The Violet Hour (The Violet Hour Series) (6 page)

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.  I didn’t, but I knew I had some explaining to do.

“I called my best friend, Lindsey, this morning and my boyfriend, Brody, answered her phone while she was taking a shower.  Certainly an accident on his part because they both have the exact same cell phones.  I knew something was wrong, and it all came together just now when Lindsey called.” 

Luke pondered for a moment.  I finally shrugged as if to give up on the whole mess.

“Boyfriend?” he questioned.

“Correction,” I couldn’t help but to laugh a little, “EX-boyfriend!”

“Does he know he’s your ex yet?”

“He will soon enough, I’m sure,” I affirmed.

“Ouch!”

I gave him the most discerning look I could muster and he started to laugh too.

“I mean poor guy… his loss.  Seems like he’s going to lose a good one,” he said growing serious with his tone.

“Thanks, Luke.”

“Although…” he paused, “I might need to see a picture of Lindsey to be sure!” he joked.

“What!” I screeched in disbelief and tried to wrestle free from his embrace.

“Okay, okay.  I give up.  He can have Lindsey, I’ll keep you.”

Blood pulsed through my veins.  I cocked my head to the side and grinned beneath my messy hair.  He reached out and brushed it out of the way and effortlessly pulled me over toward him again. 

As he pulled me in, he whispered, “I’m sorry they did that to you.”

I leaned my head against his shoulder and snuggled into his side.  I felt the flutter of an attraction I had never felt before toward someone I just met.  It was like magic.  I was comfortable around this complete stranger who the day before, I thought was my step-brother and the day before that, I didn’t even know existed.  I wasn’t really sure what to make of it or where this was going, but I decided I was going to let it happen.

“Our relationship has been on a downward slide since Brody graduated high school in June and moved to L.A.  A matter of time before it ended, I suppose.  Although, I was hoping that it would’ve ended on better terms.  And, I wish he hadn’t taken my EX-best friend down with him.”

“So, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” I nodded.

“Why would your boyfriend, who you’d been in love with, have any reason to do that?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean…” he hesitated looking away.  “I mean, look at you.  Why would he ever want anyone else?”

“I guess because I wouldn’t give Brody the one thing he wanted,” I answered suggestively.

I watched as Luke’s eyes went from confused to certain.  “Oh,” he said.

He leaned carefully over me to turn up the radio.  I focused on his movements and let the music to take my mind off the conversation.  As if on cue, the next song on his playlist started after a short pause.  I immediately recognized the piano notes.

“I love this song.  It’s one of my favorite songs of all time.  The lyrics are amazing, though I haven’t heard them in years,” I said, excitedly.

“Ha!” Luke laughed.  “That’s good.  As soon as I felt you take a breath to say something, I thought for sure you were going to hassle me for listening to a boy band,” he chuckled.

“Well don’t worry – it was dually noted,” I laughed.

I sat up and pulled my knees in close to my chest.  Electricity flared in the air as Luke inhaled.

“You know, Logan, you’re not who I expected you to be,” he said, taking a long thought-filled pause.  “I thought the next twelve months were going to be hell living with a California socialite, but you’re pretty amazing.  I guess I owe you an apology.”

“So, it’s a good thing that I’m nothing like you expected?” I asked.

“It’s a really, really good thing.”

As I started to smile back he craned his neck to look away from me.  His eyes focused.  Something black flashed across the road but I was more scared by Luke’s reaction.  The warmth had vanished from Luke in a heartbeat. The object stopped moving toward us when it got to an opening between the trees.  Even though I could feel Luke’s concern, I leaned forward toward the window, curious.  It was a wolf – a really big wolf, staring directly at us with bright green eyes.  It was close enough I could see quick breaths escape into the crisp rain-drenched air.  I was startled when the engine roared to life.  Luke threw the car into reverse, and I nearly slammed into the dash as the sound of gravel scattered everywhere. He quickly jockeyed around and pulled back onto the road heading home.  I kept my eyes on the wolf until he was no longer in sight.

“Was that a wolf?” I asked.  Everything happened so quickly, I had to be sure.

“Yes,” he spit.

“I’ve never seen a wolf before – that thing was huge.”

Luke immediately turned to look at me with an expression that I couldn’t begin to read.

“What’s going on?” I pressed, puzzled.

When he looked toward the road and didn’t answer, I knew my question needed to be more specific to get results.

“Why are you freaking out?  It was just a wolf.”  I was worried.  He had gone from warm and comforting to moody and distant over such a small thing and I second-guessed how quickly I had fallen for him.

“Because I need to get you home, it’s getting late,” he muttered, failing to control his tone.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Luke.  I have no curfew and you flaked as soon as you saw the wolf.”

“Wolves are dangerous.”

“We were in the car,” I countered.

“Doesn’t matter.” 

And with that, I dropped it.  I didn’t know much about wolves, but I knew we were safe in the car and something else was wrong. My father hadn’t wanted me exploring – maybe Luke was on edge he’d taken me out and we’d been gone so long.  I wasn’t going to keep asking Luke questions if he was going to be rude.

We didn’t speak the whole ride back to the house.  I could tell he was upset, but if he didn’t want to talk, I wasn’t going to ask.  As we pulled through the trees in the driveway, I noticed my dad’s truck already parked by the garage.  I grabbed my phone off the seat and shoved it into my pocket.  We had been gone for over two hours, though it felt like we’d just left the house.  Maybe time only flew by when I was around Luke, I concluded.  He pulled up to the garage, leaving the car running and got out in the rain to open my door before I even had my seatbelt off.

“Go inside through the garage so you don’t get wet again.”

I stoop up from my seat, my eyes meeting his as the rain dripped between us from the sky. I slowly mouthed, “Thanks,” unsure about his mood swing and not appreciating his sudden curtness.

“You’re welcome,” he smiled, though it seemed forced.

He slammed my door and left me standing there as he walked around the back of his car, climbed inside and backed down the drive.  He opened the garage door to the barn and disappeared inside before I finally realized I was getting soaked again.  I turned to go inside.

“Where have you been?” my dad scowled as soon as I shut the door behind me.

“I went for a ride with Luke,” I replied pleasantly, trying to shake off my displeasure.

“Logan, what did I tell you before I left?”  From his tone, I began to see why Luke was on edge.

“You told me that if I needed anything, the guys were here.”

“Did you need anything?”

“No.”

“Then, why did you leave the house?”

“Because I wanted to, I guess.  I don’t see what the big deal is, Dad.”

“Don’t be difficult, Logan.  I lost your mother – I’m not about to lose you,” he hissed. 

He knew what he’d done as soon as he let the words roll off his tongue.  His words cut me like knives.  I started to storm out of the kitchen.  He was faster, grabbing my arm with unbreakable force.  I refused to look at him.

“Logan, I’m sorry.  I’m just scared of losing you.”

“Well, I’m here… for now,” I added, snidely.

“I’m glad you’re here, but I’m in no way glad about the circumstances that brought you here.  I’d give anything to have your mother back,” he said as he lightened his hold on my arm. 

I sensed double meaning in his words and glared at him.  He didn’t have the right to burden me with this – not now.

“I would,” he went on, “but, I can’t bring her back.  So, I’m going to live up to my promise to your mother: I
will
take care of you.”  He let go of my arm and tried to pull me into his arms for a hug but I pulled away quickly – still mad.

“That doesn’t make it okay that you’re trying to put me on lockdown.  I’m not a total idiot and you’re not going to lose me.  I have no intentions of running away. Okay?  You gotta trust me, Dad.  I’m almost seventeen; you need to trust that I can make my own decisions.”

“I do trust you,” he quickly responded.

“Then you have nothing to worry about.”  I turned without another word before he could stop me.

I was able to maintain my poker face until I got upstairs.  I was overwhelmed with emotion.  A week earlier, my only problem was where to go for dinner with Brody.  Now, my life had completely changed – and that was putting it lightly.  I was still consumed with thoughts of my mother’s death.  And now, I’d lost my boyfriend and my best friend, my two biggest lifelines to my old life in Cali.  Losing Brody and Lindsey felt like two more deaths in my life.  I was starting to grow numb to the whole idea.  To top the day off, my dad had revealed a paranoid side and apparently thought house arrest was appropriate.  I had no control.

I chided myself for the self-loathing.  I needed to just focus – twelve months and I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this.  Lying boyfriends and bad best friends would be a thing of the past.  The barb-wire lined dirt roads would eventually turn back into palm tree lined streets that would lead the way to the white sandy beaches beneath my bare feet.

I walked over to my desk and started sifting through a stack of books.  Sheridan High was kind enough to send everything I’d missed from the first week of class so I could catch up.  I decided to get started on reading for American Literature:
Romeo and Juliet
.  I’d already read the novel a few times on my own for auditions and most recently as a junior at Laguna, but I wanted to read it again.  It could be the escape I needed from the crazy storyline I was living.  Maybe Luke would be my Romeo – showing up to save me from the wars that were waging around me.  I smiled at the fantasy, snuggled up in the window seat with a blanket and began reading.

I was so lost in the novel that I didn’t notice how late it had gotten until I could barely see the words.  I remembered Luke’s comment from earlier – I really was oblivious to my surroundings.  I set my book down to turn on the lights when movement on the other side of the window caught my eye. 

Taking a seat outside in the darkness on the damp porch was Luke.

Andrea Wells – The Violet Hour

Chapter 7

It was just past midnight, but I hadn’t woken to the grandfather clock chiming downstairs.  The blinds were open and bright light of the moon cast shadows across my room.  I couldn’t remember how I had gotten to my bed.  Images of a weird dream were racing through my mind. I got a glass of water from the bathroom and walked to the window seat; breathing in the mountain air, mild and inviting from the days’ rain.  As I stepped onto the damp wood of the deck, wolves began howling in the distance, cutting sharply through the night’s silence.

Fear set fire in my veins and I dropped the glass of water.

Luke took a step toward me from the deck’s edge and raised his hands as if in surrender.  I couldn’t move.  He slowly reached for me, cupping my face with one hand and then the other.  I let out a short gasp of fear when he pulled me forcefully into his chest. 

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispered against my ear.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” I mumbled into his chest.  My heart was still pounding.

“I came up here to check on you.  What are you doing out of bed?”  I noted the quick change of subject from what he was doing outside my window to what I was doing.

“Why would you come check on me?” I pressed.

“I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay.”

“Well, I’m not.  I had an odd dream, got a glass of water and came out here to relax; not to be scared by you.  You shouldn’t be here this late at night.”  I could hear the anger in my voice and told myself to calm down.

Luke started to sit down and pulled folded blankets off the chair to wrap around me.  I sat down beside him and he handed the glass of water back to me.

“How?” I asked.

“I caught the glass.  Do you want to talk about your dream?” he asked. 

“But, you were standing on the other side of the deck when I dropped it.”

“I have a long reach.”

“Still, you would have had to reach pretty fast.  I didn’t see you move until
after
I had dropped it.”

“Are we going to argue about a glass of water, or would you like to talk about your dream?” he countered. 

Hearing it put that way, I decided to let it go.

“Well, it was weird.  In my dream, I was on a beach and I looked over at something that had caught my eye but I never actually saw what scared me.  Whatever it was startled me enough that I got up and ran away.   

“Then, I was running through a dark alley.  It was pitch black outside and I was wearing a nice dress and heels.  I was being chased and I ran until I ended up in a park.  Street lights lit an area around me like a spotlight when I fell down.  I think a heel broke on one of my shoes while I was running, because I remember looking down to take the shoe off.  When I looked up again there was a dark wolf standing across from me in the grass.  I’m pretty sure that part of the dream was from that wolf we saw.  Bright green eyes were glowing in the darkness.”

Luke didn’t move or say a thing.

“Crazy, huh?” I asked.

He didn’t answer, but the air wasn’t silent.  The howls of wolves still echoed in the distance.  I sat still, discovering I could pick out the unique howl of each wolf.  One-by-one, they quit howling and the moon now hung directly above us.

After a few long moments of silence, I was beginning to wonder if Luke thought I was crazy.  I stood up to go back inside.  He snapped out of his trance when I laid the blankets back down on the chair.

“Where are you going?” he asked in a stressed tone.

“Back to bed.  I need to get some sleep because Kate is taking me shopping for school supplies and clothes in the morning.  As if I need either,” I said, trying to read his face with little success.

“Oh,” he said, still lost in his thoughts. 

“What’s going on, Luke?”

“Nothing.  I just fell out of it there for a minute.” 

I gave him a questioning look. 

“Okay, so maybe a few minutes,” he joked.

“Is something wrong?  Did I say something?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.  Will you be able to get back to sleep?”

“I’ll be fine,” I said.  “You don’t need to stand guard, I’m fine.”  He gave me his own questioning look.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure.”

I watched him stalk down the porch and out of sight.

I headed back inside and quietly pulled the window, leaving only a crack open and climbed into bed, trying to clear my mind, but continuing to dwell on the dream.  At some point I finally started to drift asleep.  Just as the night closed over my eyes, I heard the faint sound of a wolf cry.

*****

I had no desire to get out of bed the next morning.  I was exhausted, even though it seemed like all I’d done since I’d arrived in Sheridan was sleep.  Also, I was not thrilled about the day’s planned shopping adventure with Kate.  Trying to avoid the ordeal, I stayed in bed reading about star-crossed lovers, pretending I needed to catch up for school.  It seemed like every time I turned a page, there was another interruption.  First, Kate knocking to see if I was up, which I ignored.  Then, Brody and Lindsey calling.  And finally, my dad yelling at me to get out of bed, from the bottom of the stairs.  The one person I wouldn’t have minded an interruption from never arrived; I finally gave up on Romeo. 

Before jumping in the shower, I decided to listen to my voicemails.  Four were Brody professing his love and apologizing and three were Lindsey begging me to call her back.  I deleted them.

I threw on my white Lululemon linen pants – the last official day I could wear them, a black shirt and gold Prada sandals in hopes my simple outfit wouldn’t draw unwanted public attention.  I tried to get out of shopping by convincing Kate I owned enough clothes and school supplies to open my own boutique.  Unfortunately, Kate insisted we go anyway because there were Labor Day sales we couldn’t pass up.  I resigned myself to playing along because I really had no choice.  Shopping in a small town offered only one perk: no paparazzi.  Yet.

Four grueling hours later, our school shopping was finally over. Kate pulled in front of a restaurant downtown and with dread, I realized our little day-trip with each other had only just begun.  She made small talk while we waited for our food and ate. 

“So, what do you think of Luke?” she finally asked. 

“What do you mean?” I countered, wondering where her curiosity came from and where she was going with this line of questioning.

“I
see
the way he looks at you.  He’s a good guy.”  I wasn’t about to take the bait.  I had no desire for her to be involved.

“How long have you known him?” I asked.

“A long time,” she answered in a strange tone.  “His parents and your father were very close friends.” 

I winced at the lack of mentioning my mother.  Kate didn’t seem to notice and continued.

“I was also very close to the Callahan’s and that’s actually how I met your father.  Wyatt and Emily passed away late last summer and the boys have been staying with us since.  Luke usually keeps to himself, so I was surprised to see him open up to you so quickly.” 

My face started to feel warm.

“Ah, I know that smile.  We should head back to the house.  I’m sure he’s wondering where you are,” she said, getting up from the table to leave. 

I felt a shrill of excitement to hurry home.

When we pulled through the trees, I noticed the barn doors were opened but Luke’s car was gone.  All my excitement quickly drained away into the puddles left in the driveway from the rain.   Once inside the living room, my dad attempted to have a conversation with me about the days’ shopping, but I wasn’t in the mood to participate.  He finally gave up and I headed upstairs to read.  A small part of me hoped Luke would be waiting outside my window again. 

I woke hours later to the sound of thunder.  It had started as such a gorgeous and sunny day but I wasn’t exactly surprised.  I rolled my head over and watched the dark clouds moving toward me in the window.  I was buried deep within my blankets and pillows and didn’t want to ever move out from under them, though I knew I’d been reading on top of them.  I peeked further out the window, seeing the tops of empty chairs.  I sighed and pushed the covers back.  I reached for my sweatshirt off the floor next to my nightstand and sitting on the window seat, like a fairy tale, was another note.  My heart fluttered a few beats as I grabbed for it, slammed the window shut and jumped back into bed.

Logan,

              I found you curled up on your bed so I hope you don’t mind I covered you up.  I didn’t want to wake you but I would like to take you to the Labor Day parade tonight.  I’ve already asked your father.  Meet me at seven?

              Look forward to seeing you,

                            Luke             

I folded the note and pressed it to my chest.  How was I going to tell this guy I thought he was my savior when I’d just met him three days ago?  I tucked the note away in a drawer with the first letter and began digging through my boxes feverishly for something to wear when I heard a knock at my door.

“Logan?” my dad mumbled from the other side.

“Yeah?”

“Can I come in?”

He entered my room and immediately walked over to the window.  I grabbed a pair of scissors to open another box, waiting for him to speak first.

“Are you going out with Luke tonight?” he asked, getting right to the point.

“I was planning on it, yes.  Why?” I snapped.  I still felt guarded from our argument the day before.

“I just want you to be careful.  Stay with Luke, okay?  Can you promise me that?” he asked, his tone filled with intensity.  Something I was normally good at was gauging what people’s voices were saying when their words weren’t enough. 

“Sure, I can do that.  I don’t know anyone else yet, so I don’t see why I would leave without him,” I offered.  I liked the sound of that on a deeper level than my dad likely suspected.

“Well, I just want you to be safe.  I’m not trying to punish you for anything; I know you’re a good kid.  You’re a great kid.”

“Dad, I know you’re worried about me, I get it.  I’ll be fine.  I won’t leave Luke’s side tonight,” I said without hesitation.

My dad seemed slightly taken back.  He obviously wanted to say something else, but instead nodded to himself and closed the door behind him.  I would be relieved when this hyper-vigilant phase of his passed.

While finishing my makeup, I heard rain begin to patter on the roof.  The weather was becoming a bit of a drag; I needed sun on my skin.  I pulled on my favorite ripped skinny jeans and one-of-kind red Christian Louboutin heels while I searched for a white bra.  I slipped on a tight white tank top under my vintage black leather jacket and threw my hair into a messy ponytail. 

I didn’t look overdone, but I wasn’t about to be undone anymore.  I had a life I needed to move on with.  I grabbed my black Chanel clutch and my mother’s big pearl earrings then headed downstairs.

I got to the kitchen prepared to face the parental units before stepping out, but they were both in the living room watching TV instead. 

“Hey Dad?  I’m going to leave now, okay?”

“Okay, the keys should be in it where the guys left them.  Be careful.” 

“The keys should be in what?” I asked.

“Your car, dear,” he replied.  My jaw dropped.

“Thanks, Dad!” I screeched and dashed for the door before he could turn to look at me, which was a good thing – considering what I was wearing. 

I spared no time as I raced thru the garage.

My shiny black Mercedes SL550 purred to life when I turned the key, flooding my mind with warm memories.  It felt like the first time I sat in the driver’s seat the morning of my sixteenth birthday almost exactly a year earlier. 

There was a full tank of gas and the interior was spotlessly detailed.  I whipped out of the garage and headed toward the barn.  Through the sprinkling rain, I saw Luke waiting for me inside his car.  He smiled from behind the wheel, shook his head and jumped out, sauntering over, grinning from ear to ear.  Luke was wearing a plain white t-shirt that complimented his toned body perfectly with a pair of dark blue jeans matching his eyes.  I noticed for the first time how muscular his arms really were, but it wasn’t until he got in my car that I saw a black leather jacket in his hand. 

“Do you have a sixth sense?” I asked.

He snapped his head to look at me, as if under attack. 

“I was kidding, Luke.”

“Sorry, I wasn’t sure what you meant,” he said after taking a moment to settle down.

“I was just joking because we’re both wearing jeans, white tops and leather jackets.  No worries.”

He laughed softly, “I didn’t notice what you were wearing, I guess,” he stated awkwardly.  “You clean up pretty good.” 

I simply rolled my eyes at him and smiled. 

“So, I think you’ve got this all wrong.  I’m supposed to be taking
you
out.  Wouldn’t that entail me driving you around, or is this how it’s done in L.A.?” he pressed.