“It’s so nice out; I thought we could visit here, if that’s okay with you. Would you like something stronger than tea?” Cassie motioned to the cozy setting at the opposite end of the veranda.
“No, tea’s perfect, thanks.” Kris said as she fell into a chair. She tossed the rose on the table.
“Not your favorite flower?” Cassie could tell that Kris was out of sorts, but wanted to give her friend time to settle in before getting down to the reason for the visit. That innocent question was the only opening Kris needed.
“I don’t know what’s going on, Cass. I feel like I’m losing it.” Kris told Cassie about meeting Damien, about the dream and about Peg’s strange behavior that morning. She left out the part about the gun, for the moment. “Finding this rose on my windshield just topped everything off. I’m probably just being silly, making a mountain out of a molehill.” She finally took a breath and a sip of tea.
Cassie was silent for a few moments as she digested what Kris said and what she didn’t say. Cass had never seen her friend so ill at ease about anything. “First of all, I don’t think you’re building a mountain. Meeting a random stranger that so thoroughly gave you the creeps would freak out anyone. I know you love your seclusion, but let’s face it, living alone has a flipside.”
Kris visibly relaxed. The fact that Cassie didn’t think she was acting irrationally made her feel better. “Yes, but I am careful and I have an alarm system. Not to mention an attack cat, apparently.” She chuckled.
“Who knew? Pegasus never even gives me a passing glance, unless I’m in his way or in the kitchen. Was he really yelling?” Cassie shook her head as she tried to help lighten the mood.
“You’ve heard the term ‘screaming bloody murder’? I’m just glad I was already awake, or he would have surely given me a heart attack.”
“Speaking of which, did the dream feel like a premonition or was it just a dream?” Cassie asked softly.
“That’s the strange part, it felt so real, but Mom and Dad were there, so how could it be a premonition? At least I know now why I’m waking up sore every morning.” Kris munched thoughtfully on a cookie.
“What do you mean? Sore? Every morning?”
Kris sighed and began to give Cassie more details about her nightmare. “This was the first time I could see the movie, but not the first time I’ve had the dream. For weeks now, I’ve been waking up feeling like I ran for miles in my sleep, but never knowing why. The past week and a half, I’ve remembered bits and pieces, but not really. Sort of like a blurry collage.”
“I wonder why it became more clear last night.” Cassie mused, almost to herself. “Maybe meeting the creepster had something to do with it.”
“Maybe, who knows how these things work. It’s probably all a coincidence and I’m working myself up over nothing.”
“Probably, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry. Do you still have that gun I gave you? Did you ever get your license and learn how to shoot like you promised?”
“Yes, no and no. But I have to say, it’s at the top of my list. I did take the gun out and load it last night. Carried it around with me and everything.”
“What good is having it close if you can’t hit anything with it? Tomorrow, we are going shooting. No arguments.”
“I wasn’t going to give you any. We’ll go after work. Wanna get some dinner before I head home? A T’s burger sure sounds good.”
“Sure, there’s nothing like comfort food. But how about if I go home with you and spend the night? You’d actually be doing me a favor. I slept better Saturday night at your house than I have here in months.”
“We sure are a pair, between your memory dreams and my future dreams, it’s a wonder we aren’t both crazy. I’d love it if you are serious about coming home with me. I feel stupid about being so scared, but I still can’t shake it.”
~~~~~
Damien followed the women to the restaurant and then to the cottage without being seen. Stealth was no stranger to the man; he had been following Kris for months undetected. Before Kris, there was Caroline, Victoria and Tracy, just to name a few. Each of his Beauties held a special place in his heart; but only one was still alive. Something he still intended to rectify.
Damien moved around a lot, by necessity, not by choice. His trust fund allowed him the flexibility to live anywhere he chose, but some places were no longer an option.
Tracy was his first obsession. He could still conjure a vision of her smiling eyes at will. He was much younger then, and didn’t fully appreciate the value of leaving no witnesses. Tracy had cost him a great deal; his family bought him out of the trouble she caused, but they disowned him. Fortunately, his trust fund was irrevocable. So far, he hadn’t missed a single member of his family.
He decided to ignore Beauty for the rest of the night; her meddling friend would only get in the way. This is one more item to add to the growing list of punishments. The bitch will pay. Soon.
Chapter Eight
Kris came home from work the next day exhausted. She’d left Cassie sleeping this morning after they’d stayed up half the night talking. Kris hoped Cassie’s slumber had been as blessedly dream-free as her own had been. Maybe exhaustion was the key, she thought as she pulled into her driveway.
Cassie called earlier to tell her that she was going home, but ordered Kris to let her know if she wanted a roommate for another night. By mutual agreement, they’d decided that teaching Kris to shoot should wait until tomorrow. Gunfire and sleep deprivation, not a great combo.
The car in the driveway next door was a welcome sight. Kris noted the out of state tags—North Carolina—and wondered if she should go over and introduce herself now, or give her new neighbor a chance to move in.
Now, she decided as she unlocked the front door. She saw her reflection in the entry hall mirror. “After a quick touch up.” She mumbled. Within minutes, she was ringing the neighbor’s doorbell.
Nothing could have prepared her for the shock when Nicholas Evans opened the door. Kris hadn’t seen Nick in person since college graduation, ten years ago.
His mouth fell open and his eyes went wide, surely a mirror to her own startled expression. They both just stood there, staring at each other for several long minutes.
He recovered first, letting his gaze roam slowly down and then back up the length of her tall, lithe body. Hair like rich caramel fluffed with natural curls fell almost to her shoulders. Eyes as green as an Irish meadow gazed back at him. He felt his heart crash to his toes as the depth of those eyes reminded him of days long past. He did his best to recover his composure. She was the last person he ever expected to see and the only person he wanted to see. Ever.
“Well look who it is,” he drawled. “Miss Kris. Must be my lucky day.” He didn’t move or invite her inside; he just stood in the doorway with a half-smile teasing full, beautiful lips and crinkling sapphire blue eyes.
Kris felt the warmth spread from the top of her head and from the tips of her toes, meeting in the middle in a flash of heat. Some things never change; apparently her reaction to Nick was one of them.
“I thought all of your days were lucky,” she quipped back at him while trying to calm her racing heart. “What are you doing here?” She remembered to smile; she hoped it was casual.
“I live here. What are you doing here?” Nick was finding it hard to breathe, but tried not to let it show. He crossed his arms over his chest, one foot over the other and leaned against the doorway, looking as if finding Kris on his doorstep was the most natural thing in the world.
“You live here? You can’t live here, I live here. Well, not here, but next door.”
Kris was beginning to babble, but she didn’t care. This was not possible. Nick Evans could not be her new neighbor. It had taken her two years to get over this man, well, not over him, but beyond him. “You moved up north,” she continued with a hint of accusation in her voice.
“North Carolina is not ‘up north’, Krissy, it’s still well below the Mason-Dixon.” His smile was not helping to clear her jumbled thoughts. “I just moved in. Do you seriously live next door?” Nick stepped onto the porch, glancing over in the direction Kris had indicated.
Kris stepped back as he stepped forward and almost lost her footing on the stairs. Reaching for her in a reflexive move, Nick grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. The gasp was audible, both his and hers. Their eyes met for a long moment, before Nick dropped her arm and stepped away.
“Careful.”
“Thanks.”
They spoke in unison. Kris gripped the porch rail and steadied herself.
“I just came over to introduce myself. Yes, I seriously live next door. What happened to Montreal? Weren’t you moving there after graduation?” At least that’s what Marla Thomkins had told her. Kris still remembered the gloating look on that viper’s face as she gushed about their plans.
“That didn’t last, I’ve been in Charlotte for years.” Nick was surprised that Kris knew about Montreal. “Nice place,” he nodded at Kris’s cottage.
“Thanks, yours too.”
“Thanks. Do you live there with your husband?”
“No, it’s just me and Peg, um, Pegasus. My cat. Who is probably trying to dig his way into the pantry, looking for dinner.” Kris smiled and started to back down the stairs. “Welcome to the neighborhood, I’m sure you’ll love it here. I have to go now, see you around.” The very last thing Kris wanted was to run into Marla. Seeing Nick was bad enough, but she had to get her act together before making nice with the wicked witch.
“Wait,” Nick didn’t want to let her go. The woman had stomped on his heart, crumpled him up, and threw him away, but that didn’t seem to matter at the moment. “Would you like to have dinner? We could catch up.”
Kris felt like a deer in headlights. Her body and soul screamed ‘YES’ but her mind knew better. “Thanks, but maybe some other time. I’m really beat tonight.” Two more steps, keep moving, she thought.
“Tomorrow night?” Nick was determined not to take no for an answer. “I’ll cook. Is seven okay? Pegasus is invited too.” Nick gave her one of his most charming smiles; at least he hoped it was charming.
Kris opened her mouth to say ‘No thanks’, but she heard the words “I’d love to” escape her traitorous lips. She had never been able to resist this man. Not from the first time she saw him walking out of the library at school. Tall with broad shoulders, he was one of the only men she had met who made her feel petite, which she definitely was not. His thick, wavy hair—so black it was almost blue—was a little longer than she remembered. It suited his high cheekbones and wide-set blue eyes.
Nick took note of her appraisal, his heart hammering against his ribs. Relief washed over him when she agreed to join him for dinner. Dazzling her with a smile, which she couldn’t help but return, he said softly, “Till tomorrow then.”
“Goodnight.”
Kris floated home in such a jumble of emotions that she failed to notice the midnight blue BMW idling on the side of the deserted road, several houses away from hers.
~~~~~
Damien watched as Kris made her way across what passed for a lawn between the two houses. He couldn’t hear their conversation, but the body language between those two spoke volumes. He would have to investigate the interloper and find out why he had such an impact on his Beauty.
~~~~~
Kris went through the motions of preparing dinner for both her and Peg. Her body was present in her Sullivan’s Island cottage, but her heart and mind were years away. Seeing Nick so unexpectedly had more than rattled her senses, it had opened the floodgates on memories carefully tucked away.
Images long suppressed rushed back to her; Nick laughing down at her as they strolled across the quad arm in arm, blue eyes sparkling and filled with love; Nick walking towards her, surrounded by a sea of faces, all of them blank next to his; Nick sitting across from her on a bed covered in books and food containers, his head bent in concentration. And later, when the books were put away, Nick holding her on that same bed as they made love for hours.
“Stop,” she commanded. “No more.” She would not allow those memories to surface again. No other man had ever touched her in the way Nick had. Trying to forget his touch and the feelings they shared had nearly killed her. They were together for almost three years; it was love at first sight at the beginning of their sophomore year, at least it was for her. She believed they would always be together. What an idiot, she thought. Classic, really. Her eyes were so clouded by love and her mind so filled with plans for their future that she didn’t see Nick slip away. One minute he was there, and the next he was with Marla. No explanations, no goodbyes, no sorry excuses.
And here he was again. Invading her life out of the blue. Was he still with Marla? Why wouldn’t he be? The witch had everything to offer him, beauty, brains, family millions, connections. All of the things that would give Nick the life she knew he wanted. Hadn’t he told her how success was not negotiable? He had a lot to prove to his family, she knew how living up to his father’s expectations drove him throughout school; she couldn’t imagine that relationship had changed much.
But why here, why now? This was her dream, her life. He had ruined it once before, what cruel trick of fate positioned him to do it again? No, he can only hurt me if I let him, she thought fiercely. She wasn’t some silly school girl in the throes of first love anymore. The blinders were off and had been for a long time, courtesy of Nicholas Evans. He had no power over her anymore.
Right, she thought, and the moon is made of cheese.
~~~~~
Nick was taking his own walk down memory lane as he robotically emptied boxes. His memories of Kris were bittersweet, the love he felt for her had never wavered, even to this day. No matter how many women he dated, no one compared to Krissy. He couldn’t believe his good fortune, moving in next door to the one woman who owned him, heart and soul. This time, I will not lose her, he thought.
The stabbing pain he’d felt when Marla showed him those pictures of Kris with Professor Scanlon had dulled very little over the years. Seeing his Kris holding that bastard, looking at him like he’d hung the moon, had sliced Nick’s heart into tiny pieces. Even now, thinking about it, anger warred with mind numbing pain. Kris had been spending a lot of time with Scanlon in the last semester of their senior year. He was supposedly helping with her media portfolio. Possessive, but not jealous by nature, Nick never dreamed that Kris could do that to him, to them. His harsh laugh echoed in the near-empty room as he thought of the ring he had on layaway. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could afford back then. What a fool he was to think that Kris wouldn’t care about the size of the diamond. Marla had been quick to point that out to him when he ran into her at the jeweler’s. Apparently, women equated the size of the diamond with depth of emotion.
Thank God for Marla; not only had she kept him from making a fool of himself; she had given him a way out. Marla was the one who told Nick about Kris and Scanlon. She helped him survive the last few days of school and graduate with his pride intact. Her dad’s job offer had also jump started his career. Montreal was the escape he needed and the timing couldn’t have been better. Marla had been a good friend, up until he made it clear that he wasn’t interested in her romantically. Fortunate
ly, her father had been impressed enough with Nick’s talent to want to keep him in the company, regardless of his daughter’s demands to the contrary. Relocating Nick to the Charlotte branch was the best thing for everyone.
And now Kris was back in his life again. He had forgiven her long ago for wanting more than he could offer, but he had not forgotten her betrayal. Why did she have to play him? What was the point of sneaking around behind his back? All she had to do was tell him it was over and he would have left her alone. Or would he? Maybe it was easier for her to avoid hurting him to his face. Maybe she was hedging her bets. After all, graduation could change both of her relationships.
The answers to those and so many other questions had haunted Nick since he walked away from Kris. Funny, the agony and inadequacy he had felt for so long when he thought of her was now replaced by excitement. She was here, she was not married. They had another chance. He may not have been enough for her then, but he would make damn sure that he was enough for her now.
Chapter Nine
Kris woke up in a cold sweat, once again, but this time the dream was different. The movie she was running toward played images of her and Nick. Laughing, walking, sitting, but always touching. The way it was. There was no fire, no screaming, just loving moments plucked from her memory and displayed on the screen in front of her. The fear was still present, only this time it came solely from the dark outline of the man who was chasing her. She could see a carving knife in his hand as he covered the ground between them. He was gaining on her, but he still hadn’t caught her.
The workday was filled with one meeting after another; it wasn’t until the ride home that Kris was able to focus on her dinner with Nick. She’d postponed her date with Cassie at the range until tomorrow, claiming work obligations. She wasn’t yet ready to tell Cassie about Nick, she hadn’t made sense of it herself yet.
Kris picked up a nice bottle of wine on the way home, even though it was after six before she left the office. The time crunch was a good thing; fewer minutes to worry about seeing Nick again, and possibly Marla. Just put on a smile and get through the night, she told herself. After tonight, you don’t have to socialize with him, or them. You can concentrate on your life and forget that he lives next door.