Dream

Chapter 21

           

Lucy was sitting by the river with her lunch spread out around her as she leaned against a tree listening to the water flowing along the bank. Reaching for an apple, she bit into the crispness, enjoying the sound it made as she broke a piece off with her mouth.

It had been two weeks since she had gone to dinner with Zeb, and while she had seen him passing, they hadn't had much to say to each other. She wasn't exactly sure who was avoiding who though.

As if he had read her thoughts, Zeb sat down beside her. "You've been avoiding me," he said softly, picking a blade of grass and playing with it. She watched his long graceful fingers as they smoothed the blade between them.

"Funny, I was just wondering why you were avoiding me," she said, taking another bite of her apple.

He looked out over the water, he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. There was something bothering him and she had a feeling that it had to do with her since he had taken the time to seek her out.

"What's wrong?" she asked, offering him some of her apple, but he waved it away.

"I looked a little deeper into Marissa Langford's past business dealings, and there was a very unsettling trend." He turned to look at her, this time he really looked at her, his gaze searching her face as if he was looking for answers. "How did you know?"

"I told you what I saw," she shrugged. I didn't know exactly what it meant though.

"And then you wanted me to take you home, why?"

Lucy threw her apple into the river, wondering briefly if fish liked apples.

"You believe my visions, you trust me, but I don't trust you," she said honestly, feeling him tense beside her. "I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings, but I can't help it."

"Is it because of the proposition that I made that night, do you think that I have the same mindset of some of the other people in this town?"

"Perhaps, but there is a small part of me that worries that, because you believe in my visions, you might be using me for those visions. You might have taken me to dinner that night to get a read on the situation."

"I honestly hadn't thought about it that way, I thought you were afraid to stay the night in my house alone with me," he said with a frown.

"No, I'd be more afraid of myself in that instance," Lucy whispered as he looked at Zeb out of the corner of her eye. She heard his deep intake of breath, and she watched his eyes spark at her words as the atmosphere grew heavy between them for a few moments while they each thought about what could have happened if she had stayed with him.

Then he laughed and broke the spell. "I'm relieved that it wasn't because you're afraid of me," he said softly.

"But you're O.K. that I don't trust that you're not using me?" Lucy was perplexed by his attitude.

"No, I get that, part of me still thinks that you might me using me a little too, for my money."

"Get that a lot, do you? Poor Zeb, it must be tough to be sooooo rich." She sighed.

He smiled again as a comfortable silence developed between them and they both watched the river for a time.

"Have you heard anything more about who shot at you that night?" Lucy asked as she started to pack up her things.

"No, but I have a few suspects that we're looking into," he assured her.

"Can I ask you something Lucy?" He placed his had on her arm, stopping her from finishing what she was doing, and Lucy eyed him warily.

"I promise Lucy, if I ever want you to use your gift to try to read something or someone I will make sure to ask your permission first, although sometimes I think that it will happen anyway, like it did with Marissa."

Lucy looked at his eyes which were full of complete sincerity, and she nodded her agreement.

"But how do you keep it from happening, when you go to places like parties and restaurants?"

"I keep my head down and don't look at or touch anyone," she explained.

"Isn't that hard?" he asked.

"Yes, that's one of the reasons I stay here in Belfort, I know everyone here, and I know how to avoid them for the most part. It can get overwhelming in a big city, especially the bad stuff."

"How is it that you don't know who shot at me?" Zeb looked tense as he awaited her reply. "How did you not see yourself getting shot?"

Lucy sat down next to him once again. "Maybe I haven't met them, or maybe I wasn't near them when they made the decision."

"But you saw me getting shot in a vision?"

"Yes, but I rarely see myself in a vision and it was a split-second decision that I made the moment I realized what was happening." She shrugged. "I don't understand how the visions work all of the time."

"When did you see me getting shot? I was there when you had the vision?" He turned sideways to look at her and his face was inches from her. She could see the dark stubble under his skin and the little lines at the corners of his eyes.

Her heart stopped and then started quickly, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

"The day I met you," she said softly, not thinking about the answer.

"You had other visions that day too, didn't you? One made you blush." He reached up and traced her cheek as she blushed again at the thought of it.

She cleared her throat. "Yes."

"Tell me?" he asked softly as his thumb moved to her lips.

"The first one was when you came up the stairs, I had a vision of you and two little dark headed girls." She left out the part about herself and being pregnant.

"My nieces," he assumed with a smile.

That wasn't how she had read the vision, but Lucy didn't correct him.

"And the other?" he asked gently.

Lucy shook her head. She would not tell him that one.

"Maybe one day you'll tell me, when you trust me more?" He pulled her to him, causing her to lose her balance and she fell into him. His arm came around her, holding her close as his lips descended on hers.

It wasn't a gentle kiss as his hand lifted to her head to hold her close.

Lucy didn't fight him and her arms snaked around his neck. She had waited so long for him to kiss her again, and as he deepened the kiss she gave a little cry of delight matching his intensity with her own.

"Am I interrupting something?" Thomas asked from behind them and Lucy jumped but Zeb held her tight, not letting her go as he looked down into her eyes.

"Yes, you are. May we have a few minutes?" Zeb requested, his voice hard.

Lucy felt guilt washing over her, she had promised Thomas that there was nothing between her and Zeb, and there really wasn't, but he would think that she had been lying to him.

Thomas stomped away, and Lucy tried to jump up to go after him, but Zeb wouldn't let her leave his arms. "What's between the two of you?" he asked.

Lucy pushed hard against him and he let her go quickly. She wouldn't look at him for fear she would see something she didn't want to see.

"A lifetime of trust!" she hissed, scrambling to her feet.

She had to find him and explain. She didn't look back as she raced up the hill. Her lips were still burning from Zeb's kisses, but she didn't dare look back.

She didn't have to because he was right behind her all the way to the house.