Love Songs (Secret Songbook #1) (16 page)

Strom spoke up again while Harper watched the events unfold around her. Her head was going back and forth like she was watching a tennis match. “What does charity work involve anyway? Does she hold a bake sale every other day or something?”

Eli took the question in his stride. “She sits on the board of several charities. She helps with the fundraising and decides on the allocation of funds. They are all run by volunteers so all the money raised goes directly to the causes.”

Kaley watched Eli as he spoke, she had to hand it to him, he was smooth. As awkward as it no doubt was for him to sit through dinner with her parents and best friends, he didn’t get flustered. He answered each of the questions – somewhat inappropriate, most of them – and didn’t take their bait once. She was kind of proud of him, he was passing their tests.

“I guess that’s quite noble then.” Strom nodded, thinking it through.

They finished their meal in relative civility. Kaley got her wish when she discovered Georgie hadn’t prepared dessert. The minute their plates were cleared, she stood and patted Eli’s arm for him to do the same.

“Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Thorne.” He nodded to Georgie, she beamed as they left the room. The last face Kaley saw before she turned the corner was Harvey’s and his brows were knitted in a definite scowl.

She walked him to the door and then out to the front yard. The sun had gone down, leaving a cool breeze in the air.

“I’m really sorry about… everything that happened in there,” Kaley started, feeling the need to apologize for just about everything. Between her father and Harvey, the dinner wasn’t exactly pleasant.

To her surprise, Eli laughed. “Don’t worry about it. It wasn’t so bad.”

“Yes, it was.”

“Okay, perhaps it was. But you’re worth it.”

Kaley didn’t have an answer, it was all she could do to suppress the smile that was threatening her lips. She hoped he wasn’t using her. She knew there was still that risk, but he sure was going to a lot of trouble to keep up the ruse. Surely he wouldn’t bother so much if he was just trying to make Abigail jealous. He would be a crazed sociopath if he was.

“I’d better go, I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” He climbed into his car, suddenly a little embarrassed himself at his comment. Or perhaps it was the way she didn’t return the compliment that was bothering him.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Kaley waved as Eli started the engine and drove off down the street. She didn’t linger, she had people she needed to yell at. She stormed back inside the house and found everyone in the kitchen – all hands helping clean up.

“Thanks for embarrassing me, everyone.”

They all turned to look at her, trying to judge exactly how angry she was at them.

Georgie spoke first. “I didn’t do anything wrong, you can’t blame me for any embarrassment.”

Kaley disagreed. “You started all this! You are the one that invited Eli to stay for dinner. He was in his car, he was leaving, and you dragged him back. Why do you always have to interfere?”

“I thought I was being nice. I thought you might like to spend some time with him,” Georgie said defensively, finding it completely incomprehensible that she could have done something wrong.

“You should have asked first.” Kaley turned her attention to her father. “And you! Why did you have to give him the third degree? What was that whole thing about his parents? None of it matters.”

Strom flicked the tea towel over his shoulder to give her his full attention. “I need to know who my daughter is spending her time with. I don’t want you to fall in with the wrong crowd. That wouldn’t be very responsible of me. You’re my only daughter.”

“I’ve been out with him once, Dad. How can you not trust me to pick my own friends? Do you really think that little of my judgment?”

“I wasn’t saying that…” Strom looked at Georgie for help, she shook her head. He was left to hang by himself. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you, Kaley. But I’m not going to apologize for looking out for you. It’s my job.”

Kaley ran out of steam, she didn’t want to argue with her parents all night and go around in circles. She also remembered Harper and Harvey were there, quietly creeping toward the doorway. She set her sights on Harvey, ready to let him know of her disgust next.

He got in first. “I’m going to go. Thank you for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Thorne. I’ll see you all later.”

He slipped out the back door, not even risking going across the room for the front door. Kaley crossed her arms, frustrated.

The great day they had all shared together had been completely marred by the dinner. All that good relaxation time was reversed. She glanced at Harper, she looked like a trapped rabbit.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Harper said quickly, making a pre-emptive strike.

“I know, you were the only one. Thank you for being the only sane one amongst us.”

“Come on, Harper, I’ll take you home.” Georgie dropped her sponge in the sink and pushed her toward the door. Harper went willingly, giving Kaley a hug on the way out.

Kaley couldn’t keep calm, she was still so embarrassed and angry about the whole situation. She couldn’t even be happy about Eli convincing her to go out with him again because she wasn’t certain of his intentions.

Everything was so mucked up and nothing seemed to be going right. She did the only thing she could – she went into her bedroom and closed the door. She picked up the guitar and started strumming.

The rhythms started to work their magic. Slowly, very slowly, she started to calm down. Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she thought. After all, Eli said she was worth it. He still wanted her to go out with him. No matter how the other guys in her life treated him, he still stuck around and didn’t retaliate.

Although, perhaps that was part of his plan. If he was trying to make Abigail jealous, he might be sticking around just so he didn’t have to start all over again with another unsuspecting girl.

Kaley’s eyes wandered to the window when a light caught her eye. She saw Harvey standing in his bedroom, he gave her a half-hearted wave. She didn’t hesitate, Kaley stood and snapped her curtains shut.

She didn’t care that it was rude and might hurt his feelings, he deserved it. He had done everything he could to make Eli feel uncomfortable at dinner, it was cruel. Now it was his turn to see how that felt.

Settling back onto the bed, Kaley resumed her music. She didn’t even try to write any songs, any words that came to mind weren’t clean enough to publish. It was enough to let the strings tell her story.

Chapter 16

Kaley’s day was going well. She had seen Eli twice and on both occasions he had stopped to give her a clue about the date he was planning.

The first one was that she had to wear comfortable walking shoes. That one was a worry, Kaley hoped he wasn’t planning anything too physical or needing coordination. Neither were her strong points, but both were Eli’s. She hoped he remembered she wasn’t on the school football team like he was.

The second clue was a leaf. He had simply given her a green leaf from the trees that grew in the courtyard. It didn’t really reveal much.

She walked through the school corridor, hoping to change her books before meeting Harper for lunch. She would probably be okay without doing it, but the excess ones were weighing her down. She needed to do a quick book drop and hopefully see Eli for her third clue – if there was one. What used to be a horrible burden to have her locker right next to Eli’s, was now a good thing.

Her locker was in sight, but there was no Eli. She didn’t have time to be disappointed before a hand clenched around her arm and pulled her into a classroom. When she got over the surprise, she turned to see the perpetrator was Harper and they were standing alone in the music room.

“What the hell, Harper?”

“I’m sorry, but it was urgent.” Her voice was serious, her eyes wide open. She was obviously concerned about something. “She knows.”

“Who knows what?” Kaley had no clue was she was talking about. She had grown immune to Harper’s melodramatic ways, but even she was confused at times.

Harper rolled her eyes, feeling she shouldn’t need to explain any further. “Abigail. She knows it’s you that Eli is dating. She’s out to get you.”

It felt like Kaley had received a blow to the head as the words sunk in. If Abigail knew, then she was as good as a dead woman walking. She sat on the piano stool, the nearest seat she could find. “How?”

“I don’t know. I overheard her talking to Macy when I was in the restroom.”

“Did she say my name?”

Harper nodded ominously. “Macy did. What are you going to do?”

“Live in here, I guess,” Kaley joked but she considered it to be a real option. If she continued to stalk the corridors of Sandyridge High School, she was going to be hunted down. She may as well wear a target on her shirt.

Harper sat on the piano stool next to her and opened her backpack, pulling out two halves of a sandwich. She handed one to Kaley and they ate in silence while they tried to work out a plan.

“You don’t think Eli told her, do you?” Harper asked. She tried to say it gently, hoping the accusation wouldn’t hurt.

Kaley couldn’t deny the thought had crossed her mind too. Besides Harper and Harvey, the only other person that knew about their date was Eli. Unless he had told anyone, that left the suspect pool pretty shallow.

“I guess it could have been him.”

“What would he have to gain from telling her?”

“Making her jealous.”

They shared a collective sigh, knowing what that could mean. Eli had been so nice to her that Kaley didn’t want to believe it anymore. She wanted so badly to believe the best of him now. He had reeled her in, made her feel special. She couldn’t bear to be cut loose now.

A long time passed as they thought about the situation before Harper finally decided their brooding was enough. They didn’t have any answers, and they were hiding out, so they may as well try to make the most of the situation.

“You never told me how your concert was the other night. Was Mr. Doherty wonderfully magical like he always is?”

Kaley was glad for the change of topic. “He sure was. He’s a master, it’s amazing watching him play.”

“Did it make you jealous?”

“Jealous about what?”

Harper rolled her eyes again, once more having to explain something that should have been obvious. “About being on stage. When are you going to play for an audience?”

“Never.”

“Why don’t you ever show anyone how talented you are? I’ve heard you play and you’re better than most people on the radio.”

Kaley shook her head, it wasn’t going to happen. “I’m not that good. I just dabble. And you shouldn’t be eavesdropping at doors, one day you’re going to hear something you don’t want to.”

“I don’t want to, or
you
don’t want me to?”

“Both.”

Harper concentrated on her wringing fingers. “I wish I was as talented as you. I would play for anyone that would listen.”

“I’m not any good, and even if I was, it’s not that easy. My music is private, it’s personal. It would be like reading my diary in front of people. I would die if anyone heard it.”

“Music is supposed to be personal, that’s how people can relate to it,” Harper sighed. “One day you’re going to have to realize how good you are. Until then, I’m going to have to keep nagging you. Because that’s what best friends are for.”

“And for hiding out in a classroom all lunch,” Kaley added, happy to have the subject dropped – or at least temporarily suspended. “How long do you think it will take Abigail to calm down?”

“Probably never.”

“Well, we can’t hide from her forever.”

“You’ve got a better idea?”

Kaley shook her head sadly. “No.”

The bell rang in the distance, signaling the end of the lunch break. The girls looked at each other, knowing they would have to join the sea of students in the corridors outside. Abigail would be amongst them, on her way to her next class.

“Seriously, what are the chances of running into her?” Kaley stood, picking up her bag. “It’s a big school and I haven’t seen her all morning.”

“You’re right. It’s not like she would do anything in public, right? She has her reputation to protect.”

“Exactly. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.” Harper watched her bravely leave before adding underneath her breath: “You’re going to need it.”

Kaley tried to walk confidently through the corridor, her head held high and her shoulders back. She kept reminding herself she was invisible, nobody ever saw her roaming the hallways. Why should today be any different? Abigail probably didn’t even know what she looked like, she could blend in with everyone and nobody would be any the wiser.

As Kaley’s next classroom was in sight, so was Abigail. She quickly ducked into the janitor’s closet and watched through the glass window in the door. Her heart was racing as she saw Abigail walk past in reaching distance. She didn’t look happy, even though Macy and Madison were laughing at her side.

It wasn’t a good sign.

She waited until she was absolutely certain Abigail would not see her and continued on to class – late now, thanks to her. She decided she needed a plan, something to ensure her safety from the school tyrant. She would have to think of something – and soon.