Finn took me back to my dad’s house. I thought he might drop me off there, seeing as Dad said the house was completely safe, but he came in with me.
“In case you want to go out again later,” he said, which was a veritable speech from him.
It was a plausible explanation, but I couldn’t help wondering if he did double duty as prison guard. So I pushed the issue.
“I’m exhausted,” I said. “I don’t see myself going out again today. At least not until Dad gets home.”
He shrugged his sturdy shoulders. “I’ll be here if you change your mind.”
“Can’t you just give me a phone number? I can call you if Iwant to go out, and you won’t have to kill the rest of your afternoon just sitting around the house.”
“That’s my job,” he said.
Yup. Definite jailor material here. “Is there anything I can say that will get you to leave?” I asked. “Because I’d really like some time to myself.”
“I can wait in the garage if my presence disturbs you.”
The garage which, conveniently, I’d have to pass through if I wanted to leave the house. Not that I wanted to leave the house by myself, not when there could be people out there wanting to kill me. I’m not the stupid airhead from three thousand bodyguard stories who thinks, “Gee, someone’s trying to kill me. Let me ditch my bodyguards so I make a nice, juicy target.” I just wanted to know I could leave if I wanted to.
I’d wanted a great many things since I’d come to Avalon. I hadn’t gotten any of them yet.
I was feeling almost bitchy enough to make Finn hang out in the garage, but I knew I wasn’t being fair. Like he said, he was just doing his job. It wasn’t his fault I didn’t like it.
“Fine!” I said in a huff. I grabbed my Victoria’s Secret bag and made a grand exit, stomping up the stairs to my room. Childish, I know, but I figured I was entitled.
There was a phone in my room, so I made another attempt to call my mom. I didn’t know what I was going to say to her, especially after finding out why she’d become an alcoholic, but everything that had happened to me in Avalon so far felt almost surreal. The idea of touching base with reality—even the depressing reality of my mom and her drinking—held a lot of appeal.
I got her answering machine again. I couldn’t think of anything to say in a message, so I hung up.
If I didn’t keep myself busy, I was sure I’d spend the rest of the afternoon brooding, so I plugged in my laptop and finally started reading one of the dirty books I’d downloaded, but I couldn’t keep my mind on it. The moment something remotely sexy started to happen, I’d find myself remembering the feel of Ethan’s lips on mine, the warmth of his body as he leaned over me. Which would immediately lead to the memory of how he’d lied to me and betrayed me.
My spiral into misery was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. For half a second, I hoped it would be Ethan, coming to prostrate himself at my feet and beg forgiveness. But I was never going to forgive him, and even if it might have been satisfying to see him grovel, I couldn’t take seeing him again.
Footsteps made the stairs creak, and moments later, Finn appeared in my doorway. He’d ditched his jacket and tie, as well as the sunglasses, and all I could think was … wow! If he walked around without his Secret Service Man disguise, he’d be a menace as every woman behind the wheel of a car would forget to look at the road. If it weren’t for the Fae tilt to his eyes, I swear he’d be a leading candidate for the next James Bond.
“You have a visitor,” he said, and I had to suppress a laugh, because his accent was just close enough to British to make me think, “Bond. James Bond.”
“If it’s Ethan, you can tell him to forget it,” I said, the urge to laugh instantly disappearing.
Finn shook his head. “It’s Kimber. But if you don’t wish to speak to her, that’s perfectly understandable, and I’d be happy to send her away.”
Maybe sending her away would have been the right thing to do. She’d hurt me worse than Ethan had, if only because I’d let down my guard and trusted her, while I’d always remained wary around Ethan. It made my heart ache just to think about how she’d lied to me. And yet … Yesterday, when we’d sat in her room together, I’d had a tantalizing glimpse of what it would be like to have a real friend, a friend I didn’t have to hide anything from, and I’d liked it. A lot.
I didn’t know if I could find it in my heart to forgive her—assuming she actually did like me and wanted forgiveness—but I’d never know if I didn’t talk to her. Besides, I’d given Ethan the chance to explain himself this afternoon. It was only fair that I give Kimber the same shot.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” I told Finn, and he nodded.
I took a couple of deep breaths as I listened to Finn’s retreating footsteps. I gathered what I could of my courage and dignity, then headed down to the living room.
Kimber was sitting primly on the couch when I emerged from the stairway. I looked around for Finn, but he was nowhere to be found.
“He’s downstairs,” Kimber said, standing up and turning to face me.
I was glad not to have to play out this scene with an audience, though I hated the idea of Finn having to hang out in the garage. I walked closer to Kimber, my arms crossed over my chest, my chin jutting out. Kimber stared at her feet for a moment, then found the courage to meet my eyes.