The Healer: A Young Adult Romantic Fantasy (The Healer Series Book 1) (21 page)

While Angie prattled on about the lack of hospital valet parking, Tie and Victor started to get quiet and watchful. The closer we got to her car the more nervous I began to feel. Something wasn’t right and the guys seemed to know it. I searched the area surrounding us, wondering if what I sensed might jump out at us from the night’s shadows.

Despite their obvious unease, and my growing desire to run away from all of them as fast as my treacherous stiletto heels would allow, we made it to the car without incident.

Angie drove a purple PT Cruiser and was incredibly proud of it. I preferred my Chevy.

I was about to get in the front seat, my usual place inside the PT, when Angie bumped me with her hip.

“Victor, we haven’t had a chance to get to know one another. Why don’t you sit up front with me? You don’t mind sitting in the back do you, Hope?”

I glared at her, wishing I were back in my hospital bed instead of out with a best friend who’s unpredictable behavior was no longer predictable for me. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

“After you,” Tie said beckoning me toward the back.

Victor slung himself into the passenger seat mumbling something under his breath.

I placed my foot in the car, but felt slightly dizzy. I must have swayed noticeably because I felt Tie’s very capable arms wrap around me and pull me into him. I closed my eyes and leaned my head on his shoulder.

Just this once
.

“You okay?” he asked.

I shook my head and looked up into his icy blue eyes. “Just got dizzy for a second,” I said. “I’m good now.”

He searched my face, looking concerned, and then he shook his head like he was trying to snap himself out of something. The same snooty mask he’d worn in Ms. Chinatsu’s class took over, and I wondered why the Tie from the nurse’s room had disappeared.

I stepped out of his embrace, feeling reluctant to do so, and slipped gingerly into the back seat. Once Tie made sure I was situated, he closed the door and rounded the back, getting in on the other side.

“We ready?” Angie asked.

“Dinner can’t come fast enough,” I heard Victor grunt.

“That’s the spirit!” She patted his arm happily and then froze, her eyebrows rising to her forehead. Her gaze went out of focus again. I feared that Angie’s dark period might be creeping up on us soon.

She released his arm. “Unbelievable,” she said under her breath. “Now there’s three of them in the car.”

Victor turned to me looking for some explanation as to Angie’s behavior. I offered him a helpless shrug. If Angie wanted to share her thoughts with us she’d do it in her own time.

“Where are we going?” I asked as Angie pulled out of the hospital parking lot.

“Oh, just a little old place I like to call Expresso,” she purred.

“What’s Expresso? Sounds like something you’d order from a Starbucks,” Victor said.

While Angie explained the significance of the café’s name and the activities associated with it, little alarm bells sounded off inside my head. I smelled a not-so-subtle rat, and that rat was Angie. I sincerely hoped she hadn’t signed me up to read or possibly sing one of my songs tonight.

“So people will be giving us live entertainment?” asked Tie.

For one brief moment, I’d actually forgotten Tie was sitting next to me. A clear indication of how badly Angie’s announcement had shaken me.

“It’ll be live, all right, and some of it will be entertaining,” she laughed.

I waited, thinking Angie might mention my many stage performances at the café, but for once she remained blessedly silent. I let out my breath quietly.

As much as I loved getting up to sing, I was loathe to do it in front of Tie. Not only was I feeling a bit wobbly on my feet—the stilettos were sure to accentuate that particular problem—but the thought of singing in front of Tie made me nervous. I liked him way too much, and his opinion of me mattered in a way it shouldn’t have, especially if he was here under false pretenses.

I shifted in my seat, accidentally brushing my hand against his.

“Sorry,” I said automatically.

“I’m not opposed to getting cozy in the back seat.” He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his chest.

My pulse quickened immediately. I tried pulling it back, but Tie wasn’t ready to relinquish it just yet. He began rubbing his thumb lightly over the back of it, sending lightning flashes of heat down my arm. I bit my lip quickly in order to avoid letting out a startled gasp and wrenched my hand from his.

“What, no sparks?” he asked innocently.

I hated that he was capable of making my body feel something I didn’t want to feel, and I hated that he knew it, like he thought it was inevitable.

“Tie, what are you doing back there?” Victor asked angrily.

“I’m merely trying to convince Hope we would make a magnificent couple back here. Isn’t this cozy, Victor?”

Tie was baiting him. The irreverent sneer on his face made it very clear to me that getting under Victor’s skin was foremost on his mind, and flirting with me was simply a way to accomplish that. I was ticked off he was using me and messing with my emotions. He’d been so sweet before. What exactly was going on with him now?

“Watch yourself, Tie,” Victor said. His words were simple, but the threat was clear enough.

Angie grabbed his attention before Tie could respond.

“Tie,” I whispered, “what are you trying to accomplish here? If you’re trying to prove I have the same powers that you do then what’s with the ridiculous ribbing between you and Victor?”

Tie turned his startled gaze to me.

“So you’re admitting it, huh?”

“I admit nothing. I’m just trying to understand why you and Victor are behaving as if you’re rivals and I’m the prize.”

He gave me a sad smile and ran a finger along the side of my cheek.

“It’s not much of a rivalry when you’ve never been mine, Hope.”

I swallowed hard at that. “I’ve never been anyone’s.”

His face twisted in pain at my response, and then he placed the palm of his hand against my cheek and touched his forehead to mine.

“I can’t tell you how much I wish that were true. At least I might have had a chance. ”

I trembled at this candid yet heartfelt declaration. To consider that he actually wanted me was mind boggling, but he implied that a relationship between us could never be, as if we had already explored that option and the outcome was not in our favor. Yet it appeared that Victor had something to do with that outcome. Some choice concerning my future had been determined without me, and it made absolutely no sense. None of it did, but the pain and heartbreak Tie felt were real enough. It penetrated my core and wrapped itself around my life force, begging me to take the hurt away.

Victor let out a loud laugh at something Angie said, and I ripped myself away from Tie’s caress, grateful for the distraction.

She pulled into the café’s parking lot. There were cars everywhere. It wasn’t unusual for Expresso to be busy, but I was surprised Angie found a place to park.

I let myself out of the PT in a rush. I didn’t feel like waiting around for Tie to open my door for me and risk any more physical contact with him.

Walking into the café’s small waiting area was like visiting an old, comfortable friend.

“Hey, Sandy,” I said waving to a cute little blond waitress who was passing by.

“Hope, I’m so glad you came tonight. I haven’t seen you here in a while.” Sandy adjusted a wobbly plate in her hand. I was feeling a little wobbly myself. “Just grab whatever table you want, and I’ll be there to take your order in a minute.”

I nodded and peeked into the dining area. Almost every booth was taken. I started weaving my way around tables, waitresses, and patrons until I spotted a nice circular booth in the corner. I turned and waved to Angie who was a few tables behind me. She nodded and guided our dates over.

Sitting down quickly, I surveyed the area and noticed that most of the kids from our high school were there. I usually enjoyed the crowded café, but tonight I felt anxious and uneasy, especially after that brief yet emotionally charged conversation with Tie. I noticed Expresso’s band was already set up on the stage. Jackson, the lead guitarist, spotted me and gave me a head nod. I pasted on a fake smiled and nodded in return.

I’d placed myself at one end of the booth, fully believing that Angie would scoot in next to me and momentarily forgetting that she was in matchmaker mode. Victor approached the table and was about to slide in when Tie tapped him on his left shoulder and moved swiftly around his right, sitting down next to me and flashing me a pleased grin.

I couldn’t deny my joy at having him seated next to me, but his actions sparked more discord between him and Victor who gave him a pointed glare. It made me feel like a pawn again. Did Tie truly care for me or was he displaying feigned interest to get a rise out of Victor? He wasn’t even giving me any breathing space. His shoulder and leg were pressed against mine leaving me little room for escape. Sliding away from him would’ve left me spilling out of my seat and onto the floor. I looked around for Angie, hoping she’d save me. I finally spotted her talking to Jackson. Once again, she was going to be no help.

“After all that cuddling in the backseat of Angie’s car I thought I was your date for this evening, Hope. Were you just going to sit there and let Vicky take my spot?” he asked. He played his comments off as teasing and lighthearted, but the tension underlying his words and the way Victor’s jaw clenched made me realize two crucial things.

Tie fully believed that I was meant for Victor, and he didn’t like it one bit.

The government had absolutely nothing to do with why they were here.

His words sparked a memory of warm lips embracing mine. I stood in a grassy forest surrounded by unfamiliar trees and foliage, but the arms that held me close and the hands that stroked the contours of my back were familiar and comforting, demanding and possessive.

As I pulled back and focused in on the man holding me, my heart leaped in my throat. His hair was longer, and his garb was definitely outdated, but there was no mistaking those crystal blue eyes that gazed at me with so much love and affection.

I blinked my eyes and shook my head to dispel the strange images my memory had produced. The table came into focus and the white noise of Expresso assaulted my senses.

“Hope, are you okay?” Tie’s hand grasped my own and gave it a squeeze. His hand was just as warm and comforting as I remembered. The thought startled me, and I ripped away from his touch, clenching my fists on my lap and letting out a shaky breath.

His eyes betrayed the hurt my actions caused, but he brushed it away just as fast as it appeared, replacing it with a blank stare.

I hadn’t meant to be rude and might have apologized if my mind hadn’t been searching for some believable explanation for all of these strange memories assaulting me. When had I kissed Tie? Where? How could I not remember any of this until now, and if Victor was supposed to be a part of my life why didn’t I have any memories of him? Of course, given time, my mind would probably resurface something involving Victor.

It terrified me to think that I might remember more, and that my father might be involved in hiding this other life from me.

“I think Hope would rather sit by me,” Victor said in a barely controlled voice.

“But I want to sit in between both of you handsome devils,” Angie chimed in as she slid into the booth next to Tie and motioned for Victor to sit on her other side. He hesitated for a second, but she gave him a flirtatious wink of encouragement. His face broke out into a silly grin. I had to hide a grin of my own watching him sit down like an obedient puppy.

“Anything good here?” Tie asked. He reached under the table and squeezed my knee. I smacked his hand as hard as I could, and he let out a soft chuckle.

“You’ve still got amazing reflexes,” he mumbled.

I struggled to get my warring emotions under control. Whether I wanted him to touch me or not, this entire situation was spiraling out of control, and I needed answers, not Tie’s distracting advances. Sandy approached our table with a cheerful smile.

“Hello everyone! This looks like a cozy little double date,” she said.

“Oh, it’s definitely getting cozy,” Tie agreed. He placed his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me playfully.

It would’ve been rude to shove his arm away in front of Sandy, so I sat there pretending not to notice. On the inside, I was burning with the need to escape his nicely muscled arm before I started liking it too much.

I could see Victor’s eyes bulging from their sockets. He really needed to start ignoring Tie before he developed an ulcer.

“What’ll ya have, you guys? The usual for you and Angie?”

“Yes, please,” I answered for both of us.

Angie and I never wavered from our intense obsession with cheeseburgers, cheese fries, and Oreo malts.

“And for the good looking new guys?”

“I don’t know what the usual is, but if my date is having it then so am I,” Tie said.

“I guess that goes for me as well,” Victor said. He seemed to be making a half-hearted attempt at enjoying himself.