When the car slid in next to the curb, I kissed my mother goodbye. Jared led me up the stairs with one hand, his duffle bag and luggage in the other. He put a few things away, and then trotted down the stairs.
From the railing I watched him mill about. I wasn’t sure when reality would finally set in. His perfection was something only seen on the silver screen or a magazine cover, and yet he casually walked around just below me. He was thumbing through his mail until he paused to look up at me.
“Everything all right?” he asked.
“I should be asking you that, shouldn’t I?”
“No, not necessarily, why?” His face was too relaxed, his features intentionally at ease.
“You’re not going to tell me what Samuel said?”
Jared smiled, seeming to ignore my question. “If you’re worried about your things, I had Robert take them to be laundered. We’ll pick them up later and swing by Andrews to get anything else you need.”
“Jared…Samuel—,”
“Lillian wants to meet you,” he interrupted.
“She wants to meet me? But…I’ve met her,” I said, bewildered.
“Nina, you haven’t been around her since you were a girl. And she wants to be properly introduced to my girlfriend, not to mention Bex has been dying to meet you. You’re sort of a celebrity at my house.”
“A what?” I said dubiously.
Jared laughed. “Imagine your father guarding the king, and your big brother, whom you idolize, guards the princess. You’ve never met either of them….wouldn’t you be excited to hear that a princess is coming to dinner? He’s eleven. He’s excited.”
“Yes, Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Crime,” I grumbled.
“Tomorrow night. She’s making pot roast.”
“Ugh! You’re not fighting fair!”
His face contorted from playful to concern. “You don’t want to meet my family?”
“Of course I want to meet your family. It’s just that…being around your mother—who I desperately want to like me—and in the same room is Claire…who wishes me dead. It’s going to be awkward.”
Jared smiled warmly. “It will be fine. Claire will be on her best behavior, I assure you. My mother is less forgiving about Claire’s attitude than I am. And you don’t have to worry about Lillian. She’s always loved you.”
I nodded, wondering what I had ever done to deserve her kind regard.
We set out on perfectly normal errands. He held me against his side while we waited for our developing film, and while walking the aisles of an antique store to find the perfect frame for our new picture. On the surface it appeared that our normal days on the island hadn’t ended, but Jared had purposely made it seem that way. He was hiding something.
He seemed to have to work harder to hide his unease when he wrapped his arms around me for the night.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
I felt him tense. “I was hoping you’d let it go.”
“Why? I thought truth was the cornerstone of our relationship? That was so important to you before Spring Break,” I pointed out.
“It’s still important,” he sighed.
“Then what is it? Why are you keeping what Samuel said from me?”
He sighed. “Before we left you needed normal. While we were gone, we had normal. I want you to have that here, where we live. If that’s what you want then you should have it. We could live like Jack and Cynthia. She didn’t ask questions, he didn’t divulge information, and they made it work.” He pressed his lips against my hair. “Leave the details to me.”
I considered that for a moment. “That’s what you want?”
“I just want to make things easier on you.”
I kissed his shoulder. “And when do things get easier on you?”
“You’re safe in my arms. I’m not outside Andrews in my SUV listening to you talk about some guy you’re dating, wishing it was me. The fact that you know what I am and that we spend so much time together, my job is easier than it’s ever been. This will end soon, sweetheart. I just need you to trust me.”
“Sweet potato fries?” I whispered into the darkness.
Jared pulled me closer to him and kissed my neck. “Sweet potato fries.”
Saturday morning I awoke to Jared standing beside the bed. He held out my buzzing cell phone and I took it, noting the unhappy look on his face.
“Hello?”
“Good mornin’, sunshine. How was your trip?” Ryan said.
“It was perfect. How was yours?” I said, rubbing my eyes. I couldn’t help but smile, Ryan’s voice was strangely comforting.
“It was fun. You should have been there. You didn’t forget about the Bio test next week, right?”
“You’re calling about the test?” I asked, immediately suspicious of his ulterior motives.
“No. That’s just my lame excuse. I’m calling because I haven’t heard your voice in a week and I miss you.”
I could tell by the tension in Jared’s jaw that he could hear Ryan perfectly clear. I sighed, “Thank you. I didn’t forget.”
Ryan chuckled. “Good. I’ll see you Sunday night?”
“What’s Sunday night?”