Happily Never After (16 page)

Lost in the role I answered in my deepest
accent. “Thank you, Mr. Cooper. I hope ya’ll are enjoyin’
Savannah.”

Jason watched with a huge grin on his face as
he introduced me to the group. One of the actresses even
complimented my accent, declaring it was the hardest accent she
ever had to learn. I loved the attention, I’ll fully admit it.

Even watching Jason interact with these
people he saw everyday was illuminating. His confidence was sexy
and he had a great sarcastic sense of humor I’d already seen hints
of. This was Jason in his element and it fit him well.

Stan’s wife Danielle laid her hand on my arm
and spoke quietly, “That is the most gorgeous dress I’ve seen all
night. Where on earth did you get it?”

“Oh, it’s been in the family for generations.
Every time I pull it out of storage, I’m amazed it has survived
this long.”

It was mostly the truth. Still unable to
comprehend how Margaret came up with a dress like this, I was
half-afraid I wore a moth-eaten rag and everyone was looking at an
illusion. Nervous laughter almost bubbled up out of me.

Before Danielle could speak again, Jason
pulled me aside. “Sorry guys, she’s all mine now.”

He led me towards the dance floor through a
crowd of curious and envious stares. I tried to remain alert for
Marietta or the twins but I was walking in a dream. I wanted to
remember every detail, the way his hand felt covering mine, or how
the light from the chandelier reflected off his dark hair.

“You were awesome. Who knew you were such an
actress?” Jason joked.

Before I had a chance to answer, I heard
voices calling his name.

“Jason!”

“Over here!”

“Can we get one picture?”

I followed the sounds and saw a herd of
photographers held back by a barricade. Even before Jason turned,
the flashbulbs started flashing. I stood frozen in place, unsure of
what to do.

Jason pressed close and whispered in my ear.
“We’ll give them one. Just smile and pretend I’m the most charming
man you’ve ever met.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist and held
me tight. His remark did bring a smile to my face and I faced the
cameras. The flashes were distracting and blinding. I gained new
respect for how he lived his life. I was a fish in an aquarium, on
display for the entire world.

After a minute or so, Jason raised his hand
in a wave. “That’s enough guys. Let me enjoy this fine party with a
beautiful girl.”

Finally, we made it to the dance floor as
more shouts followed us.

“What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Who’s your date, Jason?”

He pulled me into his arms as the music
changed into a slow, haunting song. I was aware of everyone
watching us, whispering and wondering who the girl was in Jason’s
arms. I didn’t care.

The reporters shook my resolve a little but I
closed my eyes and let the music settle over me. For that blissful
moment of time, we existed in our own bubble.

I lost track of how long we danced or to how
many songs but when Jason took my hand and led me out to the
terrace, it felt like I’d been in his arms for days.

As we passed the floor-to-ceiling windows, I
caught sight of our reflection. I remembered the first time I saw
Jason and me together in the reflection of a store window. That
girl didn’t belong. This girl did.

This girl's eyes sparkled with excitement and
she glowed from the inside. I watched as the Jason in the
reflection gazed down at her with an expression that stole my
breath away. He appeared to be a man in love. A man who saw nothing
but the girl at his side.

He pulled me out into the warm night air
before I could dwell on that. The strains of “Georgia on My Mind”
drifted out behind us. Even the night was perfect. The sky twinkled
with stars, the cicadas gave off a symphony of background music and
the heat had faded to the perfect mix of warmth and humidity that
held you in a heated embrace. I loved the feeling. It was as if the
night had arms and all it wanted to do was hold me in them forever.
Whatever people said about the brutal heat of the South, a night
like this, complete with its warm embrace, always felt so romantic
to me.

And I was sharing it with a person who’d
taken me by complete surprise.

As Jason stood close to me, more than
anything I wanted to rip off my mask. It still felt like I was
hiding a little with it on. I wanted him to see me without any
masks on, real or imagined.

“I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been standing
around all night, talking to these people and the only one I wanted
to share it with was you.”

I gasped. “I don’t know what to say to you
when you talk that way.”

He brushed his thumb over my lips and I
trembled. “You don’t have to say anything, Quinn. All I know is,
when you waved at me and I realized it was you, something clicked
inside me. I was the luckiest man in the room.”

“Jason, I—.”

He interrupted me by putting a finger up to
stop me. “Quinn you don’t have to come up with an answer for
everything. Sometimes you just have to give in and trust and
feel.”

Then he leaned in and kissed me.

I wanted to remember it all; the smell, the
taste, the feel, but every single thought emptied my head. The
magical things I experienced and witnessed tonight didn’t come
close to the sensations that kiss sent coursing through my veins.
The kiss was slow and devastating. I felt my blood come alive. It
was a slow burn, starting at my lips and spreading into the very
core of me.

The feelings were so contradictory. My head
felt light as a feather but my body trembled. I was drowning but I
never wanted it to end. When Jason broke away, we both struggled to
catch our breath. His face was inches from mine and all I wanted to
do was pull him close again. I knew I’d compare every kiss from
that day forward to his.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t dwell too long on
the kiss. I saw Suzie and Anna over his shoulder heading in our
direction and it was like someone tossing a bucket of cold water
over my head.

“Crap, I’ve got to get out of here before
they see me,” I mumbled. “Don’t look but my stepsisters are headed
our way. I apologize in advance for their behavior.”

He kissed me quick one last time. “Let me
know when you’re home and safe.”

I hustled off the terrace, to the side of the
building, and caught a cab out front. Hysterical laughter bubbled
up as I almost lost my shoe getting in the car. How ironic would
that be?

During the entire ride home I didn’t stop
smiling. I hadn’t spent much time at the ball, but every second
with Jason felt like a lifetime. It was a precious gift I’d
remember until the day I died. And probably even after that.

The house was empty when I returned. I rushed
up to the attic and shut the door behind me. The lock engaged by
itself and I heard the same heavy piece of furniture move in front
of it.

Alone in my room, I delayed undressing by
texting Jason. The sooner I took the dress off the sooner the night
would end.

Finally, I changed and put on my pajamas.
Then, the adrenaline crashed and my body was heavy with exhaustion.
I curled up in bed and basked in the lingering warmth of Jason’s
kiss.

I should be with him, out until the sun comes
up, I thought sadly. But here I was, curled up in bed alone and
hiding like a coward.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next couple of days after the ball were
frighteningly quiet. Marietta wasn’t around much and I wondered
where she disappeared to for hours at a time. When I did see her,
the darkness appeared to be much less significant, almost muted. I
knew it didn’t mean things were over.

Actually, I got the feeling Catherine was
laying in wait, letting me think I was safe. She enjoyed toying
with me.

I knew better than to relax. The necklace
Margaret gave me never left my neck. Whenever I was close to
Marietta I tucked it away. I didn’t even want to think of what
would happen if Catherine saw me wearing it. I knew I was playing
with fire but I didn’t feel so alone when I wore it.

One afternoon, Jason and I were sitting in
one of the parks near our house. The many squares of green space
dotting the historic part of town gave us plenty of private places
to hang out. When the city was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe,
there were originally four squares whose main function was to
provide space for military maneuvers. Over time, as Savannah grew,
more and more were added and today there were twenty-two squares.
They were one more thing that made Savannah so unique.

We sat there for a couple hours and I ran
lines with Jason for the intense ending they were filming later
that night. It was fun and comfortable, and safe being with him.
Isaac, the bodyguard assigned to Jason, kept to himself. I was glad
we hadn’t needed him yet but I knew it was only a matter of time
before that part of Jason’s life collided with our budding
relationship.

He didn’t give me a chance to feel awkward
about our kiss, which I was thankful for. It surprised me how much
I’d changed in the couple of months since I met him.

“I think I’m finally getting used to this
heat. It forces you to slow down. I’ve decided this slow, lazy
lifestyle appeals to me.” Jason brushed my hair out of my face.
“How are things at the house?”

I shrugged. “It’s been okay. Marietta’s been
suspiciously absent which makes me more nervous. I need to figure
out how to fight this thing.”

“What do you mean, fight it? You can’t be
serious.” Again, I suspected he didn’t understand my feelings or my
need to see it through to the end.

“I’m very serious. What else should I do,
ignore it and run away? I’m the one left to finish this.”

Jason stood up and started to pace in front
of me. “Well, can’t we bring in a priest or exorcist or something?
There has to be someone you can get to help. This thing already
tried to kill you once and I won’t lose someone else I care
about.”

I walked over to him and put my hand on his
cheek. “Who? Talk to me, Jason.”

He looked at me with such a huge well of
sadness behind his eyes. He took a deep breath and tried to compose
himself.

“My brother,” he began softly. “We were on
our way to go snowboarding. I grew up in Colorado and learned to
drive on icy, snowy roads. I remember him talking about how much he
hated being a freshman in high school. I was a sophomore and had
already gone through it so I was giving him advice. Then, some
stupid country song came on the radio. We were laughing and singing
along to it.

“No matter how many times I go over it, I
can’t pinpoint what went wrong. I wasn’t driving fast or recklessly
but an oncoming car drifted into our lane. Trying to avoid it, I
lost control of the Suburban and hit a patch of ice. We rolled and
the car came to rest with the passenger side crushed into a tree. I
tried to get Dylan out, to wake him up but he never came to. I
never got to tell him I was sorry.”

I held him as he cried. Instinctively I knew
this wasn’t something he shared with most people. I understood loss
but nothing like what he’d experienced.

“It’s okay,” I whispered. “I’m sure he knew
and I’m sure he doesn’t blame you.”

He pulled back and wiped his eyes before
laying his forehead to mine. “I tell myself that constantly. We
were close and deep down I know he understands but it doesn’t stop
me from questioning everything that happened that day. I only had
my license a couple of months but my parents trusted me, letting me
take the car that day. We lived half an hour from the ski hill. I’d
already made the trip twice that month.”

“What happened to the other driver?” I asked.
Most of the details of the article I read were pretty hazy.

“The driver never stopped and they never
found him. I remember wanting to feel some kind of justice, even
though I believed most of the blame was on me.”

“Blame and guilt are funny things. Even with
Mama dying of a brain aneurism and Daddy of a heart attack, I
wondered if it was my fault. Could I have been a better daughter?
Did they love me too much? We imagine there’s something we could
have done different even in an impossible situation.”

“I know.” Jason sighed heavily. “The last
couple years I’ve come to terms with the fact it wasn’t my fault
but there’s still guilt. I will always have guilt. And I will
always second guess everything about that day.”

“I think it’s only natural, Jason. So did you
leave Colorado to get away from everything?”

“I had to get away from there. The memories
were too much so I managed to graduate early and started over in LA
the minute I turned eighteen. I got a job pretty quick and I guess
the rest is history.”

“Is this why you’re so interested in the
paranormal? Because you want to find out what happens after?”

“Yeah, when I first learned we were going to
be filming here I thought I’d finally have a chance to find out
more about what happens when you die. Is Dylan still back home or
did he move on? All I want is some answers.”

“It’s kind of why I started investigating.
Whatever my capabilities are as far as sensing things, I still want
to know more about my parents. One of the things I’ve learned is
the answers aren’t always out there. I’ve done everything I
possibly can to contact my parents and I’ve never felt anything,
not even a twinge.”

“The logical part of me realizes it’s
something I’ll never find out. It doesn’t make me stop though.
You’ve shown me more than I ever imagined and it helps learning
about spirits and their world. That’s why I don’t want anything to
happen to you. What you’re dealing with is dangerous.”

I sat back down on the bench. I knew he
wanted me to be safe but the reality of the situation still loomed
before me.