Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(19)
Author: Cambria Hebert

It’s okay to wish it was your dad, Hev.

I turned fully around to face him, his understanding and safety was like a beacon to my dark, uncertain mood. He folded his arms around me and I sighed deeply. This is where I fit, where I belonged, everything else was just details. I squeezed my eyes shut and committed this feeling to memory, certain I would need to call on it later.

Maybe now that your mother has found someone, she’ll be more accepting of us.

How close could they be? They just started dating.

One way to find out. He used his oversized hands to spin me around to face the front door and pointed at the doorbell.

I reached out and pressed the button while wondering what was waiting for us on the other side of the door.

*   *   *

Things were not as I expected. From the second she opened the door, I knew that something was different. What I hadn’t decided was if that something was good or bad.

“Well, are you going to come in or stand out there and stare all night?” Mom asked with a smile on her face. She motioned for us to come in and held the door open wide.

“Sorry,” I mumbled as I walked in, my eyes searching for a glimpse of Mom’s new man.

“It’s so good to see you!” she said and pulled me in for a hug. I was caught off guard, but brushed it off and I hugged her back. She pulled back to look at me. “You look wonderful. How has your summer been so far?”

I studied her as I gave some lame response about swimming and hanging out with Kimber. She looked really good. Her brown hair was shining, settling down around her shoulders, and her blue eyes were bright and clear. Her smile was genuine with none of the tension around her mouth that I had gotten used to. She was dressed in a blue sundress that came to her knees. What was most impressive was her aura. It held none of the mistrust and disappointment that usually bloomed around her head when I was near. Things felt like they used to be before I was disfigured, started dating Sam and ‘became evil.’ Well, maybe not exactly like it used to be.

Even though I couldn’t be certain, I had an inkling that her aura now bloomed with more blue and green than Before. But that wasn’t a bad thing because blue and green were balancing and peaceful. Blue seemed to bloom right out of her head and circle around her. Some of the tension I was feeling about tonight eased because someone with this relaxed of an aura did not have an agenda for inviting me and Sam here. Right?

A deep voice from the kitchen said, “Madeline, where do you keep the napkins?”

I would have turned toward the sound, but I was too interested in my mother. Her whole body shifted toward the sound of his voice. It’s like she was drawn to him. “I’ll be right there! Heven and Sam are here!”

I knew he was going to come out of the kitchen. I anticipated it, but his appearance was still surprising. It was surprising because he was nothing like I expected.

He was hot.

That thought disturbed me in so many ways. I took a small step backward toward Sam, hoping no one noticed the distance I was trying to create. Sam did and he came farther into the room to stand at my back.

“Heven! Sam! How great to meet you!” he said, sliding into the room. He walked with enthusiasm and grinned jovially. He had short, trimmed brown hair and brown eyes. He was tall, but not quite as tall as Sam, and he was dressed casually in jeans and a white button-up shirt left untucked. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up and he was wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. He held out his hand as he approached to greet us. I wanted to reach out and take his hand and I understood my mother’s earlier reaction to him; the guy was like a magnet. Charm and charisma poured off of him. Instead of reaching out to greet him, I stared. Sam reached out around me and shook his hand briefly. They exchanged pleasantries.

Then he turned toward me.

“Your mother has told me so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you,”

I placed my hand in his. His skin was cool to the touch, but his grip was firm, indicating confidence and strength. My dad always said that you could judge a man by his handshake. “Nice to meet you…”

“Henry,” my mother said, stepping forward. “Heven, this is Henry.”

“Henry,” I echoed, pulling my hand away and smiling. “Nice to meet you.” His aura was a lot like Mom’s, laid-back and friendly with no emotion making too strong a point in the curtain of colors that surrounded him. He did have a great deal of clouds of turquoise, a color symbolizing someone with a dynamic, influencing nature. I guess that explained his magnetism.

Mom turned to Sam. “So glad you could make it, Sam. I know we haven’t been the best of friends up until now, but I’m hoping that will change.”

I clenched my jaw to keep it from falling open. Had I heard her right? Mom was going to accept Sam?

“Well, come on in! Dinner is almost ready. I hope you both are hungry because we made—”

She’s going to say chicken. Chicken, eww.

“Steak.”

“Not chicken?” The words fell from my lips.

Mom laughed. “I think we’ve all had enough chicken. Besides, I never could find a recipe that was actually good.”

I laughed. We all worked side by side doing what was left to do to get dinner on the table. Henry grilled the steaks outside and Mom and I fixed a salad while Sam poured iced tea for everyone. She asked about my job, the farm and Gran; then she asked Sam about his jobs and what he liked to do when he wasn’t working. I waited with baited breath for Mom’s reaction when Sam answered “spend time with Heven,” but Mom just smiled and told him he was sweet.

Okay, this is why I’m apprehensive about thinking all this was great. Why the sudden change in attitude toward Sam? If something appeared too good to be true, then it probably was. There had to be a catch. I stole a glance out of the corner of my eye at Mom only to see her working happily alongside me. It just didn’t seem right. I sighed and swatted away a fly that was buzzing around the salad.

When we were all sitting around the table eating, I took the lapse in conversation to learn a little bit more about my mother and Henry. “So, Mom, how did you and Henry meet?”

“Henry is here with a group of volunteers from our sister church in Portland to help out with our summer humanity project with Habitat for Humanity.”

I smiled and batted at the fly that was still buzzing around, wondering if Henry was as involved with his church as Mom was with ours. “That’s great. So you’re from Portland, Henry?”