Chapter 56
Chapter Fifty-Six
Cordelia
Sunlight wakes me up the next morning. I shift my head, groaning as my neck cricks in response.
Where am I?
I’m not in my bed.
I’m not on a bed of any kind.
An unfamiliar living room comes into focus. Suddenly, I remember coming over to Renthrow’s last night, and then I hear the soft sound of someone breathing.
Renthrow’s handsome face is above me, his mouth slightly parted. My jaw drops in shock. What am I still doing here? I was only supposed to nap for one hour.
Oh my gosh. I spent the night at Renthrow’s. What if Gordie sees us?
Panicked, I try to get up, and a steel band of an arm stops my ascent. I’m trapped.
“Renthrow,” I hiss, doing my best to peel his arm off. “Renthrow, get up.”
He grunts in his sleep.
I push at his arm again, fighting with all my strength. It’s no use. I’ve seen April break a stubborn lug nut with her bare hands, but I doubt even my boss could get Renthrow’s arm off me.
I wiggle my way up his body and look directly into his face. “Renthrow.”
“Mm.” His eyelashes flutter.
“Renthrow, Ren—Viking, let me go.” I run my fingers through his hair. “I have to go home now.”
His eyes open a smidge, and I silently rejoice.
“Cordelia.” A sleepy smile curls his lips. “You’re here.”
“Yes, I’m here, but I need to go—”
His mouth smushes against mine. It’s a lazy, messy meeting of the lips that tells me he hasn’t fully awakened yet.
My skin sizzles with heat, and I know I shouldn’t, but I kiss him back. The air turns charged, and I press a hand against his cheek, bracing his face.
Though I want to close my eyes and melt against him completely, I’m aware that we could be discovered any moment, and that keeps me restrained.
Which is why I have my eyes open and see exactly when his hand slides up to my ring finger. The moment he feels my bare hand, clarity enters his gaze. His eyes burst open wide, and he knocks me clear off him.
I crash into the fuzzy rug, glad that I landed here and not on the coffee table. It would have hurt much worse.
“Cordelia!” He roars in concern.
I shush him, waving a hand up and down to silence him.
Hair a mess and a beard shadowing the lower half of his face, the gorgeous hockey player drops to his knee beside me, helping me up. “I’m sorry. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine.” I pound my aching back. “Didn’t you recognize me?”
“I-I thought I was dreaming,” he admits.
I guess I know what Renthrow and I are doing in his dreams.
“Daddy?” Gordie’s voice calls faintly from upstairs.
I jerk away from him.
“Just a second, pumpkin. Daddy’s coming!” Renthrow says while giving me a wide-eyed look.
“Shoes. Shoes,” I hiss, hunting around for my footwear.
Renthrow crawls around the sofa until he locates my work boots. I grab them from him and tiptoe backward.
“Daddy, I heard noises,” Gordie says. Her voice sounds louder now.
I shove a finger at the stairs, miming to Renthrow. He gets my message with a nod and bounds off yelling, “It was nothing, pumpkin.”
I wait with my heart pounding and my shoes tucked close to my chest.
“Are you sure?” Gordie’s saying. Her feet are coming down the stairs.
Oh no.
If she catches me like this…
I spin around, searching for somewhere to hide.
“Yes, I’m sure. Wait right there. I’ll come upstairs and help you get ready for school!”
Renthrow turns back around and makes a telephone gesture with his thumb and pinkie fingers extended. I’ll call you.
I give him the “okay” sign and linger out of sight until he disappears up the stairs. Their voices get quieter and quieter until they’re swallowed up behind the distinct click of a door closing.
That’s my cue.
Wasting no time, I sprint out of the house and move my bike manually down the road. I designed my muffler to be as loud as possible because that’s the kind of gal I am, but I don’t want to alert the entire neighborhood to the fact that I’m doing the bike ‘walk of shame’.
Lucky Falls is small enough that—with one guttural roar of my engine—news of my night with Renthrow would become a raging forest fire of gossip by noon.
As I’m pushing my bike down the street, my phone vibrates.
It’s Renthrow.
I put the device to my ear. “Did Gordie see anything?”
“She’s none the wiser.”
“That’s a relief.”
Renthrow’s voice lowers in pitch. “We should tell her.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“How often do you plan on sneaking out before she wakes up?”
“First of all, this would never have happened if someone had woken me up in an hour like he promised…”
Renthrow chuckles.
“…And I don’t plan on making this a habit.”
“Why not? I loved being woken up to you kissing me.”
I halt with the bike in the middle of the street. “Let’s set the record straight. You kissed me.”
“That’s not how I remember it. I distinctly remember you kissing me first.”
“You were making out with me in your dreams long before you started kissing me in real life, Renthrow.”
I can imagine his ears getting red as he sputters, “In my defense, the real you was much better.”
“Just curious. Do you ask before kissing in your dreams too?”
Renthrow chuckles. “By the way, how’s your bike so quiet? I didn’t hear you start it up.”
“I’ll ride when I’m a few blocks away first.”
“Cordelia.” His tone is disapproving.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve done this before.”
“You wouldn’t have to be so secretive if we told her.”
My stomach somersaults. I want that too, but now that things are getting serious, I need to tell Renthrow everything. Once he knows the truth about me, about what happened with Gwen, and all the ways my life shattered after, if he’s still okay with me then, and only then, would I tell Gordie.
“Let’s just keep this between us right now. I want you to myself for a bit longer.”
“Fine.” He sighs.
“Kiss you later,” I whisper flirtatiously.
Renthrow makes a low, rumbling sound in response, and I laugh as I hang up.
The sun climbs higher in the sky as I struggle uphill with the bike. Once I’m satisfied that I’m far enough away from Renthrow’s house, I mount the motorcycle and head home.
Right as I step into my apartment, I get another phone call.
How did Renthrow know I got home already? Did he time me?
I answer without checking. “Miss me already?”
Heavy breathing is all that meets my statement.
Instantly, my shoulders tighten, and the smile drains from my face. I pull the phone back as a horror movie soundtrack plays in my head.
This isn’t Renthrow.
I squeeze my eyes shut, fearing what I’m about to see. And then I open them and watch the screen. The number displayed on my phone is one I’ve scraped with a sharp-edged knife against my heart.
Dread filling my veins with ice, I put the phone against my ear. “How did you get this number?”
“Are you happy, Delia?” The dark, seething voice accuses. “It sounds like you are.”
My throat closes up.
I glance around. The hallway is empty, and yet I feel unsettled.
“I was at their graves today,” the voice snarls.
The sharp pain in my chest returns, the intensity turned up to a ten.
“They’re in the ground. And yet, you’re happy?”
Tears crop in my eyes. “Ray—”
“Do you really think someone like you deserves that, Delia? After all you did to her? After all you stole from us?”
My chest pumps up and down as I struggle for air. “I did what you asked. I left. You never have to see my face. What more do you want me to do?”
“You think that’s enough? You think that’s penance?” His darkening voice sends a chill down my spine. “I’m going to remind you as long as you’re alive,” he promises. “I’m going to find you wherever you are and remind you of what you can’t seem to remember.”
“What does that mean?”
The line goes dead.
“Ray? Ray?” I hiss.
He’s gone.