chapter 4
Birth
I’m sure I looked like a madwoman, speeding into the bookstore parking lot twenty minutes late, slamming on my brakes while I did a check in the rearview mirror to make sure I’d brushed my hair well enough. Audrey and I ended up talking and intermittently watching chick flicks until almost three this morning. I dashed inside, expecting Carol to sing her typical morning lecture to me, throwing in a disciplinary tirade as well. Fortunately the store was pretty empty, with the exception of two teen girls hanging out in the teenybopper magazine section, pining over the latest celebrity heartthrob, some Pattinson guy. I couldn’t keep up with all of the new actors. The only one I ever paid any attention to was Johnny Depp. But apparently, this Pattinson guy was all the rage.
I flew behind the counter to clock in, and to my delight, Carol looked at me sweetly and said, “How are you feeling this morning, Camille? Don’t worry about being late this morning, you’re normally very punctual. Please just try and stay a little late today to pick up the slack, all right?”
“Um ... sure, okay, no problem,” I replied. Maybe the spell I tried last night protected me in more ways than one. “I’m doing okay, thanks for asking. Sorry I’m late.”
“And oh, make sure the new release table is replenished. You saw how fast they were selling yesterday, my goodness. After that, just work on organizing the fiction sections, as usual.”
She started to head toward the self-help section, but stopped, swung around and headed back to the counter. She grabbed a stack of books and shuffled them across the counter toward me. “Ooops, almost forgot. Here are a few returns you can put back.” Smiling, she adjusted her obnoxious glasses and moseyed on over to the self-help section, humming some Mary Poppins song along the way. It was way too early for that.
I glanced at my watch while I walked from aisle to aisle, placing books in their proper places. Each time I placed one on a shelf, I found myself longing for the workday to be over. I didn’t regret the late night, but my mind and body were. But as long as there was no sign of Andrew, that was all that mattered today. Holding the last returned book, I went onto tiptoe for the tallest row on the shelf. My short stature wasn’t cooperating. I wandered around the rows of books, peeking through them, looking for our stepladder, but didn’t see it. I did see Gina at the counter. “Gina, seen our ladder this morning?” I called out.
“Nope, try the back,” she answered, sounding as tired as I felt.
I headed toward the back of the store, feeling my feet grow heavier on the way to the last aisle before the stockroom entrance. The lack of customers and soft elevator music weren’t helping my effort to stay awake. While I’m in the back, maybe I’ll throw some coffee on. Yes. Caffeine is goooood--
The black flash came into my side vision, moving swiftly toward the aisle before it. I watched the blur blow past the next few shelves, on its way toward the front of the store. I spun around, scanned the trail the blur had left behind while goosebumps sprang up on the back of my neck. In confusion, I wandered past the next three aisles, peering down each one, searching for the figure in black. I saw nothing.
Biting my lip, I gently pressed one of my bruises, winced. Definitely awake, absolutely not hallucinating.
A surge of panic hit me as the realization did. Was he here again? Didn’t the spell have any effect at all? Considering his narcissistic persona, it wouldn’t surprise me if he dropped in for another visit. Anything to make himself feel more powerful.
Feeling paranoia deepen, I stormed past each aisle, investigating each one again. If he were here, I’d confront him. As much as I wanted to avoid any conflict with him until Audrey left, I couldn’t allow him to just come to my job and spy on me. Plus, if this round of Hoodoo didn’t work, Vivienne and I were going to have a chat.
I found no one in the rows. The terror started to subside, my newfound strength replacing it. I figured if he was here, maybe Carol saw him come in and would have checked on me, remaining loyal to her intrusive nature.
At the front of the store, the pining teenagers were ready to purchase their gossip magazines. Whispering and smiling giddily to one another, they peeked at the shelf next to me, near the front counter where I now stood. I slowly ducked my head around the corner of the shelf in question to see they’d been staring at a man in black. He sported a vintage Led Zeppelin t-shirt over gray-washed jeans, worn combat-style boots on his feet. He stood quietly, flipping through a paperback. I pulled my head back a little, standing parallel to the side of the shelf wall to stay out of sight, but kept my gaze on him. Tall, dark and handsome. No wonder the teenyboppers can’t stop gawking. But it was more than his appearance. There was some sort of unearthly aura around him, a physical glow that the fluorescent lights above the row couldn’t explain.
It wasn’t Andrew though, and I felt my pulse resume a normal beat at the realization. I stared at him another minute, trying to make sense of my fascination with him aside from his obvious good looks. While he scanned the shelf in front of him, he stopped to skim through a few more pages of his book. There was something engaging about his sharp, inquisitive movements, so quiet, so ... ethereal. Sleep deprivation making me more sensitive, possibly. But the dark figure somehow lit up the old shabby bookstore, illuminating the worn cherry wood bookshelves and the grotesque green carpet that looked even more pathetic under the delicate glow. There was also something oddly familiar about him, but I was certain I’d never forget someone as stunning as he was. He didn’t look like everyone else.
He shifted his body’s weight toward the end of the aisle where I stood, peeking slyly off to the side. His wandering eyes told me I was busted. Thinking, Might as well ease the awkwardness, I stepped out of hibernation. “Can I help you find anything, sir?”
He tilted his head toward me, looking surprised that I spoke to him. “Do I look old enough to be called sir?”
“Um, guess not, sorry. Just figured I’d ask.”
“Just messing with you,” he said, relaxing his stance. “I don’t need help. Thank you, though.” He lifted the paperback in his hand, showing me his new find, but looked down as soon as our eyes made contact, smirking as if he’d heard some funny inside joke. Apparently, I missed it.
“Okay, then,” I said. “If you need help with something, just let me know.” I turned to walk away, but felt him lift his eyes to my back, freezing me in place.
He was too familiar. It was beginning to annoy me. I turned around and said, “Hey, do I know you?” at the same instant he said, “Is there a reason you’ve been watching me?”
We both chuckled, my face flushing for sure now; I could feel the pink spread to my ears. I managed to tuck my hair in front of my ears, covering evidence of my embarrassment. “Excuse me?”
“I just noticed you’ve been watching me from over there, and I have to say ... I’m impressed. You spoke to me when I caught you spying.” He shrugged. “That’s brave. It sucks to be caught people watching. Especially in close proximity like this.” He gestured between us with his hands.
My scrambled thoughts pushed their way from my mouth. I shook my head. “No, not spying. I just feel like I know you from somewhere ... your face ...”
“So you were spying on me.” He grinned but his eyes glared at me, his posture a bit tenser now.
My face burned with humiliation but I squinted, determined to study his face for anything I recognized, perhaps the shape of his eyes and the line of his jaw, certain the answer was sitting right there in my memory bank, just not visible yet. He continued to stare at me, his eyes drilling into mine. My face felt as if it were on fire.
I straightened, focusing on my response on him instead of his scorching brown eyes. “Okay ... whatever you wanna call it, fine. I just thought I recognized you.”
He laughed, looking apologetic. “Look, I don’t mean to embarrass you. I’m only joking with you. Really.” He plopped the book in his hands back on the shelf next to him. “You have seen me before, actually. Met me, in fact.” He pursed his lips, hesitating. “And now I’m embarrassed that I embarrassed you.” He shyly shifted his glance downward and placed his hands in his pockets.
“Really? I thought so. I just can’t place you. I’m sorry, how do I know you?”
“Well, I believe we met in France a while back. I recognized you, but I didn’t want to say anything.”
Do I look old enough to be called sir? The memory bank immediately broke, the recollection of our meeting in Paris sliding out. “Oh, I remember now, of course! No, I’m glad you said something. I felt like an idiot for staring at you, I just ...” Out of words, I wrapped my arms around my body.
“Don’t. It’s been almost two years. I didn’t expect you to even look twice at me.”
He didn’t expect me to look at him? This guy was oblivious to the effect he had on people.
He broke the silence for me. “So ... you live here? In Lafayette? Small world.”
“Yeah. Well, in the Saint Martinville area. How about you?”
“Yeah, I live outside of town, too.”
I was enamored with him all over again, amazed I didn’t recognize him the minute I laid eyes on him. I said, “Uh, just for the record, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. And on top of that, I’m really tired today. My mind just had to catch up I guess. But believe me, I remember you.”
“Ah, don’t mention it. I mean, we only met once. I can’t believe it’s been almost two years since that trip, though. Sometimes I feel like it was just yesterday that I was there.”
“Yeah, I do too sometimes. Time really flies.”
His stance relaxed more, and he leaned on the bookshelf. “You enjoy the rest of your visit there?”
I nodded. “The best time of my life, I can’t wait to go back someday. I never did get around to calling you. I was sort of in my own world.” My hands suddenly felt like extra appendages; I tucked them into my back pockets. “The whole trip was really ... important. And meeting you? It was cool talking to someone I could relate to while I was in another country.” I stared past his shoulders, recalling our conversation outside on the terrace that morning. If he only knew the mess I was in now.
“Something wrong?”
I returned my attention to him, letting go of the distraction. “No. I’m just shocked you remember me, let alone how strange it is, running into you again like this.”
He nodded, his eyes fixed on mine. “Like I said, small world.”
“Ahem.” Carol reared around the corner. “Is this a friend of yours, Camille? Or one of our customers?” She asked sweetly, but glanced over at the register where Gina stood, slumped over on the counter flipping through a magazine, pretending she wasn’t watching us.
“Both.” He’d spoken for me, the same phony sweetness in his tone. I fought back a grin.
“Ah, well, that’s great. We appreciate your business, dear. But Camille,” she turned back toward me, “I think you should wrap it up, okay? Mingle with the other customers.” She waddled off toward the stockroom. Our eyes surveyed the empty store as she walked away.
“Other customers?” He smirked, amused.
“Yeah, that’s Carol for ya.”
“So I see. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. It was nice seeing you again though.” He grabbed the book he’d temporarily rested on the shelf. “I’ll probably see you around again. I just started coming to this place. It’s not like the chain stores, I like it.”
I smiled up at him, secretly bummed he was leaving. “It was nice seeing you too. I’ll see you around then.” I reluctantly turned to head toward the register, but noticed that he stood still, a contemplative look on his face. I stopped politely, waiting for whatever it was he had to say, hoping it was more than just a question about the book he was holding.
He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. I stood there, feeling stupid. “Would you ... want to go get coffee or see a movie sometime?” He spit out the words, jumbling them up as if they were all one word. “If not I understand--”
“That’d be great.”
“I can give you my number.... Are you free tonight by any chance?”
I shut my gaping jaw, not realizing it had been hanging open. Could I do this? While I still had Andrew to deal with? I couldn’t even imagine what a normal date would feel like right now. My mind began to analyze all of the what-if scenarios.
What the hell. “Sure. I get off around five. I have a friend visiting though, would you mind coming to my place to pick me up? Maybe hang out for a little bit before we go out? I feel rude leaving her there alone.”
“That’ll be fine. Here’s my number.” He spoke eagerly, moving toward me to grasp my hand. My heartbeat accelerated. He pulled a pen from his pocket and began writing on the inside of my wrist. “Give me a call when you get off and give me directions to your place.” He let go of my wrist and turned for the front door. “I’ll see you tonight then.” He hung his head, smiling warmly as he strolled off.
I said “See ya,” but wasn’t certain if I’d said it quickly enough for him to hear. I was too overwhelmed pondering this beautiful contradiction that had crossed my path not once, but twice in my lifetime. I wanted to know of this shy, yet overtly confident dark cloud that illuminated everything around him.
A memory of the last image I remembered of him as he left me in Paris flashed through my mind, and I realized Andrew would have to wait. I had a life to move on with. It was clear that Paris not only changed my life while I was there, but a small piece of it actually manifested itself right here -- in Louisiana of all places -- for a reason. Gavin carried a supernatural aura that exuded something genuine, and for all of this, I knew he was worth the risk of Andrew’s wrath.
I looked down at my wrist to examine his phone number, smiling when I read what he wrote underneath: “Sir,” aka Gavin.
I did not forget his name.
* * *
Audrey stood next to me at my vanity while I contemplated which outfit to wear, her arms folded, tapping her foot. “Okay, Camille. I know I’m supposed to play the role of super-supportive friend here, even though you’ve gone crazy and all. But this? Going out with this new guy in the midst of an end to an abusive relationship that you’ve yet to really deal with? Have you even called the beast to tell him about next weekend yet?”
“Audrey, you’re getting on my nerves. Will you chill out? He’s a nice guy. And I met him before, I told you.”
“For like twenty minutes! Like two years ago!”
“So? Isn’t that better than a complete stranger?”
In the mirror, I saw her roll her eyes. I ran a brush through my hair, reached for my makeup, then stopped. “Audrey, look. I meant it: he’s a nice guy. And I can’t explain it to you, I just get a good vibe from him. He’s different. Mysterious. In a good way.”
I began to put mascara on. “It’s not like I’m marrying the guy. We’re just gonna hang out. Stop freaking out.” I batted my eyelashes, moved on to the lipstick. “Speaking of hanging out, you should go get ready. He’s bringing a friend of his.”
I waited for it.
“Unbelievable!”
Here we go....
“They’ll be here in thirty minutes. When did you plan on telling me this? And where the hell are we going for this date? Details, woman.”
“Audrey, seriously. You sure you wanna be a cook? I really think you should reconsider your career. What about acting? Do you have any idea what a drama queen you are? You’d be amazing on Broadway, seriously.”
Her nostrils flared, and I’d swear it looked like she might pounce and kill me.
“Camille Elizabeth Hart!”
I was pretty sure only dogs could hear her.
“Why is it that I’m being called a drama queen, when I’m the sensible one here?” she said. “Why are you so composed? I’m more worried about you than you are!”
“Exactly.” I threw down my lipstick. I was about to spill and let her know we might have a little magic on our side, but I didn’t. She’d really think I was crazy if I told her that. “That’s my point. If I’m not freaking out, you shouldn’t either. It’s my problem, so let me be the one to worry about it.” I tossed my makeup back into the drawer and stood, placed my hands on her shoulders. “Everything’s going to be okay. I don’t know how, I just know it is. This is why I’m here, remember? To start over? So please, just be happy I have a nice guy to hang out with, and come have fun with us tonight.”
She pouted and folded her arms like the child she was.
“Please, Audrey? Let’s just put aside this Andrew-the-barbarian drama for a few days and have fun. I need this.” I stared at her, waiting for her to give in.
“Barbarian. I like that. Fitting. Fine. Where are we going, so I know what the hell to wear? And who is his friend?”
I hugged her. “Yes! Okay, just wear something casual. But not too casual. I think we’re going up the road to a little hole-in-the-wall joint for some dinner, but ya never know. His friend’s name is Gabe. He’s our age, but Gavin didn’t give me any other details.”
“He better be good-looking. And if he’s one of those cocky jocks, I’m bailing, got it?”
“Don’t be so shallow,” I said. “I don’t think he’s like that anyway. Not if he hangs out with Gavin. But whatever you say, drama queen. Now go get ready, please? They’ll be here soon, get a move on it!”
“Ugh, so bossy.”
She turned and moped toward the guestroom. Did I really just deem her an angel last night? Because I was pretty sure she was actually a constant thorn in my side, and that angel-thing was just blind admiration.