Page 9 of Kindred Lies
Chapter 5
For the first time in her life Amethyst believed a man could be truly remarkable. She had a wonderful job doing something she loved, one in which she made a good living and for the most part she enjoyed her life. Her mother could even be wonderful at times. She didn't have that bad of a childhood. Her mother made it clear early on she adored Amethyst, but at the same time she felt like she never really belonged anywhere. Probably a result of moving so often… In every place she’d ever been it seemed as if magic brewed in the air. Like it was just waiting for her to reach out and grasp it. No male had ever tempted her before, but Cooper made her want things she’d never considered before.
It had never been this easy to uncover information about the people and town she researched. Cooper was making her job very easy... Finding out that a journal existed on the very first day? Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. She couldn’t wait to get back to the inn to read it. The bonus prize of course being able to spend some time with Cooper. Amethyst licked her lips and ogled the yummy specimen as he walked in front of her. He didn't seem to mind helping her out with her research either, which turned out to be a huge boon.
They kept to the trail leading back to his house. It didn't take too long before they were approaching his front porch. When they reached the steps the front door opened, a man she had not previously met walked out. He had dark hair and piercing olive-green eyes. His gaze chilled her, giving her the impression he could see right through her. His features weren't exactly handsome—more striking than anything. His face displayed prominent features and his body was extremely fit. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of fat on any part of him. His left arm wrapped up tightly in a sling and he walked with a slow gait as he came down the stairs. What had happened to him? Cooper walked over to him and gave him a quick hug. “Hey Uncle Nick glad to see you made it. Are you doing okay? You need me to help you with anything?”
Cooper's Uncle Nick stopped at the bottom of the steps and studied them both with his intense gaze. “No. I'm good. Introduce to me your friend.” His tone was harsh and demanding.
Rude much? Amethyst looked between the two of them trying to decide if she wanted to know the man. The order his Uncle Nick had given Cooper didn’t seem to bother him. Instead of remarking on it he went ahead with the necessary introductions. “This is Amethyst—Amethyst this is my godfather, Nicholas Drake.”
Godfather? Why had he called him Uncle Nick then? That was rather odd… She held her hand out to him to shake his hand. For a brief minute he just glared at it as if he had no idea what to do. Then he slowly raised his right hand and firmly shook hers. Amethyst couldn't stop herself from staring at him. She didn't know why, but he seemed oddly familiar to her. She shook the sense of déjà vu out of her head. “It's nice to meet you Mr. Drake.”
“Nick.”
She tilted her head gawking at him in confusion. “Huh?”
He smiled for the first time since they had strolled over to the front porch. “I'd prefer you call me Nick. Mr. Drake is just too formal. I don't stand on ceremony. What are you two up to?” His smile bothered her. Smiles had many different meanings. On this man when he lifted his lips it said he saw you and he didn't necessarily like what lay beneath the surface. She wanted to step away from him, but refused to give him the satisfaction. Amethyst never backed down from anything and doing so with this man could be the biggest mistake she ever made. She tried to follow her instincts in all things and they screamed at her to give this man a wide berth.
Cooper gestured toward Amethyst with his hands. “Amethyst has an interest in our local ghost legend. We just visited Ghost Peak Island, err we gazed at it to be more precise. I'll have to take her out to the actual island at a later date. I'm going to go tell dad we are heading back to the inn.”
Nick lifted his hand and shooed at Cooper to go inside. “Well don't let me keep you. Go and let him know your plans. I can keep Amethyst company while you run inside. I have to grab something out of my car anyway.”
Cooper began to shift his feet to walk over to the steps as he asked, “Are you sure you don't need help? I can…”
Nick cut him off waving his hand once more. “Go Coop. I'm fine.”
Cooper inclined his head at him agreeing with him. “Okay good. If you're sure, I won't be long.” Then he ran up the steps and walked inside the house.
Amethyst kept her gaze on him as he entered the house. She turned to Nick and asked, “Would you like me to help you get what you need out of the car?”
As he headed towards a sporty silver car almost ignoring her. “No. I'm not an invalid. I can get what I need myself.”
Nick opened the car door and grabbed a smart phone off the front dash. He ambled back over to her and stopped directly in front of her. Something compelled her to ask, “Would it be rude to inquire how you hurt yourself?”
Ice-cold olive colored eyes pinned her in place. “Absolutely.”
She needed to try and disarm him. The man's demeanor screamed too serious, something needed to shake him up. With a cheeky grin she asked, “So that means you're not gonna tell me?”
A grimace formed on his face. “You're very inquisitive. I'd rather not talk about it. Tell me something of yourself. Where are you from? I don't remember seeing you around here before.”
That question always made Amethyst feel uncomfortable. She didn't like to explain how her mom moved them around a lot as she grew up and she didn’t really belong anywhere. She wished people would quit asking her that question. The easy solution had always been to pretend she had roots, but some people just didn't allow her the pretense. “Ah well I… See I don't... the easy answer I guess is I'm not from anywhere.”
The man did not want to give her any amount of leeway. He didn't accept the easy answer and continued to probe by asking, “Why is that?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Does it matter? We moved a lot when I grew up and now I travel a lot for my job.” She had an apartment in New York that was her home base, but she was rarely there.
There wasn’t a chance in hell she would she explain to him the details of her childhood. He didn’t need to know that her mother moved her around a lot to find a new boyfriend. That Lyoness had to move around a lot to alleviate the pain of her lonely existence. It wasn’t any of his damn business that during her formative years her mother moved them on an average of every six months.
Unfortunately, he continued to be persistent and would not let it go. “Is your father in the military? Why did you move around? What kind of job do you have?”
Why was he so curious about her life? She had just met the man. It unnerved her how inquisitive and demanding the man acted with her. And he’d basically accused her of being nosy earlier… “Again I don't see why that matters? Why are you asking me so many questions?”
He just stood there for what seemed like an eternity glowering at her. A grim smile formed on his hard features as he continued to look at her. A completely unreadable mask took over his facial appearance. He had a problem with her and she didn't have a clue what it possibly could be. Cooper had better get outside because she was so done with spending time with his “uncle”.
Finally after a long awkward silence he deigned to give her an answer. “You remind me of someone. I'm sorry if I'm being rude.”
Amethyst tilted her head and started to ask, “Who…”
