You have no idea how much I miss Taco Bell. That would be a lifesaver.”
He smirked. “We ran into Alice at the bank. We both happened to be there at the same time and got to talking, as we always do. Then your cousin came in and made an announcement that changed the entire conversation.”
I had a sinking suspicion I knew what announcement was. “Oh, yeah? It’s a nice night, huh?”
His grin only widened. “She told us you were coming back to town, and not just for a visit. All Hunter’s bold talk about dumping Monica flew out the window after that. He’s been putting up with some outrageous crap from her ever since. I think we both know why.”
“She’s pretty.”
“That’s not why.” Sebastian let loose a long sigh. “Listen, I’m not going to poke my nose into your business ... .”
“Yes, you are.”
He laughed, the sound warm and friendly. “Fine. I will stick my nose into your business. I don’t think it’ll matter. You two will find your way back to each other. It’s written in the stars.”
“Oh, geez.” I rolled my eyes. “That is the schmaltziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“And yet it’s the truth.” He turned serious. “You guys might’ve been suffering from a severe case of puppy love as kids, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the real deal. I don’t think anyone who ever saw you together doubted what you felt for each other.”
“We were still kids.”
“It doesn’t matter. Some things are meant to be. I believe you and Hunter are one of those things.”
My heart skipped, and then steadied. “It’s sweet that you’re still a romantic, but Hunter has been cold. He made sure I knew about his girlfriend earlier this afternoon. He isn’t interested in me.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
“I will because it’s the truth.”
“I’ve got twenty bucks that says you’re wrong.”
“It’s a bet.”
“I’m going to win.”
“No, I’m going to win.”
“Honey, you can’t even find your way home from the woods. You’re so lost you don’t know up from down right now. That’s all going to smooth out now that you’re home ... and Hunter is going to be part of it. Mark my words. I’m totally going to win.”
I was too tired to argue. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
9
Nine
My dreams were dark.
I couldn’t see anything, and yet I could hear voices.
There was laughter ... and whispers ... and something akin to cackling. The voices weren’t altogether unfriendly, but they were disturbing all the same.
I heard talk of wine, a solstice celebration — and there was something about inappropriate leggings. It made no sense.
It wasn’t exactly a nightmare. It wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
The good part was that I knew it was a dream. The bad part was that I was having trouble forcing myself to wake up.
When I did manage to wrench open an eye, I found the most peculiar sight. There was nothing but white surrounding me.
“What the ... ?” Instinctively, I stuck out my hands, expecting to push the sheets off my head. Instead of colliding with fabric, though, my hands hit something hard.
I panicked and began to squirm, shoving with all my might against the hard surface directly above my face ... and pushing myself down. That shouldn’t have been possible because I went to sleep in my bed. There should be no down, and yet there was.
It took tremendous effort, but I managed to push off hard enough to flip over. What I found defied explanation. I was floating a good three feet over my bed and the hard surface I’d woken to was the ceiling.
My eyes widened so far I thought they might pop out of my head. I struggled to find my voice, but the terror flowing through me was too much. I couldn’t manage even a squeak to prove I hadn’t developed laryngitis during the night. I don’t know who I would have called for. It was early. If I screamed, the only people who might hear me were in the restaurant below — and how would I explain it to them?
I tried swimming back to the bed. No joke. It was a modified doggy paddle of sorts. Unfortunately, I couldn’t aim and found myself swimming all over the bedroom.
“What is happening?” When I finally found my voice, it was to ask the most inane question imaginable — and still there was nobody there to answer.
Through sheer force of will, I managed to swim back to the spot above my bed and aimed