loudly. She pressed a button that ended the rather annoying ringtone, and then she held the flat phone to her ear. “Derek? Yeah, I’m okay. Where are you? . . . I’m just around the building. No, I’ll be right there.”
She closed the phone, ending the call. “My brother,” she told us. She pursed her lips and then spoke quickly, focusing almost exclusively on me. “I’m not sure how to thank you.”
I shook my head quickly. “No thanks is necessary. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”
She cracked a thin smile, as if my words were perfectly sane, then glanced toward Kate. “Maybe I’ll see you guys around.” She gave me a last timid smile before turning and walking back toward the front of the bowling alley.
As soon as her footsteps faded Kate swiveled to look at me, her eyes wide. “Well. That was a perfectly normal end to the evening.”
“I’m sorry,” I responded, though my heart wasn’t in the apology.
She tilted her head at me in a way that was uniquely hers. “You don’t look very sorry.”
I shrugged a single shoulder. “I might have enjoyed teaching him a lesson.”
“Yeah. I’m getting that vibe.” Her eyebrows drew together in sudden worry. “Are you all right?”
The corner of my mouth lifted and I stepped toward her, fingers tightening around her purse. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite capable of handling a high school jock. A Guardian doesn’t always need his Seer, you know.” But I’ll always need you, I finished mentally.
She gave an expansive nod. “Uh-
huh
. Is this a macho side to you I didn’t know existed?” she asked rather rhetorically.
I held out her bag. “Sorry. I may have gotten some dirt on it.”
She took it slowly, gaze still locked with me. “You’re in a funny mood tonight.”
“Funny?”
“Well . . . different. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I decided to be truthful. I habitually shoved my hands into my pockets, keeping my tone light despite the seriousness my words inflected. “It just feels really good to finally do something, after a month of absolutely nothing but worrying. Even if it was only giving that Grimshaw a taste of humble pie.”
“I don’t know how effective that is when it’s forcefully fed, . . . but I’m glad you were around to help her out. She looked pretty green in the bathroom.”
“Green?” I could hear the low alarm in my voice. “She was ill?”
“Oh, no. No, I meant her aura,” she was quick to clarify. “It had a lot of green in it. She was uneasy. I kind of feel bad I didn’t ask her what was wrong. We might have avoided this whole thing . . .”
I reached for her hand, which she surrendered at once. We walked directly beside each other, the short walk to the waiting car giving me just enough time to dig out the keys from my pocket. I pressed the button, which released the power locks, then I moved to get the door for her.
I picked up the conversation then, my voice sounding highly philosophical, even to me. “You can’t talk to everyone who has an uneasy aura, Kate. There’s no way you can help every person you come in contact with.”
She tossed me an easy smile. “Probably not. But there’s this story I heard once, about an old man on a beach. He was walking the length of the ocean, tossing starfish back into the water that had been beached. You know, when the tide went out.”
She paused her narrative while she lowered herself into the car, and I took the opportunity to make an irrelevant comment, my fingers drumming lightly on the roof of the car. “I love how we went from talking about green auras to men on beaches. This really is the best date I’ve ever been on.” She sent me a wry look over her shoulder, but I just grinned and closed the door.
As soon as I was settled into the driver’s seat, Kate resumed her story; her passion for a simple parable was almost comical. “So this man walked the beach, throwing these starfish back into the ocean so
She closed the phone, ending the call. “My brother,” she told us. She pursed her lips and then spoke quickly, focusing almost exclusively on me. “I’m not sure how to thank you.”
I shook my head quickly. “No thanks is necessary. I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”
She cracked a thin smile, as if my words were perfectly sane, then glanced toward Kate. “Maybe I’ll see you guys around.” She gave me a last timid smile before turning and walking back toward the front of the bowling alley.
As soon as her footsteps faded Kate swiveled to look at me, her eyes wide. “Well. That was a perfectly normal end to the evening.”
“I’m sorry,” I responded, though my heart wasn’t in the apology.
She tilted her head at me in a way that was uniquely hers. “You don’t look very sorry.”
I shrugged a single shoulder. “I might have enjoyed teaching him a lesson.”
“Yeah. I’m getting that vibe.” Her eyebrows drew together in sudden worry. “Are you all right?”
The corner of my mouth lifted and I stepped toward her, fingers tightening around her purse. “As a matter of fact, I’m quite capable of handling a high school jock. A Guardian doesn’t always need his Seer, you know.” But I’ll always need you, I finished mentally.
She gave an expansive nod. “Uh-
huh
. Is this a macho side to you I didn’t know existed?” she asked rather rhetorically.
I held out her bag. “Sorry. I may have gotten some dirt on it.”
She took it slowly, gaze still locked with me. “You’re in a funny mood tonight.”
“Funny?”
“Well . . . different. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I decided to be truthful. I habitually shoved my hands into my pockets, keeping my tone light despite the seriousness my words inflected. “It just feels really good to finally do something, after a month of absolutely nothing but worrying. Even if it was only giving that Grimshaw a taste of humble pie.”
“I don’t know how effective that is when it’s forcefully fed, . . . but I’m glad you were around to help her out. She looked pretty green in the bathroom.”
“Green?” I could hear the low alarm in my voice. “She was ill?”
“Oh, no. No, I meant her aura,” she was quick to clarify. “It had a lot of green in it. She was uneasy. I kind of feel bad I didn’t ask her what was wrong. We might have avoided this whole thing . . .”
I reached for her hand, which she surrendered at once. We walked directly beside each other, the short walk to the waiting car giving me just enough time to dig out the keys from my pocket. I pressed the button, which released the power locks, then I moved to get the door for her.
I picked up the conversation then, my voice sounding highly philosophical, even to me. “You can’t talk to everyone who has an uneasy aura, Kate. There’s no way you can help every person you come in contact with.”
She tossed me an easy smile. “Probably not. But there’s this story I heard once, about an old man on a beach. He was walking the length of the ocean, tossing starfish back into the water that had been beached. You know, when the tide went out.”
She paused her narrative while she lowered herself into the car, and I took the opportunity to make an irrelevant comment, my fingers drumming lightly on the roof of the car. “I love how we went from talking about green auras to men on beaches. This really is the best date I’ve ever been on.” She sent me a wry look over her shoulder, but I just grinned and closed the door.
As soon as I was settled into the driver’s seat, Kate resumed her story; her passion for a simple parable was almost comical. “So this man walked the beach, throwing these starfish back into the ocean so
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