Read Online Waiting for Magic by Susan Squires - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Squires
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a fellow guest in a hotel. “Just a bite. I’m going up to the museum.”
He nodded, a little too quickly and too often. “Yeah. I’m, uh, out and about myself today. And then I’ve got a major paper due in a couple of weeks. Got to hit the books. Probably won’t be much in evidence for a while.” He looked around, as though a door might appear in the hallway where none had been before. “Oh, uh, forgot something.”
And then he turned around and strode back down the hall to his room.
Kee was shocked. It was almost like he’d slapped her. Jane was wrong. She didn’t have to let Devin move on from being her brother and best friend. He already had.
*****
How was he going to get through this? He couldn’t even bear to talk to her, knowing she was going to the museum, no doubt to see Curator Guy. Bastard wasn’t really interested in Kee. He wanted to court the museum’s biggest donors. Devin only hoped Kee didn’t get hurt in the process. Or maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe Kee was forging a “relationship” with him. God help him, but that made his blood boil.
Devin eased off his sweater and then his t-shirt. The thing was stained with blood in a dozen places. Better dump it before someone found it. He thought he’d gotten the worst of the cuts covered with Band-Aids. More work to do, obviously. He couldn’t let Brian or Brina know he was so scraped up. They’d want to know how he’d gotten that way. He was too old to be grounded anymore. But he wouldn’t relish that conversation.
Because if he told them he’d been surfing last night, they’d want to commit him. They might be right.
Why wasn’t he dead? He might have been able to take that wave in the daylight. But not at night. And not feeling drunk. He hadn’t been drunk, though. It was a family dinner, for God’s sake. He’d had one beer. So what was that feeling? And how had he avoided that first collapse of the pipeline? Waves were inexorable. They followed the trajectory of current and swell and gravity. They couldn’t just decide to open up their pipeline in the middle of its collapse. And what about that warm glowing spot around his surfboard? What was up with that?
Then there were the rocks. No way he should have been able to avoid those. The feel of the sea heaving him forward, tossing him beyond those rocks, echoed through him.
Last night had been a rush of belonging. He had belonged to the sea. Maybe because his emotions had been stripped raw, he had been able to feel the ocean as never before.
That’s what had allowed him to survive.
For what? He was still going to have to watch Kee fall in love with someone else. He was still going to spend his life loving someone who would never love him back. Was that really surviving?
*****
Kemble tucked the Wall Street Journal under his arm and headed in to breakfast. “You’re here early, Jane.”
Jane closed the front door behind her. “Will it never quit raining?” She was wearing a beige raincoat and shaking out a gray umbrella. Jane always wore beige and gray, maybe darker versions in winter. “I just have a minute. I have to take Mother to the doctor this morning.”
Kemble frowned. He hated to think Jane would spend the morning being verbally abused, but that was the likely outcome. “Well, better fortify yourself with some coffee at least.” He sniffed the air. “Smells like you could have some bacon and eggs if you have time.”
“Well, actually I’m glad to catch you alone, Kemble.” Jane blushed. “I mean, I wanted to show you something, and it didn’t seem right to have everyone know.”
Kemble raised his brows. “What is it?”
Jane handed him a copy of the little local newspaper she carried under her arm. It was a bit soggy around the edges. “Sorry. I think you’ll still be able to read it. Page four.”
Now what could be so important about something that only rated a page-four mention in the Palos Verdes Prattler ? Jane hung her dripping coat on the
He nodded, a little too quickly and too often. “Yeah. I’m, uh, out and about myself today. And then I’ve got a major paper due in a couple of weeks. Got to hit the books. Probably won’t be much in evidence for a while.” He looked around, as though a door might appear in the hallway where none had been before. “Oh, uh, forgot something.”
And then he turned around and strode back down the hall to his room.
Kee was shocked. It was almost like he’d slapped her. Jane was wrong. She didn’t have to let Devin move on from being her brother and best friend. He already had.
*****
How was he going to get through this? He couldn’t even bear to talk to her, knowing she was going to the museum, no doubt to see Curator Guy. Bastard wasn’t really interested in Kee. He wanted to court the museum’s biggest donors. Devin only hoped Kee didn’t get hurt in the process. Or maybe she wouldn’t. Maybe Kee was forging a “relationship” with him. God help him, but that made his blood boil.
Devin eased off his sweater and then his t-shirt. The thing was stained with blood in a dozen places. Better dump it before someone found it. He thought he’d gotten the worst of the cuts covered with Band-Aids. More work to do, obviously. He couldn’t let Brian or Brina know he was so scraped up. They’d want to know how he’d gotten that way. He was too old to be grounded anymore. But he wouldn’t relish that conversation.
Because if he told them he’d been surfing last night, they’d want to commit him. They might be right.
Why wasn’t he dead? He might have been able to take that wave in the daylight. But not at night. And not feeling drunk. He hadn’t been drunk, though. It was a family dinner, for God’s sake. He’d had one beer. So what was that feeling? And how had he avoided that first collapse of the pipeline? Waves were inexorable. They followed the trajectory of current and swell and gravity. They couldn’t just decide to open up their pipeline in the middle of its collapse. And what about that warm glowing spot around his surfboard? What was up with that?
Then there were the rocks. No way he should have been able to avoid those. The feel of the sea heaving him forward, tossing him beyond those rocks, echoed through him.
Last night had been a rush of belonging. He had belonged to the sea. Maybe because his emotions had been stripped raw, he had been able to feel the ocean as never before.
That’s what had allowed him to survive.
For what? He was still going to have to watch Kee fall in love with someone else. He was still going to spend his life loving someone who would never love him back. Was that really surviving?
*****
Kemble tucked the Wall Street Journal under his arm and headed in to breakfast. “You’re here early, Jane.”
Jane closed the front door behind her. “Will it never quit raining?” She was wearing a beige raincoat and shaking out a gray umbrella. Jane always wore beige and gray, maybe darker versions in winter. “I just have a minute. I have to take Mother to the doctor this morning.”
Kemble frowned. He hated to think Jane would spend the morning being verbally abused, but that was the likely outcome. “Well, better fortify yourself with some coffee at least.” He sniffed the air. “Smells like you could have some bacon and eggs if you have time.”
“Well, actually I’m glad to catch you alone, Kemble.” Jane blushed. “I mean, I wanted to show you something, and it didn’t seem right to have everyone know.”
Kemble raised his brows. “What is it?”
Jane handed him a copy of the little local newspaper she carried under her arm. It was a bit soggy around the edges. “Sorry. I think you’ll still be able to read it. Page four.”
Now what could be so important about something that only rated a page-four mention in the Palos Verdes Prattler ? Jane hung her dripping coat on the
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