He looked relieved. “Good. You understand that I have to keep you safe, right? It hurts to think about you in harm and I’m not sure I could sit here while you worked today after everything that happened last night.”
“I understand.”
“Besides, you don’t have to work anymore. Not only is it not safe, but I’m taking care of you now. And you’ll be leaving in a few weeks for school so you’d quit anyway.”
“Caleb, I told you I don’t really feel..fortable with you paying for my stuff. I don’t need you to—” He cut me off with a kiss and then spoke his words against my mouth.
“In the words of some really beautiful, smart girl I know, just give me what I want.”
I laughed despite it all. “Ok, but...even though I’ll call them and tell them I’m not coming in today, I can’t just quit without any notice. They’ve been like family. I can’t do that to them.”
“Ok.” He blew out a long breath. “We’ll think of something.” He smiled reassuringly.We stepped into the kitchen and I looked around at my new family. Maria walked up to me with a plate piled high with homemade honey buns and strawberries.
“You’re not allergic, are you?” she asked.
“Nope. I’m not allergic to anything,” I said as I took the plate. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I’m allergic to kiwi, but it’s ok because I don’t really like kiwi anyway.”
“Really?” I pulled away from Caleb and gave him a smile over my shoulder. “I love kiwi,” I told her and followed her out to the table where there was already about ten women seated.
“Hey, Maggie,” Jen greeted and I was glad. I didn’t want everyone to feel weird about me because they knew what had just happened to me. I prickled as I wondered if everyone had heard me screaming. “Feeling better?”
“Yeah, thanks. Gran is a lifesaver.”
“And Caleb, I would think, too,” a new woman said giggling.
Other giggles erupted and Rachel covered her mouth before going on.
“Now, now, leave them alone. It’s been so long since we were that age, we’ve forgotten what it's like.”
“Oh, I never forgot,” the woman said. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”
Everyone laughed, even me. Then, they told me some stories about Caleb when he was a kid.
“So, by the fifth go round, he finally realized that I was tricking him! He was so cute, all disgruntled,” Caleb’s aunt ended her story.
Everyone laughed as they remembered.
“Well, I remember the time he house sat for us and Ken charmed the house plants before we left. Every time Caleb came around a corner, my potato vine had moved something, a chair or the palm had flipped a picture frame. It was so hilarious the first phone call we got from him,” she did her best Caleb impression, “Uh, Aunt Margo, I think something’s up with your house.” She laughed and cackled. “He finally figured it out at some point and when we got back he looked at us as sternly as a sixteen year old boy can and said, ‘Very funny’.”
I laughed so hard at their stories I was wiping my eyes.
“Well, Maggie, where are you going to school?” Jen asked after everyone settled down.
“Um, I think I’m going to go to Tennessee.”
There were a lot of breaths of relief and I looked around curiously. Jen looked at me and smirked while Rachel explained.
“It’s just that we’re wading through uncharted waters, Maggie. Human girls are so...different. Demanding and independent and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s just not the way of our kind. The Virtuoso have always been old fashioned and we were worried that you’d rebel against it all. Caleb is a good boy…uh, man.” She sniffled and two ladies near hear patted her hands. She laughed through her tears. “I’m a mess. I never thought I’d see this day and now it's here and I can barely believe it.” I bit my lip in uncomfortable respite. She smiled at me. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, I’m just so happy and very proud of Caleb. He’s handling everything so well, as are you. He’ll stop at nothing to make you happy, Maggie. Know that. You don’t have to worry about mundane things anymore.”
I nodded in understanding and smiled at her and her aunts, nodding and beaming with pride. I broke the silence by asking about their imprints.
I sat and finished my lunch with them, listening to their stories of when and how they imprinted and ascended. I was fascinated. I was sure they were sick of my questions, but they kept smiling and eagerly answered.
I so enjoyed them and no one treated me like I was a child or naïve. They sympathized, they laughed, some cackled more than once. I tried to keep my gaze off Jen, knowing she wouldn’t have a story to tell, but when my eyes did drift to her she looked happy and content with Maria seated on her lap.
Eventually the guys came out and pulled some chairs to sit around us.
“You’re alive?” Caleb jested. “I was scared of what I’d find out here.”
“Yes, I’m alive. And I’ve learned a whole lot,” I spouted with eyebrows raised.
“Oh, no, now I’m scared.”
“You should be.” I leaned forward to whisper loudly. “I know about the Scooby Doo underwear.”
He groaned as I laughed and Kyle’s dad, who I could never remember the name of, came over.
“Caleb, come play for us.”
“No, no.” He waved him off.
“Yes, yes. It’s been ages since you played. Come on, play while we throw the shoes.”
“Come on, Caleb!” someone else chanted.
“Fine.” He grimaced at me and leaned forward to whisper in my ear, “Guitar. And Kyle’s dad’s name is Max by the way.” Then he kissed my temple and smirked at me as he took the guitar from Uncle Max and sat back in his chair.
He started to play something and Max set up the horseshoes. I glanced at Caleb as I recognized the song he was playing, Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead. He wasn’t even looking at the strings while he played. He was looking at me.
Then I saw Kyle coming my way and I froze.
Crap. Crap!
I knew he was going to ask me to be his partner in horseshoes, I could see it on his face and I so didn’t want to have any more conflict between Caleb and Kyle. That would do it for sure. So I jumped up from my chair quickly, acting like I hadn’t seen Kyle coming, who had only been about seven feet away at the time, and made a beeline to Peter who was leaning on the next table over watching everyone.
“Hi.”
“Hi there,” he said easily.
“Do you want to be my horseshoe partner?”
He smiled. “An old man like me doesn’t get asked that much anymore.”
“Aw, come on, you’re not old. And I’ve never played before so I’m not sure if you should play with me or run the other way.”
He laughed out loud just as Kyle reached us. Dang it. He followed me over there. “Mags, you wanna play with me?”
“Uh, I think I convinced Peter to partner with me, if he’s brave enough.”
“Oh,” Peter said grinning as he stood and placed my hand in the crook of his arm. He walked us towards the others. “I’m brave enough, all right. But you better watch out because my wife taught me everything I know.”I laughed. “Aha. Well it’s not like I could tell the difference between bad and good anyway. You’re going to have to teach me.”
He showed me how to line them up and how hard to toss. “So, feeling better now?”
“Much.”
“Good. I’m worried about you and Caleb. I’m still trying to figure something out for you two.”
“Thanks. You know, I’m not that worried though. Caleb’s pretty crafty and it’ll all work it out. I know it.”
He nodded and smiled. I looked over to hear Maria squealing and saw an ivy vine racing across the yard towards her as she ran from it in zigzags. I looked around until I found the uncle concentrating on it. He winked and smiled at me.
“I’m glad one of you is level headed,” Peter continued and I realized this was just a common thing with them, to use their abilities in everyday life.
We played a few turns and I actually won a few. He asked me about school and things. I told him about running track.
He threw a shoe and it stopped midair. I gawked at it, but he smirked and turned around to find Rachel. She smiled.
“Are you telling her that old lie about me teaching you everything I know?”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.” He opened his arms and she went into them giggling in amusement. With their arms around each other they looked back to me. “Honestly, Maggie, my wife is terrible at shoes. Unless she cheats,” he said grinning and guffawed when she playfully punched him in the stomach.
“I wish it weren’t true, but it is,” she admitted. “So, how is our Maggie faring?”
“Wonderfully. She’s a natural at horseshoes.” Then, he cleared his throat. “That was really thoughtful, what you did, Maggie.”
“What?”
“I saw you before and I saw Kyle making his way to you. I could practically read your thoughts as you scampered over to me.”
“Really?” I wrinkled my nose. “I wasn’t trying to hurt Kyle’s feelings, but he knows how to rub Caleb the wrong way and he does it on purpose. I’m just trying to avoid conflict.”