21. Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-One
E mma
Declan’s eyebrows furrow and he shoots me a puzzled look that informs me that I probably shouldn’t have said what I said, especially with such intensity.
Because now he’s looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" he asks. "When you said 'trust me.' Meaning you've had experience with that?’
I shake my head and look away. "Never mind." I don’t know what to do with the pearl that’s now in my hand burning a hole in my palm. Declan already refused to take it back, and if I insist it will only make him ask more questions.
"No, you can’t just drop a bombshell like that and expect us to saunter past it." He takes two steps closer to me. I wish I could run away, but I can’t because of my ankle and the dangerous terrain. So I simply stand there stiffly and protest by refusing to meet his gaze or answer his question.
"Emma." His hand touches my chin and drags my eyes back to his. "Talk to me."
My stomach bottoms out even as his touch makes my body sing. I hold out the orb. "Take this back."
"Not until you tell me why you’re so freaked out by it. I thought you loved the damn things."
"I’m not freaked out by it." I attempt an unaffected shrug. "I just don’t want it."
He raises an eyebrow. "You, the connoisseur of all things Rainbow Pearl, don’t want a free Rainbow Pearl?"
"Yeah," I say and shrug again for good measure. "I’ve had a few over the years. I’m not so fascinated by them anymore."
He acknowledges it with a little smirk. "Fine. Then give it to Amelia."
"Why don’t you give it to her instead?
"Because it's yours. She needs to know it's your gift."
I swallow. I wonder if the curse is canceled out if I gift the pearl after receiving it. I doubt it. Either way, I don't want to risk it.
But it doesn’t even matter now. The pearl is already in my hand and Declan isn't going to accept it back, so that's already a given.
But right now, I need to get him off my back.
"Ow," I say and lean against the tree.
Declan's expression quickly changes from curiosity to alertness as he reaches for me.
"What’s wrong? Is it your ankle?"
I nod and he instantly curses under his breath sweeping me into his arms. "This is why I wanted you to stay back in the cabin, but of course, you wanted to be stubborn."
"Yeah. You were right and I was wrong," I respond, meekly, but he still shoots me a sour look, muttering under his breath as he carries me back up the hill.
I wrap my hand around his neck and suppress the guilt over the deception. I kind of feel a little bad for using my ankle as an excuse but it’s the only way I could find to bail out of that conversation ASAP.
At least, I think I've bailed out of it, until he says," And don’t think I don’t know what you just did. But don’t worry, we’ll continue this conversation later."
My lips form into what I fear is a pout. Declan smirks and then brushes his lips against my temple, the tender move that has my heart skipping a beat.
Stop that.
I inhale his fresh manly scent, and my heart continues to dance, no matter how many times I tell it to stop. I wonder if it's the Rainbow Pearl's curse already in play. I wonder if I'm doomed to become obsessed with him.
Of course, I was already kinda obsessed with him before now.
There’s no such thing as the Rainbow Pearl curse , I tell myself. You just have bad taste in men.
The sky darkens slightly, but the clouds are still too far apart to threaten rain. I stare at the sky and recall the first time I found a Rainbow Pearl.
Tate and I had gone hiking in Baker Woods on the afternoon of my sixteenth birthday, aiming to just make it to the other end. We weren't looking for the Pearl, but found one anyway right next to the stream I took Amelia to. I remember how excited I was when I saw the Pearl. A part of me had never thought I would find one. They seemed–like many aspects of Grandpa's stories–fantastical.
And even though some of the older town members like Poppy said they'd seen one before, none of them actually had one in their possession.
So I figured Rainbow Pearls were either extinct or a figment of the imagination. Or maybe plain old magic.
But that day, I saw it. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I stared in awe for a few seconds, before I picked it up. Then I turned back to show Tate. She was excited too, and even though I offered to share our find ( Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants -style), she insisted I keep it.
"You like them way more than I do," she said. "Besides you found it and it is your birthday. It can be your gift to you ."
And so I kept the Pearl and safeguarded it for the next three years.
And then I met Xavier.
A boy from California with dreamy eyes and floppy blonde hair that I fell head over heels for.
We met while I was serving as a waitress at a fancy country club. He was polite even though he spoke with a fancy accent and wore Ralph Lauren shirts. He smiled when he ordered and left a hundred-dollar tip even though it was only a twenty-dollar order. He also left his number right on the receipt.
Things moved quickly after we started talking. Within a week I was his girlfriend. He came home with me for Thanksgiving two months later, claiming he wanted to see my home, and also wanted to avoid his chaotic family. I was happy and proud to show him Laketown and all it had to offer.
On the second day of our visit, we went hiking and then made love by a shallow pond. That was when Xavier found a pearl right by my head and he picked it up.
"What's that?" he said.
I excitedly explained to him what he found, and though he laughed a little at my explanation, he didn't make fun of me for believing in fantastical things.
"Here you go," he said, giving it to me. "A beautiful gem for a beautiful lady."
I blushed and accepted it. And then later, I presented him with pearl I found before, effectively completing the pearl exchange.
I thought it was fate. I thought the fact that Xavier had given me his pearl meant that we were going to be together forever. Fate had declared us true lovers.
But fate has a way of laughing in my face.
I cringe and shudder every time I think back to that period. I never want to relive that. I can’t even make myself think about it again, much less talk about it to satisfy Declan's curiosity.
So when we reach the cabin and he sets me down on the mattress, I immediately change the subject. "How is Amelia by the way? Is she enjoying the fashion shows?"
"Not so much, but she is relishing the pure chaos of it all," he says as he sits next to me. "Her mother is very type A and things have a way of not going as planned when it comes to high-pressure situations like fashion shows."
"Oh, tell me about it. I've heard those things can be stressful."
"‘Stressful’ is too mild a word for it. Have you ever been to a fashion show?"
I shake my head. "No, but I've been to something like one. I learned bartending in California, and we once got this gig that was for an event with a bunch of models. Like a fashion gala or something. You should have seen these women. I never thought people like that existed in real life. So tall and graceful and slender. Like princesses from a book or something."
"They work very hard to maintain their figures," he informs me with casual indifference and some amusement. "Some of them haven’t touched a carb in years."
I nod. "Makes sense. Most of the entrees went untouched the whole night. But hey, I guess it was worth it for those bodies. I can see why men go crazy over them."
"Not every man prefers the model physique," he says and his eyes run down my body, radiating so much heat I blush. "Some of us like a more full-figured woman."
Pleasure slides through me.
I’ve never been insecure about my body per se, but I've always been aware that it's not everyone's cup of tea. But the way Declan looks at me makes me feel like I'm the most desirable woman in the world.
"Anyway," I say, coughing, before desire chokes out the room again. "That’s the extent of my experience with fashion shows. How about you?"
"I’ve been to a few of them. Mostly to support my ex-wife. I'm not much of a fashion guy but I appreciate the art behind it." He raises an eyebrow. "Speaking of art, where did you learn to draw like that?"
"Ah." It takes me a second to recall the image he saw of himself with horns. Yet another embarrassing memory for the bank. "I’m not sure. My Grandpa says my mom was an artist and she taught me the basics, but to be honest, I don’t remember much of it." I’m not sure if I've blocked it out because the memory is shrouded in too much pain after her death. "But it’s one thing I’ve always been able to do. And I was in the art club in high school too, and eventually went to college on a partial art scholarship."
"That’s amazing," he says.
"What's not amazing is that I didn't finish college," I say. "I dropped out in the middle. It was kinda embarrassing. Grandpa went around bragging about me like I was some kind of DaVinci, but I couldn't cut it when it mattered."
"You don’t have to finish to be good. Lots of successful people never even attend college."
"Yes, but I wasted time and money."
Declan shrugs. "Maybe, but at least the time was wasted getting an education in something you love, rather than, I don't know, partying it up and going on a drug-fuelled binge. There are worse things you could have done. I'm sure your grandpa is still proud of you regardless."
I trace little circles on the mattress. "I guess."
We continue talking but it's not long before we hear the rustling of trees and a voice shouting, "Emma! Are you there?"
Something sinks inside me.
"I guess our cavalry has arrived," Declan says and I don’t think I imagine the disappointment in his face echoing my own.
Rick's cavalry consists of him, Gary Fiore, and Buck Shoreton, a tall quiet bear of a man who always smells like motor oil. With their help, and Declan carrying me most of the way, we manage to get down to the base of the hill, where Rick's truck is waiting for us.
"Buck over here will drive Lou's car out," Rick says. "And Gary can take yours."
"My car will probably need a little more than that to get it out of the ditch," Declan says. "I'll deal with getting it out later."
Rick looks like he wants to argue but he just closes his mouth and nods. Gary joins us in the truck, and we drive, an awkward silence hang between us. Declan doesn't bring up the fact that Rick sent him in here on a wild goose chase without warning him about the storm or the rough terrain.
He doesn’t look at Rick, even though Rick is throwing him sidelong worried glances. I wonder if he's scared of potential retribution. Heck if I was Rick, I would be scared of the same thing. Declan doesn't look like the kind of man you want to cross, which is what makes it weird that he would pull that prank on him.
Then again, Rick was probably still mad about the burger incident, and maybe even blamed him a little for Grandpa's heart attack, as silly as that would be.
I try to break the awkward silence by making conversation. "Hey, Rick, you know we found a Rainbow Pearl up there?"
"You did?" His lips press together as his eyes wander off oddly to Declan again.
"Yup. Two of them actually. Isn't that crazy?"
"It is. But that's great, kiddo." He taps the wheel and glances at Declan again. "Real great. You didn’t happen to see anything else while you were up there, did you?"
“Like what?” I ask.
He shrugs. “Sometimes, I see strange stuff there. Could have sworn I saw a bear once and, sometimes hunters from other towns like to hike there. I keep some guns handy in my closet. Just in case you saw it, that’s what that’s for.”
"The bear was probably Buck,” Gary says and we all snort. I can't think of anything else to say so the conversation dies there. Besides, I'm too aware of Declan's silent body pressed against my right side, his arms still partially around my shoulders.
Later after Rick drops us both off on my front porch, I turn to Declan and say, "Listen, about Rick... I’m not saying what he did was right but–"
"Forget it," Declan says. "I know why he did it. But I found the Rainbow Pearl anyway so I’m not bothered."
Oh," I say, blinking, surprised. I always thought Declan would be the vengeful type. "Okay. Thanks."
He nods. "Also, I'm no longer bulldozing the hotel."
That one stuns me silent for several seconds. I lean back against the railing and blink at him, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"
He nods and considers the pearl still in my hand before he answers, "You were right. Some things are worth the extra work to make them shine again."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So you're going to renovate it?"
"Yes."
"Are you for real right now? You're not pulling my leg?"
He smirks. "No."
"Oh Declan, thank you, thank you!" I throw my arms around his neck, enjoying the solid press of his body as his arms wrap around my waist. "But what changed your mind?"
He pulls back a little to tell me. "Something about a total stranger sending you to the forest to die alone really makes you think about your life choices."
I laugh, and he smiles too. But something tells me there's more to his change of heart than I understand.
Perhaps, it's another attribute of the Rainbow Pearl–maybe it can tame a beast.