The Spark by Vi Keeland
CHAPTER 10
Autumn
Ten years ago
“That was a nice gift you gave Lena.” The deep voice seemed to come out of nowhere.
“Jesus. You scared the crap out of me.”
“How long have you been sitting back here?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe twenty minutes.”
The backyard was pitch dark, but I knew the voice. Braden Erlich. The son of my dad’s newest partner at work. Correction, the ridiculously hot son of my dad’s newest partner at work.
“Are the lights broken?” he asked. “The ones that go on when they detect motion?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Braden was quiet for a moment. “So that means you haven’t moved in twenty minutes?”
I smiled in the dark. “It’s sort of a hobby of mine. I like to see how long I can stay still before the motion detectors catch me.”
“What’s your record?”
I detected a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Twenty-six minutes.”
He went silent for a while. “Alright. Let’s see if we can break it.”
I laughed, but I was careful not to move my face too much or let my body shake. “You’re going to stand there and not move so I can break my record?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“If you admit that you re-gifted the present I just saw your dad’s fiancée open inside.”
“What makes you think I re-gifted it?”
“My mother gave it to you at your high school graduation party three months ago.”
Shit. Did she? I closed my eyes. Oh my God. I think she might’ve. “Sorry,” I said.
“What are you sorry for? Not wanting a porcelain figurine when you’re eighteen?”
“It’s a Lladro. It probably cost seven-hundred dollars.”
“Didn’t cost my mother that much.”
“How do you know?”
“Because she got it as a gift from my grandmother two years ago.”
My eyes widened. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.”
I chuckled. “Wow. Now I definitely don’t feel bad.”
“You shouldn’t. You’re too pretty to feel bad.”
Oh wow. I was definitely glad we were still in the dark, so he didn’t see me blush. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Did you know there’s a limited-edition Lladro that costs forty-seven-thousand dollars? They only made five hundred of them.”
“So you checked out the value before deciding to re-gift, huh?”
I laughed. “Actually, no. Sometimes I just read up on really random things.”
“Interesting.”
I probably sounded like a complete dork. “I don’t sit at home doing it or anything. It’s just something I do once in a while.”
“I like that. You’re curious.”
A solid minute went by, and neither of us said anything. Eventually, Braden spoke. “Are you still there?”
“I am.”
“Weren’t you afraid Lena would remember you opening that at your graduation party?”
“Lena wasn’t at my graduation party. She and my dad only met on the Fourth of July.”
“That was less than two months ago.”
“Yep.”
“And they’re engaged already?”
“He proposed on their one-month anniversary.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. That seems to be a thing for him. He proposed to his last wife on their six-month anniversary.”
“His last wife? How many has he had?”
“This will be his fourth.”
“What number was your mom?”
“She was the first. She died when I was twelve.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you.”
“I feel bad for making you talk about it. I think I know where I can get a nice Lladro to make it up to you.”
I laughed. “I’m good. But thanks for the offer.”
“Why are you sitting out here in the dark, anyway?”
“It’s all people from my dad’s work inside and Lena’s family. Plus, it’s a clear night, and I like looking up at the stars.”
“Have you ever gone to Long Wharf Park to see the stars?”
“No. Where is it?”
“New Haven.”
I sighed. “My father gives me a hard time about driving on I-95 at night since I only got my license six months ago. Maybe my friend Alley will take me.”
He was quiet for a bit. “I’ve been driving three years.”
My heart sped up. Was he saying he wanted to take me to see the stars?
Before I could answer, he spoke again. “I’ll tell you what. How about we make a little bet? If you beat your record, I’ll give you directions to the best spot to see the stars. But if you don’t, you have to let me take you.”
Ummm… Who cares about the dumb record?
I immediately started figuring out how I could get the motion detector to go off without looking like I’d done it on purpose.
“So…do we have a deal?” Braden said.
I tried to come off nonchalant. “Sure. Why not?”
Five seconds later, the lights came on. I blinked as my eyes adjusted. Had I moved? I didn’t think I had.
I looked over at Braden, who sported an ear-to-ear smile.
“I didn’t budge,” I said.
His smile grew wider. “I know. I swung my arm in the air. The bet you agreed to didn’t specify whose fault it would be that the lights went on, only that they did.” He tilted his head and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
