Summer Cursed

Chapter Eight

About half an hour after Liam left, workers showed up to replace my front door. If I didn’t love the new one so much, I’d have refused it. Instead, I made them tell me how much it had cost. After I caught my breath, I wrote out a check for half of it. I’d pay him the other half as soon as I could.

It was dark, rustic, mahogany wood with an oval shaped beveled glass window of a Celtic knot with oil-rubbed bronze metalwork. The knob looked antique but had modern-day security locks. He wanted to make sure I was safe. It was sweet and strange at the same time.

The door was gorgeous, and a smaller version of one of Liam’s front doors. I couldn’t remember mentioning how much I loved them, but I must have. How else would he have known?

I stared at the door for way too long before moving on to various other tasks. My eyes kept going back to the door. It was breathtaking. Definitely the prettiest thing in my house.

At five o’clock Stella texted to tell me to check my front stoop. I practically skipped to the door, excited to open it. The window allowed me to see if someone was waiting to surprise me.

I sighed with delight as I turned the knob. “I really need a life,” I said as I picked up the box that someone had left on the front porch.

“Oh, Stell, what have you done?” I muttered when I saw the dress inside. The thin, satiny material was a dark copper color that would bring out my brown eye. “Ah, I smell a plot afoot.”

I know what you’re doing, I texted her.

She replied with only a winky face emoji.

Knowing I had no way out at this point, I did my hair and makeup and slipped into the dress. It fell halfway down my thighs and clung to my breasts and hips. The bodice was cinched in such a way it gave me more cleavage than I already had.

At six thirty on the nose, there was a knock on my new door. I even loved the way it sounded. I opened it with a huge smile on my face which faltered when I saw both Isaac and Liam standing there.

“You look sensational, Red,” Liam said.

“New door?” Isaac said at the same time.

“Uh, thank you and yes. Why are you here?” I asked Isaac.

His head jerked back a little. “I thought I would pick you up for the party, but clearly I thought wrong.”

“I hadn’t heard from you, so I agreed to go with Liam.”

Isaac nodded. “No problem. I’ll see you there.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, no problem.” He gave me a smile before heading back to his truck. I saw Stella through the windshield, and she waved as Isaac backed out of my driveway.

“That was delightfully awkward,” Liam said with a grin. “Do you have a shawl or something? It’s cool out tonight.”

“Yeah, I’ll grab one. Do we have time for you to come in for a sec?”

“We do.”

I stepped aside so he could enter then closed the door softly, letting my hands rest on the knob. “Listen, about the door,” I said.

“You don’t like it. I’m sorry. I thought I heard you say you liked mine. You kind of mumbled it to yourself. Maybe I misheard. I should have asked. I can have it replaced.”

“Wow. I think that’s the most you’ve ever said to me in one click,” I said, with a little laugh. “It’s not that. I absolutely love this door, and if you try to take it away, I will fight you. I would just feel better if you let me pay you for it.”

I stepped toward the table where I’d left the check, but he grabbed my hand stopping me.

“No. Consider it a birthday gift. Please.”

He watched as I nibbled my lip and I felt myself get wet at the heat in his eyes. His nostrils flared and his eyes snapped to mine, letting me know I wasn’t shielding myself well.

“Um, yeah, sure. My birthday gift. Thanks,” I said rushing to my room for a shawl.