The Price of a Gift (The Price of Secrets Series) (15 page)

Mom nodded. "No you haven't been. Your Dad and I were talking about that earlier today. Daniel must think an awful lot about you to make that. What do you think of him?"

I knew I was getting their version of the third degree but I didn't care. I want to tell them about Daniel. "I really like him. He seems to be a good friend. He is sweet and kind and he knows my secret and still made that for me. It doesn't hurt that he's hot. We're hanging out Friday just to talk and get to know each other better."

Mom hugged me. "Just enjoy being his friend and see where it goes. That way you don't get hurt. I know he's a good guy but never let him talk you into anything you don't want to do."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please don't have the sex talk again. I know right from wrong."

Dad took his coffee and went into the study. He always ducks and hides when the topic, even remotely resembling sex, comes up. Mom and I watched him leave then she grinned.

"Do we know how to clear him out of a room or what?" She patted my hand. "I remember what it's like being teenager, Hannah. All the firsts you're going to have. Like first love and prom and first taste of independence. It goes by so fast, so I want you to enjoy it and have fun. I know you have a good head on your shoulders but you are my baby and I worry about you. That's my job."

"I know Mom. But if I get hurt by Daniel it won't be on purpose." I stood up and started to walk to the doorway. I turned around, wanting to lighting things up, I added. "Don't worry Mom, I have no plans on making you a grandma anytime soon."

I ran to my room, laughing, before she could catch me. I finished what little bit of homework I had. Then surfed the internet a while. I was bored so I decided to turn in early. I was beat, plus I was anxious to see if my dream catcher would really help me. But I made time to write in my diary about today. I'm making sure I write in it every day so I can go back later and use it for research if needed. I try to give as much detail as possible because what doesn't seem like a big
deal now might mean something later. I put my book on my nightstand, making a mental note to find a hiding place for it, and said my prayers.

It might just be the power of suggestion, but last night was the most peaceful, restful sleep that I'd had in weeks. I woke up early this morning. Giving me enough time to take a cup of coffee out back and sit for a few minutes. Mom and Dad were already in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Morning." I said grabbing a coffee cup.

Dad turned around and acted shocked.
"Are you sleepwalking? Because it is way too early for you to be up."

"
Haha very funny. I went to bed early last night." He placed the eggs in the frying pan while mom got the biscuits out of the oven.

"Breakfast is almost ready." Mom said.

"I'm not hungry right now. I'm just gonna go sit outback until time to get ready." I changed my mind and grabbed a biscuit and my coffee and went out the back door.

It was already sticky outside and it lo
oks like it's gonna rain. So it is definitely gonna be a pony tail hair day for me. I curled up on a lounge chair and took a bite of my biscuit. My mind drifted to Daniel and the way he looked walking to my lunch table yesterday. The way I felt when I opened my locker door and saw the bag with the dream catcher inside, along with the note passing back and forth all day with him. Sipping on my coffee, I turned my attention to the pool where a dragonfly was hover over it. (Why do they do that?) Of course the pool made me think of Samantha. With her only being sixteen I wonder if she ever even had a chance to like a boy.

"I'm so sorry Samantha for everything you missed out on. You were robbed of your f
irst kiss and your first love, the anticipation of getting ready for a date. Then coming home and telling your best friend and your mom all about it. You didn't get to graduate school or get married and have children." I really didn't realize I was speaking out loud until Samantha formed right there beside my chair. I could see straight through her as she stood over me. "I didn't really understand what was taken from you until right now. Samantha, I promise we will find out what happened to you. Because you are going to move on and be free to enjoy the afterlife. I'm gonna make sure of it." Without speaking she bent down and touched my cheek with the back of her hand. Then she disappeared.

Chapter 11

I thought Friday evening would never get here. School went by so slow today but now that it's almost time for Daniel to pick me up, I was getting nervous. I checked myself in the mirror for like the tenth time. I accessorized the black strapless romper with simple jewelry. Silver earrings and a silver necklace and topped it off with silver sandals. I kept my hair curly and clipped up the sides, crossing my fingers that it won't frizz. I think I look pretty good. I was starting to feel confident. That is until the doorbell rang. I got my phone, and the twenty that my mom gave me as a just in case, and went out into the living room. Daniel was standing in the foyer with my parents looking handsome in a white polo shirt and black shorts. Awww, we matched. He looked me up and down and smiled.

"Hey." I said awkwardly.

"Hey. You look nice. Here I brought you this for a housewarming gift." I hadn't even noticed he was holding something. It was a small tree in a pot.

Well, it
ain't flowers, but it was close. "Umm, thank you." I said.

He laughed. "It's an oak tree. It is supposed to protect and ward off evil spirits. I thought you might want it planted in the back yard close to your room." He looked at my
parents. "If that's ok with you."

Mom spoke up. "I think that's a great idea. Here, Hannah, let me take it and you can plant it tomorrow." I handed it to Mom.

"Where are you two going?" Dad asked Daniel.

He looked at me then to my dad. "Well, I was supposed to pick a place for us to go, but being new around here, I don't have a clue. So I was hoping Hannah would have an idea." He looked upset.

I didn't mean to put any pressure on Daniel when I left it up to him. What if he didn't want to take me anywhere? I mean here he was, being a good guy, and asking me if I want to talk about my problems and I turned it into him taking me out. Oh my gosh, I've ruined this. How do I make this right? I didn't even bother blocking my feelings from my dad. And for once I was glad he could pick up on them.

"I have a great idea. Why don't the two of you stay here? You can plant the tree, maybe go swimming or walk the land. Your mom and I will cook supper and you can eat out on the screened porch." Dad suggested.

I turned to Daniel. "What do you think?"

Again with the dimples.
"I think that's a great idea."

"Me too.
I'll go get the shovel. You can help me pick the right spot to plant my oak tree." I winked at Dad as I walked by him.

We planted the tree on the side of my house where I will be able to see it from the window at my desk. "Thank you again. I will make sure it gets plenty of water." I said while dusting dirt off my legs. There goes my cute outfit, and I'm sure by now my hair looks terrible. But it doesn't matter as long as I'm getting to spend time with Daniel.

He bent down and picked up the shovel. "You're welcome. Did you know that according to legend, fairies used to take refuge in oak trees and called them home?" He leaned on the handle of the shovel and smiled.

"I did not know that," I laughed, "but if there are fairies around here they are more than welcome to take up residence in my oak tree." We stood there just looking at each other. I felt like I have memorized every feature and expression that gorgeous face has. I could stare at him all day, but the whole him staring at me made me nervous. All these bad scenarios ran through my head. Like what if he sees something he doesn't like? Or what if I have something hanging out of my nose? Or what if I have goop in the corners of my eyes? I broke the silence. "What do you want to do now? We could walk around or watch TV or go sit by the pool or go swimmin
g, or whatever you want." I asked Daniel.

He looked down at me. "We could sit by the pool and talk."

"Ok, I will go get us some drinks and I will meet you there." I ran into the kitchen and grabbed two soda cans out of the fridge.

"Hey kid." My dad was standing behind me in the doorway.

"Hey. Thanks for suggesting we stay here. I wasn't even thinking about him being new to the area."

"You're welcome. Hey, stop being so nervous, just
be yourself. Because that boy out there likes you for you."

I ran over to my dad, resisting the urge to dance my way to him. "How do you know? Did you get a feel from him? How can you and I can't?"

Dad just laughed like he knew an inside joke that I didn't. "I didn't need to get a feel from him. The look in his eyes when he saw you walk into the foyer told me everything. Now go have fun and relax."

"Thanks." I walked back out with our drinks. Daniel was sitting on the concrete with his feet in the pool. So I kicked off my sandals and sat down to join him. I handed him a can. "I hope this is ok."

"It is, thanks." He waited until I got settled and put my feet into the water. "Are you ready to talk about what has been going on?" Was that really the only reason he was here? Just to hear my problems?

"And now I'm stuck. I thought that number meant something but it lead me to
a another dead end. I feel like that shadow demon thing is gonna try and stop me from helping Samantha. But like I told you, after seeing her that morning out here, I will make sure she passes on. I promised." I had spent the last hour catching him up on everything that my diary he read had left off.

He sat there for a minute taking in everything I said. "I think, no I know, the shadow demon is afraid of you. So that must mean you are on the right track. I also know Jaycee is going to help you, but so am I. Let me think on it and see if I can come up with any ideas." He wants to help me. We barely know each other. Yet I have told him everything and feel comfortable doing so.

I looked over at him and caught him staring at me. Oh my gosh, he is so hot. "Thank you. That means a lot. I need all the help I can get. We have talked so much about me and I know next to nothing about you. Tell me about yourself." He shrugged his shoulders. "Come on, I'm literally an open book to you, it's your turn." I playfully grabbed his arm.

Just like every time before when I touched him, I felt electricity. There was a faint whisper in the back of my mind. He's the one. Yeah right, tell him that. I'm stuck in the friend zone. But I think he felt it too because he looked down at his arm as I let go. Like he was
gonna see scorch marks or something.

"There's really not that much to tell. Um, my mom's side of the family is originally from the mountains here in North Carolina. And my grandparents moved to Oklahoma after they got married. My mom is full blooded Cherokee and my Dad's not. So my grandparents didn't like it at first when they got married."

I interrupted. "Why, and what changed their minds?"

"Because they wanted my mom to continue the Cherokee bloodline.
And they changed their minds when I was born. Mom and Dad met when Dad was doing his internship at the same hospital where mom had just started working as a nurse. They married on the one year anniversary of their first date. Fast I know but it has worked out great for them. Now that we moved here they get to see each other more since they work together at Dad's practice. My brother, David, is 12. He's pretty cool for a younger brother. Please don't ever tell him I said that."

I laughed. "I saw him at the
lawyer’s office when we had our closing on the house. He is so adorable and shy. I was introduced to him and he smiled and took off to your mom."

Daniel shook his head. "He is not shy. It's because he thought you were very pretty. He talked about you all the way back to the hotel. It got annoying. I can't blame him though for having good taste."

Awwww. Just wait, I'm gonna find me some darn handcuffs. "Thank you. Was it hard leaving Oklahoma?" I changed the subject because I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to stick my foot in my mouth by saying something cheesy like 'you ain't so bad yourself'. Or something even worse.

"It was hard to leave my grandparents.
Especially my A~li~si, my grandmother. We are very close. But she told me I needed this move. That I would find my destiny here." Wouldn't it be cool if my middle name was Destiny? Then I could say 'here I am'. And oh dear Lord, just hearing that in my head, I sounded like such a loser. "Growing up she would tell me stories of my ancestor's that have been passed down from generation to generation." For the first time since he had been talking, he took his eyes off me and looked at the water. "My favorite one is about my 9th great grandfather, he was a shape shifter. He would lead the hunting expeditions and would go ahead of the rest to shift into whatever animal they were hunting. That way he was able to track the animals and get close to them with ease. He would have to strip down naked so he wouldn't tear his clothing. He would always leave a large feathered necklace around his neck when he shifted. That was so the others in his tribe would know which one was him. His favorite animal to shift into was a horse. He loved the freedom and the rush of running through the open fields. He died when he was 102 years old." He looked back at me. The uncertainty in his deep brown eyes searched mine for a reaction.