Prowl. Part 10

I'd never know if I didn't try. Decision was made. I would borrow Grandma's car when she came home from work and head to the store to buy my very own Ouija board. Now all I had to do was wait.

Chapter Ten.

By the time Grandma arrived home it was almost time for my date with Isaac. I tried not to let my disappointment at not getting the Ouija board ruin my evening. I put on a black skirt, sparkly top and ballet flats. For the first time in months I actually wore short sleeves and it felt good. The salve that Rhiannon gave me worked and my cuts were healing nicely, but I did swipe some foundation over them just to be safe. After flat ironing my hair and applying some makeup I emerged from the bathroom.

"Wow, Kenzie. Isaac's not going to know what hit him."

I blushed, swatting away her words. Just then there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Isaac standing on the porch, his face hidden behind a huge bouquet of fragrant flowers. I took them in my hand and thanked him. When our eyes locked, he grinned showing his dimples. He wore khaki pants, a white collared shirt and brown dress shoes. His hair was combed down, his face clean-shaven and he smelled like aftershave and cologne.

"You look gorgeous," he said.

Grandma offered to put the flowers in water and we took off. As we walked toward Isaac's car he took my hand in his, sending chills up my arm. The heat of the afternoon still lingered in the evening air and I was grateful my arms were bare. The scent of honeysuckle swirled around me, and birds chirped faintly in the distance.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we pulled out of the court.

"'Fat's."

"What an odd name for a restaurant."

"It's not at all like it sounds. It's the best. You'll see."

He wasn't kidding. Fat's was nothing like its name implied. The restaurant was beautiful with its shimmering pool of water and giant gold statue as the centerpiece, its glossy floors and dim lighting throughout. The scent of fried Chinese food and sauces permeated the air, causing my stomach to rumble.

"What do you like?" I asked as I held the lengthy menu in my hand.

"The honey walnut prawns are the bomb."

My mouth watered as I read the description.

"Also, the chow mein is really good."

I nodded, setting down the menu. "I'm sold."

After Isaac ordered and the waiter brought our sodas, we settled back in our chairs.

"So, what did you do today?"

"Nothing much." I spoke loudly to be heard over the party at the table behind us. Chattering echoed off the high ceilings.

"You didn't hang out with Rhiannon?"

I shook my head. "Apparently she went on vacation."

"Where to?"

"No idea. I didn't even know she left. Her housecleaner told me."

"Huh. That's odd."

"Yeah," I agreed.

"So, what do you guys do together?"

"Girl stuff." A woman fluttered past our table, leaving a trail of strong floral perfume in her wake. Her stiletto heels clicked on the slick floor.

"Like what?"

"If I told you I'd have to kill you." I winked and flashed him a smile so he'd know I was kidding.

He laughed and changed the subject which is exactly what I'd hoped would happen. "Hey, you ever water-ski?"

"No. Why?" A baby wailed from a nearby table, catching our attention.

"A friend of mine invited me out on his boat on Sat.u.r.day. I wondered if you wanted to join me."

The thought of being on a boat with Isaac sounded amazing. "I'd love to, but I don't know how good of a skier I'll be. I've never even snow skied before."

"Water skiing is pretty easy. I can show you."

"Do you go often?"

"Yeah, I love it. My Aunt and Uncle own a boat and we go all the time. I learned to ski when I was a little kid. My Uncle gets a kick out of taking crazy turns and trying to knock me over when he's pulling me."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Nah, he knows what he's doing. He'd never let me get hurt. Although I have had water go up my nose a lot of times and that's pretty painful."

"Is it hard for you to go out in the water after what happened to your brother?"

"It was at first, but my parents made me. They didn't want my fears to run my life."

"You're lucky to have them. They seem like amazing parents." Ones I wish I had.

"Yeah, they're pretty cool. What about you? You don't talk much about your family. What's it like being an only child?"

I pictured quiet nights alone in front of the TV, coming home everyday to an empty house.

"Lonely," I finally answered.

He reached across the table, covering my hand with his. "I'm sorry."

I shrugged. "It's fine."

Just then our food arrived and our conversation halted as we tucked into the prawns and chow mein noodles. By the time I finished I understood why the restaurant was called Fat's. I ate so much I thought Isaac would have to roll me out of the place.

Rubbing my stomach I said, "I feel like I gained ten pounds. You better be careful. If you keep taking me out like this I'm gonna get fat."

Isaac chuckled. "It wouldn't matter what size you were. You'd still be beautiful."

"So how was your date?" Grandma asked me over coffee and toast the next morning.

"Good," I answered.

"Just good?"

"Okay, it was amazing." I smiled before taking a sip of my hot coffee.

"Where'd he take you?"

"Fat's."

"Oooh, I love Fat's. I hope you got the honey walnut prawns."

"Totally. They were incredible."

Grandma got up from the table and put her dish in the sink. "What are your plans for today?"

"Well, I was hoping to borrow your car this morning and run some errands."

"Or I could go with you."

"Uh, no that's okay. You don't have to do that. It's just boring stuff anyway. Deodorant and things, you know. I won't be very long."

"Yeah, okay. That's fine." Grandma eyed me suspiciously.

I smiled innocently as I set my mug in the sink. After getting the board I'd have to stop at the drug store and pick up some deodorant now. I wondered how I would sneak the board in the house without her noticing. As I got ready, I formulated a plan.

It didn't take long to find the Ouija boards. In fact I was surprised that they were located right on the shelf with Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. It was embarra.s.sing though when I plucked it off the shelf. A woman with two little kids shot me a disgusted look. The clerk also gave me a funny look as he rang me up. You'd swear that no one had ever bought a Ouija board before.

On the way home I stopped at Rite Aid to pick up some deodorant and a dark towel to wrap around the game in an attempt to camouflage it.

Luckily when I did arrive at the house, Grandma was too busy gardening to take an interest in what I'd purchased. I raced inside and hid the game under my mattress. As anxious as I was to get on the board I couldn't risk Grandma walking in, so I decided to be patient and wait until she'd gone to bed for the night. To pa.s.s the time I called Haley.

"I'm so glad you called," Haley said when she picked up. "We haven't talked in like forever."

It was true and I felt bad. I hadn't returned her last couple of calls because I'd been so busy.

"So, you and the hot neighbor boy must've made up."

"Yeah, we did." I sat on the edge of my bed, staring out the window. Isaac's house was still and quiet, blinds closed. I wondered where he was.

"Well he must be keeping you pretty busy for you to just blow off your best friend." She added a lighthearted laugh but I could tell she was hurt.

"I'm sorry, Hales. I didn't mean to blow you off."

"I know. Anyway, spill. Tell me all about...what's his name again...Isaiah?"

"Isaac," I said. "He's amazing. I've never met anyone like him before. I think I might be falling in love."

"Oh my gosh, you're totally sleeping with him."

"No, I'm not! We haven't even kissed."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. He's a total gentleman. The most he's done is hold my hand once."

"Are you sure he's, you know, straight?"

"Haley! What's gotten into you?"

"Me? What's gotten into you?"

"I guess I've changed. I want a real relationship like the one you have with Derek. By the way how are things going there? Did you ever find out why he was acting so strange?"

"Yeah."

"Oh good. So you worked things out?"

"Not exactly. We broke up."

"What? Why?"

"He started seeing Chelsea."

"Chelsea? You've gotta be kidding."

"I wish I was."

"Oh, Haley, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well, boys are sc.u.m. What are you gonna do? Speaking of which, I saw your mom out with some guy."

"I'm not surprised. She was definitely talking to someone before I left."

"I don't know. This was different."

My stomach clenched. I stood up and paced my room. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they were having coffee but something seemed off about it. It didn't exactly look like a date."