The Awakening (Entangled Series Book 1) (7 page)

“Do you still see them? Others I mean?”

“Sometimes, but I learned that they only show themselves once you’re connected to the property.”

Just then Jessie’s phone chimed. “Damn, I’ve got to go. How about dinner tonight?” she asked, standing up and shoving the rest of the roll into her mouth.

“Can’t.” Xtina stood up too. “I’m going to see my gran today. I might not be back until late.”

“Tomorrow night?”

Xtina nodded. “I’ll bring something…”

“No, you won’t, we’ll go out. You know where I’m at?”

“The same place?”

Jessie nodded. “Good, you can pick me up. Sometimes I think I’ll be there until I die.”

“You could move out here with me.”

Jessie laughed and glanced around. “Without a microwave, TV, or… well, internet? No thanks.”

“I do plan on changing all that… soon.” She looked around and thought about all the changes that needed to be done to the place to make it more modern.

“Ask me again after you’re done.” She turned to go. “Oh, if you need anything…” She smiled. “You’ve got a big strong neighbor to help out.”

Xtina laughed as her friend slammed the front door behind her.

M
ike hung up the phone and smiled. It was sure nice to know that his checking account balance had just been increased by a few thousand dollars. He’d actually liked working for Bartle LLC and was hoping to make it a more permanent deal. After all, they were one of the leading government liquidators in the south. And as such, each of their new employees and prospective buyers had to go through a rigorous background check, which fell into Mike’s expertise.

After logging off his computer, he stood up and stretched. He’d been sitting down for the past few hours and could use a run, but decided to spend his pent-up energy knocking out the flooring in the living room and kitchen instead.

He loved hard work. Work that was dirty and sweaty. Something that made his muscles scream for a few days afterwards. Something that would help him sleep through the night.

After the other night, he assumed that his visitor would leave him the hell alone. Instead, she seemed even angrier than before. Except when Xtina was with him. Then, she seemed more tolerable.

He pulled on a pair of old sweats, Velcroed on his knee pads, and got to work. Several hours later, his phone beeped with a new message.

-Being sent overseas again. – E

He replied quickly to his brother.

-Can you tell me where?

-Nope, being shipped off early next week. Won’t be back for a few months.

-Did you tell the folks?

-Yup, mom cried, dad gushed with pride.

-When are you going to end their pain and settle down?

-When are you?

-Let me know when you’re back. Love ya man.

-Back at ya.

He hated thinking of his brother stuck in some hole somewhere until he was called on. But fresh out of school, they had both decided the military was the best choice for them. Mike’s career had only lasted two years, then he’d moved on to the police force. Ethan had signed up for another four years. His brother lived for his job, and if Mike had to be honest about it, the country needed his brother as much as Ethan needed the military.

But every time Ethan was sent off on some secret mission, their mother would worry and their father would stress until he was back in the States, safe and sound. Usually, Ethan being away meant that he’d be hearing from his folks on an almost weekly basis. Which wasn’t such a bad thing. Especially now, since he was off the force and could actually sit down and enjoy the phone calls.

Sure enough, less than half an hour later, his phone rang.

“Hey, Mom,” he answered after seeing her name and photo pop up on his screen.

“So, you heard?” she asked.

“Yup, he texted me about half an hour ago.”

“Well, did you ask him if he’s going to stop all this soon?”

“Yes.”

“And?” she finally said after a moment of silence. He held in a chuckle.

“He asked me when I’m going to settle down right back.”

“Well?” She was beginning to sound impatient. He could just see her, standing in their kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring across the room at the back of his dad’s head as he watched the game.

“As soon as I find someone who can cook like you, I’ll marry her on the spot.” He knew that would soften her up.

“Well…” He could hear her smile. “Don’t wait too long, dear. Almost all of the good fish have already left the sea.”

He chuckled. “All it takes is one.” His mind snapped to Xtina and his eyes moved towards the large windows in his living room. It was too dark out to see if her car sat in the driveway, but he did notice that the house was dark, which meant she was either asleep or not home yet.

He’d watched her come and go, yesterday, when she’d gone to visit her grandmother. He wondered how the short trip had gone. He also spent a few hours today wondering if he should stop by later tonight, but ended up telling himself that if she wanted to see him, she knew where he lived, too.

“You aren’t listening to a word I’m saying.” His mother’s tone broke into his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve been working on putting the hardwood floor in for the past few hours.”

“Oh? How’s that going?”

“So far, so good. Actually, I should be done sometime tomorrow.”

“That’s wonderful dear, send us some pictures when you’re done. When are you going to get the kitchen done so I can come down there and cook you a proper meal?”

“After the floor and the baseboards are in, that’s the next on my list.”

“Good. Maybe we’ll head your way when Ethan gets back,” she said worriedly.

“Don’t worry about him too much. He is a big boy.”

“I worry about you both, all of the time. It’s my job.”

He smiled and shifted the phone. “Well, at least don’t worry too much. After all, his squad is one of the best around.”

“Yes, that’s true. I’m so very proud of both of you. How’s your business going?”

For the next twenty minutes, he filled his mother in on his latest client. When he happened to mention his neighbors dying in a car crash and their sexy, mysterious daughter returning home, his mother flooded him with a million questions.

What was she like? Was she married or single? What did she do for a living?

He realized that was something he’d yet to ask her himself. He knew what her profile said online. For the past two years, she’d run a little shop on the outskirts of Idaho Springs as a psychic, where tourists stopped to get pizza and ice cream and have their palms read. Before that, she’d lived in Arizona in what appeared to be a Humanist Society. The community boasted that free thinkers of all types were welcome and that education was given freely by experts in various fields. They discuss the arts, books, social events, politics, technology, religion, and more. The one statement by the leader, William Ray, that had caught his eye was about supernatural beliefs and how the society had a progressive philosophy on the supernatural. The man looked to be a few years older than him and he wondered what gave the man so much knowledge in the area, since he couldn’t find anything more on him.

He’d researched as much as he could about the society and still questioned what Xtina had been doing there. She didn’t have an online presence tied to them, which meant that she’d broken the ties as soon as she’d moved on. He wondered if she’d found what she needed there or if it had just been some big joke, like he assumed the place was. Still, she’d spent almost an entire year living there.

Before that, she had moved around so much, he’d lost track of her several times. He knew she’d been in Seattle, L.A., and even Houston. But, everything in between was just a blank.

He’d planned on asking her more when he saw her next and asking some of the questions his mother had asked him about her.

After convincing his mother that he would invite Xtina out for dinner soon, he cleaned up and headed into town for a quick burger.

The little café in town had switched owners late last year and had changed its name to Café 23, in honor of the highway it sat directly on. They’d gone from a greasy dinner to a family friendly joint that had some of the best milk shakes and burgers around.

After cleaning up a little, he climbed into his truck and headed out. He noticed that Xtina’s car was not in the driveway and wondered where she had gone to all day.

When he pulled into the busy parking lot of the diner, he smiled when he noticed Jessie and Xtina sitting in a back booth, their heads bent over a large book as they chatted.

The bell chimed over the door and both of the ladies glanced up at him. Jessie’s smile was quick, but Xtina just bit her bottom lip when she noticed him.

“Evening, hun,” Clara, one of the waitresses he’d been flirting with for the past year, said. She was easily as old as his mother and as frail as his grandmother, but he didn’t mind. He liked the silver-haired woman. Maybe because she always gave him extra French fries every time he was in there.

“How are you tonight, Clara?” he asked.

“Oh, doing fine. Find yourself a seat, sweetie. We’re hopping tonight.”

“I’m going to join a couple friends.” He nodded towards the booth.

Clara glanced over, then smiled. “Oh, looks like I’ve got some competition.”

He chuckled. “You’ll always have my heart…as long as you keep feeding me hamburgers, French fries, and chocolate shakes.”

“Coming right up,” she said as she glided away.

When he walked over to the booth, Jessie had moved aside so he could sit next to her. Instead, he sat next to Xtina, pushing her over slightly with his hip.

“I sat with you last time.” He winked at Jessie. “Now it’s her turn to get me.”

Jessie laughed. “From what she tells me, sounds like you’ll be choosing her over me all the time now.” She leaned on her elbows and smiled at him.

He glanced over at Xtina. “Have you been kissing and telling?” He watched her face flush and thought the color added sex appeal to her beauty. He reached under the table and took her hand in his. At first, her fingers were stiff, but after he started chatting with Jessie, he felt her relax.

“So, you’ve put in the floor?” Jessie asked. “Was that what all that wood was sitting in your living room?”

“Yes, I have my kitchen cabinets in the garage. I’ll be starting on those next.”

“I’m not big on remodeling. They fixed up my apartment last year and I was stuck in a hotel for three weeks.”

He chuckled, then turned to Xtina. “What about you? Don’t you have plans for the big house?”

“Actually, we were just talking about that.” She turned the book towards him and he noticed a page full of microwaves.

“I’d really like to heat food up in less than thirty minutes,” she said, causing him to smile.

“If you need any help, I just purchased all new appliances for my place a few months back. I can show you the best deals and brands.”

“Really?” She shifted, dropping his hand to flip through the pages.

“What is this?” He pulled the book from her. “Sears? You shop for appliances using a magazine?”

“It’s all my parents had.”

“Don’t you use a computer?”

Jessie’s burst of laughter caught his attention. When she tried to cover it with a cough, he asked. “What’s funny? Computers are…”

“Oh, I use a computer, but our girl here, you see, her parents were a little backward thinking.”

He turned to Xtina. “You don’t own a computer?”

She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve never even used a computer before.”

He almost laughed, but then stopped. “What about this?” He picked up her phone, which was sitting on the tabletop.

“That’s just my phone.”

He smiled and punched a few buttons, then frowned. “You don’t have data?”

“Data?”

“You know?” Upon her blank look, he shook his head. “Okay, seriously?” He turned back to Jessie.

“Told ya.” She smiled. “I’ve tried, but she just seems so… stuck.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Xtina said. “Besides, I always end up breaking something. I went to the library once to register my business name, and the whole row of computers almost burst into flames.” He felt her cringe.

“I’m sure that’s an exaggeration,” he said.

“No, it’s not. The fire department showed up,” she added, causing Jessie to giggle.

“If you want, come over tomorrow and I’ll help you order everything online.”

She bit her bottom lip. “I might explode your computer.”

He smiled. “I think I’ll risk it.”

She shrugged, just as Clara showed up with his burger, fries, and shake.

“That looks good,” Jessie said. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

Xtina shook her head when Clara asked if she wanted the same. “No, I’ll just do the fries and shake.”

“Light eater?” he asked her after Clara left.

“I ate before I left the house. Besides, red meat doesn’t sit well with me anymore.”

“So…” Jessie leaned over and took one of his fries. “Xtina was telling me all the different places she’s been.”

“Oh?” He turned slightly towards her, reaching once more to take her hand in his. He wanted to get to the point where she didn’t flinch when he touched her.

“She lived in L.A. for a few months.” Jessie sighed. “I’ve never been to a big city before.”

“Never? What about Atlanta?”

“That doesn’t really count.” She snuck another fry from his plate.

“Want some?” He tipped his plate towards Xtina, who took two and nibbled on them. “So, where else did you travel to?” he asked.

“Here and there.” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Colorado.” Jessie ticked off on her fingers. “Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada… Oh…” She sat forward, excitement rolling in her gray eyes. “Tell him about winning the car in Vegas.”

“What?” He turned towards her again. “You won a car?”

She smiled. “At a blackjack table. My hybrid.”