Unveil (2 page)

“Will you be okay there? I mean, you’re my guest. Why don’t I take the couch and you can have my bed.”

Isaac chuckled. “What kind of guy would I be if I took your bed? I’ll be fine. But a blanket and pillow would be nice.” He shifted to get comfortable.

“Of course.” I ran down the hallway. We didn’t have any extra blankets and stuff like other families kept in their hall closets. However, I did have a quilt Grandma made me one year, and I always slept with two pillows. I could give up one for the night. Racing back out to him, I gave him the quilt and the pillow. After he got situated, I made my way back to my room and got ready for bed. As I drifted to sleep, I prayed Isaac would still be there in the morning.

The minute I woke up I scurried down the hallway in my flannel pajamas. The couch was empty and my heart sank. Was it all just a dream? Or had Isaac left?

“Hey, you’re up early.”

I gasped and spun around. He stood behind me wearing the same clothes he’d had on the night before. His hair was mussed from sleep but he still looked amazing. My heart soared. He had stayed. I raced to him, even though I knew I must have looked awful. He took me in his arms and held me close. I savored the feeling of him against me.

“I thought for sure you’d sleep in late after the night you had.” He kissed the top of my head. The act reminded me of the fact that I hadn’t showered yet, or brushed my teeth. Embarrassment filled me.

“I couldn’t sleep knowing you were here. I don’t want to waste our time together.” We disentangled and I appraised him. “How long are you here for, anyway?”

“Until Wednesday. I promised Mom I’d be home for Thanksgiving.”

I frowned. I had hoped he would spend the holiday with me, but I should have guessed he’d have to go home.

“Holidays have been hard enough since my brother died.”

Nodding, I bit my lip. “I understand. I’m just glad I have you here for five whole days!”

He flashed me one of his heart stopping dimpled grins. “Me too.” He reached his arms out again and stepped toward me, but this time I backed away.

“I’d better take a shower and get dressed. I’ll be back out in a minute.” Just when I turned, Mom walked into the room. Her hair stuck out all over her head in crazy tangles, and black mascara caked the side of her face. She looked even more deranged than normal. I stiffened, noticing the large bruise on her chin.

“What’s he still doing here?” she asked, quickly glancing in Isaac’s direction. “I realize he practically lives here, but you know I’m not okay with boys spending the night. You should go home, Tanner.” She walked past us and shuffled into the kitchen.

My body went numb, heat crept up my neck. Isaac stiffened beside me. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to face him. His cheeks had paled. Betrayal filled his dark eyes.

“I-I’m sorry. She must have just assumed. She hasn’t really been herself and -”

“It’s fine,” he cut me off and glanced away. “Just go take your shower.”

“Isaac.” I moved toward him.

He put his palm up. “It’s fine. Really.”

Mom re-entered the room. I could hear the sound of the coffee percolating and smell the aroma of the strong beans coming from the kitchen. She stopped and stared at Isaac, squinting.

“Hey, you’re not Tanner. You’re the other one.”

Would have been nice if she had taken a better look before.

To Isaac’s credit, he smiled as if unfazed by the whole misidentification. “Isaac.” He held out his hand. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Smith.”

Narrowing her eyes, she hesitantly took his hand in hers. “Nice to see you again, too, Isaac.”

“I’ll be back. I’m gonna get ready.” Grateful to get away, I walked down the hallway. Just as I opened the bathroom door, I heard Mom inhale sharply.

“What happened to my sculpture?”

I froze. She came toward me with fast, clipped strides. The bruise looked even darker in the dimly lit hall. I wondered why she wasn’t saying anything about it. She must have been in pain. Not to mention that I knew she had another one on her chest.

Standing my ground, I put my hand on my hip. “It needed to go, Mom.” I threw her a pointed look. “I got rid of it last night while you slept. You weren’t feeling well and I think that thing had something to do with it.”

Her eyes flashed. “I was fine last night. I don’t know why you keep saying I was sick and treating me like a child.”

“Do you seriously not remember anything?”

She visibly flinched and her eyes widened with fright. “I just remember having a little bit of a headache and then going to bed.”

I lowered my gaze to her battered chin. “Then how can you explain the bruises?”

She lifted her hand and traced her chin with her finger. With a frustrated look, she shook her head.

Feeling pity for her, I leaned in close and spoke softly. “Mom, something really bad happened last night. Wesley, he-”

“Enough with your demon talk, Kenzie.” She cut me off. “I can’t take it today. I must’ve just fallen or something. You know that sometimes I sleepwalk.”

I nodded.

“Yes, that was all it was. You don’t need to make it into something else.” She stared at me for a moment, reading my face. Then she softened, slunk back. “Okay. Well, thank you…for helping me last night.”

After giving her a quick nod, I slipped into the bathroom.

As the hot water ran over my back and steam rolled over me, I relaxed. I scrubbed my body, hoping to wipe all traces of betrayal from my skin. I still couldn’t believe I had almost kissed Tanner. And even worse, that Isaac had shown up at that exact moment. My mind drifted to Tanner and I wondered what he was doing. I wondered if he was thinking of me. I wondered if he was still hurt.

It was my fault. All of it. I had led him on. All along I had known he had feelings for me. Why hadn’t I put a stop to it sooner? It was because I cared for him, too, and more than that, I had needed him. The truth made me feel selfish and desperate. Shame burned through me.

I felt terrible for hurting him the way I had. He was a great guy. One who deserved an amazing girl. But I knew I had made the right choice. My heart leapt when I thought of Isaac out in the family room. I felt like pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The fact that he had come to visit was almost too good to be true.

Finishing up, I turned off the water and stepped out onto the bath mat. Steam rose from my pink skin. I wrapped a towel around my body and wiped the fog off the mirror with my arm so I could see my reflection. Picking up the brush I ran it through my soaked hair. After brushing my teeth, I cinched on my robe and then ran across the hallway to my room.

I could hear Isaac and Mom chatting. Listening to their voices, I tried to decipher if it was a friendly conversation or not. I hoped Mom was on her best behavior, but I wasn’t going to hold my breath. I threw on a pair of jeans and a black top and hurried back out to Isaac. I’d left him alone with Mom long enough.

They sat on the couch together with mugs of coffee in their hands. Mom’s legs were tucked up under her pajama-clad body, and Isaac’s were propped up on the coffee table. They were both smiling. I felt like I’d entered some alternate universe.

“That was fast.” Mom winked at me. “Afraid I was going to embarrass you?”

My face flamed as I plopped down on the love seat facing them.

“Don’t worry. I’m on my best behavior. Which is more than I can say for you when Drake is around.”

At the sound of his name, my skin crawled.

“Want a cup of coffee?” Isaac asked.

He was such a gentleman. I so didn’t deserve him.

I shook my head. “No, you stay. I’ll get it myself.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.” He stood before I could protest again. When he was safely in the kitchen, Mom leaned forward.

“You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was coming to visit.”

“I didn’t know. It was a surprise. Believe me, I would have liked some advance warning, too.”

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Oh. Did lover-boy see something he shouldn’t between you and hot-stuff?”

I cringed. Had it really been that obvious? “Mom, just stop it with that kind of talk. You’re gonna make it worse.”

“Okay, okay, calm down. I won’t say anything. It doesn’t sound like I need to, anyway.”

Isaac’s footsteps neared us and Mom sat back on the couch. He handed me a cup of hot coffee and I wrapped my hand around it. I glanced over at Mom looking all serene and normal, and wondered if she remembered anything about the night before. I mean, she had been possessed by a demon and my pastor had to command it out of her body. Now she seemed to behave as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. Not to mention the fact that her boyfriend was a demon too and had been playing her for months. Did she remember any of it, or was she so completely under his influence that she wasn’t aware? Or perhaps it was like those people who erase bad memories from their minds because they were too painful. Could it be that Mom was repressing the memory?

“What do you two have planned for today?” Mom asked.

I glanced over at Isaac, who shrugged. “I thought Kenz could show me around.”

“Yeah, why don’t you take him to that coffee shop you like? Thatcher’s.”

I threw her an irritated look. She knew the last time I’d gone there had been with Tanner. Why would she even mention it?

“That sounds great.” Isaac grinned.

I forced a smile and nodded, seething inside.

“Well, you guys have fun. I have clients all day.” Mom got up, holding her cup in her hand. “Try to stay out of trouble.” She threw me another wink before sailing out of the room.

When I heard the click of her door closing, I turned my attention back to Isaac. His face held a pained expression. He let out a bitter laugh.

“That was sure awkward, huh?” He said.

I bit my lip.

“So, Tanner practically lives here, huh?”

My heart sank. Was it going to be like this the entire week? I cursed myself again for what had happened the night before. I had to make it clear to him that he was the only one I wanted. I reached for him, forgetting about the coffee cup in my hand. Scalding hot liquid splashed all over my arm. I set the cup down and pulled up my sleeve. My flesh felt like it was on fire.

Isaac grabbed a napkin. After pulling me down onto the couch next to him, he wiped my arm. As he did, his eyes widened in shock. He held my wrist between his fingers. Realizing what just happened, I tried to yank free of his grasp but it was too late.

“What’s this?” he asked.

My face went hot and sweat beaded on my forehead. Moisture filled my eyes and I blinked. Still holding my arm with one hand, Isaac reached out his index finger and traced the marking. I couldn’t even lie about it and say it was an old cut. Even though it was healing nicely, it was obvious that it had been done recently. After the encounter with Tanner and now this, I was sure that Isaac would hightail it out of here any minute. I’m certain he could find a nice Christian girl back home.

“Why?” He peered up at me.

I held his gaze for a moment, searching for disappointment. Instead, all I found was genuine concern. It made emotion well up inside of me, almost causing me to cry. I swallowed hard.

“I don’t know.” I shook my head. “It was all just too much to handle sometimes, you know?”

“I’m sorry.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “You’re sorry? What do you have to be sorry about? It’s not like you held the blade to my arm.”

He rested his hand over my flesh, covering the scar. “I guess Tanner was right. You have had a rough few months. I know it’s been hard for you. I’m sorry that I wasn’t a better boyfriend.”

I was shocked. “What are you talking about? You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

He chuckled. “But I know I’ve been preoccupied with basketball and school and everything.”

“Hey.” I scooted closer to him. “This isn’t your fault, okay?” Leaning forward, I kissed him lightly on the mouth.

Mom entered the room, clearing her throat loudly. We jumped apart, sat on opposite ends of the couch. She had changed into one of her leopard print ensembles and high-heeled shoes. Her hair was poofy and over-hair-sprayed, and makeup was packed an inch thick on her face. It felt oddly comforting to see her back to her normal tacky self.

“You two behave when I’m gone, okay?” She raised her eyebrows as she picked up her purse. After she left, Isaac turned to me.

“Do you think she’s okay with me staying here? I mean, I brought some money. I could stay at a hotel or something.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course you can stay here.”

He smiled. “Great. Cause I don’t want to leave your side for a minute.” We kissed again, even longer this time. “We better get out of here. I’m tempted to just sit on this couch and make-out all day.”

“What would be so wrong with that?” I winked.

His face grew serious. “A lot, actually.”

Shame burned through me. Sometimes I forgot how high his morals were. I wasn’t used to guys like Isaac. I thought back to my conversation with Tanner when he confessed to drugging his ex-girlfriend in order to loosen her up for sex. Those were the guys I was used to. The truth of that solidified my decision to choose Isaac. I needed to be with a guy who was strong; who could help me be the girl God intended me to be. And Isaac was right – it wasn’t going to be easy this weekend for us to stay pure.

“Okay, well, go get ready and I’ll plan where we can go.”

“Sounds good.” He slid off the couch and grabbed his bag from near the door.

“You can get ready in the bathroom or my room. It’s up to you.” I stretched my legs out on the couch as he walked down the hallway. When I heard the shower turn on, I tried to figure out where I should take Isaac. This made my mind fly back to when he showed me around Folsom. I remembered walking on the bridge, strolling down Historic Sutter Street and getting an ice cream at Snook’s. It was such a magical day. I wanted him to have a dose of that magic in Washington. It would have been fun to take him to Thatcher’s since it was my favorite coffee shop but that place would remind me of Tanner. Multnomah Falls would be another great place but again my memories of Tanner would taint the whole day. Ugh. Where could we go?