Page 56 of Lure

Chapter

Twenty-One

GRACE

The sun had gone down already when Alphabet and I went outside with Goblin. I'd prepared two large mugs of cocoa and the cloudy skies had finally cleared out. When Alphabet invited me to go out to see the stars, excitement threaded through me.

While the milk heated, I dragged on the sweatshirt he grabbed for me. It was huge, but it was also warm. The faded green with the Army logo on the front was kind of like being wrapped up in a hug.

Putting a pin in that fanciful thought, I passed one of the oversized mugs to Alphabet.

“Thank you,” he said, then held up a remote in his free hand. “Once we get to where we want to look, I’ll shut off the external lights.”

“Okay.” I wrapped both of my hands around the mug. The warmth made a wonderful contrast to the chillier air. “Where are we going to look?”

Alphabet flashed a smile at me. “Right over there.” He pointed to somewhere in the darkness beyond the perimeter cast by the light. “Go slow, we’re going to let our eyes adjust.”

I’d done walks in front of dazzling lights and camera flashes, I knew how to focusawayfrom the light to keep from squinting or reacting. But the plunge into darkness was going to be a bit more challenging.

When he offered me an arm, I adjusted my grip on the coffee mug so I could put a free hand on his forearm. What hesitations remained in me toward Alphabet had been falling away steadily. He wasn’t grabbing my arm or ordering me. It was an offer, pure and simple. I could refuse and he wouldn’t object.

That made it all a lot easier.Hemade it easier.

“It’s dimming.” Surprise filtered through me.

“Yep,” he said, sounding quite pleased. “Easier on the eyes.” He whistled once and Goblin came trotting out of the darkness even as the light seemed to melt back.

Bit by bit, the brighter light faded into the darkness. But what seemed inky dark wasn’t quite so intense. If anything, it seemed to have a texture.

“Here.” Alphabet slowed. My eyes had to have adjusted because I could make out shapes on the ground. There were patio chairs out here and a small table. “I brought a blanket out if you got cold, but it’s not so bad right now.”

No, it really wasn’t. He and Goblin stuck close until I got myself comfortable on a chair then Alphabet settled on his. Another swallow of the hot chocolate and I shifted to put the mug down. Settling back, I glanced upward and forgot how to breathe.

It was the Milky Way. My mouth fell open. It was just like in the books. The stars spread across the sky like blue diamonds scattered against navy silk and velvet. It was so intensely beautiful.

“Told you she would like it,” Alphabet said in a low voice, probably to Goblin, but I couldn’t look away. I didn’t have the words and I didn’t want the moment to end.

We sat out there until the hot cocoa was gone and beyond. We didn’t say anything at all. Until his phone let out an alert and shattered the peace. It was like slowly coming out of a dream, and I wasn’t altogether sure what was reality and what wasn’t.

“They’ve landed,” he said. I didn’t have to ask whotheywere. Voodoo had apologized to me on the phone, when I spoke to him. Theirtriphad been delayed. Instead of coming straight back they had to make another. I hadn’t been given an ETA.

To be fair, I hadn’t asked either. We’d avoided some of these topics, save for when Voodoo had wanted to talk to me, and Alphabet said they should be heading back soon. That was it. The past two nights we’d slept on the sofas in the living room, watching movies. Tonight…

Tonight, I’d go back to sleeping in my room. The sofa wasn’t good for Alphabet. He’d been turning himself into knots to look after me, and it was my turn to look after him. “How long until they get here?”

“Probably a couple of hours yet.”

A couple of hours. “Was their trip about Amorette?” It was asking the one question I’d been avoiding.

“No,” he answered on a sigh as he swung around to sit sideways on his lounger. It prompted me to do the same. “It was something that needed to be handled, but it’s not about your sister. If we had anything… anything at all, I would tell you.”

I studied him in the starlight. He’d promised to not lie to me. Maybe he couldn’t tell me everything but he said no more lies. Did I believe him?

Despite feeling like eternity elongated while I weighed my answer, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. I believed him. “Okay,” I said. “Thank you for answering.”

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

Goblin bumped his head against my knee and I rubbed a hand over his head. “I think I’m going to go up to bed.” I didn’t want to wait up for the guys. It was already late, and if I withdrew now, they could come in and get some rest from their trip.

---