Veiled (Ada Palomino 1)

A damn shame.

I end up picking a black dress (I can’t stop looking like Morticia Adams lately). It’s low-cut and even though my boobs are on the small-side, I think collarbones are sexy and the thin lacey straps hint at lingerie without being totally out of place for a family dinner. I add a gold Grecian belt around my waist and then slip on a pair of leather snakeskin flats in a similar gold-tone and admire myself in the mirror. I put my hair up, something rare for me, but eschew any jewelry.

I look pretty good.

Eat your heart out, J.J. Abrams.

I take in a deep breath and head out the room and into the hallway and…

Creak.

Panic rushes up my spine.

The door to my old room, Perry’s room, slowly creaks open as I pass it.

I go still, my skin erupting in goosebumps, my eyes stuck to the door.

Creeeeak.

It opens a little bit more.

I want to blame it on the wind. A breeze coming in through the window. But today is humid and heavy, the air as still as my body is right now.

Move, I tell myself. Stop staring at it. Keep walking.

Yet I still stand there.

The door creaks open just a little bit more, the sliver of room growing. I see the edge of the bed. One of the windows.

A tall shadow in the corner.

Then the door starts to shut, blocking the shadow out before I can get a better look at it.

“Ada,” my mother whispers from inside the room.

“Ada!” my father yells from downstairs.

Before I can think, I’m running down the stairs at a rapid rate and practically spilling into the kitchen, breathless, my heart running away on me.

What just happened?

“A little help?” my dad chides me, turning around with the rack of lamb between his hands. He frowns at me. “What’s with you?”

I shake my head, trying to compose myself, trying to ignore the knot of cold clay in my stomach. “Fine. I’m fine.”

“Well, help me set the table then,” he says, before giving me the eye. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

I roll my eyes and grab the homemade mint jelly from the counter, yet I’m secretly relieved that his ribbing is putting things back to normal.

Five minutes later, the neighbors are ringing the doorbell.

“Answer it!’ my dad howls from the kitchen, having a last minute problem with the wild rice side dish.

“I was going to anyway!” I yell back, feeling myself slip into fifteen-year old mode at the worst time. I close my eyes, breathing in deeply through my nose, then open the door.

Dawn and Knightly are on the stoop, Jay and Jacob lingering on the path behind them.

Dawn holds up a tin-foil covered tray and smiles with perfect white teeth. “Dulce le leche cheesecake. Sage says it’s the best you’ll ever try.”

I offer them a smile that I hope isn’t shaky. “And what do you say it is?”

“Pretty good,” she says with a laugh. “Sage is the expert in all things sweet.”

“Especially you,” he says warmly, kissing her forehead. She giggles like a child in response.

Aw. How disgusting.

I welcome them in, relieved to see they’ve somewhat dressed up. Dawn is wearing grey slacks and a silk green sleeveless top, her arms pale, slender and covered with freckles. She kind of reminds me of an older Julianne Moore, same kind of smile and calm energy. Sage is wearing khakis and a black and grey Hawaiian shirt. And flip-flops.

I try not to dwell on his footwear and glance at Jacob and Jay who are still on the path, as if they only planned to escort the Knightlys over and are about to head back.

“Well are you coming in or what?” I ask them, hand on my hip.

They exchange a glance I can’t read. Typical.

Normally my eyes would be fixed to Jay but Jacob looks more cagey than normal. It doesn’t help that his suit is pale green, his dress shirt underneath bright orange. The man really needs a new wardrobe, I don’t care if he’s been to Hell and back.

“Well?” I repeat. I can feel Sage and Down hovering behind me in the foyer.

Jay shoots me an apologetic smile. It nearly makes me weak at the knees. “Sorry. We don’t want to intrude.”

I tick off my fingers. “A, you were invited. And B, if you don’t come in, all that extra lamb is going to go to waste and you don’t want to see my dad when he’s angry.”

Jacob gives Jay an ever-so subtle nod and then smiles charmingly at me. “Of course, love.”

They come inside, Jay brushing up so close against me as he passes that my stupid girly brain is trying to figure out if it’s intentional or not. Also, he smells fucking amazing and I have to pretend that I’m not breathing in a huge whiff of his deliciousness.