea that Amelie placed in front of me. Afterwards, while I washed up
the cup, I gazed out of the window, and my heart did a little jump as I saw
Calum walking up the path to the house. He was early.

»A-hah,«
said Amelie next to me, »then I guess someone else was excited too.« She
grinned mischievously. »Have fun!« Then she retreated into the living room,
leaving me standing there with my heart pounding.

Once
he had rung the doorbell, I waited a few moments to regain my composure before
running to the door and opening it.

»Hi,
I was free early, so if that’s okay with you...«

Was
that uncertainty I heard in his voice?

»Sure,
I’m ready. I’ll just fetch my guitar.«

»Where
are we going?« I asked curiously as we walked side by side towards the woods.

»It’s
a surprise,« he answered. We walked on in silence.

»How
was your weekend?« he asked.

»Oh.
It kind of dragged. I was glad when Monday arrived,« I said, chatting away
without thinking.

»Really?
Why, were you looking forward to school?« He gave me a sideways glance.

What
was I supposed to say to that? That I’d been dying to see him again? I
shrugged. Luckily he didn’t probe any further. I couldn’t answer truthfully;
after all, I didn’t want to scare him off.