Far Away (Gypsy Fairy Tale Book Two) (5 page)

Chapter 10

I tried not to think about the dream the next day. It was just too crazy to try to interpret so the less time wasted on the better.

Of course, I was also trying not to think about Alec’s strange visit. It was just too much weird in a twenty-four hour period of time.

I went into the feed store the following morning determined that it would be an ordinary day, even if I had to make it that way myself. Maybe if I just pretended everything was back to normal, it really would go back that way.

Alec came slinking in just before nine. He came in through the back door looking all red-faced and embarrassed as he hung up his coat.

“Harmony, about last night –“

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I snapped.

He came out to the front room, his eyes still cast down and his cheek still flaming.

“I just wanted to say –“

I slammed my hands down onto the counter, “Didn’t you hear me? I just got done saying that I don’t want to talk about it.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He asked as he came around the counter with the broom.

I shook my head as he started sweeping, turning my back to him as much is possible.

“Nothing is wrong with me,” I said. “Can we just drop it?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Excuse me?”

“I don’t want a drop it,” Alec said. “It’s obvious something is wrong.”

“Just let it go,” I argued. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Then why are you acting like a mad at me?” Alec demanded, pushing the broom with such force that cloud of dust rose up. “Did I do something?”

Suddenly I felt ridiculous, it wasn’t like he really did push me off a cliff or anything. I could feel my own face turning red, “Not really.”

Alec came over to the counter so that we were standing right across from each other. He looked concerned, but he still swallowed nervously a few times.

“So what is it then?” He asked, holding the broom so tight his knuckles turned white.

I chewed at the edge my thumb as I looked up at him, feeling even more ridiculous by the minute.

“I had a dream about you last night,” I confessed.

Alec relaxed and a slight smile spread over his face, “Really?”

I blushed an even deeper shade of scarlet as I realized what he must be thinking. “It wasn’
t
that
kind dream.”

“If you say so,” Alex said with a wink.

“Just forget about it,” I said with a wave of my hand. I stood and tried walked toward the back to suffer my complete humiliation in private.

Alec grabbed my arm to keep me from leaving and pulled me back onto my stool.

“No, seriously,” he said. “What was your dream about?”

I didn’t want to tell him and sound crazy, but if I didn’t tell him I’d look crazy. So, I took a deep breath and told him all about the disturbing dream. I tried to control my tone and expression when the pain seized my chest at the mention of Kieran’s name, and I watched Alec’s face closely when I got to the part about him pushing me off.

Once I finished recanting the events in my nightmare, I waited, feeling even more ridiculous than before. What was I doing? Small town rule number one is to always keep your crazy tucked away so that no one ever sees and here I was telling him about it.

Alec just stood there, not saying anything, for what seemed like a very long time. At last he sighed and shook his head.

“So let me get this straight,” he said. “You’re mad at me for something I did in your dream?”

Even though he was looking down, I could see the corner of his mouth twitching with the start of a smile. I breathed a sigh of relief and laughed nervously, “I guess so.”

“And here I was all embarrassed about showing up at your house in the middle of the night talking nonsense,” he said raising one eyebrow.

I wasn’t sure if he was poking fun at me or himself, but I just let it go. “Should we consider us even then?”

“I think so,” he said with his easy laugh and went back to sweeping the floor like nothing happened. “But I still think you’ve had a few of
those
dreams about me.”

* * * *

The feed store in late winter doesn’t get many customers. Those that did come in got what they needed and left. It was too cold for the usual crowd that came in just to stand around and gossip. That was something most people seem to reserve for warmer weather.

Within just a few hours of opening, all the routine tasks were completed. Alec and I sat on top of the counter watching it snow.

“This is boring,” he said as he tossed dried kernels corn into the garbage one by one.

“Yeah,” I yawned. “What do you say we go ahead and close up for the day?”

“You’re the boss,” he said, but quickly slid down and flipped the sign to CLOSED.

I pretended not to notice how anxious he seemed to be done with the day. Could I blame him?

Getting my coat, I couldn’t help but to smile a little. My grandmother never, not in all the decades that she ran the store, closed the store early. Even in the blizzards of the nineties, she stayed open until five and then walked through two and a half feet of snow to get home.

Well... Maybe it’
s time some things changed...

I went back out to the front room and took a sheet of paper from behind the counter and started writing on it in thick black marker.

Closed till –

“You know,” Alec said before I could finish writing. “Might as well stay closed tomorrow too, you’ve been working seven days a week and deserve a break.”

I didn’t want to break. What would I do? Sit at home and stare at the walls? At least here I could pretend to be productive.

Alec saw my hesitation, “Come on, we could even do something fun.”

“Fun?”

“Sure,” he said with a wide smile. “You do remember fun, don't you?”

Was I that bad? I looked at him skeptically, “What did you have in mind?”

“Why don’t we go see a movie tomorrow?”

I opened my mouth, prepared to give the “I like you, but just not in that way” speech when Alec started laughing.

“Don’t look so terrified,” he said. “It’s not a date. It’s just two friends going to a movie... In broad daylight.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to say no, but then I thought, why not? We
were
just friends and it
was
just a movie.

“Sure,” I said and then quickly finished the sign to read that we would open Monday.

Alec’s grin spread from ear to ear, “Great! I’ll pick you up –“

“No,” I said with a wave of my hand. “This isn’t a date and there will be no picking up. Will meet here and take the truck.”

Alec took the sign and taped it to the door. He was still smiling as he held the door open so that I could step outside. He stood there as I walked the door, blocking the wind as I worked the ancient lock.

As we turned to leave, I caught sight of four men across the street staring at me from the sidewalk. They were strangers in town, which was odd enough, but there was something else...

“Bhí a ... An leannán de na Tuatha Dé Danann ...”

My heart fell to some nowhere place in the pit of my stomach. That was Irish that they were speaking! I knew that accent even if I did not know the word. That could only mean one thing...
Mileans
.

“Alec,” I whispered as I grabbed the arm of his coat and peeked around at the group. “Do you see those men?”

He looked over his shoulder following my stare. I felt him stiffen even though he tried to hide it.

“Yeah,” he said in a forced casual tone.

I squeezed his arm harder, “They are Irish.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know,” I whispered, a little annoyed that he wasn’t as panicked as me. “I think they’re Mileans.”

Alec started walking with me, keeping himself between me and them. “Maybe.”

Why was he trying to pretend like this wasn’t odd? What was he hiding?

“But if they’re here, that means they must know something about what happened.” I mumbled. “What if –“

Alec glanced back over his shoulder, “Just ignore them.”

I tried to do what he said and just pretend they weren’t there, but I noticed he looked back twice more as we walked the short distance between the feed store and my front door.

Again, Alec stood there blocking the wind as I unlocked the door. I stepped inside, sort of wishing that he’d come inside too, but he was already back out on the sidewalk.

“See you tomorrow,” he called back.

I waved to him and closed the door on him and the four mysterious men, locking it with a loud click.

Chapter 11

There I was, still wet from my shower, naked but for the towel wrapped around me, staring into my closet. Why didn’t I pay more attention to my clothes?

I didn’t know what to do; everything I owned was either faded blue jeans or really old hoodies. What was I supposed to wear?

Well, it’s not an actual date...Thank God...

I tore a pair of jeans and a hoodie from the hangers, too frustrated to keep staring at my pathetic excuse for wardrobe. I reminded myself again that it didn’t matter.

This is not a real date...This is not a real date...

Back in the bathroom, I combed through my wet hair
to
the same mantra.
It doesn’t matter...It doesn’t matter...It’s not a real date...It’s not a real date...

I took one final look in the mirror after I was dressed and ready. Without hesitation, I opened the vanity drawer and took out the only but lip gloss that I owned. I smoothed it over my lips carefully and put it back in the drawer.

It doesn’t matter...This is not a date... This is not a date...

I went downstairs and peeked out the front window, trying to stay hidden behind the curtains as I looked as far as I could up both ends of the street.

Once I was sure there was no sign of the four strangers I saw yesterday, I grabbed my coat and stepped outside. Even though it was a short walk next door to the feed store, I kept looking over my shoulder just to be certain that the men weren’t there following me. I wasn’t sure what I would do if I did see them, but thankfully the sidewalk behind me remained empty.

I half expected Alec to be there waiting, poking fun at me for being fashionably late in my sloppy clothes, but he wasn’t. I checked my watch; I was a little early and really wished then that I brought my keys so I could have gone inside the feed store.  At least then I would have a warm place to wait.

Leaning against the building, I checked my watch again as it began to snow. I was certain of the time, so where was he?

Thirty cold and shivering minutes passed without any sign of Alec. I had the sinking feeling that I was getting stood up.

I can’t get stood up when it wasn’t a real date to start with... It doesn’t matter... It doesn’t matter...

After another thirty minutes, I decided it
did
matter and it mattered very much. Who did Alec think he was? Did he think he was so special that he could keep me out in the cold waiting for him?

I stormed off between the buildings toward the house that Alec shared with his grandpa. I stomped across the snow-covered grass, following Alec’s path from the day before, cursing him along the way.

Leave me waiting out in the cold...You son of a bitch...Let’s see what you have to say for yourself...

I reached the house within seconds. I took the stairs up to the porch two at a time and pounded on the door so hard that it rattled on its hinges.

Inside, I could hear shuffling movement and hushed voices. I beat on the door even harder.

I swear... If he doesn’t answer the store I’
m going to kick it in...

I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing. Why was I so angry? It was just a movie, it shouldn’t matter this much.

It does matter...It does matter...

Suddenly the door opened just as I was about to knock again. It was so quick that I had to grab the door frame to keep from falling inside.

I struggled to gain my balance and when I straightened, I saw Alec and the four Irish men sitting at table. In front of them were stacks of books and faded yellow maps.

Alec looked at me and paled, “Harmony, I –“

“You unbelievable bastard!”

I turned and ran. I didn’t even think about where I was going, but I had to get away from him and his lies.

How could he do this to me? I gave him another chance, trusted him even, and all along he was one of
them!

I could hear him running behind me, each step sounded closer than the last. Even with his bad leg, he was gaining on me quickly.

“Harmony wait!” He cried, “Just let me explain!”

“Leave me alone,” I wailed and tried to run faster. I didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.

My breath came in painful gasps as the cold air burned my lungs. I couldn’t keep running, my legs already felt like rubber and I had only made it as far as the old Capitol building. I could feel myself slowing. No matter how hard I tried, I could hear Alec getting closer.

Something hit me then and pushed me against the trunk of the nearest tree. Whatever breath I had left in my body, left me and the world went black.