What are the Chances? Page 8

  After we entered the condo, Mom went on about something to do with the sale of the Inn and what Granddad was going to do afterwards. Trevor’s hand slipped away from my waist and he bent over to untie his boots. I felt like I’d had one of those dreams you can’t quite remember after you wake up. It was as if the kiss had happened, but it seemed too surreal to have actually happened. It occurred to me that it might have been one of my visions, which I was actually okay with, because if it was a vision it meant I was going to do it for real in the near future. I eventually decided it must have actually happened since I was still trembling. There was no way a vision could have made me feel the way Trevor did.

  “Sweetheart, your cheeks are flushed, you’re shaking, and you look as stunned as a bird that flew into the window. Are you okay?”

  I nodded and attempted to act normal. Trevor grinned.

  Mom made a delicious Thai lunch that she had learned how to make at a cooking class she was taking on Thursday nights. I tried not to stare too much at Trevor, but couldn’t stop obsessing over the kiss and what it meant for the future. My stomach was too fluttery to finish my meal, so I got up and cleared the plates. Trevor and my mom chatted while I hid in the kitchen to recover from whatever the hell was going on. Sophie would know how to proceed. I slipped down the hall to my room to call her, but she didn’t answer. She never did answer right away if she was busy rehearsing or waitressing. Or if she was just tired of dealing with people. I texted to let her know it was important, then sat on my bed.

  The last time I had stayed in my room was at Christmas. It looked exactly the same. I hadn’t redecorated it since I was about twelve, so it was kind of juvenile. The walls were painted a girly purple colour and the bedspread was a bold graphic floral that I had thought was cool when I was twelve. The only thing that felt current was the framed picture of Trevor and me standing on the dock in the winter time. Kailyn had taken the shot with her phone. It was my favourite picture because he was hugging me from behind to keep me warm.

  Across the hall, I opened the bathroom medicine cabinet to see if my toothbrush was still there. It was, along with some shaving cream, aftershave, and a hair product for men. Items that obviously belonged to a man who wasn’t my father. My hands shook a little as I squeezed toothpaste on my toothbrush and ran the water. I looked at myself in the mirror, hoping my expression would maybe give me a clue as to how I felt about the revelation that my mom had a boyfriend. Apparently, she was ready to move on. Three years was a long time to be alone. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready for her to move on. It was weird to think of her with someone else.

  I couldn’t worry about that. My brain was already on full tilt trying to process things with Trevor. I spat in the sink and rinsed the toothbrush off before storing it back in the medicine cabinet. When I passed my parents’ bedroom, I paused and peeked in the open door. Everything was new—the paint on the wall, hardwood floors, fancy bedding, and different artwork. It looked really nice. I scanned the bedside table and dresser to see if there was a picture of the new guy. There wasn’t one, so I felt a little better.

  Mom and Trevor had moved out onto the deck that overlooked the mountains. It was a view I had always loved because it felt as if we were looking towards Britannia Beach. As I squeezed between Trevor’s chair and the railing, he touched my fingers. My eyes connected with his, then darted to check my mom’s reaction. She wasn’t paying attention, so I squeezed his hand before I sat down across from them. His smile was so sexy.

  I wasn’t sure if it was the date with Mason or the near-death experience that had finally shifted something in him, but I really liked it. My face was stuck in a huge grin and I felt dizzy at the thought of getting to kiss him again. The make-out session replayed in my mind repeatedly, but my mom kept asking me questions that forced me to concentrate. Eventually, I stopped daydreaming about Trevor and focused on her with more attention. I’d missed it before. The signs were all there. She looked fit, like she’d been working out; her hair was cut and styled kind of funky; she was wearing new shoes. She totally had a new boyfriend. I was choked that she hadn’t told me, but in fairness, I probably wouldn’t have reacted very well.

  The visit was cut short because my mom’s office called to track her down. She had to go back to work, so she walked us to the curb, hugged me tightly, and whispered, “I love you,” in my ear. She gave Trevor another stern warning about his precious cargo before we got on the bike.

  We waved at her and I hoped she would walk away and give Trevor and me the opportunity to talk alone. She didn’t. She stood on the sidewalk to send us off. Trevor started the engine and we pulled away from the curb. I didn’t want to look back in case it threw the bike off balance and made us crash right in front of her. She likely watched us ride away until she couldn’t see us anymore. Trevor reached his hand back and touched my thigh again to see if I was okay. I squeezed his hand and then hugged him as tightly as I could. Although it wasn’t an official date, it was the best date I had ever been on. I couldn’t wait to get home to pick up where we left off.

  We pulled up by the front door of the Inn and parked. I got off the bike and we both took our helmets off. I stood near the handlebars, studying his expression, which seemed really happy.

  He smiled and asked, “Did you have fun?”

  “Yes.” I was almost giddy. “Do you want to come in and—”

  “Trevor!” Kailyn shouted and stormed across the parking lot. “Lindy Jacobsen is mad at you. She came here to see you and you weren’t here. Where have you been?”

  Trevor appeared as shocked as I felt when a tall, fit, blonde woman stepped out of the house onto his porch. She leaned against the post with her arms crossed. He whipped his head back to me. My heart dropped to the pavement with a painful thud. He definitely would have seen the sting in my eyes before I turned and rushed into the Inn.

  CHAPTER 12

  Through my bedroom window, I watched Trevor walk towards his porch. Lindy stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. He hugged her back with one arm, then turned and looked at my window—he knew I would be watching. I pulled the curtains shut, threw the helmet on my bed, took the leather jacket off, and chucked it to the floor. Then I texted Sophie: Crisis. Come over, ASAP!

  While I waited for Sophie to either call or show up, I took a shower to try to calm down. I was mad that Lindy was literally next door. But I really had no right to be. Why did he make a move if she was still in the picture? Things were already complicated enough without adding cheating into the mix. That made everything so much harder. Or, maybe not. Maybe it was easier. It was just a kiss. It must not have meant as much to him as it did to me. It felt like it did, though. Or, maybe she showed up at his house for some other reason. He wasn’t the type to cheat on someone. There might be a simple explanation. Likely I was overreacting. I didn’t even know what was going on. I needed to talk to him before I jumped to any conclusions—and died of a shattered heart. Communication. Clarification. Don’t assume the worst until the worst is confirmed.

  Feeling slightly better, that there might be hope, I got out of the shower. With one towel wrapped around my body and a second one around my hair, I checked my phone to see if Sophie had called back. She hadn’t.

  A knock at my door startled me. Unless Sophie had already been in her car and on her way to Britannia Beach when I sent her the text, it wasn’t possible that she could have arrived so quickly. My stomach tensed and my heart raced when I realized it might be Trevor. I wanted to talk to him, but I was also scared too. What if the worst was about to be confirmed? Or what if it wasn’t? Ugh. I didn’t know what to do.

  “Deri,” Kailyn shouted through the door.

  Equally relieved that it wasn’t Trevor coming over to tell me everything that happened was a mistake, and disappointed that it wasn’t him coming over to say there was a simple explanation for Lindy being there, I put a robe on and let her in. “Hey, what’s up? Come on in.”

  “Th
anks for the Riley Rivers magazine. I love you. Trevor said you bought it for me. Did you like your date with Trevor?”

  “Did Trevor call it a date?”

  “I don’t remember.” She sat down on my desk chair.

  “Do you know what Lindy is doing at your house?”

  “She’s Trevor’s girlfriend.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She didn’t answer because she was distracted by her magazine. She flipped through the pages and kissed the pictures she liked the most. I decided it would be better for my sanity if I didn’t try to pump her for information. I needed to talk to Trevor directly to put myself out of my misery, one way or the other. Hopefully Lindy wouldn’t stay too long.

  Kailyn closed the magazine and looked right in my eyes. “Do you love Trevor as much as I love Riley?”

  “Yes,” I moaned and crossed the room to curl up on my bed with my face buried in the pillow.

  “Do you want to marry him?”

  “Yes,” I mumbled from behind the pillow.

  “Do you want to make babies with him?”

  “Yes.”

  She giggled and got up to leave. She left the door wide open, so I had to drag myself off the bed to close it. Sophie called before I got back under the covers. The entire story spewed out of my mouth like emotional vomit. With the phone wedged between my ear and shoulder, I walked over to the window and moved the curtain with the back of my hand to peek out.

  “You guys kissed!” Sophie shouted into the phone.

  “Mm hmm.”

  “How was it?”

  “Unfreaking‌believable.”

  “And Lindy was standing on the porch just waiting for him?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “What’s she like?”

  “Stunning—drop-dead gorgeous. I should have stopped the kiss, not that I wanted to. If my boyfriend kissed another girl like that, I would be choked.”

  “Trevor isn’t the type of guy who’d cheat. I’m positive he would have ended it with her before pursuing anything with you.”

  “Not if he hadn’t planned to pursue anything with me. He was definitely surprised to see her, but they hugged like a couple. Maybe it’s all just a big misunderstanding. I need moral support while I wait for her to leave. Can you come over?”

  “I’m on my way.” She hung up.

  When I noticed the red Honda Civic parked out front of his house, I got back into bed and stared at the ceiling.

  Sophie showed up half an hour later with two dress bags in each hand. She rushed into the room and hung the bags from the top of my closet door before lunging towards the window and sticking her face through the crack in the curtain. “Is that her car?”

  “I guess.” I pouted.

  “Don’t worry. He’s going to be so sorry when he sees what you look like when you go on your date with Mason.”

  “I can’t go on a date with Mason. I’m a total wreck.”

  “You have to go on a date with Mason because you’re a total wreck.” She unzipped the dress bags and pulled each one out. “These are my mom’s. She has so many she won’t even notice they’re gone. Here, try them on.” She held up a clingy blue dress that draped over one shoulder.

  “I don’t feel like trying on dresses. I didn’t even accept Mason’s invitation.”

  “You’ll feel better when you see how hot you look. I promise.”

  I shook my head. “You were all Team Trevor the other day and now you’re rooting for Team Mason. Make up your mind.”

  “I’m Team Derian. Boys come and go. All I care about is that you’re happy. And that you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone once in a while.”

  I pointed at her. “And you like the drama.”

  “Yeah, that too.”

  “I rode on a motorcycle. That was out of my comfort zone.”

  “And it felt amazing, right?”

  “Yes,” I admitted and flopped back against my pillows.

  “What team do you want to be on?”

  “Trevor’s, but I can’t believe he would do that to her, or me. The thought of him being with her hurts so bad,” I moaned and clutched chunks of my hair.

  “So hurt him back with Mason.”

  “I don’t want to hurt him back, and I don’t want to use Mason.”

  “Going out with Mason will force Trevor to make his decision.” She tossed the black dress towards the bed and it draped over my waist. “Jealousy is the best motivator for guys.”

  “I don’t want to use Mason to get Trevor to dump his girlfriend and ask me out. It’s mean to everyone. And honestly, if I have to resort to manipulation tactics, it obviously isn’t meant to be.”

  “I am almost one hundred percent positive Trevor is not dating Lindy. Once she leaves you can talk to him like a big girl and ask him what the deal is. Until then, just try a damn dress on.”

  “Fine.” Because I knew she wouldn’t stop harassing me until I tried at least one of them on I got up and picked a red one that was tight at the waist and tailored to angle sharply in at the knees. It was sleeveless and had a conservative neckline at the front, but it was cut in a sexy V down the back. It had a skinny belt that matched and I liked it because it looked like something Audrey Hepburn would have worn in the old movies that my granddad watched.

  Sophie showed me how to do my hair in a sophisticated up-do. Then I looked in my closet for the heels I borrowed from her. I couldn’t find them and remembered why. “Shit. I left them in Trevor’s truck,” I said.

  “I’ll go bust the window.”

  “He doesn’t lock the doors.”

  “Too bad. I feel like misbehaving.” She flexed her skinny bicep and curled her lip to make a tough face.

  “Haven’t you done enough misbehaving for a while?” I stood sideways in front of the mirror and checked out the profile of the dress.

  “If you’re referring to that skank I dropped at the bar, she deserved what she got.”

  I turned so she could undo the zipper. “Yeah, yeah. She tried to touch Doug’s business when he was on stage. I know.”

  “She didn’t try. She actually grabbed and squeezed him like he was a damn cow that needed to be milked. It’s not okay to molest another girl’s guy. Besides, I saw her the other day and she looks a million times better with her new nose. I did her a huge favour.”

  I shook my head as I took the dress off and pulled on a pair of sweat pants. “You’re a menace.”

  “You know it. I’ll be right back.” She left my room and came back less than a minute later without the shoes. “His truck’s gone and so is his dad’s. Lindy’s car is still there, though.”

  I looked out the window. “They must have gone on a call. I wonder why she stayed.”

  Sophie’s expression made it seem like she didn’t think it was a good sign, but she didn’t say anything.

  As I stared through the glass, I had a vision: Trevor spun around and locked eyes with me. His face was haggard and tense. He was working, looking for something. Someone. Kailyn.

  When my eyesight came back into focus, Sophie stared at me, waiting for details of what I saw.

  I sat on my desk chair and massaged my temples. “My visions have been out of control since I got back. I could really do without them since my mind is already ridiculously cluttered with other problems.”

  “What did you see?”

  “Trevor was trying to find Kailyn. His face looked beat up.” I frowned as the scenes from my vision combined with my concerns about the guest in 208. “I’m worried it has something to do with a guest who checked in the other day.”

  “Like he’s going to abduct Kailyn?” she asked as she pulled out boxes from my closet.

  “No. I don’t know. It could be nothing.” Or maybe it was something. My last few visions had been more accurate and useful. Maybe it was better to take it seriously, even though it didn’t feel dangerous. She seemed happy when I saw her face. But maybe that was because she didn’t know she was in danger. “D
o you think Doug could do some hacking and find out more about the guy just from his name?”

  “If he’s using his real name.”

  “Good point. Psychopaths probably don’t usually go by their birth names.” I sighed and brainstormed ways to find out more about the guy without actually looking like a lunatic myself.

  Sophie rummaged through my closet. “Don’t you have any nice shoes?”

  “That cream-coloured box has a pair of silver strappy heels that I wore when I was in my cousin’s wedding party.”

  “Ah yes.” She held them up as if she had found the Holy Grail. “These are perfect. Was that the wedding where you had to wear the purple stripper dress?”

  “Uck.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t remind me.”

  “There are probably still a bunch of guys who have that picture as their screensaver.”

  “Fantastic,” I mumbled.

  CHAPTER 13

  The next morning, I set up for breakfast. Trevor and his dad’s trucks were both back. Lindy’s car was still there, too. Vomit brewed in my stomach when I realized she had obviously spent the night with him. A simple misunderstanding that could have been cleared up in a quick conversation suddenly felt like a giant knife to the back that was going to be a little more difficult to explain. I quickly got everything ready for the buffet, then woke Granddad to tell him I wasn’t feeling well. He got up and took over.

  Literally sick, I curled up on my bed and stared at the wall. It was such an asshole move for Trevor to ask her to spend the night right after we kissed and he told me he wanted me to stay in Vancouver. It was very uncharacteristic. He could be aggravating with his moods and the way he withdrew sometimes, but he had never been an asshole before. I could accept that I couldn’t compete with his super-model college girlfriend, but he didn’t have to mess with my emotions and rub my face in it. It was cruel. And not the way he would normally treat anybody, let alone me. There had to be an explanation. Unless I had imagined the entire interaction in Vancouver. Or maybe it did happen and he regretted telling me how he felt and wanted to take it back. Did it hit him afterwards that it felt weird to kiss someone he had been friends with almost his whole life? Was he trying to be a jerk on purpose so he wouldn’t be a factor in my decision to stay or go? Apparently he didn’t realize it did influence me, pushing me in the leaving direction. Nothing made sense. I was too confused and sick to even cry.