Kiss in the Dark (7 page)

“You have to be lying, Bost!”

Boston shook her head. “Nope! So…of course I have to explain to Logan that ‘Danny’ is really ‘Danielle’ and all. But by then, Steph has planted herself in the doorway…with no intention of leaving.”

“No, you’re just nicer than any of the rest of us…and that’s a good thing. Kindness is a vanishing virtue in this world, and you’re the kindest person I know. I’m just afraid that all this junk with Steph will harden you up too much. That’s why I want you out of there. I just want her to quit making your life so miserable.”

“Well, it won’t be long now. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long. I should’ve moved in here when you first asked me to. But I admit…I was too chicken. I didn’t feel like dealing with the emotional upheaval I knew it would cause.”

The apartment door opened, and Vance entered, stripping off his T-shirt as he closed the door behind him.

“Did you have good run?” Danielle asked.

Vance nodded, wiping the perspiration from his face with the T-shirt. “Yep,” he said. Then, looking to Boston, he added, “Hi, Brooklyn.”

“Well, I may be an idiot,” he said. He raised his arms, flexing massive biceps. “But you better get a Band-Aid, little sister…’cause I’m ripped!” He raised one bulking bicep to his face and kissed it with pride.

“Oh my heck,” Danielle moaned with disgust. “Just ignore my brother, Boston. He can be so stupid sometimes.”

“Stupid maybe…but ripped,” he teased. He sauntered over to the sofa, tucked the sweaty T-shirt in the waist of the back of his shorts, and asked, “So, you get driven out by that venomous she-serpent you call a roommate again?”

“Sorry, Boston,” he said. He grinned—a totally mischievous grin, a handsome, alluring sort of grin. “But if she tries to get you to eat, like, soup or something…don’t do it. Or if you notice certain large knives are missing out of the utensil drawer…”

“Vance!” Danielle said, tossing one of the sofa throw pillows at him. “Go take a shower! You’re all sweaty.”

“All right, all right, I’m going,” he chuckled. He turned to leave the room but paused. His eyes narrowed, and he lowered his voice as he said, “Boston…count the knives before you go to bed. That way, in the morning, you’ll know if—”

“Shut up, Vance!” Danielle interrupted, tossing another pillow at him.

He smiled, chuckled, and headed for the bathroom.

Danielle sighed, shaking her head with exasperation. But Boston giggled. Vance was funny and had managed to lighten her mood a bit.

“Thanks for letting me hang out, Danielle,” Boston said. Vance’s amusing antics had lightened her heart and mind a bit—but she still felt guilty for being such a parasite on Danielle’s time and space.

“Don’t start that, Bost!” Danielle said, smiling. “You’re going to live here in a month. You might as well start spending the bulk of your free time here now…just to make sure you’re gonna like the apartment and everything.”

“Yeah,” Boston teased. “I might not like living in a nice apartment with a nice roommate.”

Danielle smiled. “Hey! Wanna watch a movie? I figure it’ll be couple of hours before you can go back, right? We never got to watch one last night.”

“Okay,” Boston giggled. She and Danielle loved watching movies late at night, especially romantic comedies or scary old black-and-whites. “What were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. Let’s make popcorn and then decide.” Danielle paused and looked at Boston with an almost timid expression. “Will it be okay with you if Vance watches it with us?”

“Come on then,” Danielle said. She hopped up off the couch and headed for the kitchen. “Let’s get the popcorn going, and then Vance can help us decide what movie to watch.”

Half an hour later, Boston found herself sitting on the sofa between Danielle and a freshly showered Vance, sharing a bowl of popcorn, and laughing at John Candy as he tried to flip a giant pancake with a snow shovel.

The movie was great—
Uncle Buck
was one of her favorite silly comedies. The company was even better! Boston was amazed at how comfortable she felt. Again she was reminded that she’d never felt like she could relax in her own apartment—not since the day she and Stephanie decided to share one. Even with Vance sitting next to her—the solid muscles of his forearm bumping her now and again as he plunged his hand into the bowl of popcorn sitting on her lap—she felt more at home. Certainly Vance’s presence spun the dynamic a little differently than had it just been her and Danielle there. Boston found she was constantly aware of him; warmth radiated from his muscular body. He smelled like Old Spice bodywash, mint toothpaste, and popcorn. He was quite the dominating presence—distracting—in a delightful, thrill-inducing kind of way. He chuckled at something John Candy said, and Boston smiled. It seemed Vance only added to her sense of comfort and welcome in Danielle’s apartment.

“Pause!” Danielle exclaimed suddenly. “I have to go to the bathroom!” Danielle fumbled with the remote, pausing the movie and fairly leaping off the sofa.

Boston smiled, and Vance shook his head. “She can never make it through a whole movie,” he said. “She never could.”

“I know,” Boston giggled. She loved that about Danielle—how she could go hours and hours and hours without having to go to the bathroom, until someone put on a movie.

“That little goldfish. There he was, swimming along, just enjoying life…then bam! He swims right into a solid wall of cement,” Vance said. “And do you know what that little goldfish said as he swam into the solid wall of cement?”

Vance smiled a dazzling smile and replied, “Because you know how he feels. You just swam right into that cement wall with that roommate of yours last night, and it rung your bell. But you know what? It’ll all work out. It’s good you’re getting away from her. I’m sure she’ll make it as hard on you as she can…but once you’re out from under her bullsh…her crap…you’ll be fine. You’ll rub your little goldfish head that you knocked against the wall, and you’ll swim on…a little bruised up maybe, but smarter too. And you’ll be a little better at navigating around cement walls.”

“Thank you, Dr. Laura,” Boston teased.

“You’re welcome, Charlotte.” Vance winked, grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl on Boston’s lap, and added, “That’s in North Carolina…in case you’re wondering.”

“I know,” she giggled. She sighed for a moment. “How is it that you know so much about navigationally challenged goldfish and poisonous friends?”

He shrugged broad shoulders. “Experience,” he answered. He smiled. “Unfortunately, a lot of experience.”

“Okay, I’m back,” Danielle announced, hopping back into her spot on the couch. “Unpause,” she told the remote as she picked it up and started the movie again.

Boston reached into the bowl in her lap to retrieve several kernels of popcorn, but Vance teasingly pushed at her hand, gathering a fistful himself. Boston nudged his arm with her elbow, and he playfully nudged back. She heard him chuckle and glanced up to him, but she couldn’t tell if the chuckle was caused by their playfully fighting over the popcorn or because John Candy was involved in some comedic ritual on the TV.

Boston watched the movie, but her mind kept wandering. Vance Nathaniel was a pretty smart guy. She was rather amazed by his insight and fairly profound advice and encouragement. She’d been in his company exactly three times. How was it that he was so affecting to her in a mere twenty-four hours? She shrugged and tried to concentrate on the movie. Logan West flashed through her mind; she hoped Steph hadn’t scared him off. She was sure she hadn’t. He’d said they’d go out again. She hoped he’d call soon.

Vance and Danielle both laughed, and the sound caused Boston to giggle. She couldn’t wait to permanently escape Stephanie’s emotional manipulation. Life would be fun and exciting again once she was away from Steph—she could sense it all around her.

“If I wasn’t here, your friend could move right in,” Vance said.

Danielle waved to Boston as she walked toward her car. She felt the familiar pinching pain of empathy in her heart. She wouldn’t let him start to slip into guilt—she wouldn’t.

“Oh, don’t go all melodramatic, martyr-heroic on me, Vance,” she said. She turned to him, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly on one whiskery cheek. “You know how excited I am to finally have you here! Boston’s got tons of friends to stay with until she moves in here.”

Vance yawned. He was tired—physically worn out. Still, neither Danielle’s reassurance nor his own fatigue eased his mind about Danielle’s friend Boston. He knew what witches chicks could be to each other—especially hags like this Stephanie. He should’ve just rented his own apartment for a month. Instead, he’d let Danielle talk him into staying with her. He was all for it too—until he’d understood Boston’s predicament.

He was far more familiar with Boston Rhodes than she knew. Boston had been the one to save Danielle. Not him—certainly not him! He suspected Boston had literally saved Danielle’s life that summer after…

Thus, he hated to see his sister’s rescuer in misery. He felt an incredible desire to liberate her—to somehow offer recompense for her service to his sister. But if he moved out now, Danielle would worry like a crazy woman.

“She’s really pretty,” Vance accidentally said out loud as he sat down at the table to start on the bowl of ice cream Danielle had dished up for him.

“You mean Boston?” Danielle asked.

Vance grimaced, disgusted with himself for having slipped up in revealing his thoughts.

“Yeah. Sort of in a throwback way, huh…like classically, naturally pretty. She’s got great hair…kind of like copper…or cinnamon.” Danielle looked at Vance and seemed to study him for a moment. “And the same color of eyes you do, I think.”

“Really?” he mumbled, feigning ignorance. Of course he’d noticed her green eyes—like warm jade. He wished he hadn’t moved in with Danielle so her friend could’ve found instant escape from her poisonous snake of a roommate.

“Rocky road,” he said as he tasted the ice cream. “My favorite.”

“I know,” Danielle said, smiling at him.

Vance’s heart nearly broke as he looked at her—thought of her pain. Her hidden pain caused him to feel sick for a moment. He had trouble keeping moisture from rising to his eyes.

Vance forced a smile. He didn’t want her to see his barely withheld emotion—didn’t want to cause her to think of the past, of pain again. So he ate his ice cream, talked with his sister concerning the details of his upcoming new job, and tried not to think about what a venomous reptile was waiting for Boston Rhodes back at the viper’s lair.

Chapter Four

Monday seemed long—at least Boston’s time at work seemed to drag. For one thing, she was tired. For three nights running, she’d been up well after midnight, and the late nights and early mornings were starting to catch up with her. Sunday with Steph had been just as intolerable as Friday and Saturday nights, and Boston had ended up seeking escape and respite at Danielle’s again. She’d decided to wait to talk to any of her friends about staying with them for the two weeks from the time Steph wanted her out until Vance moved to his place and out of Danielle’s. But the longer she was forced to deal with Steph, the more she realized she had to do something soon. She couldn’t continue to endure Stephanie’s hateful remarks—couldn’t continue to be provoked and remain unresponsive.