Page 20 of Cursed Touch
Carter scrubbed his face and took another sip. “You have to help me. I can’t lose her, and I don’t know how to undo this mess without making it worse.”
Chapter 11
She could not stop thinking about Carter. His lying, sexy-as-sin, and intelligent ass would not leave her waking or sleeping mind. Over a week had passed since their first—and only—date went down the shit hole.
Vanessa attended her customers, maybe with less exuberance than normal. Georgia had not been around much to help her relieve her mind, and Vanessa had exhausted every comfortable position of her couch and bed for reading.
Looking for a change of scenery, she grabbed her laptop and tablet and walked to her favorite coffee shop. Beating the Saturday rush of students meeting up for study sessions, she found a corner table after ordering a black coffee and chocolate croissant.
It was not the healthiest of choices, but at this point, she just wanted to find her happy place. With her coffee in hand a few minutes later, she settled down to read. The shop was waking up as more customers arrived for their shots of joe, and she disappeared into her latest book.
After forty-five minutes, she was annoyed and rubbing her temples. Reading a love story may have not been the best idea with the heartache she carried around. She thought she felt a connection with the man, and the disappointment at learning she was possibly wrong hurt more than his lies.
Taking a break from the story line, she slid her laptop from its bag. She logged in and checked a few of her open orders before pulling up a web browser. Between Carter’s lie and all the things she had noticed, she decided to investigate it further.
Vanessa searched for any accounts of people with changing eyes. One news article a few years back had mentioned it and a medical doctor provided his insight:
Without treating the individual in question, I can’t tell you the reason their eyes appeared yellow or red. However, I can attest these cases are oftentimes the result of rare conditions. Jaundice, for example, may make eyes appear yellow, while some cases of albinism may cause eyes to look red or pink due to lighting conditions, making the blood vessels more visible.
“Ugh,” she groaned and pushed the laptop away.
“What’s the matter, little duckie?” a man dressed in dark-wash jeans and a white T-shirt asked.
Her fight-or-flight response kicked in, his presence warning her of imminent danger. When he leaned in closer, his gaze narrowed on her search. His lip raised, and she swore he snarled before setting his dark eyes on her.
“Tsk tsk—”
“Hey! Get the hell out of my shop!” a woman snapped from his other side. “You know better,” she warned, a veiled threat dripping from her three words.
A shadow crossed his face before his gaze roamed down Vanessa’s body. She had the distinct feeling he was memorizing her for some unknown reason. Goose bumps broke out across her skin, and she shivered with unease as he stood to his full height. A low growl emanated from his chest when he looked at the woman before hurrying from the coffee shop.
“Vanessa?”
She turned to the sound of her name and realized it had not been the first time it was said. “Brandy?”
“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Brandy asked.
She rubbed her arms, hoping to create some heat in her numb limbs. “No, just creeped me out.”
Brandy stepped closer before kneeling at her side. Her gaze slid to the open laptop and narrowed. Vanessa reached out and slammed the lid down, unable to take another unrequested opinion over the matter.
“What brings you here on a Saturday?” Vanessa asked.
Brandy’s lips pinched and twisted a moment as she studied her. She pushed to her feet and shrugged a shoulder. “I’m the manager here. I’ve been working a few hours a day since having Gia so the place doesn’t get overrun with scum.”
“Do you get them often?” Vanessa asked.
“Huh?”
“Scum. Do they come here a lot? I don’t get people like him in my shop.”
Brandy shook her head. “No, I don’t suspect you would get many testosterone-filled jerks in your boutique.” She chuckled. “Here, let me get you some tea so you can come down from that excitement.”
Vanessa could not help but feel Brandy giving her side glances, even after the woman’s attempt to brush off the situation. That asshole had most definitely planned to comment further, after expressing his disapproval over her search, until Brandy kicked him out—not that Vanessa was upset he had been urged along. He had unsettled her to the core.
Brandy rounded the counter with a cup of steaming hot tea and set it on the table away from Vanessa’s electronics. “Here you go. It’s really hot, so give it a second.”
“Thanks, you really didn’t have to do that.”
