Vanessa eyed the old Cadillac that sat idly in the carriage house as Alison pulled her Mini Cooper in next to it. She commented on what a shame it was to leave it there collecting dust and suggested that Alison have a mechanic look at it to see why it wouldn’t start.
Their arms were laden with shopping bags as they struggled to pull the door to the carriage house closed. Frustrated, Vanessa set her bags onto the hood of Wilma’s Volkswagen Beetle so that she could use all of her strength to maneuver the rusty pulleys.
“It looks like Wilma beat us home,” Vanessa said as she collected her bags. “She’s probably fixed us something to eat.”
“I could eat again,” Alison said. “I’d rather do that than make her feel bad after rushing home to cook. I need to get a better idea of the schedules around here. I think her day off should last through the night. I wouldn’t like h
Alison put her ear against the door of the second-floor utility closet and listened for footsteps or other sounds that would clue them in on what was happening.All was quiet.“We need to get to Nick’s place to make sure they haven’t found his safe room,” Alison said as she carefully opened the door to peer out.“If they have? What do we do then?” Vanessa asked, bitterly.“Why are you so angry?” Alison asked with a sharp tone.“Maybe I’m a little pissed about Wilma getting killed and us next in line all because your man is not human?” Vanessa sneered.“Just a little reminder. I’m not either,” Alison said.Vanessa looked shocked as the realization of Alison’s statement hit home. “You’re not, are you. Shit.” She placed her fingers to her temples, took a deep breath, and added, “I’m sorry. I don&
Upon the insistence of the police, Alison and Vanessa were taken to the hospital to stitch Alison’s thumb and to be checked out for broken bones or other serious injuries. Nick, Martin, and Dennis paced the waiting room until the girls were released to their care.Nick insisted on carrying Alison from the wheel chair that took her to the exit door of the hospital into the seat of his SUV. Rather than argue, she snuggled close while apologizing for her appearance.“Vanessa and I spent hours getting our hair done, our brows waxed, and our nails done so we’d look good when you came back. I even bought this dress,” she wept into his neck. “Now, look at me.”“I am,” Nick whispered huskily as he positioned her onto the front seat of his SUV and fastened the seat belt across her torso. “What I see is the most beautiful and courageous woman in the world. I’m proud to call you mine.&rdquo
Alison leaned close to the steering wheel as she peered through the darkness as best she could at the winding country road. The assailing raindrops made a thick watery coating. The wipers of her Mini Cooper struggled to remove as much as possible before the windshield was once again hazy with water. She heaved a sigh and rotated her shoulders and neck as the compact car pushed its way through surface water that threatened to become too dense to maneuver through safely. She tried to remember if it was better to drive slow or fast through deep water to avoid stalling out. She hoped it was slow, since her car was fighting her control even at this speed. Any speed faster and she was sure she would end up in a ditch or hugging a tree.She wanted to consult the map that dominated the passenger’s seat next to her, but stopping in such a high level of water was risky and trying to read it while maneuvering through a torrential rainfall in the pitch
It was still raining the following morning when she awoke; although not nearly as hard. She pulled the covers over her face and inhaled the faint scent of lavender. She wondered if the housekeeper, Wilma, guessed she would be sleeping in that room out of habit, or if the sheets had just stayed that fresh for the many months since she last visited. She guessed it was the first.Wilma came to the estate long before Alison entered the world. Alison watched her transform from a youthful middle-aged woman of slender frame and fine complexion to an old woman who was nearing her retirement years with thickened waist and sun-mottled skin. It made sense Wilma would know her habits by now. She may not have visited the great aunts much over the last few years, but in her early, formative years, she was there almost every weekend and for weeks during the summer.The rich aroma of coffee filled the air as Wilma slowly opened the door. She carried
Alison sat on the bottom step of the stairway while she tried to make sense out of what just happened. Her body was still calming down from the overwhelming sensation of ecstasy that consumed it during the magical kiss she’d just experienced. She’d read about women responded to kisses in such a way. She’d thought it was purely fiction. Until now.Part of her wanted to rush after Nick and throw herself into his arms again so that she could re-experience that wonderful sensation, while another part of her wanted to run for safety. Kisses and responses of that nature between perfect strangers couldn’t be right.Her mind raced as she remembered the trip she took to New Orleans during Marti Gras with a few friends a year earlier. They thought it would be a blast to go visit a local psychic. The woman had to be the scariest person on the planet; not only in the way she dressed or decorated her place, but by the things she said.
It was the following morning before the rain let up enough to give hope toward seeing the sun again. Alison spent the day before hiding in the parlor and in her room to avoid running into Nick. It was dinnertime before Wilma informed her that Nick retired to his room for the day and she didn’t expect to see him for the rest of the evening. Alison asked if that was something that Nick did often. She was surprised to learn that it was, in fact, something he did once a month.Alison giggled as she shoved a heaping spoonful of lamb stew into her mouth in an uncouth manner. “Maybe he’s a vampire,” she said in a hushed tone.“Vampires walk at night and sleep all day,” Wilma chuckled. “Besides, he makes a pig of himself at mealtimes. Vampires live on blood, not steak and potatoes.”“Okay, so, scratch the vampire theory,” Alison said with a smirk.Wilma looked at Alison with a loving, satisfied smi
Wilma was already gone when Alison descended the stairs the following morning. Nick was nowhere to be seen, which both annoyed and pleased her. She didn’t like the odd, uncomfortable pull that she felt when she was around him, so she was glad not to run into him. Yet, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that sensational kiss and wouldn’t have minded kissing again to see if her reaction was a fluke or if she’s practically swoon in his arms once more.She smoothed her wavy blonde hair over her shoulders and adjusted the headband she’d positioned to hold it out of her face. She’d taken great pains in dressing. The tan linen pants and pale blue silk shirt she wore were practically new. She remembered that Nick agreed with Arthur about the way powder blue brought out the color of her rich blue eyes, so she made sure to wear the color again. With a sigh of disappointment, she looked in the direction of the gu
Circles framed her eyes as Alison cautiously descended the stairs. It was the wee hours of the morning before she could find any respite in sleep. If she wasn’t reliving the mind-blowing foreplay with Nick, she was thinking about her impromptu date with Martin. They took turns occupying her thoughts until she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.She’d been awake for several hours, but just didn’t have the nerve to venture out of her room for fear of encountering Nick. She paced her room while she pondered over her dilemma. This just couldn’t go on. Her aunt’s Will might have insisted that Nick stay on for at least another year, but she knew she couldn’t keep hiding from him and she certainly didn’t want any further love sessions with him. If you could call them that.She needed Nick to stay as far away from her as possible. She just had to figure out how to accomplish that. Wilma