Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (28 page)

Chapter 17

The doorbell rang as I faced the bathroom mirror and applied shiny light pink lip gloss Saturday evening. Nerves fluttered through me, and I smiled. Noah had arrived for an evening that no one could interrupt since we would be staying in. I paused for a quick moment in front of the mirror to make sure that every hair was in place and every dash of make-up was perfect. Except for a few stray strands that framed my face, blonde waves fell over my shoulders. I had chosen a turquoise sweater that buttoned down the front and matched the color of my eyes. Skinny blue jeans hugged my hips, but my outfit wasn’t complete until I had fastened my diamond necklace under my hair behind me. The pendant sparkled just above my sweater.

Perfect,
I thought as I placed the lip gloss on the counter.
This will make him forget the God-awful sweatshirt and sneakers you were wearing the last time he saw you.
Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, I hurried out of the bathroom, pausing only slightly to turn off the light.

I rushed down the wooden stairs and to the front door, eternally grateful that my parents were out for the evening. When I opened the door, I smiled brightly at the sight of Noah in the dusky twilight. His maroon thermal shirt outlined his solid, broad frame under his denim jacket. A large, flat pizza box was in one hand, a heavy plastic grocery bag in the other. His warm dark eyes met mine as he returned my smile. “Hi,” he said. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Although I really wasn’t since my stomach insisted on doing flip-flops in anticipation of a night with him, I pretended to be. “Absolutely. But what’s in the bag?” I asked curiously.

He held it up, and I noticed water condensation glistening on the plastic. “Raw chicken.”

I chuckled. “Really? Gee, you shouldn’t have.”

“It’s for Dakota. I figured the way to your heart might be through his stomach.”

“That’s very sweet, but I think there are a few other ways to my heart.”

“Good. I look forward to learning what they are.”

As he gazed at me, I felt a blush race over my cheeks. I backed up, giving him room to fit through the doorway with the pizza box in his hand. “Well, come in. The pizza smells yummy. What kind did you get?”

“Half cheese, half pepperoni.” He glanced around the house as he entered. “Are your parents here?”

“No,” I responded as I shut the door behind him. “We got lucky. They’re having dinner with some friends.” My father was also on call since he’d given Noah a guaranteed night off, but that never stopped him from going out. Skirting around Noah, I led him back to the kitchen.

Noah set the pizza box on the table as I went to the refrigerator. Then he approached behind me as I scanned the frosty shelves for drinks. “Can you take this?” he asked, holding the bag of chicken out to me. “Where is that wolf, anyway?”

I took the bag from him and placed it on a shelf before closing the door. When I turned to him, Noah stretched his arms around me. He slid me over to the counter and leaned his hands on the edge, locking me between them.

“He’s out roaming the woods again,” I explained nervously. Dakota was the farthest thing from my thoughts with Noah just inches away.

“Good.” He grinned devilishly. “No parents and no wolf. That’s just how I like it.” He lifted a hand to gently touch my jaw, running his fingertips down along my neck.

My eyes locked with his as his hand slowly moved under my hair. Before I realized what was happening, he leaned down to kiss me. After a few minutes, he abruptly pulled away and took a deep breath. Then he backed up a few inches, releasing me. Disappointment raced through me as our kiss ended. Hopefully, there would be more kisses later.

“So it’s just us tonight?” he asked.

“Yes. My parents have a lot of friends, so they usually go out once a week or so. Mostly on weekends.” I couldn’t help wondering what he thought of being alone with me tonight.

He laughed. “Good to know. I have noticed your dad knows everyone around here.” He paused for a moment, taking another step back before changing the subject. “Maybe we should have some pizza before it gets cold.”

I nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a plan to me. What would you like to drink?”

“Sprite if you have it.”

“We do.” I reached into the refrigerator to grab a Sprite for him and a Diet Coke for me. Then I pulled two glasses out of the cabinet and filled them both with ice. Noah carried them over to the table in two trips while I gathered plates and napkins before joining him. His jacket hung on the back of his chair as he waited.

I sat down, deliberately placing the warm pizza box on top of the college brochures that still cluttered the table. Then I reached for a piece of pizza, the cheese stretching in long strings before breaking away. I took a bite as Noah reached for a slice from the pepperoni side.

“You might not want to leave the box on top of those brochures. They could get ruined from the heat,” he said as he broke off the cheese from the sides of his pizza.

“Good. I really just want to throw them in the trash. But, unfortunately, everything you see here can also be found online. So I’m sure whatever does get ruined will only be reprinted by my parents.” I frowned as I always did when the thought of college crossed my mind before taking another bite.

Noah recognized my frustration as I had explained to him a few nights ago that I was having trouble picking a college. “Oh yes, the dreaded subject of college.”

I swallowed as my eyes met his. “That’s right. So let’s not ruin tonight by talking about it, okay? Tell me about your week. Anything exciting? Did you pull any more bodies out of the woods?” I really didn’t mean to make light of the body that had been found before school started, but it just slipped out.

He smiled faintly. “No, thank goodness. If we had, you’d already know about it.”

I nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“But I did rescue a cat.”

“A cat? Wow, that’s definitely newsworthy,” I teased.

“Yeah. We got a call from a little old lady on Evergreen Road. She was frantic because her cat was up in a tree.”

“Oh, that must be Mrs. Parks.”

I pictured her old colonial house that I had passed by often. It had once been painted bright white, but now had patches of gray aging planks where the paint flaked off like pieces of paper. Cobwebs stretched across the corners under the eaves and could be seen in the windows, and tall weeds had taken over the lawn. Mrs. Parks hadn’t been able to properly care for the home since her husband had died. But even as it fell apart around her, she had continued to live there alone for years.

“You know her?”

“I know of her,” I corrected. “What was she like when you went over there?”

“A little odd, but nice enough.”

“Did she invite you in for tea and cookies after you rescued her cat?”

Noah chuckled. “Hardly. She thanked me and then carried her cat back into the house.” He wrinkled his nose at the thought of the dilapidated house. “I’m actually glad. I don’t think I’d want to go into that house if it looks as bad on the inside as it does on the outside.”

“I would,” I said quickly, grinning at his astonishment.

“What? Are you nuts?”

“No. It’s rumored that her house was part of the Underground Railroad. Supposedly, it has secret compartments and passageways where they hid escaped slaves who were trying to make it up to Canada.”

“Really? That’s pretty cool. Now if I had known that, I might have tried a little harder to get an invitation from her to come in.”

“Rumor also has it that she rarely lets anyone in. It’s really a shame because the house is pretty much a historical landmark.” Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. “That’s it,” I mused, thinking out loud.

Noah gazed at me, confused. “What?” he asked, tilting his head as he took another bite of pizza.

“Sorry. I was thinking about a History assignment from yesterday. We have to do a research project on a topic of our choice as long as it has something to do with New England. The Underground Railroad is perfect. Our topic is due next week, so you just helped me. As long as my partner agrees to it, that is. But I don’t know how he could turn it down.”

“Partner?”

I took a deep breath. “Yes. It’s a group project. Actually, we were paired off in teams of two. I hate group projects, even if it’s only with one other person.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Maybe you can convince Mrs. Parks to give you a tour of her house for your project.”

“I doubt it, especially if she knows we’re doing a project that has to be presented to the whole class. But it’s a great topic. Maybe I’ll find some other houses around here or in neighboring towns that were part of it.”

“Or your partner could do that.”

Why did he have to mention my partner? I bit into my half-eaten piece of pizza, delaying my answer for a few moments while I chewed and swallowed my food. “No. That will probably be all me. He’s not from the area,” I replied hesitantly, avoiding Noah’s gaze as I mentioned that last part. When I finally looked back at him, I noticed the curiosity in his eyes. “I ended up stuck with Xander Payne. I’m not too happy about it.”

“Well, maybe now you can ask him if he really did steal a car.”

I glanced away from Noah, staring across the kitchen with my eyebrows wrinkled. “I don’t need to. I already did. He told me he returned it without a scratch and the owner didn’t press charges.” I shifted my gaze back to Noah, hoping he wouldn’t ask me how I knew this.

“Well, there you go. He didn’t lie after all. And maybe he learned his lesson.”

“I hope so. I don’t want my History partner getting in trouble with the law since the law around here is my father and my--um, my friend.” I started to say boyfriend, but I stopped, afraid that he might get spooked if he knew I wanted to call him that.

Disappointment registered on Noah’s face. “That’s all I am to you? A friend?”

“No--I mean yes--I don’t know,” I said nervously, grasping for the right answer. I just didn’t know what that was. “What am I to you?” I asked, turning his question back on him.

“If I didn’t think it would scare you off, I’d say maybe my girlfriend.” His eyes studied me for my reaction.

I smiled, trying not to beam too brightly as my heart fluttered. I had been out on dates with boys before, but I’d never been called someone’s girlfriend. And truthfully, until now, there had never been anyone I wanted calling me their girlfriend. “Really?” I almost didn’t believe him. Gathering my courage, I took a deep, hopeful breath. “If that’s what I am to you, is it too soon to ask you to be my date for the Homecoming dance?”

“No, absolutely not. I would love to take you to Homecoming.” He took another bite of his pizza, a big grin on his face as he chewed.

“Wow, really? I honestly hadn’t planned to mention it tonight. Now I have a couple weeks to find a dress,” I rambled on, wondering why he kept staring at me.

“And I get to know that you’ll still want to see me in a few weeks.”

“Of course I will. Why would you even doubt that?”

He looked away for a moment, a dark shadow racing across his face. “You never know. Things have a way of changing sometimes. Besides, I haven’t had the best luck in the girlfriend department lately.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Let’s just say my luck seems to have changed since I got here.”

His eyes met mine, and I smiled. From that point, Noah asked me more about my assignment and what else I knew about the town’s history. We talked as we finished eating a few more slices of pizza. Once we’d had our fill, Noah helped me clear away the dishes. Then I packed up the leftover pizza and placed it in the refrigerator. As I shut the door and leaned against it, he wiped his hands on the kitchen towel and set it on the counter. “What should we do now?” I asked.