Chapter Forty Three
Natala studied the street signs. The art store clerk had said to take a right at Corell. But she wasn’t sure if the sign said Corell or Carren. She didn’t have her reading glasses to help her and she only had directions home from the library, even though Brian insisted she take a cab and had given her money. Well, she decided, if one wasn’t right, she’d try to backtrack. She had her phone. If need be, she could call any of the cousins to come and get here.
Right as she stepped off the curb a car came tearing around the corner. Strong arms grabbed her in a bear hug and pulled her back as she gasped in shock.
“Hey, there, ya crazy woman! You can’t go stepping off Carren Corner like that!” a warm tenor voice exclaimed, turning her around to face him.
“I—I didn’t—”
“That’s the most dangerous corner in White Plains,” he told her.
“I didn’t know,” she murmured, trying not to stare into his sea colored eyes. His aura radiated gold, warmth, genuine caring, and blindingly bright like Aralyn’s. This was a good man, she knew immediately, and his hands were strong. His whole spirit was. Lucky her, she thought, a true Good Samaritan crossing her path. The orange ring around the gold meant he was usually a cheerful person who enjoyed life.
“Well, that’s obvious. You’re not from around here, are you?” He took a good look at her.
“No, I’ve only been here a couple months and I don’t go out alone often,” she pushed a lock of shiny black hair from her eyes. She winced inwardly. That was a really dumb thing to a say to stranger! She knew better!
“Well, then, allow me to introduce myself and welcome you. I’m Dean,” he held out his hand and gave her a big smile. “Dean Acklen.”
She took it gingerly, receiving a warm, firm handshake. His energy rushed at her. This was an interesting man, she thought, her guard lowering just a little.
“Natala,” she said shyly, noting his rugged features, a couple days worth of stubble and his sandy blonde hair which was short, standing one end, probably gelled that way, she thought.
“Natala…” he muttered, thinking, “is that Russian?”
“Romanian,” she answered shyly. “Gypsy,” came out before she could stop herself. People still didn’t have a high opinion of her people.
“Well, that’s something you don’t run into everyday.” He smiled at her as she tried to slip out of his hold, albeit reluctantly. “Now what’s a pretty Romanian Gypsy girl doing here in White Plains?”
“I, uh, moved her to be with my father,” she said hesitantly. Why on earth was she telling him this? She knew better than anyone what talking to strange men could lead to! She should leave, she thought. But those warm green-blue eyes held her in place.
“That’s sweet of you.” He was genuinely impressed.
This was a man she could really like, she thought. He was genuine. Rare. Hold on there, girl. It’s been months since you had a man, don’t go pouncing the first one that comes across your path. The thought surprised her. Most of the men she had had hadn’t been her choice. Or attractive. Or anywhere near as good a person. It dawned on her this was the first man she had ever actually found attractive.
“I knew you couldn’t have gone to school around here, because I sure would have remembered you.”
“No, not around here,” she smiled. Nowhere else either, she thought with a tinge of bitterness.
“You want me to drive you somewhere?” he asked.
Wow, he was forward! But she sensed no malice or intended harm. He wasn’t like other men who tried to pick her up with the sole intent of getting into her pants. But he was still a stranger, and she was no fool. She shook her head. “Oh, no, thank you.”
“It’s no trouble,” he said with a smile.
His bright eyes hadn’t left her face and she felt herself warming and turning pink under his gaze.
“No, really, I don’t ride with strangers,” she laughed, even though she suspected this man was far less dangerous than most she had known.
Dean grinned. “I have some female friends that while they may claim my honor is a bit tarnished, can assure you I’m harmless. I can call Aralyn real quick, she’s jaunting around the country somewhere but she might take my call.”
Natala’s eyes widened slightly. “Aralyn? Duke?”
“She’s the only Aralyn in the city as far as I know. How do you know her?” he asked.
“She’s my cousin,” Natala answered.
Dean’s eyes bulged. “Gypsy, I’ve known all the Belden-Duke girls most of my life, and if I’ve forgotten you, I’m gonna slap myself real hard.”
She smiled. He was charming. And flirtatious. The kind of man she probably should run from, she thought. But his aura said otherwise. And if was friends with Aralyn and her cousins, he couldn’t be bad.
“We just met a few months ago. We didn’t know about each other.”
“No kidding,” he looked fascinated. “Wait, Cam said something about a new cousin. You must be her. Dark hair, I’d guess Dan or Luke’s –especially with those big blue eyes, I’d say Luke. Holy-are you Tiffany’s sister?”
Natala blushed. “No, actually, my father is Brian.”
Dean’s eyebrow went up. “Dr. Belden? Uncle straight-laced, boring Brian Belden?”
She nodded. Dean’s shock was genuine.
“Wow. Never knew the man had it in him,” Dean said, then flashed her a bright smile. “I really didn’t mean that as offensively as it came out.”
She shook her head. “No offense taken.”
“He patched me up as a kid more times than I can count. Listen, it’s cold out here, and I was just going in here for coffee. Would you join me?”
Natala hesitated.
“If you’re still leery of me afterwards, I won’t drive you home. Otherwise, my chariot will be waiting. And I do come with references. Even Leif and Logan like me. Your cousin Tim is one of my best friends. We taught those unholy twin terrors most of what they know.”
She chuckled. “Okay, one coffee.” She didn’t really know Tim, she had only met him once, but he sure seemed to know a lot about her family.
“You’ve known my family long, you said?” she asked as he opened the door for her.
“Yep, pretty much since they moved here when Aralyn, Tiff, Tim and I were five or so,” he grinned. “I know them well. I helped her and Cam, my roommate, get together senior year. Tiffany turned me down about fifty times for a date. Until senior prom,” he was still grinning, “and she still just couldn’t buy into my charms.”
Natala found herself smiling, remembering Cam, the young man she had met at the mall at Christmas time. “Aralyn didn’t tell me she had been Homecoming Queen.”
“No? She wasn’t thrilled about it, truthfully. But it helped her and Cam finally get together.” He laughed. “They needed the help, trust me. Those two practically needed Seeing Eye dogs to find each other. Luckily, they had me instead.”
Coffee, cinnamon and vanilla floated around her in the warm coffeehouse.
Dean ordered a double espresso and Natala didn’t panic about having to read the menu. She had been in the coffee shops enough with various cousins to know what she liked.
They ordered their drinks and Dean paid, before they moved to the end of the counter to wait for their drinks.
Once they had their drinks, Dean snagged a small table for two near the window. Natala removed her white hat and shook out her hair. The matching soft fluffy scarf was wound around her neck but she undid it, slipping the black leather coat off. It was still cold in late March. Dean shrugged his dark green jacket off and studied her.
“You’ve definitely got the Belden blue eyes,” he noted.
“My mother had blue eyes too,” she said softly.
“So where do you fit into the big ol’ family tree|?” he asked. “Was Brian ever married and we didn’t know?”
“No, my mother didn’t tell him about me. She died a few months ago and I found out about him.” He was so… irresistible with that smile, and the aura. A good-natured man with a good soul. He enjoyed life.
He winced. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she gave him a small smile as she wrapped her hands around the hot latte.
“Still cold?” he covered her hands with his, startling her to look into his blue -green eyes.
Warmth rushed at her through his hand and Natala felt dizzy. This was a good man, someone who would protect his family. He had integrity and a good heart. He was truly trustworthy, she was surprised to realize. And just might be important to her future. She had never encountered someone who made her physically dizzy this way, with just a single touch. She could hear bells in the distance. This man would play a vital role in her future.
“A little.”
“So are you close with Aralyn and Tiffany then?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I didn’t have but a few days to get to know them before they went back on the road. But I did meet a fellow named Cam—completely smitten with Aralyn, too. Your roommate, I presume.”
Dean nodded. “I remember Cam telling me he had met a new cousin. I thought he was confused because we knew them all.”
She smiled. “He’s still in love with her.”
“Till the day he dies,” Dean grinned.
“We ran into him when the girls took me shopping, right after I arrived here. He seemed very nice. Lonely. Kind of lost.”
“That’s Cam all right. He’s dating this chick who?” he just shook his head. “She’s a real piece of work. I always liked him with Aralyn. I still hope that when she gets back in town, they’ll get back together.”
“Why’d they break up?” she asked. “I didn’t want to pry but it was obvious Aralyn was upset to see him.”
Dean sipped his espresso. “She didn’t want him to wait for her while she was gone for a year, so they ended it. She was trying to be fair to him, but she broke his heart into a million pieces, and frankly, he’s never gotten over her. This chick now, man, she’s just like a fill in for Aralyn. Kinda looks like her but not as pretty and nowhere near as nice. Rather bitchy, really.”
“So why is he with her?” she took a swallow of her latte.
“He lonely. If he’s with her, he doesn’t think about Aralyn. I know he’s hoping she’ll change her mind and come back to him.”
Natala looked thoughtful. “I think it’s possible.”
Dean looked at her sharply. “Why do you say that? Did Aralyn say something?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m just?highly intuitive.” She made a mental note to meditate on Aralyn later.
Dean smiled but his eyes said he knew more than he let on. He didn’t miss much, despite the playful demeanor. “So how’d you end up here?”
“It’s a long story,” she hedged.
Dean grinned. “I have time. But if you’re not comfortable telling me, I understand. I can always entertain you with stories of your cousins.”
“Really?” she asked eagerly. “I really liked the few days I had with the girls. I miss them terribly and would love to hear about them. The others are nice too, but I don’t…really have much in common with them.”
“Well, sure, Gypsy,” he grinned, leaning forward and she noted how very warm and sea foam green his eyes were. Not the deep emerald of her cousins Jim and Daisy, or hazel like Tiffany and Honey, but a warm, light jade with a hint of blue.
Natala sipped her latte for the next while, as Dean regaled her with stories about Aralyn’s homecoming escapade, then winning the Prom Queen title later with Cam, how he schemed with Tiffany to hook the pair up, Aralyn’s rivalry with Callie West, and some of the girls’ adventures throughout the years.
Dean watched the pale girl began to glow as she smiled and laughed at his stories. The warm red sweater brought color to her fair skin, and her big blue eyes glittered and twinkled at him. She didn’t look anything like Tiff, maybe a vague resemblance to Aralyn, who favored her father, more than her mother, but Natala had a gentle grace that Dean found captivating. She actually reminded him of her cousin Rayma, the oldest daughter of Diana and Mart Belden, who was Brian’s younger brother. Tall, he figured Natala at almost six feet like Aralyn and Tiffany, but lightweight and very thin. Even with her shopping bags, he had grabbed her up easily from the curb. Her could tell by the thin hands and wrists she did not carry the curves of the other Belden-Duke girls.
It was a stroke of luck he was heading into the store when he saw her studying the sign, and not watching the traffic. Realizing she was about to cross a very busy, very dangerous intersection, he had bolted forward to catch her. Dean was very glad he had.
Natala studied Dean, and noted the thick green sweater he wore made his hair appear blonder than it really was, his shoulders were broad, strong, but not too muscled. Slender, lean build, wore an old worn watch on his left wrist, and had strong hands. Broken in hiking boots and jeans, his heavy overcoat hung carelessly over the chair. This was a man comfortable in his own skin, who knew who he was. And he was very handsome with an easy grace and charm.
Natala listened eagerly, almost done with her latte, glad she had put on some weight the last few months. Moms was forever stopping by with food, or inviting them to dinner, at least once a week they were at one of the cousins’ houses for dinner, and there was always some get together happening. Now she could fill out her clothes a little better, instead of everything hanging on her, but she longed for the lush body that Aralyn had. Even Tiffany still had more curves than she did.
Dean, sensing that she wasn’t quite ready to talk about herself, told her about Aralyn’s younger brothers and how they had dominated the theatre department, and were well known for their pranks. Several stories revolved around him and Tim pranking the twins when they were all younger. There had been an ongoing battle of the twins trying to outwit Dean and Tim, and Dean insisted the twins lost more often than not.
“Wow,” she murmured. “You really do know them well!”
Dean laughed. “Well, like I said, Tiffany kept shooting me down but with Cam and Aralyn always together, and being friends with Tim, I spent a fair amount of time with your family, and I covered a lot of sports for the paper. Before he was sent off to school, Tim and I were best friends. I’ve been to all their houses numerous times. Most of your cousins are involved in some activity. I think Rayma is the artist. She graduates this year.”
Natala nodded. “Yes. Her, me, and Sean.”
“You’re an artist? What medium?” he asked eagerly.
“Paint. Mostly acrylic I’m finding out,” she said shyly. “My grandmother was an artist and she helped me with supplies and mediums and figure out which I prefer.”
“Cool. My stick figures are even an embarrassment to the art world,” he laughed. “I stick to photojournalism.”
“But your photos are art,” she said, taking a drink, “you use it not only to express your thoughts but your creativity. The written word is a powerful tool, but so are photographs, and you hope to use it to enlighten the world to the perils its placed itself in,” she said without thinking.
Dean froze. “How did you know that?” he demanded.
Damn, she thought, now I’ve done it. “Oh, I, well, isn’t that what journalists do?” she tried to cover.
“There’s definitely more to you than meets the eye.” His blue-green eyes were focused on her now, studying her. “Where’d you say you grew up?”
“We moved around a lot,” she said hesitantly.
Dean knew to back off or he’d scare her good. Her emotions ran openly on her face and the flash of fear, almost covered the wariness. He really wanted to get to know this girl. “All right, then,” he smiled, “But I’ll figure you out. I’ve already learned quite a bit.”
“Such as?” Natala laughed as he excused himself for a moment.
He returned with a large cup of coffee.
“Espresso is only good for so long,” he said cheerfully. “Want another?”
“Oh no, thank you.”
She gave him a pretty smile and he studied her earrings. Multiple piercings like Aralyn, but an eclectic mix of studs and hoops and dangles and stones. Long black hair, just a hint of wave, full, shiny pink lips that beckoned to him, and of course, those big, electric blue eyes. Enigmatic, he thought, and beautiful. She was definitely related to the Belden-Duke Clan.
“I should be getting home actually,” she said apologetically.
Dean glanced out the window. “Hey, it’s dark. Let me drive you.”
“Oh, no, I don’t mind the walk,” she said quickly.
Dean shook his head. “We may have a low crime rate but no one likes women walking around by themselves after dark. Where do you live?”
“Irving Hollow Estates,” she said. “With Brian.”
“That’s right, half your family lives in there. I know it well. C’mon. I’ll give you a lift and I won’t take no for an answer. What kind of gentleman would I be to let you wander around at night?” he smiled. “And you can even call a cousin to verify that I will make sure you get home safely.”
Her life experience screamed at her not to go with him, but her intuition shushed it. Natala couldn’t help but smile back as she bundled herself back into her coat, which he held for her, then her scarf and hat.
Dean carried her shopping bags to his coupe, holding the door for her, which she softly thanked him for.
“Takes her a minute to warm up,” he said, flipping the heat on. “I’m working on restoring an old Impala, but this one is the car that runs.”
He kept up light chatter as he drove, and she didn’t have to tell him where to go.
Natala knew he was interested in her. He wanted to kiss her, and while part of her was thrilled by the prospect, she didn’t want him too. She was turning over a new leaf here. No more turning tricks, no more casual hookups and one-night stands. She wondered how patient a man Dean was.
The ride home was about twenty minutes with traffic, and Natala was glad she hadn’t walked after all. Brian would have happily come and gotten her, or any of her cousins would have. She could have taken a cab but she was half scared to try and count out money. Numbers were the most difficult for her.
“Hang on,” he said, when he parked the coupe.
Natala groaned inwardly. Now he’d try to kiss her.
Instead, he hopped out and ran around to her side, opening the door for her, which made her laugh. He even gave her a hand getting out, and carried her bags to the front door.
“Say, could I see you again? Give you a call or something?” he asked.
Natala bit her lip and then nodded. “Sure.”
With a grin and wink, he hurried back to the coupe as she stepped inside. He waited until she was inside the door before he left.
Whether or not he’d really call, remained to be seen. He was a ladies man, she knew that much. And it would take him a minute to realize she hadn’t actually given him her number.
Brian sat reading, but glanced up as she came in. “I was getting worried. You all right?”
“Sure. I met a boy, and he brought me home.”
Brian’s gaze sharpened. “You did what?”
“It’s ok, Brian,” she laughed. “He was perfectly nice and honorable. He went to school with Aralyn and Tiff.”
“Name,” he asked suspiciously.
“Dean Acklen,” she answered, knowing he would be on the phone within minutes to dig up information.
“Name sounds familiar,” he said thoughtfully.
“Said he’s roommates with Aralyn’s old boyfriend, Cam?”
“Oh, ok. Now I know who he is. Tim’s’ best friend. Kid never shut up. Always running on at the mouth. Walking trivia guy. Nice kid though. I doctored him more than a few times when he and Tim got into some scrapes. Friendly fellow.”
Natala laughed as she sat down. “Yeah, that’s him. He’s nice.”
“He is, but that doesn’t mean you should be getting into cars with men you don’t know. Not everyone has a high opinion of our family.”
“I know,” she answered seriously. “But I knew he was safe.”
Brian refrained from a lecture. The girl had survived without his counsel this long. And he was grateful it was Dean that she had encountered. “I was about to start dinner, what would you like?”
***
Aralyn flipped open her phone. “Brian? Everything all right?”
“Yes, I was actually calling about an old classmate of yours.”
Cam, she thought, fear gripping her heart. For some odd reason, she suddenly felt very guilty the night of pure passion she had spent with Jax Teller in California. The others were all just flirtations and she forgot them quickly. What had happened to Cam?
“Kid named Dean Acklen, remember him? Friends with Tim and Cam?”
“Sure, why? Did something happen?” Relief washed over her. Cam was okay.
“Natala met him tonight, I wanted to be sure he wasn’t some creep,” Brian said, standing over the stove browning meat. “I just remember him being a chatterbox and following Tim everywhere. They were Leif and Logan before Leif and Logan.”
“No, he’s a good guy. He’s Cam’s best friend. He just never shuts up,” Aralyn giggled.
“So I don’t need to worry about him?”
“Nah, he wouldn’t hurt her. Besides, he knows he’d have to deal with me and Tim and even Cam if he did,” she laughed.
“Ok, good. Where are you two anyway?”
They chatted for a few more minutes, then said good bye. Aralyn relayed the message to her cousin Tiffany who laughed.
“About time she meets someone of interest. Even if it is Dean,” she laughed.
“Dean’s a good guy,” Aralyn protested.
“Yeah, he didn’t follow you allover the school asking you out for four years.”
“You had a good time prom night.”
“He can dance well,” Tiffany admitted, “but kissing him was like…kissing my brother.”
Aralyn laughed. “Well, your sibling might just be her sweetheart. She could certainly do a lot worse, and God knows, she deserves a decent guy. She could do a lot worse, you know.”
“Like Many Hands Mark? I swear that guy had extra appendages!”
Aralyn giggled. “Or Fish Lips McCourt? Ugh. She could definitely do worse.”
Tiffany shrugged with a smile. “Maybe she can get him to him shut up sometime.”
***
Natala stretched her muscles and sat comfortably on her bed. Her tarot cards were spread around her and she closed her eyes, touching the picture of Aralyn in the middle of the cards.
Tiffany was deeply worried about her cousin. In her last conversation with Natala, she had told her how Aralyn seemed to find guys everywhere. Tiffany was sure Aralyn wasn’t having sex with all of them, but she was acting very provocatively with them, and very unlike Aralyn.
Aralyn’s features came into view for Natala and Natala regulated her breathing. Aralyn looked happy, she felt. There were bursting colors around her, a lot of green and yellow. Anxiety. Small flashes of fear when Aralyn looked out to the distance, where a school sign loomed, coming closer. That made sense. Aralyn was terrified of losing her freedom and being trapped by school upon her return. She just wanted to have fun while she could. To Aralyn, school was the enemy, her prison. Tiffany’s worries were unfounded, Natala thought. Aralyn was just trying to live it up while she could.
Natala was about to release the vision when something dark and sinister suddenly reared up behind Aralyn, almost overtaking her. In the vision, Aralyn screamed.
Natala’s eyes flew open and she was gasping. She picked up the picture of Aralyn and stared at it. Aralyn was in danger, and whatever Natala had foreseen at Christmas, was imminent. She had to convince Aralyn to come home, sooner rather than later.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
Author’s Notes
- A huge yee-haa to the fabulous and lovely Ronda, for editing this and her suggestions which made it much better!
-Dean meeting Natala was in the cards for a very long time. Hints were dropped along the way that he would end up with someone in the family, did you catch them? Dean is too much fun of a character to leave forgotten, so he’s back in the fold.
- Word Count, 4,140
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