Breath of Air (26 page)

Liam, being a naturally funny guy, had turned from scary stories to jokes in the blink of an eye, and unexpectedly had all three of them laughing. Capri didn’t think she had ever laughed so much in her entire life, though she had to credit the wine for part of it, as she was feeling delightfully tipsy.

Against all odds, their little party had turned into quite the reunion that all of them had so desperately needed. Capri watched Rhiannon open up in a way she hadn’t expected, and what she saw was fascinating. Who knew the highly polished and formal Rhiannon could be so…free? When she was enjoying herself, actually enjoying herself, she was positively wonderful to be around. Even Blythe seemed to notice the difference, and even though the two of them still held a certain amount of reserve with each other, they were at least communicating and laughing together. It warmed Capri’s heart to see it, and to know that maybe all they had needed was someone neutral to come along and push them.

“Here.” Blythe suddenly reached over to refill Capri’s glass, and she winced at the amount of red liquid now sloshing around in her hands.

“Oh, no, I shouldn’t…” Capri bit her lip, considering as she watched the glow of the firelight through the deep red of the wine.

“Why not?” Blythe asked, sipping more herself and grinning. “You’re rebelling, remember? Enjoy it.”

“You know what? You’re right.” She held out the glass, clinking it with Blythe’s, nearly spilling out the contents as she pulled it back to drink. She took a big gulp, and then covered her mouth as she started hiccupping. “Oh, shoot.”

The others laughed, and Blythe patted Capri on the back sympathetically. “Hold your breath, honey.”

Capri did as she was told, and after a few tries the hiccups subsided. She exhaled in relief, smiling again.

“I wish we had some music.” She mused, sipping more wine.

“Actually, we used to keep a guitar out here just for times like this.” Liam replied as he jumped up and immediately began rustling through one of the nearby shrubs, suddenly unearthing a natural wood acoustic guitar. He inspected it for a moment, checking the strings and fishing out a few leaves from its hollow core. “It got a bit wet from the rain a couple weeks ago, but I think it’ll still work.”

He sat back down beside Rhiannon and held the guitar in his lap, his fingers fine tuning the strings. He tested out the sound and, deeming it suitable, looked to Rhiannon with a grin.

“What song should I play, Rhia?” He asked her, his charming blue eyes watching her intently.

She seemed to consider for a moment, as though wondering whether or not she should even suggest something. “I’ve always liked ‘Tiny Dancer.’”

“‘Tiny Dancer’ it is, then.’” He winked as he began to strum the guitar, mimicking the crisp, expressive sound of the piano from the original song. When he began to sing, his voice was smooth and poignant, and hit all the right notes.

Capri realized at that moment that despite all of the bad things that had happened since she had come home to Euphora, she still had this. She had them. Her family, her friends...because of them, she knew her life was complete. She only hoped that sometime in the near future, she could bring Rian into this circle, and they could all be together.

Feeling sentimental, she pulled Blythe into a hug and swayed, her eyes welling with tears that had nothing to do with sadness.

When Rhiannon suddenly began to sing, picking up the next verse in the song without missing a beat, Capri watched her with a shocked smile. Her voice was lovely, lilting, and the smile she wore as she met Liam’s eyes and sang was nothing short of mesmerizing.

Capri nodded to Blythe as the chorus began, and the two of them cheerfully joined in.

♦ ♦ ♦

The following morning was not really what Capri would call the happiest morning of her life. It actually probably ranked pretty low on the scale of mornings, at least in regards to her overall physical wellbeing. Apparently, something about the combination of wine, singing, and laughing gave a person a miserable headache the next day. But, given the choice to do it differently, she would have changed nothing. In fact, she wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

Relaxing and having fun with all three of her fellow Dryads had opened something up inside of her, a missing link that hadn’t fallen into place until they were all brought together again. It was like the deep bond that connected them together had surfaced for one night, and they had for once experienced what it would be like if life were much simpler, and if circumstance hadn’t driven them all apart.

And if getting to experience that meant she had to suffer from a mild hangover the next day, then so be it. However, it wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if Thea hadn’t dutifully noticed it within moments of the four of them sitting down for breakfast.

“You four look a little worse for wear this morning.” Thea commented, her lips curving into a smirk as she buttered a piece of whole wheat toast. “I hope you had fun.”

Capri flushed, then winced as her head pounded mercilessly. She tried to hide her reaction by gulping down hot, over sugared coffee.

Rhiannon had liberally applied makeup to her face that morning to cover up most of the puffiness around her eyes, but to Thea’s well trained eye there was no disguising it. Blythe had taken less care in hiding how she felt, and instead was more bleary eyed and short-tempered than usual. Liam looked a little tired and disheveled, but obviously his duet with Rhiannon the night before had done wonders for his spiritual wellbeing. He seemed happy as a clam.

“I’ll apologize in advance, Thea. This one talked us all into it.” He pointed his thumb at Blythe, who immediately stepped on his foot.

“You were all too willing.” Blythe muttered, forking up a bite of scrambled egg doused in ketchup.

“Yes, but it was your idea.” He reminded her, gulping down nearly his entire glass of water.

“Regardless, it’s nice that the four of you spent some time together.” Thea put in. She smiled warmly at Capri. “It’s been, what, fifteen years since it happened last.”

Capri nodded, blushing again under Thea’s gaze.

“I could use a night of fun.” Sebastian pouted a bit, winking at Liam as he nudged Thea gently in the arm.

Thea eyed him knowingly, her lips curving. “I suppose we could all stand to loosen up a little bit.” She mused, considering. “It’s settled. Tonight, we shall have a formal event in the courtyard. Champagne, music, dancing…”

“Romance…” Sebastian supplied, leaning in and eyeing her suggestively.

“Yes.” Thea replied, her eyes flicking to Capri and her smile widening. “We could all use a little bit of that, too.”

♦ ♦ ♦

At first, the idea of another party was not in any way appealing to Capri. She lay on her bed, her arm draped over her face, willing her headache away. But when her father came into her room, knocking politely, she noticed what he held in his arms, and her mood improved dramatically.

“This was your mother’s.” He told her, holding out the long tea green dress for her to take. She sat up, reaching for it eagerly.

“It’s beautiful.” She murmured as she stared at the gown, taking in the single shoulder strap adorned with a blooming flower and the heart shaped neckline. The chiffon fabric layered over itself at the bodice, wrapping around to the low backline before dropping away into a long, smooth skirt.

“I know you’ve been…unhappy with me lately. I hoped we could make amends.” He watched her closely, and the guilt and misery in his voice humbled her.

She sighed, setting the dress aside on the bed. Her hands twisted together in her lap as she tried to find the right words to say. “I just…don’t understand why you don’t want me to see Rian.”

Blushing, she chanced a look at him, gauging his reaction.

“I just don’t think he is right for you, Capri.” He moved to sit down beside her, patting her back. “And, to be honest, I suppose I wanted you all to myself for awhile.”

“I know you do…but I’m eighteen, and I can decide by myself who’s right for me. I like him, and I don’t want to stop seeing him just because you don’t approve.”

He inhaled deeply, regret clear on his face. “I’ve lived without you for so long, and when you came back to me, I suppose I expected you to need me more than you actually do. I never expected you to be a grown up, capable of making your own decisions, but you most certainly are.”

“Of course I need you.” She reached out for his hand, squeezing it gently. When he turned to look at her, she smiled softly. “I just need him too.”

“I guess a part of me was hoping that you and Liam would hit it off…in that way.” He admitted, smiling sheepishly at her.

Capri smirked at the idea, remembering how she had felt when she had first met Liam. He had been like a noble prince, come to rescue her and bring her home. “I guess from the moment I met him I thought of him as my brother. It just seemed that that was the way it was meant to be between us.”

Clynn sighed again, though this time his eyes were bright with amusement. “I guess Lucian and I won’t get to share grandchildren like we always wanted.”

Capri snorted. “You guys are already talking about grandchildren? Does Liam know this?”

“Of course he does. We bring up the topic as often as possible around him, trying to get him to make a move.”

He’s making moves, just not at me, Capri mused, remembering the night before and Liam and Rhiannon’s duet.

“So, you’ll wear the dress tonight?”

Capri nodded. “Yes, definitely.”

“Will you let me escort you? I can come by at eight, after you’ve had time to get ready.”

“That would be lovely.” She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, feeling remarkably better about pretty much everything.

♦ ♦ ♦

After dinner, Capri rushed upstairs with Blythe and Rhiannon to get ready. The three of them congregated in Capri’s room, changing clothes and fussing with hair and makeup. It was like prom all over again, Capri mused, noting the gorgeous dresses both Blythe and Rhiannon had chosen to wear.

Blythe’s dress was cut above knee-length and was a bold electric blue, with no straps and a skirt that clung to every curve.

Contrasting in nearly every way other than impact, Rhiannon’s dress was long and elegant, the color of molten steel, with thin straps lined with glittering jewels, crystal clear like diamonds. There was a slit up the right side, opening up the dress so she could walk, and showing off her long, slender legs.

While they certainly weren’t ‘buddy buddy’ with each other, Capri was at least pleased to see Blythe and Rhiannon being cordial, even helping zip up each other’s dresses. It showed that they were both making a conscious effort to try and get along, no matter how hard it might be.

When Capri slipped into her own dress, she stepped in front of the mirror, and stared at her reflection for a full minute.

When Blythe and Rhiannon noticed, they both sighed in envy.

“You look so beautiful.” Rhiannon told her, laying her hands gently on Capri’s shoulders and smiling. “It’s like it was made for you.”

“See, I could never pull off a dress like that. Way too soft and feminine for me.” Blythe mused, eyeing the dress thoughtfully. “But it suits you perfectly.”

“Thanks.” Capri bit her lip as she ran her hand down the light green fabric, seduced by how lovely it was. And knowing her mother had worn it, had loved it just as much as she loved it now, made it even more special.

“Let’s do something fun with your hair, Capri. You always wear it down.” Rhiannon lifted Capri’s long, blonde hair up, piling it on top of her head, positioning it so a few tendrils fell down by her face. “See, an updo would show off your slender neck, and make you look taller, more sophisticated.”

“That’s good, right?” Capri asked, feeling giddy now as she looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like a different person in this dress, more confident and elegant. In fact, she felt like how she figured Rhiannon felt every day.

Rhiannon grinned at her. “Let me work my magic with you, and they won’t even know what hit them.”

♦ ♦ ♦

She certainly didn’t know about everyone else, but she did know she wanted Rian to notice her. And as she walked arm in arm with her father out into the courtyard, where most of the people were already dancing and popping champagne, she saw him sitting at one of the many tables, and when her eyes met his, she saw that Rhiannon had indeed been right. He looked absolutely and positively stunned.

She saw him start to stand up, but before he could do so, her father led her onto the dance floor and into a dance. She glanced over her father’s shoulder, watching as Rian sat back down and sipped his champagne thoughtfully.

She smiled at him, hoping he noticed, but before she could make sure, she was engulfed by more people dancing, and she lost sight of him.

Focusing back on her father, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Do I look alright in the dress?”

“You look magnificent. Your mother would have loved to see you wear it.” He replied, holding her tightly.

She felt the sadness wash over her that came from missing the mother she had never really known, and she embraced it, knowing it didn’t make her weak. It was just one of the many things that defined her.

As before, glowing balls of soft golden light hung in the air over the dance floor, and the music wafted in from seemingly nowhere. It was a slow, bluesy song, the female singer belting out about Memphis on a steamy summer’s night.

Enchanted, Capri felt herself let go, enjoying the moment, a serene feeling of contentment growing in her heart. While her fear and anxiety still rested at the back of her mind, she felt entitled to push it a bit deeper, just for the night, because at this very moment it seemed as though everything was finally right in the world.

She and her father were speaking to each other again, and he seemed to be warming to the idea of her seeing Rian. Blythe and Rhiannon were more or less on speaking terms, a big improvement over their normal hostility. Capri knew they were mostly doing it for her benefit, but that fact didn’t bother her. Wasn’t that what Rhiannon had said in the beginning? It had been losing Capri that had driven them apart. Well, now it would be she who would bring them together again.