Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (19 page)

“Of course,” my mother said, leading the way back through the garage to the kitchen door.

My birthday dinner that night was all I could have ever wanted with good food and even better company. We polished off the Chinese food, with a lot of help from Ethan, and ended the evening with cake and ice cream. Ethan and Brooke gave me a beautiful wooden jewelry box with a wolf carved on the lid. It was the perfect place to keep the necklace my father had given me.

After dinner, Ethan escaped a long night of girl talk by taking off for home just after dark. Brooke and I spent hours sorting through my clothes for my date tomorrow night. Noah called around nine, but with Brooke lurking on the edge of my bed, I kept the call short with a quick hello and how was your day. He asked about my birthday and then told me he would pick me up at six-thirty the next evening.

After I hung up with Noah, Brooke and I stayed up late talking about boys. She mentioned Xander once, and I briefly remembered the birthday card he had left for me. I had deliberately not told Brooke or Ethan about it. Before she could say anything more about Xander, I quickly changed the subject to a boy she liked. Then late, long after the sun dipped below the mountains giving way to a dark night speckled with stars, we fell asleep dreaming about the boys we hoped would make our senior year memorable.

Chapter 11

I woke up before the sun peeked over the horizon. All I could think about was my date with Noah that evening. Butterflies danced around in my stomach as I lay awake in bed, waiting for the sun to rise and for Brooke to wake up. Dakota slept soundly on his bed, his breathing slow and rhythmic. I stared up at the dark ceiling, counting the minutes until the day began.

After Brooke finally got up, she left before breakfast since it was the only time her mother could come to get her. I ate a few bites of the blueberry pancakes that my mother made before bouncing up to head outside with Dakota. I missed our long hikes. I couldn’t remember ever going more than a few days without escaping into the woods. The last week had felt like forever.

As soon as I stepped out into the bright sunlight, I shivered despite the heavy gray sweatshirt I had thrown on that morning. Dakota trotted through the dewy lawn, sniffing everywhere. I followed him out into the yard, the wet grass sprinkling my hiking boots with a damp mist.

“So what do you say? Is it safe to go for a hike today?”

Dakota snapped his head up from the ground and looked at the trees. The fur on his neck was still growing back, but now covered the bare skin and scabs. His limp was gone, and I sensed his growing frustration from staying on house arrest for a week. He craved the freedom of the forest and a fresh deer or rabbit meal just as much as I craved a hike in the mountains I had grown to love.

A branch cracked somewhere deep in the woods. Dakota launched into a stealthy run, his stride opening up beneath his bunched muscles. In an instant, he disappeared into the shadows without a sound. Silence loomed as I suddenly found myself alone.

I sighed, realizing that no matter how strong my bond with Dakota was, it would never break the wild instincts within his soul.

I waited for a few moments, hoping he would return. But I quickly realized he wasn’t coming back, and I had no desire to venture into the woods alone. I hoped he wouldn’t get hurt again, but I had to let him go. He couldn’t stay cooped up in the house indefinitely.

“Fine,” I said out loud even though he was probably too far away to hear me by now. “Have it your way. But be home before dark and no bleeding this time.”

I retreated back into the kitchen where my parents still sat at the kitchen table, both of them sipping nutty-smelling coffee and browsing the newspaper. My mother looked up at me when I reappeared. “That was fast,” she commented. “Back so soon?”

“I never left. Dakota took off and I don’t know where he went.”

“Hopefully to catch himself a deer,” my father muttered between sips of coffee. “It was getting expensive to have to feed him.”

“Tom!” my mother scolded. “That’s a little insensitive. He was injured. Besides, I’m sure he didn’t like eating chicken every day any more than you liked paying for it.”

“Good. Then hopefully he’ll find something else to snack on,” my father said before turning the page of his newspaper. “He’s probably restless from being cooped up all week. He’ll be fine.”

“I just don’t want him to get hurt again.”

“He’s smart,” my mother stated matter-of-factly. “I’m sure he learned his lesson with whatever did that to him.”

“I hope you’re right.” I still wasn’t convinced. “Mom, will you be home all day today?”

“Yes. I have to work on lesson plans for next week.”

“Then can you let Dakota in if he comes back?”

“Of course.”

“Thanks. Well, I’d better get ready for work.”

She nodded and turned her attention back to the newspaper as I headed up to my bedroom. My stomach was suddenly tied up in knots. Not only was I anxious about my date with Noah, but now I would worry about Dakota all day. I wasn’t sure which was worse.

***

Work was slow that day since summer was officially over and the tourists were gone. The few locals who wandered in didn’t amount to more than a handful of tables to wait on. Mike canceled my shift for the next day before sending me home early. “Sorry, Laken,” he had apologized. “But I can’t afford the help when it’s this slow. I’ll need you in a few weeks when the foliage peaks, though.”

When six o’clock finally arrived, I scurried about my room to get ready for my date while listening to a new Pink song on my phone. I dressed in the short black skirt and pale blue sweater that Brooke had blessed last night. My new necklace sparkled above the sweater’s plunging neckline. I curled my hair in soft waves and applied a dab of makeup to my green eyes. The ensemble wasn’t complete until I added silver dangling earrings, a dash of perfume, and a pair of black high heels.

As I stole one last glance in the mirror, the doorbell rang and my heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I dashed out of my bedroom and tiptoed down the stairs, my heels barely tapping against each step. With a small black purse in one hand and my black leather jacket in the other, I hoped that I would beat my parents to the front door. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky.

When I approached, three pairs of eyes stared at me and I felt a blush creep across my face. I glanced at Noah who stood outside the front door in the fading sunlight. The vision of him in dark blue jeans, a black button-down shirt, and black leather jacket sent my heart into a flutter.

Even with my parents at the doorway, I couldn’t peel my eyes away from him. I had dreamed of this moment all week.

I stopped a few feet away from the doorway. “Hi,” I said, smiling at him as I slipped into my jacket.

“Hey. Are you ready to go?” He seemed just as anxious as I did to escape.

“Yeah.” I glared at each of my parents, hoping they could read my expression.
What are you doing?

My mother seemed to get the message. “Well, don’t stay out too late you two,” she said, breaking the awkward silence. When she turned to me, I prayed she wouldn’t say something embarrassing. “Have a nice time, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom. Good night, Dad. I hope you don’t get too many calls tonight.”

“Me, too, since I’m letting this guy off and I won’t have any back-up,” my father teased. “But seriously, Noah, enjoy the night off.”

“Thanks, Tom.” Noah looked at me and held out his hand. “Shall we go?”

I nodded, never taking my eyes away from his as I walked between my parents and through the doorway to take his hand. “Yes.”

His fingers curled around mine, his skin warm and his touch sending goose bumps up my arm.

As we started down the sidewalk, my father’s voice rang out behind us. “Be home by midnight so I don’t have to send out a search party.”

Noah turned to glance back at my parents. “Midnight it is. And don’t worry, sir, she’s safe with me.”

Whispers sounded behind us, mostly my mother who was probably scolding my father for being overprotective. Then the door finally shut, leaving Noah and I alone at last. I breathed a sigh of relief. “That was embarrassing,” I admitted.

Noah shrugged. “They obviously care a lot about you. A lot of parents these days just want their kids out of their hair and don’t take the time to know who they’re with.”

We reached the end of the sidewalk at the driveway and stopped. I looked up at him curiously. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“I am. Back in Pittsburgh, I always got sent to handle the kids since I was closer to their ages than most of the other officers. So many times, the parents had no clue what their kids were getting in to. And the kids...well, let’s just say it was obvious that they knew their parents didn’t care.”

I stared at him for a moment, realizing how much I still didn’t know about him. He had real world experiences to share, and I suddenly felt very young and sheltered. “Wow. I can’t imagine my parents letting me run all over town without knowing where I was, who I was with, and when I would be home.”

“Just as long as you see that as a good thing.” He smiled down at me apologetically. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where all of that came from. Can we start over here?” He paused, his eyes sparkling. “You look beautiful tonight.” He dropped my hand and gently touched the pendant hanging around my neck. “That’s a gorgeous necklace.”

“Thank you. It was a gift from my dad for my birthday. Apparently, it’s an old family heirloom.”

Noah raised his eyebrows. “Really? It looks brand new.”

“I know. That’s what I said.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the sheer curtains behind our family room window flutter. “Oh no,” I groaned. “I think we’re being watched. Maybe we should go now.”

“Good idea.”

Noah led me around to the passenger side of his silver sedan and opened the door. I slid into the front seat as gracefully as I could in my skirt and heels. As he circled around the front of the car and took his seat behind the wheel, I tugged my short skirt down. It had ridden halfway up my thighs and I couldn’t help wondering if Noah noticed. I glanced shyly at him, smiling as I caught his eye. He noticed.

We snapped our seatbelts into place and Noah started the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked as he backed out of the driveway. I glanced back at the house, but I didn’t see any more movement behind the curtains.

“I was thinking we could try Fireside, but I’m also open to ideas if there’s some other place you’d rather go.”

“Fireside would be great. It sounds perfect.”

After the five minute drive through town, Noah pulled into a gravel parking lot in front of a two-story log building. Darkness had fallen, but the restaurant beckoned from its hiding spot away from the road with soft light that glowed from within and candles that had been carefully centered in each window sill.

Noah parked between two SUV’s a few spaces from the front door of the restaurant. I started to get out of the car, but he darted around to my side to offer his hand before I could stand. I couldn’t have been more grateful for his steady support. My heels wobbled on the uneven gravel, and I grabbed his arm a few times to keep from falling as we walked to the entrance.

Noah held the door open, gesturing for me to go ahead of him.

“Thank you,” I said with a smile as I felt like pinching myself. Ten minutes into this date and it already felt like a dream come true.

The restaurant was warm and cozy. The hostess area opened up into a dining area on one side of the building. Above it, a second-level dining area could be glimpsed beyond the balcony railing. To the other side, log beams stretched across a tall cathedral ceiling. A bar bordered the back wall and a two-story stone fireplace extended to the ceiling’s highest point at the far end. A pile of wood sat upon the raised hearth as a fire crackled behind a decorative screen. A huge plaid couch and coffee table had been centered in front of the fireplace, and small dining tables were scattered around the perimeter of the room.

The soft hum of voices lofted through the half-empty restaurant and bar. Mouth-watering aromas of savory meats and sweet desserts hung in the air as we approached the pretty brunette behind the hostess stand. Aside from her elegant black dress, bright red lipstick was the only other color she wore. “Good evening. Two for dinner?” she asked, smiling a little too brightly at Noah. I was surprised she even noticed that he had a date.

“Yes, please,” Noah responded.

A pang of jealously whipped through me when he smiled back at her. But he quickly redeemed himself by turning to me and asking, “Do you want to sit over by the fireplace?”

“I’d love to.” I stepped a little closer to him until my shoulder grazed his arm as the hostess took two menus from the stack on the stand.

She instructed us to follow her and led us to a private table on the far side of the room that gave us a view of the fireplace. I barely noticed the few guests seated at the bar with their backs to us as the hostess placed our menus on the table. “Someone will be right with you,” she said before returning to her post at the front door.