Beautiful Confusion (New Adult Romance) Room 105 (7 page)

We programmed them into our phones. Then Lori said, “You can friend me on Facebook. And follow me on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll send you a text with my profile names.”

“I don’t have personal accounts on those sites. I’ll have to do it through the store.”

“No, don’t do that. You should set up personal accounts so you can take more liberties with your pictures and posts. By the way, Duncan is big on social networking. You can stalk his pages when you’re bored. That’s what I do with Martin.”

I didn’t want to get obsessed with Duncan the way she was with Martin, but it was probably too late for that. I was already hooked in ways I couldn’t even talk about. “I’ll set up those accounts tonight when I get home.”

“Perfect.” She held out her phone and took a picture of us. She showed it to me. “Nice, huh? Hot blondes.”

We did look good together. “Let me take one, too.” I snapped a similar shot. I was becoming a regular twenty-year-old. I hoped that Abby didn’t get jealous. I debated if I should even tell her about Lori.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to your aunt.”

She didn’t take my hand or tug me along. We walked side by side. When we reached Carol, who was waiting quietly by herself, Lori gave me a hug, waved to Carol and drifted off.

“Where’s Eleanor?” I asked my aunt.

“She got whisked away by someone who was interested in one of Duncan’s paintings.”

“Which one?”

“Which what?”

“Painting?”

“I don’t know.”

I hoped it wasn’t any of the fantasy images. I couldn’t bear to think of them disappearing from Duncan’s grasp. “I need to say goodbye to him before we leave.”

“You can text him and ask him to meet us by the door.”

I followed her suggestion and sent him a message. He replied and said that he would be there as soon as he could.

While we waited, I asked Carol if she’d had a nice time. She assured me that she did. She’d networked with lots of people. She’d given out tons of business cards. But she was tired now and wanted to unwind and curl up with a cup of hot chocolate.

I needed to unwind, too, I supposed. My pulse was jumping all over the place. I was anxious to see Duncan, to hear his voice, to look into his eyes.

I turned and there he was, coming toward me with the dark and dangerous grace of a panther. It made me want him even more.

When we were face-to-face, he took both of my hands in his. I was tempted to tell him what Lori had said about me having a naughty side, but I thought better of it. I didn’t need to add fuel to the fire.

“Did you sell a painting?” I asked him.

“Yes. One of the urban pieces.”

Which meant the fantasy artwork was safe. “I wish I could buy your self-portrait.” The warrior. The nude. I wanted to hang it on my wall and look at it every night before I went to bed, and every morning when the sun seeped into my room.

“That one isn’t for sale.” He flashed a smile designed to make me sigh. “But I might make an exception for you.”

I could tell that he was teasing me. But he hadn’t been joking earlier when he’d told me that he’d included it in the show because he’d wanted me to see it.

“How about next weekend for our date?” he asked. “Next Saturday. I’ll come to your house and take you out to dinner.”

“That sounds perfect.” I leaned closer to him, and he held my hands a little tighter. If I had any sense I would decline the date, especially with the 105 issue boggling my mind. Granted, I was supposed to kiss the warrior someday, but sleeping with him wasn’t part of the deal.

He nuzzled my cheek. “I’ll see you, Vanessa.”

Heat seared through my blood. “I’ll see you, too.” I wasn’t giving up the date. I wanted that first kiss. And I wanted to make love with him. Whoever he was or wherever he’d come from, Duncan Lock was mine.

Carol fixed me some hot chocolate, along with the cup she made for herself. I didn’t ask for any; she just gave it to me. We sat together in the living room with the blinds drawn. I was thinking about Duncan, of course, envisioning his piercing eyes and soft, sexy smile.

Carol seemed lost in thought, too. She tucked her legs beneath her and blew across the rim of her cup.

“Is yours too hot?” she asked.

The only hot thing on my mind was Duncan. “It’s fine.” I hadn’t even taken a sip yet, but I was sure it would be okay. She’d put mounds of marshmallows in it and they were melting into sticky clouds, making me feel dreamier.

She interrupted my musings. “I saw the way you and Duncan looked at each other when you said goodbye tonight. It was romantic, but it was scary, too.”

My gaze shot up to hers. “What do you mean?”

“I’m worried things are going to move too fast and you won’t be ready for it. I’m concerned for him, as well. There’s a lot at stake for both of you.”

“I won’t let it move too fast.” I’d made up my mind to have sex with him, but I wasn’t planning on doing it this very instant. I wouldn’t act impulsively, not if I could help it.

“I think I should talk to him, just to be sure he understands the gravity of the situation.”

Was she freaking kidding me? “I’m an adult, Carol. I can handle this. And he already knows how inexperienced I am.”

“That doesn’t change the dynamics that are involved.”

“You were encouraging me to date him. You were on my side. And now you’re backpedaling? That isn’t right. It isn’t fair.”

“I know. But I didn’t realize how quickly your feelings for each other were going to develop. I thought there was going to be more time to let it unfold and figure things out.”

“We’re only going on our first date. We’re not running off and eloping.”

“I’d feel better if I had a chance to talk to him and tell him more about…” She hesitated, then added, “Abby.”

I started, confused by the direction this was going. What did my sister have to do with me dating Duncan? Had Abby secretly told Carol about the warrior? No, that didn’t seem possible. Abby didn’t trust our aunt enough to confide in her.

Then what was Carol’s agenda? Was she feeling guilty for being ashamed of Abby? Was this her way of seeking absolution?

She said, “I want your permission, Vanessa. I want you to say it’s all right for me to talk to him.”

“Why don’t you talk to me about it instead?”

“I am talking to you. That’s what I’m doing right now, expressing my concern about how your attachment to Abby could affect your relationship with Duncan.”

“He understands that Abby is ill and that she needs me.”

“But he isn’t aware of how strong her hold on you really is.”

Her hold on me? I didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m there for Abby because I choose to be,” I said, making sure she knew where I stood. It was true that I coddled my sister, but I was also the one who’d convinced her to check herself into The Manor.

“I know how close you two are. But I think you should distance yourself from her while you’re getting to know Duncan.”

I couldn’t just walk away from my sister. I loved her. Besides, with the possibility of the warrior’s life hanging in the balance, I couldn’t ignore Abby’s association with 105. “There’s a lot going on that you don’t know about. Things I promised Abby I wouldn’t talk to you about.”

“That’s just my point. Keeping secrets with her isn’t good for you.”

“I can’t go back on my word. If I do, she’ll start becoming paranoid of me, like she is with you.” I couldn’t lose my sister’s trust, especially not now that Duncan was part of the equation.

Carol persisted. “Please, just tell me it’s all right for me to talk to Duncan. I don’t want to do it behind your back. I couldn’t bear to betray you like that.”

Silent, I studied my aunt. She was fidgeting in her seat. She was also meddling in my affairs because she believed it was in my best interest. I was trying not to fault her for that.

Struggling to calm my nerves, I sipped my hot chocolate, sucking down the marshmallow clouds. Carol gazed expectantly at me, waiting for my permission.

I said, “You can tell Duncan whatever it is you feel is necessary.” I didn’t see where it was going to make a difference. I was certain that he would root for me and my sister, encouraging our closeness.

“Thank you.” Her breath rushed out. “I wish I didn’t feel the need to tell him. I wish I could pretend that it didn’t matter. But in my heart, I know it’s the right thing to do.”

In my heart, I was confused as ever. Carol thought that I needed rescuing, I was worried about Duncan dying, and Abby believed the warrior’s purpose was to save her people.

Everything was terribly mixed-up.

Also, if 105 turned out to be real, then what did that say about Abby? Would it mean that she’d been misdiagnosed, or would she still be considered schizophrenic? There had always been more to Abby’s odd behavior than her belief in 105, but now I wasn’t sure how to analyze her condition.

Because there was too much to think about, I cleared my mind and prepared to go to my room to set up my new social networking accounts. All I wanted tonight was to be a normal girl in a normal world, without having to worry about who was sane and who wasn’t.

***

A week later, I shopped at the consignment store. It was after hours, so I didn’t have to worry about any customers coming in. Carol was with me, dashing all over the store, helping me gather clothes. I was looking for something to wear on my date, which was tomorrow night.

Carol had already spoken to Duncan about her concerns. She’d called him a few days ago, and they’d talked at length over the phone. She was a lot calmer, so I figured that Duncan must have convinced her that it wasn’t as epic as she’d made it out to be. But even so, she still hadn’t changed her mind about me spending time with my sister.

Actually, I hadn’t been back to The Manor to see Abby. But I wasn’t avoiding her because Carol had persuaded me to stay away. I was just too nervous about my date to focus on Abby. After it was over, I would visit her and tell her about Duncan.

“I’m going to go into the dressing room now,” I said to Carol. I had a stack of dresses to try. We categorized our clothes by their eras, giving me a variety to choose from.

I started chronologically with a navy and white houndstooth from the forties, but it didn’t work. The squared shoulders and utilitarian style wasn’t flattering on me. I looked like a child playing dress-up in her grandmother’s attic. I tossed it aside and tried some frocks from the fifties, but they overpowered me, too.

My best bet was the sixties and seventies. I was used to wearing those styles. I slipped into a mod mini, but the pattern was too geometric, creating weird angles. Next, I went for a tie-dyed maxi, but there was too much fabric and it was way too long. I was striking out. Flustered, I zipped into a black shift, but it was too plain.

Carol knocked on the door. “How’s it going?”

“Awful. Nothing looks right.”

“There are some pieces in the back that I haven’t put out on the floor yet. Did you go through those?”

“No.”

“Hold on. I’ll bring them to you.”

I cracked open the door and waited. She returned with an armload of stuff. “I brought them all. You’ll have to sort through them.”

“Thank you.” I was glad that she was happy about my date, and the tension she’d created last week had subsided.

We exchanged smiles, and I closed the door and rummaged through the clothes. Some of it was hideous, like polyester pantsuits and such.

I continued digging through the pile and uncovered a pink and yellow spaghetti-strap mini dress with a scarf hem that I hoped would work. On the hanger, it was adorable.

Eager, I tried it on. It looked spectacular, as it if had been tailor-made for me. I squealed in delight. Excited to show Carol, I dashed out of the dressing room.

She grinned when she saw me. “It’s perfect.”

I gave a little twirl. “I think so, too.”

She clapped her hands together. “You are just the prettiest thing. He’s going die when he sees you.”

The last thing I wanted was for him to die, but she was only using it as an expression, so I didn’t let it bother me. “Do you think I should wear my hair up or down?” I scooped it up with my hands.

“You should fix it kind of like that.”

I turned toward a mirror and saw what she meant. Loose tendrils were falling, making it look elegantly messy. “Maybe I will.” I lowered my arms and my hair cascaded over my shoulders and down my back in my usual style.

“It looks gorgeous like that, too,” Carol said.

“Thank you.” My hair had always been my best feature. My eyes, too, big and blue, like Abby’s.

“I’m so glad the right boy came along for you. If I could have dreamed up someone for you, it would have been someone just like him.”

I did dream him up, or at least a version of him, but I couldn’t tell her that. Still, it was wonderful to have her support. “I’m so excited about tomorrow. I can’t wait to see him.” I made one last spin, letting the hem do its floaty thing. “I’m excited about this dress, too.”

“What about jewelry?” my aunt asked. “Maybe some earrings?”

“Sure. Why not?” I loved getting new goodies.

I followed her to the front counter and looked through the cases. We had a huge costume jewelry inventory.

I chose a pair of beaded earrings with a hippie flair. I found a necklace that matched, too. Carol suggested a new purse, as well. I went for a leather boho bag, decorated with a bit of fringe.

“Do you have a wrap that will work?” she asked. “In case it gets breezy in the evening?”

“I have tons of cropped cardigans.”

“Oh, that’s right. All those lovely little sweaters that you buy. How about shoes?”

“I’m good with those, too.” I had a closetful.

“Then you’re all set.”

“Yes, I am.” I beamed like the smitten girl that I was. “I’m ready for my very first date.”

Carol smiled, and with a flutter of emotion between us, she reached out and tugged me into her arms. I put my head on her shoulder. Only when it came time to end the embrace, she didn’t want to release me. So I let her hold me for as long as she wanted, hoping that someday she would hold Abby this way, too.