Keepers of the Flame (Trilogy Bundle) - By Melissa F. Hart Page 0,20

wanted a career as a poster girl, I probably could do well there. Or a porn star. I shook my head to loosen the topknot and it came undone.

“It's too much,” I said.

“You're right. It's for an older woman.” She pursed her lips and studied my reflection again, and then a smile lit her face. “I've got it!”

I sat still as she moved her finger again and the hair arranged itself into a simple French braid. It was fantastic! The beauty of the hair was the simplicity. The braid began from the left side of my head and ended at my nape. It was then curled into a bun just at the nape. It was a classy take on my usual ponytail.

“Oh Katrina, I love it!” I jumped up and gave her a tight hug.

She hugged me back and I could see the soft sheen of tears in her eyes. “You're so beautiful. You remind me of your Mom when she married your Dad. She was so beautiful and I think I fell in love with her afresh. I miss them so much.”

I hugged her again but didn't say anything. I lost my Mom and Dad and my little sister when I was thirteen, and it's not something I liked talking about. Actually, I didn't talk about it, period.

“Thank you, Grandma,” I said softly.

She stood up straight and directed a mock frown at me. “Do I look like a grandma to you?”

I laughed as I shook my head. It was a long-standing joke between us. “You don't even look like anybody's mother,” I teased.

“Oh just get ready! I have things to do.”

I heard her laughter as she disappeared from my room. I stood in front of the mirror once again, this time with a huge smile on my face. I was going to have fun that night and I was not going to allow thoughts of Dylan to get in the way.

Chapter Two

I was ready for my date and was sitting in my room, waiting for Claire to pick me up. Since it was a first date, I'd arranged a double date with Claire and her boyfriend, Jason. Jason was my second best friend and I knew I would be comfortable with them present.

I'd just read a message from Claire telling me they were leaving her home when my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and felt my heart skip a beat when I saw Dylan's name. I wondered why he was calling as he usually didn't call till the end of the month. I took a deep breath and put the phone to my ear.

“Hi.”

“Hey, how are you?”

His voice gave me goose bumps and they in turn made me irritated. I should be immune to his voice by now. “I'm fine. What's up?” I tried to sound casual.

“Nothing much, I was just thinking of you and decided to call.”

Wow! I held the phone away from me and stared at it. He was thinking about me? Better still, he admitted it? This was huge.

“Ah, ummm... okay.” Great. The guy told me he was thinking of me and I'd turned into a bumbling idiot. How perfect. I stood up and began to pace around while I gathered my thoughts. “How are you?”

“I'm fine, I guess.” I could almost see him shrug. “My mom called today.”

I walked to my bed and sat down. I knew this was huge. He hadn't spoken with his parents in like forever. “How did it go?” I asked softly.

“The usual. She wanted to know when I was coming home.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her I was never coming home.”

I remained silent. I didn't know what to say to him. There he was with a complete family - mother, father, and siblings - and he deliberately refused to keep in touch with them. I would give anything, and I mean literally anything to have my family back.

“You're not saying anything.”

“Well, they're your family. I guess you know best.” I was unconvinced but I didn't think I had the right to tell him what to do.

“You have no idea what they've put me through.” He was sounding defensive and that was the last thing I wanted. Still, I felt I needed to speak out.

“I'm sure I don't know, because you've never shared that part of yourself with me. But I do know I would give anything to have my family, issues and all. What if they're all killed tomorrow? Will you still tell yourself you're justified