Unconventional Scars Read online

  “Irish blood. From my mom’s side.”

  “Guess that explains her red hair. I wish I had hair that color.”

  “Your hair is perfect the way it is.”

  “Maybe I’ll dye it red,” Anna joked.

  “Do it and I’ll dye mine purple and pierce my nose.”

  “Oh, I’m definitely doing it then!” They both laughed.

  “Is your uncle still going over to his girlfriend’s tonight?” Alex asked.

  “Yes. He offered to stay home with me tonight, but I told him I was fine and I’d rather things just get back to normal. Anyway, I’d rather do something with you.” She drew little designs on his arm with her finger. “What’s on the agenda? Want to rent a movie?”

  “Hm. Why don’t I take you out to dinner someplace nice? You’ve had a rough week.”

  “You should be saving your money. I thought you wanted to buy a car.”

  “Actually, Creed’s talking about trading in the Tacoma for something newer. I told him if he did decide to, I’d give him whatever the trade-in value is for it. I probably already have enough for that, from last summer’s job. Mom said she’d pay the insurance for me.”

  “Really?” She was delighted. “That’s awesome! That is a seriously nice truck.”

  “Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet deal.” His attention was inadvertently drawn to something in the distance. “Hey . . . Anna. Have you noticed that car has been parked there an awfully long time?”

  “What car? That one across the street?”

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t have thought it weird except there’s somebody in it.”

  “So?”

  “So, they’re just sitting there. Watching us. And they’ve been there for a while.”

  She studied the black four-door sedan more closely. “I can see somebody in it, but how can you tell if they’re looking at us or not? The windows are tinted.”

  “I just can.”

  The unknown voyeur chose that particular moment to pull away from the curb and drive off, almost as if their conversation had been overheard, which of course was impossible. They were much too far away. Of course, maybe the person had noticed them watching him. Or her.

  “Probably just someone visiting the Jamesons,” Anna suggested. “Maybe they aren’t home and whoever it is was waiting to see if they were coming back.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Alex relaxed and refocused his attention onto more important matters. “So why don’t we go to De Luca’s around six? I can borrow my mom’s car.”

  “Sounds great,” she admitted. He was right, after all. It had been a long week.

  ****

  The driver of the black sedan cracked a window and flicked out a lit cigarette stub. It had taken him six weeks to locate the kid. He was pretty sure he had the right address, even if the girl who resided there didn’t much resemble her tramp of a mother. Although, the way she was curled up with that boy was a pretty good indication that she was on her way. No doubt the little bitch would wind up using men her whole life, just the way Bianca did. Weren’t all women that way? Hard-wired to screw men over? Yeah, probably. The whole freaking gender was evil.

  They’d noticed him parked across the street, too, but he wasn’t worried. The girl had never met him, so she couldn’t recognize him. Oh, but never fear, she’d know him soon enough. And if she didn’t give him what he came for, she’d be damn sorry. He’d make sure of that.

  ****

  Alex was digging into his steak when Anna suddenly tugged on his sleeve and whispered, “Is that who I think it is?”

  Over his shoulder, he followed the direction of her gaze across the dimly lit restaurant to a familiar couple seated together at a table, and had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing. “Holy crap. So Sebastian and Bailey are back together? Talk about a match made in heaven.”

  “More likely, the other place!” She poked at the steamy baked potato with her fork, continuing to watch them. “They look like they’re arguing.”

  “That’s all they ever did when they were together. Some things never change. You want to try my steak?”

  “No . . . no, thanks.” Anna pulled her eyes away reluctantly and took a bite of her potato. She couldn’t fathom what would make Bailey accept another date with that jerk after the way he talked about her. Sure, Bailey wasn’t exactly her favorite person, but even snotty bubbleheads didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

  “How do I know? Just because you say it is?” Sebastian’s angry words carried loudly across the restaurant and intrigued Anna into eavesdropping. Bailey said something to him in a low voice, which only seemed to fuel his temper. “Because you’re a slut, that’s why!” He stood up at this point, almost knocking his chair over. “You’re on your own with this one. It’s not my fault you’re too damn stupid to remember your pill. Have a nice life, but don’t call me!”

  Stunned, Alex and Anna froze with their forks in mid-air and stared at each other. “You don’t think . . .” he said, while at the same time she said, “Is Bailey . . .” They both peeked over at the table where the girl now sat alone. Anna couldn’t see her expression from where she was, but could almost feel her humiliation after such a scene. The blonde head seemed to be jerking slightly, as though she might be crying. God, what a heartless bastard Sebastian was!

  It was then that Bailey, for some unknown reason, looked over in the direction of Anna and caught her eye. For a moment she looked panicked, then very nervous, as she hurriedly paid the check and practically ran out the front door for the parking lot.

  Alex smirked as he speared another piece of sirloin. “Wow. Dinner and a show.”

  “She knows we heard that.”

  “Yep. She’ll probably try and take out a hit on us now. I guess we should leave the country. Lemme finish my dinner first, okay?”

  Anna tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help it. “How can you eat so much and stay so skinny? It defies logic.”

  “Good genes, remember? Eat your scallops before they get cold.”

  She chewed a grilled scallop obediently, and after swallowing commented, “It sounded like maybe Bailey’s pregnant.”

  “You gonna throw her a baby shower?”

  “Now you’re just being mean. But if she is, I really feel bad for her. Especially since she won’t get any help from the one that knocked her up.”

  “Not our problem.”

  “True . . . thank goodness. Reminds me how lucky I am to have you, though. You’d never in a million years do something as sleazy as that.”

  Alex nodded in agreement, but said nothing. The food was suddenly sticking in his throat.

  ****

  When the doorbell rang the next morning, Anna pulled the covers over her head and ignored it. It was probably some pushy salesperson or something – who else would show up at eight o’clock on a Sunday morning? They’d go away if she ignored them. She didn’t realize that Uncle Phil was home already, though, and a few minutes later he was calling up to her, “Annie! There’s someone here to see you.”

  “Seriously?” she muttered under her breath, then yelled, “I’ll be right down!” After quickly brushing her teeth and hair and yanking on some clothes, she plodded downstairs, still rubbing her eyes sleepily. Mornings were not her favorite time of day.

  When she saw Bailey Blake seated on the couch in the living room waiting for her, she thought maybe she’d rubbed them just a little too hard. This girl who’d barely said two words to her in school was paying her a visit? Maybe she was worried about the restaurant scene leaking out.

  “Bailey,” she said awkwardly. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” The blonde hair was haphazardly pulled back into a messy ponytail today, and she wore an oversized shirt. Not the usual impeccable style everyone had come to expect from Miss Homecoming Queen. “I guess you’re wondering what I’m doing here.”

  “Well, yeah. Kind of.”

  Bailey took a deep breath, then let it out very slowly. She was obviously less than thrilled t
o be there. “Do you think . . . maybe we could, like, go for a walk or something? And talk?”

  “A walk? Oh . . . I guess so . . .” Anna remembered Alex’s joke and fervently hoped there wasn’t a hit man waiting outside for her with a loaded machine gun like in the movies. No witnesses, right? She grabbed a pair of sneakers by the front door and slipped her bare feet into them. “Come on, then.” Eight o’clock on a Sunday morning and I’m dragged out of bed to go for a walk with someone I can’t even stand? This better be good.

  Bailey didn’t waste any time. They had barely reached the sidewalk when she said, “I want to know how much you heard last night.”

  “I heard enough.” How did one respond to a question like that?

  “Enough as in . . . what? What did you hear? It was pretty obvious you were listening.”

  Anna frowned irritably. “All right then. It sounds to me like you’re pregnant. Which, judging from the way you’re dressed, is no big secret. So what do you want from me?”

  Bailey touched her belly self-consciously. “I’m starting to show,” she said faintly. “Nobody knows . . . I haven’t even told my parents . . . I was just hoping that I could convince you not to say anything to anyone . . .” Unexpectedly, her green eyes filled with tears. “Damn hormones.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the corner of her shirt.

  In spite of herself, Anna felt her irritation melting into pity. “Sebastian knows.”

  “Oh, yeah, sure. He knows all right. He just doesn’t care. He told me to get an abortion and keep my mouth shut about it. That’s his idea of helping. Anyway, I’m pretty sure it’s too late for that. I hate him! I hate him so much right now, you have no idea . . .”

  “How far along are you?”

  “I’m not sure, exactly. About four and a half months, I think. I haven’t seen a doctor yet.”

  “You haven’t been to a doctor? That’s not good.”

  “I know, but I was afraid he’d tell my parents.”

  “Bailey, no offense, but don’t you think they’re going to suspect something when you get really fat and then . . . um, have a baby?”

  “I just . . . I don’t know what to do . . . they’re going to kill me! I can’t tell them! What am I going to do?”

  “You’re asking me?” Anna was incredulous. Didn’t the girl have any friends? Why was she dropping this in the lap of someone she barely knew?

  Bailey flushed pink. “I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot. It’s just . . . I was so in love with that rat bastard and then you came along, like a shiny new toy that he just had to have . . . I guess I was jealous. You know? I only slept with him because he told me he loved me. And I was stupid enough to believe him. I may flirt a lot, but I don’t sleep around. No matter what he says, this baby is his. There hasn’t been anyone else.”

  Anna chewed her bottom lip. She thought to herself how easy it was to label someone you didn’t know, just by innuendos. Hadn’t she been labeled herself, before she came here? She’d always assumed Bailey was just a stuck-up tramp who was used to getting her way - because she’d never stopped to consider any other option. Sebastian had insinuated that she was some kind of maneater, and she’d believed it so easily since it seemed to fit. But nothing, it appeared, was that cut and dried. Of all people, she should have been the one to know better.

  “Bailey, listen to me,” she said. “As much as you may want it to, this problem isn’t going to just go away by itself. And you can’t handle it on your own. Sebastian obviously isn’t going to be any help so you have no choice but to tell your parents, and the sooner, the better. You need to see a doctor, for the baby’s sake, if not your own.”

  “I can’t . . .”

  “You have to. All they can do is get mad, right? I mean, come on, they’re not going to literally kill you. It’s not going to be a pleasant scene, I grant you that, but once it’s done you’ll have this weight lifted off you and you won’t be alone in this anymore.”

  “My dad is going to be so pissed,” Bailey lamented. “And Mom will go on forever about how disappointed she is in me.”

  “Look . . . if it helps . . . I’ll go with you. So you don’t have to tell them by yourself.”

  Bailey looked stunned. “Really? You would do that?”

  “Sure. Just promise me we’ll do it soon.”

  “I . . . guess I have no choice, do I?” She rubbed her tummy absently. “You won’t tell anyone though, will you? I still don’t want anyone else to find out about this. Not until I figure out what to do.”

  “I won’t say a word. And neither will Alex. I’ll make sure he knows not to.”

  “You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I just . . . I still can’t believe this has happened to me. It’s like a bad dream or something.”

  “Well . . . I know how easy it is to get carried away. Especially when you love someone.” Anna thought guiltily of Alex. If his resolve wasn’t so strong, who’s to say she couldn’t have found herself in the same situation? Life sure had a way of sneaking reality in when you weren’t paying attention.

  ****

  She wasn’t paying attention. If she had been, she might have noticed the same black sedan, parked somewhat farther down the street this time. Close enough, however, to keep a close surveillance on the house where she now lived. The man was frustrated. He hadn’t seen a thing to indicate that Bianca was anywhere around. If she hadn’t reunited with her daughter, then where the hell could she have gone? At any rate, surely the girl had had some sort of contact with her. For the moment, it was all he had to go on.

  He’d continue to monitor the situation for a while. Maybe the bitch would turn up yet. After all, there was no real hurry, was there? And the anticipation was almost pleasurable. He ground his teeth together at the thought of what he wanted to do once he got his hands on her. And if he couldn’t locate her mother, the girl would inherit his wrath by proxy. Somehow, someone was going to give him satisfaction.

  Soon.

  14

  The following Wednesday, Phil took Anna to take her driving test at the DMV. In spite of a case of nerves, she passed, and the first thing she did when she got home was call everyone she could think of to tell them. Karen’s first question was, “When are you getting a car?”

  “Uncle Phil says I can drive the SUV for now. Not sure what for now means.”

  “It means you’ll probably wind up with a cute little sports car wrapped in a big red ribbon for Christmas. That’s what I think.”

  Erica wanted to know how the picture on her license turned out. It wasn’t Anna’s most flattering picture, sure, but it was on her very own driver’s license, so who cared? At least she didn’t look cross-eyed. Besides, other than traffic cops, who was going to see it?

  Alex had gone fishing with Josh, and she was just glancing out the front window to see if Josh’s truck had returned next door yet, when she noticed that the black car from Saturday had returned to its spot across the street. It sort of looked like someone was in it, but with the tint on the windows, it was hard to be certain. She was about to turn away when the car window lowered just enough for a half-smoked cigarette to fly out and land on the asphalt.

  So there was someone there. Strange. Well, maybe they were listening to the radio in the car, waiting on someone. Yeah, that was probably it. At any rate, it certainly wasn’t any of her concern.

  ****

  She took Alex for a drive to the lake on Saturday afternoon, and once they were out on the pier he gave her a gift. It was a silver locket inscribed with Anna & Alex. Inside was a miniature version of the photo taken by the waterfall. It was the most precious thing she’d ever received and she told him so.

  “It’s just something to remind you of me. I plan to keep you around for a long time,” he told her, linking his arm in hers. “Until you say otherwise, that is.”

  She laughed, eyes shining with joy. “You’ll be stuck with me until doomsday, then. Hope you don’t get bored with me.”

  �
�With you? Never. Every time I turn around you’re doing something unexpected. Like hanging out with pregnant ex-cheerleaders, for example.”

  “Oh, she’s not so bad.” Anna had not only been at Bailey’s side when she revealed the pregnancy to her parents, but she’d visited again since then. The revelation hadn’t been an experience she cared to repeat, sure, but all in all it could have been worse. After Bailey’s parents had a chance to calm down and assess the situation, they eventually decided the best thing for everyone concerned would be for her to put the baby up for adoption, and Bailey agreed. As for hiding the predicament from prying eyes . . . well, they had yet to make a decision on that. Bailey wanted to go stay with a cousin in a neighboring town until the baby was born, and make up the school year afterwards. Whether this would happen remained yet to be seen.

  “I wonder whether Sebastian will ever come around,” Alex mused.

  “Don’t hold your breath. You saw how he acted.”

  “People can change. You never know.”

  “Maybe.” Anna still had her doubts about that particular person ever changing. Anything was possible, though. She’d certainly learned that.

  “So what do you want to do tonight? Anything special?”

  “I can’t think of anything. I guess we could see what Josh and Erica are up to.”

  “Well . . .” he said slowly, apparently turning something over in his mind, “Mom’s going to a wedding out of town tonight and won’t be home until really late. And Creed’s going out with Jennifer. So . . . if your uncle’s still going over to his girlfriend’s then I was thinking maybe we could . . . you know, be alone tonight. If you want to.”

  If I want to? The butterflies were back in full force. She hoped Alex couldn’t feel the sudden quickening of her pulse.

  “I’d like that,” she agreed rather bashfully, and rested her head on his shoulder. She loved her silver locket, but the promise of the coming night was the sweetest gift of all.

  ****

  Phil left just before dark after Anna reassured him that yes, she was staying home tonight and no, she wasn’t going to take the SUV out without calling him first. Alex had gone home, saying he wanted to take a shower and get something to eat, and he’d be back in an hour. She took advantage of the time by taking a bath herself, then nibbling on some chicken left over from lunch, but the butterflies didn’t allow for much in the way of an appetite.