She stands up and I follow suit, and we leave the coffee shop. I smile when I see a large bookstore looming up on my left.
“Now that’s my kind of store,” I say, nodding to it.
“Yes, your father mentioned that you love to read. Want to take a look inside?”
I nod eagerly and we step inside. I move to the YA section and happily lose myself in the shelves full of familiar characters and worlds.
“How about this one? I’ve heard it’s very good,” Raven says.
I look at the book she’s holding and I have to admit I’m impressed by her taste. It’s Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman, a book I’ve actually been wanting for a while.
“Oh, I love him,” I say, taking the book and scanning the back of it. I nod my head. “Yes, I’ll get this one. Now let’s get out of here quickly before I find half a dozen more.”
Raven laughs and we head to the checkout area. I gasp when I see a poster on the wall advertising an upcoming talk from one of my dad’s favorite authors.
“What’s wrong?” Raven asks.
“Nothing,” I say. “Just my dad loves his books. I’ll have to remember to tell him he’s speaking here.”
“Oh no, don’t do that,” Raven says.
I frown at her and she smiles sheepishly.
“Can you keep a secret?” she asks, and I nod. “I have tickets for the event for a surprise for your dad. I ordered him his latest book as well. I was starting to get worried it wouldn’t come in time, but I called the company the other day to track it down. The day you got sick actually. And they promised me it’ll be here before it’s too late to get it signed.”
I feel suddenly ashamed of myself. That’s who Raven was talking to when she was saying she had to get it before it was too late. It wasn’t anything sinister. It was a surprise for my dad. God I’m such a bitch.
“Sailor? Are you alright? Look, if you really want to come with your dad, you can have my ticket,” Raven says.
“Oh no, it’s not that.” I smile. “It’s a lovely idea and he’ll be really pleased to come here with you. I was just thinking about… about how I felt that day.”
“Oh I’m sorry, Sailor, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Raven says.
I shake my head quickly. It was just an excuse for my sudden silence and I don’t want to make her feel bad. Not now when she just told me something nice she’s done for my dad.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say.
We reach the front of the line and get called forward, ending the awkward conversation. I hand the book over and dig into my purse, but before I can stop her or protest, Raven hands over a twenty-dollar bill and pays for my book.
“Thank you,” I say, meaning it.
“You’re welcome.” She smiles. “As long as you don’t think I’m trying to buy your affections.”
“Oh, I don’t care when you’re paying with books.” I laugh.
Raven smiles at me, and for a moment, I let myself pretend I’m just a normal teenager getting to know my dad’s normal girlfriend a little better. If only that was the case.
“Have you ever wanted children, Raven?” I ask as we head back out of the store.
My question comes kind of out of the blue to both of us. I really wasn’t planning on asking her that, it just came out.
“I’ve never really thought about it to be honest. Before your dad, I’d never met anyone who I could see myself being with long term,” she replies. “What about you? Do you want children one day?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I smile. “So you’ve never been married before or anything?”
“No,” Raven replies. “I never wanted to settle for anything less than the sort of love you see in the movies.”
“And that’s what you and my dad have?” I ask.
“Yes,” Raven says simply. “Have you ever seen someone from afar, watched them, the way they move, the way they hold themselves, the way they laugh, and just knew you had to talk to them? Knew you had to be with them?”
I shake my head.
No. I’m not a damn stalker. Or am I?
Because I seem to remember feeling the same way about Rye when I first met him. Like my eyes were just drawn to him and I knew I had to get to know him.
“I have,” Raven says. “And I’m so glad I bit the bullet and talked to your dad.”
I know by the dreamy smile on Raven’s face that she thinks she’s telling me a cute little story, but I can’t help but think there’s something sinister in it. She doesn’t make it sound like their eyes met across a crowded room. She makes it sound like she’d been watching him for months and then just decided to plonk herself into his life.
My mind is spinning. Part of me thinks I’m being irrational and ridiculous, but my instincts are telling me there’s something off with Raven, and the team all keeps telling me that as the Paradox, I have to learn to trust my instincts.
I force myself to smile back at her.
“It sounds like getting close to my dad was pretty high on your priority list,” I say.
“Well that’s not quite how I’d word it, but yeah, I’ve never been as happy as I am right now, and that’s mostly down to being with your dad,” Raven says.
“Mostly?” I probe.
Is the rest because she’s getting closer to the Soul Gems?
“Well yeah.” She grins. “It’s not the fifties anymore. There’s a little more to life than dating, right?”
“Right,” I say with a smile.
Raven glances at her watch.
“Your dad is going to be home from work soon. Should we go meet him and have dinner together at the diner?” she says.
“Actually, if you
