Chapter 147
After their time was up in Germany, Levi spent the first flight working tirelessly to translate Friedrich for Nadja wanting to send her the latest collection he wanted to give her as soon as possible. Anatoli made a point not to laugh. Levi was so focused on the task and Anatoli thought it was just a little cute that Levi was spending so much time translating a book for a girl that he insisted was just a friend. When they arrived in England, their plane was delayed for a minimum of 24 hours. Since they had a lot of time to kill, they left the airport and found a pub where they could have some food and, for the last time before they returned to the US and Levi was underage again, shared a beer together. They went to a bookstore that Levi asked they go into and he located and asked to buy the last two books of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, eager to finish and know how it ends. Then he found The Hobbit by the same author and got that too. As they were leaving the bookstore and taking in more of London before they had to go back to the airport, they passed by a theatre house and Levi noticed immediately there was a poster stating it was showing Taming of the Shrew staring Thomas Brighton as Petruchio and Nadja Rimsa as Katherine. He was so tempted to ask if they could go in, but he was too embarrassed to actually ask. However, Anatoli noticed it as well and saw that, according to the poster, there was currently a showing that started 20 minutes ago.
"Did you want to see if we could catch a little of it?" Anatoli asked.
"No," Levi said. "If I pop in unannounced, it's creepy."
"We just happen to be in the area. Nothing creepy about it," Anatoli encouraged.
Levi didn't answer so Anatoli went across the street to the theatre, bought 2 tickets for them and came back to get Levi. Speechless and unsure what else to do, Levi followed Anatoli across the street into the theatre. All the good seats were taken so they stayed towards the back. When they came into the theatre, Nadja was on stage screaming at a young boy that was, presumably, playing Baptista. It wasn't the exact beginning but Levi couldn't believe their luck at coming in right at Katherine's first scene on stage. She even threw things and broke parts of the set in fits of rage. Her scenes with the young actor playing Petruchio were especially fun to watch. She'd definitely taken notes from Elizabeth Taylor's performance, but it was Nadja all the same. The whole audience got a good laugh when the actor, Thomas, said unintentionally, 'Ow!" when Nadja hit him with a plank of wood while he was trying to express how she was sweet as spring time flowers.
Levi was glad they had come in and seen the show. Nadja had delivered a fun performance and Levi even laughed through several parts. He couldn't remember liking Taming of the Shrew this much when reading it in school or even when seeing the movie. Nadja had actually made it genuinely funny and her costar was able to do the same. But then the end of the show came and Levi asked if they could go. Anatoli, however, reasoned it would be rude not to congratulate Nadja on a wonderful performance since they were there and they stayed waiting for an opportunity to meet with the actors. The cast was of widely varying ages. The boy playing Baptista was only 10 and the other actors were between 9-14 years of age. Nadja definitely looked closer to 13 or 14 by now. She'd changed enough that Levi noticed. By the time they saw her, she was no longer in her costume but in her normal clothes with her makeup and hair still done up. Levi stopped himself from saying out loud that she looked really pretty. Eventually she glanced his way and when she saw him, she looked confused.
"Levi?" she said. When she'd noticed him, Levi started blushing profusely.
"And Anatoli," Anatoli took over while Levi stayed quiet, too embarrassed to say anything.
"Did you fly all this way just to see me perform?" she teased as she approached with a light smile. Her voice had changed just a little Levi noticed, but her accent still sounded sophisticated.
"I surprised Levi with a trip to Germany," Anatoli explained. "Our flight has been delayed so we decided to take a quick tour of London. We happened upon the theatre and decided to take advantage and see the show. You were great. Right Levi?"
Levi's blush deepened but finally he nodded, "Yeah, you did great. You were really funny."
"Do you mean it?" Nadja asked with a genuine smile. "I'm so glad to hear that. I do hope Tom won't be too much of a spoil sport and not let me hit him with the props. He claimed if this keeps up, he'd sport a black eye for the rest of the shows."
"I enjoyed it," Levi affirmed. Nadja glanced at the bag in his hand and smiled.
"What did you get from the shop?" Nadja asked. Levi was briefly confused then looked down at his bag.
"Oh," he started and then said, "I bought the final books of the Lord of the Rings series. I haven't finished Fellowship yet but I will soon. I also bought The Hobbit."
"I loved that too," Nadja smiled. "I'm happy to see I've gotten you so interested in reading."
"I figure I could use an imagination," Levi managed to joke a little.
"Oh, stop, I did not mean that to be rude," Nadja smiled.
"Anatoli?" Mykolas said once they'd approached. Anatoli turned his attention entirely to Mykolas and Maritza. Since Anatoli and her parents were engrossed in their own conversation, Nadja looped her arm through Levi's and guided him with her outside. He was so surprised that he just followed without a word.
"So if I'm to understand Washington's average forecast, London must seem business as usual?" Nadja said.
"More or less; the city looks completely different, though. We don't have cobblestone roads," Levi answered.
"How was Germany?"
"Amazing," Levi smiled. "I've always wanted to go, but my mom never wants to set foot in Germany ever again. So Anatoli took me instead. It was a really big surprise."
"Where in Germany did you go?"
"First to Munich. That's where my mom was raised. She was born in France but she was raised in Germany. We even got to go to Berlin for a few days. West Berlin I mean."
"Well of course," Nadja said.
"We even visited Dachau," Levi said.
"For heaven's sake, why?" Nadja asked. "I can't imagine wanting to set foot in such a vile place."
"I felt like I needed to; like I owed it to mom to at least try to see what she saw," Levi said.
"I can assure you with utmost confidence your mother wouldn't ever want you seeing Dachau through her eyes," Nadja said, practically scolding him. "Is there even anything left of Dachau?"
"Just its skeleton," Levi answered.
"Good riddance then," Nadja said. "Your mother and grandparents are very fortunate they were able to survive and come back together. I hear of too many stories of people that are not so fortunate."
"I know," Levi said. "Believe me, I know."
"So outside willingly going into a Death Camp, what else did you do in Germany?"
"Just took in the cities, went to museums, I got to go to Beer Halls with Anatoli and have a drink, we saw the Berlin Wall; usual touristy stuff. I actually bought some books I wanted to send you as Bat Mitzvah presents, but one of them I'm translating for you and it's not done yet."
"That's very sweet of you. I can't wait to receive them," Nadja smiled. "How long are you in London? I may give you another book to read while you're here. It's a thriller."
"What's it called?"
"The Collector by John Fowles. Now….I won't spoil anything, but this book made me angry. Very, very angry."
"And you're recommending it to me?" Levi asked, chuckling just a little.
"I want someone to share my irritation with," Nadja said. "My parents do not care for reading and my teacher read the first eight pages and refused to continue, so I have no one to talk to about it."
"That bad, eh?"
"That's just it: it's written very well. The author takes you into the mind of Fredrick Clegg and Miranda, but being in Clegg's mind is the most infuriating, horrible experience I've ever sat through while reading."
"Why did you finish it?"
"Because I wanted to know what happens," Nadja said. "Now I know and frankly, I'm no less angry at the book."
"Well, I'm in for a very long flight, so if I find it at the bookstore at the airport, I'll get it and make sure to read it."
"Oh, no, I will let you have my copy," Nadja said. "Wait here." Then Nadja ran inside leaving Levi outside. Moments later, she reemerged with a set of keys in her hand. "Our flat is just a few blocks from here. Mama, papa and your brother will meet us there."
Nadja took his hand and tugged until Levi was following after her while they walked the streets together until they came upon a collection of apartment buildings a few blocks away. She went to a door on the bottom floor of the apartments and opened it to grant access to a tiny apartment. It was a tiny 2 bedroom apartment that felt a little like a shoe box, but it was definitely cozy. There was a kitchen but it looked virtually untouched while the living room had a tiny TV, a radio, a record player and a shelf filled with records, a Bible and a Torah. There wasn't even a couch which Levi thought a little odd.
"My room's this way," she said and took a right down a tiny hallway then a left into an opened door.
Levi followed hesitantly but remained outside of her room looking in. She had a small bed in one corner, her desk on the other side of it and there was copious shelving in that section filled with books. She was at her desk standing on the chair reaching for the book in question pulling it from the top shelf. Once she had it, she looked Levi's way and smiled.
"You don't have to stand out there," Nadja teased.
"Sorry," Levi said and then came into her room. She stepped down carefully from the chair and approached with The Collector and offered it to her.
"Here you go; The Collector. Possible one of the most infuriating books I've ever read. Except maybe Pamela. I hated reading that."
"Is it by the same author?" Levi asked while searching for the book description.
"Oh, no, Pamela is a novel written back in….oh God. I think 18th century England? I would have to check again. Regardless, I hated it. The book had no structure and Pamela is not a likeable character whatsoever. I won't make you read that. I only suggest this because this book made me angry." Once he'd found it, Levi took a moment to read the synopsis on the back telling of a Butterfly collector that becomes infatuated with a young woman named Miranda who he then keeps prisoner.
"It's about a kidnapping?" Levi asked and opened to the first pages already starting to read.
"Yes, a lonely man – though that hardly excuses his behavior – kidnaps a young woman named Miranda and keeps her locked in a bunker."
"Does she fall in love with him or something?"
"Dear God, no," Nadja said. "He just keeps being more and more vile, blames her for his poor treatment of her and…well, I won't spoil it." She stood quietly while Levi started reading. He got to the eight page mark and had a feeling he knew why Nadja's tutor stopped reading.
"So anyone that's rich or high class is 'la-di-da', she has a horrible home life but he has no way to know that except a newspaper article of some nature, he never knew his mom but was told she made his father drink and was a whore so he hates her, he hates his coworkers and is different from most men," Levi said. "Sounds like a stand-up guy to me," he said sarcastically.
"Oh, he gets much, MUCH worse," Nadja said. "I swear, I don't think I'll ever be able to stand the phrase 'la-di-da' without wanting to slap someone."
"Oh boy," Levi said and was about to fold the page to hold his spot.
"Excuse me, but what are you doing?" she stopped him mid-fold.
"Saving my place," Levi said.
"Not like that you're not," she said and went back to her desk, opened a drawer, rummaged around for a bit and then pulled out a long piece of cardboard from a cereal box and handed it to him. "You save your place with a book marker like this. Never fold a page like that."
"Okay," Levi answered nervously and accepted the bookmark placing it in the spot he needed.
"That's better," Nadja smiled. "Now, I'm afraid we don't keep food in the house, but we do have tea I can brew if you want it."
"No, I'm fine," Levi said with a gentle shake of his head. "This seems like a fast read, so I'll hopefully finish by the time I get home. I'll write you and tell you my thoughts?"
"I look forward to it. Return to The Lord of the Rings trilogy as a palate cleanser," she said as a joke. Then they heard the front door to the apartment open so they went out to Mykolas, Maritza and Anatoli entering.
"Assuming we are not delayed again, we had better return to the airport," Anatoli said to Levi.
"Okay," Levi said and then looked at Nadja. "It was good seeing you again. Thank you for the book."
"It was good seeing you too," Nadja smiled and waved goodbye to him. Levi waved back and stopped once the door closed and he and Anatoli were walking away.
"So you two ran off together?" Anatoli teased.
"She wanted to lend me her copy of this book," Levi insisted. "She's really eager for me to read this one. I guess she found it frustrating and she wants someone to talk about it with. Apparently her tutor refused to keep reading past a certain point."
"If the book is that bad, why does she want you to read it?" Anatoli asked.
"Like I said: she wants someone to talk to about it," Levi said. "I will agree, though, eight pages in and the main character is not likable at all." Once they were able, Anatoli hailed a cab and asked they be taken to the airport. Then he took the book and ready the eight pages Levi mentioned and, once he was done, rose a brow.
"Huh," Anatoli said, "yeah, he seems like an asshole."
"She tells me he gets much worse."
"If what I read so far is an indicator, I would assume so," Anatoli said. "What is this book about?"
"This guy falls in love with a girl named Miranda, kidnaps her and then holds her in his basement as a prisoner," Levi answered.
"Ah, true love," Anatoli joked.
Once they made it to the airport, they had several hours left before their plane was set to leave, so Anatoli got some sleep across a line of chairs while Levi stayed up and continued reading. The book was structured very oddly to what he was used to. There were no chapters, only a part 1, 2, 3 and 4. The first part was entirely from the perspective of Fredrick Clegg, the lonely butterfly collector and, as Levi read, he didn't wonder for a moment why the man was 'lonely'. Anatoli's word 'asshole' was quite appropriate. Then after he'd kidnapped Miranda, the man had an uncanny ability to make everything he did either her fault or an acceptable means to an end. Later in part one, she tries again (there were a few attempts the collector documented) to escape and he puts her out with chloroform and puts her downstairs then writes her a letter 'apologizing' but making a point to say she did this to herself for acting the way she did and she had no right to be angry seeing as he did what he felt he needed to. Long beforehand, Levi learned quickly why Nadja had hated the character so much, but that scene really put the icing on the cake.
At least that's what Levi thought until it got to the end of part 1 in which Miranda had, having what Levi assumed was accepting her fate, tried to initiate sex with Fredrick only for him to not be able to get it up, then call her a whore and that she was ruined now and then refuse to call a doctor when she was sick. It ended with a cliff hanger saying that 'he had no way of knowing' what would happen. Levi almost tossed the book aside just for that. He suspected his reaction wasn't as strong as Nadja's but he could imagine Nadja tossing the book on the floor and kicking it for its offensiveness. The thought actually made him laugh a little. By the time they finally boarded the plane, he was well into part 2 which was from Miranda's perspective. The first two pages of that Part 2 had been a part that made him really angry. Miranda wrote in the journal entry, "Thinking I was going to be pulled into some thicket and raped and murdered. I was sure that was it when the van stopped, I think that was why I was sick. Not just the beastly chloroform. (I kept on remembering Penny Lester's grisly dormitory stories about how her mother survived being raped by the Japanese, I kept on saying, don't resist, don't resist. And then someone else at Ladymont once said that it takes two men to rape you. Women who let themselves be raped by one man want to be raped.)" (The Collector, 124) That was the part of the book that actually got a genuine rise out of Levi. He thought of his mother and what she'd been put through. She'd wanted none of it regardless of who or how many and to claim otherwise was to belittle her and any that had suffered the atrocity and violation. If there had ever been a moment in which Levi himself wanted to toss the book on the floor and kick it, it was then.
The remainder of Part 2 of the book just made him depressed. It was written in diary entries and told of a girl that started out desperate to escape but who's will just dwindled little by little from the treatment fantasizing about a man she only refers to as G.P. and how she thinks she loves him and thinking about him all the time while also trying to make sense of her situation and relaying the events of Part 1 from her perspective all the while, no matter what, having the great desire to live. The end of part one stopped recording the date and Miranda becomes enraged and transcribes her rage at Clegg demanding she allow him to take naked pictures of her and also becoming sicker and sicker and she ends Part 2 by begging God not to let her die.
Parts 3 was Miranda continuing to insist and display she is extremely sick and Clegg insisting she's doing better and 'forgiving her' for everything. He then continues to refuse to get a doctor and finding reasons to put it off or not to do it. Then when she finally died, Clegg claimed to forgive her fully for all her transgressions – yet another moment in which Levi could actually picture Nadja becoming enraged especially since he was extremely mad at Clegg for the statement too. And Part 4 was, unable to word it any other way, the last straw. Clegg had gone from contemplating killing himself for his loss in Part 3 to waking up feeling much better deciding that there was nothing that could have been done for Miranda. He didn't murder her, she died and there was nothing doctor could have done. He then decides he will bury and hide Miranda's body and then the book proceeds to allude to Clegg becoming a serial abductor when he discovers a new young woman named Marian that happens to look very similar to Miranda. So not only did this man do horrible things to an innocent girl, he got away with it and was showing signs that he was very likely going to do it again. Levi imagined that was the par that had truly made Nadja angry. Levi had finished the book before they finally landed in Washington and was already prepared to write his response to Nadja. When they got off the plane after landing in Washington, the first thing Levi did was plop the book onto the floor and kick it.
"What was that for?" Anatoli asked, surprised by the sudden outburst.
"I just thought Nadja would appreciate the gesture," Levi answered and went to pick up the book again while Anatoli just stared at him confused.
And so the rest of the year progressed. Levi wrote his reply to Nadja giving his thoughts on The Collector making sure to let her know he kicked the book. When she'd replied to him, her answer was to tell Levi "You're my hero" though in a teasing fashion he was sure. He sent the German books he'd gotten for Nadja once he'd finally finished translating Friedrich just in time for Nadja's Bat Mitzvah in November all the while managing to finish The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He made sure to tell Nadja about it hoping to impress her though he wasn't really sure why he wanted to. He didn't even care anymore about Caleb and Sergei's teasing. It had lessoned anyway and he was just enjoying sending letters to Nadja.
In the summer, Heather also bought her very first car. Kevin went with her recommending she buy herself a used car to save a little money but helped make sure she got a really good deal. She bought herself a white used Ford Galaxie putting down a good chunk of money she'd saved up for it and was able to keep her remaining monthly payments rather low, but that meant she needed to get a job. Once she drove off the lot with her new car, that was her next half of the day. She went to the local mall and got an application from every store she could and brought them home to fill them out. She had them all turned in two days later. By that Friday, she'd received calls back from three of the several locations she'd applied to and was able to get interviews.
Ultimately, she got a job with a little donut shop at the mall. It was certainly a quick lesson in learning how to help customers and how to deal with upset customers. Her boss had been really nice about it, but on just her third day of work, Heather got an earful from a mother that got mad at her because she'd caught the woman's son nabbing a donut hole and was telling him to either put it back or the woman would have to pay for it. The woman had evidently been so offended with Heather's 'rudeness' that the only way to calm her down was to give her a few free donut holes. Heather had been about ready to cry thinking she was in trouble when her boss took her to the back a moment, but he was very reassuring.
"Don't worry yourself too much, Heather," her boss said. "A sad reality of customer service are people that just can't be pleased or are looking for a reason to not be pleased. Regardless of what that woman said, you did just fine."
"Thank you, sir," Heather said and returned to the front once she had permission.
The new job certainly offered her plenty of stories whenever Anatoli and Ivory came over with Argo. She and Ivory would exchange stories of their experiences from a customer that got mad at Heather because they'd run out of strawberry jelly filled donuts to a customer that kept Ivory on the phone upwards of thirty minutes wanting someone on the phone with her while the drivers picked up a desk she was returning because her husband wasn't home. The new job made seeing her friends outside of school a little harder, but she still made a point to spend time with Evalynn on days both of them were able to step away from studying or work. Heather did take Evalynn's advise about the 'massager' and while she felt the same sense of frustration, it did help just a little bit.
Salem and Arturo were able to get their shop up and running with the majority of their initial customers being members of the armed forces which was fine with them. Although towards the end of their first few months they did start getting customers that weren't in the military, though a lot of those were tiny tattoos. They weren't sure when they would be able to bring on another artist, but for the time being, they were doing alright with Arturo as the artist in resident and Salem took care of the more technical parts of business like handling the books, customer service, etc. In the meantime, they'd started their first tester batch of Rum with the recipe Esparenza had. They would need to let it age for a while, but they decided if it turned out good, they would go from there. Salem also found himself his own place in Port Angeles where their shop was located. It was nothing huge: just a one bedroom apartment to himself. It was very quiet save for sounds made by his neighbors. Salem kept to himself more or less save for talking to the man across the hall from him. He was a WW1 veteran whose wife had died about five years prior. The two of them would sit outside on one of their little balconies drinking beer and talking pleasantly.
As the year progressed, Heather started to not feel like herself. She would do her best at school and especially at work to keep herself calm and composed, but the slightest thing would make her upset. By the time she would get home after forcing herself not to get angry at someone or not to tell off a customer that was being difficult, she would be so tired she would snap at just about anyone over just about anything, though Levi tended to get the brunt of it. By December, she was finding it easier to just talk to everyone as little as possible. Such was impossible at work, but she made a point to keep conversation to a minimum if she could. It was towards the end of her work day on a Friday. It was just a few days before Christmas and they were getting slews of customers that would come in to take a break from their grocery shopping. She came out of the kitchen with another tray of éclairs that she placed in the little window when a familiar voice demanded her attention.
"Anything in particular you would recommend?" Embry asked, making Heather raise her head suddenly to see him entering the store. She felt a mess. Her hair was in a ponytail, she didn't have on any make up, she still felt gross from the exercise the gym teacher had put her class through, but none of it really mattered as she smiled sweetly at Embry.
"We currently have a special éclair on the menu filled with an eggnog cream and cinnamon chocolate," Heather answered as though she were speaking to any customer.
"I'll get that then," Embry said and Heather grabbed the donut for him. She quickly pulled on the chain of the dog tags Embry had given her wanting to make sure he saw them before she returned to the register with the donut. He noticed and she knew he noticed, but he didn't say anything. She smiled at him sweetly.
"Would you like coffee with that?" Heather asked.
"Yes, that would be great," Embry nodded. Heather poured him a cup of coffee leaving it black the way she remembered he liked his coffee and rang him up. "That'll be $2.75." Embry pulled a five dollar bill out of his wallet and put it on the table. Heather took it getting ready to ring it up for him.
"The change is for you," Embry smiled, took his donut and coffee and walked out. Heather smiled to herself with a little blush while finishing ringing up the order before putting the change in her little tip jar.
Embry had arrived in Washington an hour before and had taken a shower before going to the mall to check on Heather, having heard about her getting her first job. When he saw her, she looked so different. In the months since he'd last seen her, she'd turned more into a woman. She'd not grown much taller, but her hair was longer, her face had matured and no longer had any remnants of the baby face she'd once had and she was beautiful. When he saw her wearing his dog tags, it gave him a romantic feeling that he still would not allow himself to have towards her regardless of her clear desire that he would. After checking on Heather, Embry went to Kevin's office to visit him. It was the end of his business day, she went he came in, Kevin was already getting ready to leave.
"Embry? When did you get in?" he asked Embry after stepping out of his office.
"About two hours ago," Embry said. "How about we go out drinking for a bit?"
"Let me call Amber and let her know," Kevin said, going back into his office to call the house and let Amber know. After letting Amber know he and Embry were going out, the two of them went to a bar nearby and were able to get a table in a corner.
"So I went to the mall to check on Heather," Embry said once they were seated and had ordered their drinks.
"Did you?"
"Yeah. I got a donut and some coffee; she looks like she's doing alright," Embry said.
"That may be because it was you," Kevin sighed. "She's been moody to put it bluntly. I think she'll shift soon. She's just lucky she doesn't snap at work otherwise the poor girl would have been fired months ago."
"She's definitely aged even more since the summer," Embry said. "I remember when we shifted. We'd forced it as I remember."
"Yeah, dad had written me saying we needed to be cautious and frankly forcing it in the privacy of the woods seemed a better idea than shifting on accident in the trenches."
"Yeah," Embry nodded. "I still can't believe she's 16 sometimes."
"She'll be 17 in April," Kevin replied with the same disbelief. "I still remember when she was barely able to walk through the snow but wanted to make a snowman."
"Me too," Embry smiled looking fondly on the memory. "I remember when she used to cuddle up to me when Amber threatened to make her eat peas as if I would protect her."
"She knew if anyone would bend to her will, it was you. Or me," Kevin chuckled.
"Yes, I believe on more than one occasion Amber accused you of being spineless," Embry said.
"I don't know why she was surprised; it's the same for her," Kevin said with a small laugh. "So how long can you stay?"
"I'll be here well into January," Embry said. "We got the framework and foundation down on the house and we've got it covered under a giant tarp. When I left, we had just finished adding the staircase and the upstairs support flooring. Next will be the drywall and brick both inside and outside, and the hardwood floors and tiles in the stone in the bathrooms. Alphonse has…expensive taste let's say."
"Yes. Yes he does," Kevin said. "He's really excited for it to be done. He's already planning his house warming party. You'd be invited so he can brag about you."
"Fine by me," Embry said. "He's already ordered the furniture. I'd tried to convince him to hold off, but all the furniture he's ordering is custom built straight out of Austria, so I guess he should start that now."
"Yeah," Kevin nodded, "he told me. He's trying to recreate the furniture his family had to the best of his ability."
"It's going to be a very, very old fashioned house. I think the only thing that will be modern will be the kitchen appliances and bathrooms. I think if he could find wait staff that could handle such an old fashioned kitchen he'd demand the kitchen look as he remembered."
"He'll never be in there so it seems silly to want such a thing," Kevin teased. "Did you get to see Heather's car?"
"Not yet, no," Embry answered. "it's a white Ford Galaxie you said?"
"Yeah. She's very proud of that car," Kevin said. "She can't drive stick worth shit otherwise she would have wanted to get a Volkswagen Beetle, but I may have not so subtly called it a 'Nazi car'. The sales rep didn't respond well to that."
"To be fair to Volkswagen, they're in Germany, they run a business, what else would they do except continue making cars that Hitler would incidentally drive in?"
"Either way, my comment dissuaded Heather from considering that car. I think the rep was more upset about that Beetle being more expensive than the Ford rather than my snide comment."
"Most likely," Embry chuckled.
"She's started paying for her own insurance too," Kevin smiled proudly. "She's had one accident, but it wasn't a huge one. She accidently hit someone's car at a stop light. Thankfully, the damage to the car was largely cosmetic so it didn't take much to fix it but her insurance rate did go up."
"She'll just need to be careful," Embry said.
"She has been, trust me," Kevin chuckled. "You know what she did? We were taking her car going to the Synagogue and she was going slow so I told her to speed up a little and she tells me, 'Daddy, when you pay for my insurance, you can tell me how to drive. In the meantime, I pay my insurance; I decide how I drive.'"
Embry laughed out loud, "She's not wrong."
"Amber was laughing so hard she was crying," Kevin laughed and then looked at little sad. "I miss when she was little. She never back talked me when she was little."
"Of course not; she can't very well ask daddy for things if she's misbehaving now can she? Now? She makes her own money; she can buy herself things on her own."
"If that's her attitude, she can pay her way through college too," Kevin joked with a small smile. "Christ, she's going to go to college in two years."
"Does she know what she's going to study?"
"No clue," Kevin said. "I asked and she just told me 'Not a malpractice attorney.' I think she thinks I'm disappointed she isn't as studious as Evalynn. Don't get me wrong; I'm proud of Evalynn, but the poor thing never has a moment's peace it seems. She's always studying and when she's not doing that, she's either at school or at the hospital as an intern. If she and Heather didn't spend time together periodically, I'd think the girl was completely solitary."
"I think she is most of the time," Embry said. "And how many years of school is she looking at?
"11 at minimum," Kevin said.
"Jesus," Embry groaned a little. "Is she sure she doesn't want to be just a doctor or just a lawyer?"
"Nope, she wants to be a malpractice attorney and that requires a medical background of some nature."
"I just don't want her to waste her youth studying and barely enjoying life. Everything worked out in the end for Kyle, but if he'd never met Evalina he'd still be this workaholic. Hell, I think he still is but at least he has a family to keep him grounded."
"I guess when Evalina starts trying to set her up with eligible bachelors in the tribe, we'll know there's a problem," Kevin joked. "Thankfully for Evalynn, her mother doesn't strike me as the type that would push something like that. It's far more likely mom would start getting on her case."
"Great grandchildren don't make themselves," Embry shrugged in good humor. "JJ's the only one that's given her great grandkids and with him and Eun Mi apparently not having any more kids, she needs to look expectantly towards the other kids."
"She can hound Natalie's and Nathan's kids; they're the ones old enough to have kids," Kevin smiled.
"Anatoli and Ivory aren't having kids right?"
"As far as I know, they either aren't having any for a long time or not at all," Kevin said. "Ivory's not really eager for kids and Anatoli's fine with it just being them and their dog son."
Embry laughed, "Ah yes."
"He gives Anatoli enough grief to be his son," Kevin said and then laughed a little. "So the other day, Anatoli and Ivory are at our house for dinner with Argo and he says to me, 'So let me tell you what that idiot dog did,' and then tells me that Argo has one job: bark at things and make them go away. But according to Anatoli, the raccoons seemed to have figured out they can bribe Argo. Anatoli said he got home to raccoons in the garbage and Argo enjoying a bone that he'd not given him."
"He thinks the raccoons bribed the dog?" Embry asked with a chuckle.
"That's what Anatoli's saying," Kevin said. "And the kids aren't going to get any hounding from me about starting a family. It'll happen when it happens – it's not like there's a rush."
"Exactly," Embry said and then there was a silence between them. Initially Embry was too scared to ask his question but eventually he asked, "Has Heather ever said anything about wanting kids?"
"If she has, it's been to Evalynn," Kevin said. "Amber and I are a little more interested in Heather graduating and going to college. Are you asking because you want kids?"
"Eventually," Embry shrugged. "I don't want 12 like my parents or anything, but I figure at least 1 kid would be nice."
"It can wait," Kevin said a little pointedly, though it had been unintentional. Embry didn't argue.
Following that, the two of them didn't talk about Heather and instead talking about their work. They left the bar after two drinks and returned to their own homes promising to see one another soon. When Embry returned home, he made himself something quick to eat and was contemplating whether he'd go on patrol that night or sleep when a knock came at his door. When he answered, it was Heather at the other side of the door.
"Heather? What are you doing here?"
"I just got off work and wanted to stop by and say hi," Heather smiled. Embry glanced outside and saw the unfamiliar car.
"So is that white Ford your car?" Embry asked.
"Yup," Heather smiled, glanced at the car briefly and then looked at Embry. "Are you hungry? I was going to stop somewhere to get something to snack on. Did you want to join me?"
"Sure," Embry finally said, "let me just get my jacket." Embry grabbed his heavy coat, put on his boots and locked up the house before following Heather to her car and getting into the passenger's seat while Heather got in the driver's seat. "How long have you had this car?"
"Just shy of six months," Heather said.
"It looks great," Embry praised. She'd kept the car clean but there was a lingering smell of cigarettes. "I assume the previous owner smoked?"
"Yeah, it would appear so. I've been trying to get rid of the smell since I got it and I've made some headway, but I don't know if I'll be able to get rid of the smell entirely."
"It'll be fine," Embry said. "How old is this car?"
"It's a 1966 Ford Galaxie. The previous owner didn't keep it very long."
"Ah, so it's a gently used car. Even better," Embry smiled. "How do you like having your own car and being able to come and go as you please?"
"I can't come and go as I please, but I am able to go places by myself which is nice," Heather said. "Like going to the gas station after my shift to get a candy bar."
"Whenever we wanted candy or something, your dad and I would walk the 20 miles from the tribe to Hailey's General Store. It took forever, so if we had to really want candy."
"Yes, Embry, life was very hard back then and my generation's ungrateful. Believe me, I've heard plenty claim us 'Baby Boomers' are ungrateful little brats that don't know how good we have it," Heather answered irritably. When she realized she'd snapped at him, she took a deep breath. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's fine," Embry said. "Kevin said you haven't been feeling like yourself lately."
"Do you just check with my dad before talking to me from now on or something?"
"No," Embry said, "I flew in and went to the donut store to visit you first." That seemed to cool Heather down and she smiled.
"Okay," Heather answered.
"I did go out for a drink with Kevin today, but you were first," Embry said.
"Good," Heather said. They arrived at the gas station then and Heather turned off the car. "I may as well fill up while we're here."
"Let me take care of it," Embry said.
"You don't have to."
"Really, it's okay. I'm happy to," Embry insisted. "Give me a minute and I'll get you the candy you wanted."
"Okay," Heather answered as she smiled. He noticed her cheeks redden and he stopped looking at her, realizing he was getting ahead of himself. He filled the tank for Heather and the two of them went inside with the receipt so Embry could pay for the gas and bought Heather her gummy candies and a sandwich for himself. Once they had everything, Heather drove back to Embry's house to drop him off. "Would it be okay if I stay here for a bit?"
"Are you sure your parents will be alright with it?" Embry asked.
"It'll be fine," Heather said, perhaps harsher than intended, but she was looking at him pleadingly. Embry needed to tell her no. He needed to tread very lightly at the moment – with her impending shift leaving her irritable, he needed to do as much as possible to keep everything under control.
"It's already late, Heather. I don't want you getting in trouble."
"Just call and tell them I'm at your house. No big deal," Heather pushed. She didn't give him a chance to refuse before she left the car and went to his front door waiting for him. Embry followed her and decided he was better off not arguing and let her into the house.
"Give me a second; I'll call Kevin," Embry said and went to his phone. Heather went to the living room and started eating her gummies, so Embry called the house.
"Black residence," Kevin answered.
"Hey, it's Embry," Embry said. "Listen, Heather popped over to my house after work. She and I went to the gas station for some things and she asked to stay for a while. I tried to tell her it's late and she should go home but she just told me to call you and left the car before I could argue."
"Tell her I expect her home in 15 minutes," Kevin said.
"I'll let her know," Embry said. "I'll talk to you later."
"Talk to you later," Kevin said and they ended their call. Embry went to the living room where Heather was sitting. He could already see she'd overheard the conversation to an extent and she wasn't happy.
"Kevin said he wants you home in 15 minutes," Embry said.
"I heard," Heather said as she stared at her candy. "If you didn't want me over, Embry, you should just say so."
"Heather, please don't say it like that," Embry said. "I'm just trying to look out for you."
"Fine," Heather said and put her candy on his coffee table. "You can have the rest. I'll pay you back for the gas."
"Heather, don't worry about it."
"No, it's the right thing to do," Heather said and pulled out her wallet from her purse. She pulled out $5 and tried to hand it over.
"Keep it; you don't need to pay me back. I offered to pay for your gas and the candy. You don't have to pay me back," Embry finished, having repeated himself in a slightly firmer voice hoping to get his point across. Heather took a deep breath and just put the five dollars on the table. "Heather-"
"Just take it, Embry," Heather said and went to the door. "Have a good night." Then Heather stepped out of the house slamming the door behind her. Embry stood there a little dumbfounded but eventually just sighed to himself and went upstairs. Heather drove herself home and walked into the house in a huff, slamming the door closed when she got into the house.
"Is there a reason you're slamming your mother's and father's door, young lady?" Levi Sr. asked when Heather stepped in. She'd not been expecting Levi and Anna to be over and was taken by surprise.
"I just had a rough day," Heather finally said.
"Do not take that out on the door," Levi Sr. replied. "Least of all when it's not yours." Heather didn't answer and instead bolted upstairs and closed, not slammed, her door so she could be alone. "You swear this will pass soon?" Levi sr. asked Kevin.
"Yes, it'll pass," Kevin said. "Once she's become a wolf, she'll feel like herself again. This isn't unusual for those of us that awaken to it."
"The sooner, the better," Levi Sr. said. "She should know better than to behave so disrespectfully."
"I'm afraid when we're going through this sort of thing, all our good manners go out the window for a while," Kevin said.
"You behave this way and I'll smack you upside the head, you hear me?" Levi Sr. said to Levi Jr.
"Yes, Opa," Levi Jr. answered respectfully.
"Same goes for the two of you," Levi Sr. said to the twins who'd been barely paying attention, playing with their toys. "I'll smack you both from my grave if I have to." Kevin and Amber smiled at Levi Sr. but didn't say anything.
"Try to be patient, Levi," Anna said and patted Levi's hand. "We don't really know what she's going through."
"Doesn't mean she can behave that way without consequence," Levi Sr. said. Just then, the phone rang and Kevin went to the kitchen to answer it.
"How's Heather?" was the first thing Embry asked when Kevin answered the phone.
"She came into the house slamming the door and Levi gave her a stern talking to for that," Kevin said. "What happened?"
"I let her know you wanted her home in 15 minutes and she said if I'd not wanted her over I just needed to say so. I tried to calm her down, but she slammed five dollars on my table for the gas and candy and left."
Kevin sighed a little, "Just take a deep breath, Embry. You didn't do anything wrong."
"Should I talk to her?" Embry asked.
"I wouldn't recommend it right now, but I can ask," Kevin said.
"No, it's fine. If you don't recommend it, I'll heed your advice. I'll give back the five dollars next I see her."
"Honestly, just keep that," Kevin said. "I don't suggest bringing tonight up again if you don't have to."
"Alright," Embry said. "Can you tell Heather I said I'm sorry?"
"Sure," Kevin said. After he finished talking to Embry, Kevin went upstairs and knocked on Heather's door. Once she said to come in, Kevin opened the door and stepped into Heather's room. She was on her bed reading looking like she was trying not to cry. "Heather, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Heather said.
"It's not nothing. If it were, you wouldn't be crying," Kevin said.
"I'm not crying," Heather insisted. Kevin sat down next to her on her bed.
"Embry called to check on you," Kevin said. "He said to tell you he's sorry."
"He could tell me himself," Heather said.
"I recommended he let you be for now," Kevin said. Heather looked up at him, upset, but didn't say anything. "Don't be mad at Embry for telling us where you are. I'm the one that told him I expect you home."
"After he said he'd tried to tell me to go home," Heather said.
"Because he knew I'd expect you home," Kevin said. "Just get some sleep, alright Heather? You'll feel better in the morning." Heather was quiet, so Kevin stood from her bed and went to the door.
"I just want him to stop avoiding me," Heather blurted and made Kevin look at her. "I'm tired of him actively trying to avoid me. And don't try telling me he's not trying to avoid me because I know he is. I'm not stupid."
"No one's saying you're stupid, Heather," Kevin said.
"Then stop treating me like I am," Heather said.
Kevin wasn't sure how to respond to that. So instead he just said, "Good night, Heather. Get some rest."
Heather finally did as Kevin suggested and got to bed. As much as she was loathe to admit it, she did feel much better in the morning. She also felt awful for how she acted the night before. She needed to be at work early for her shift, so she didn't have time to go to Embry's house before driving to the mall for work. When she had her fifteen minute break, she called his house but he wasn't answering. She took a deep breath reminding herself he was probably either at the office or back at the tribe and she needed to calm down. Regardless, she wanted to apologize to him, so she tried to call the office. She got an answer, but it wasn't from Embry.
"Call Construction and Remodeling," Peta answered the phone.
"Hey, Peta. It's Heather. Would Embry happen to be at the office?"
"He was for a bit but then he left. He's going to mom and dad's to visit. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, everything's fine," Heather said. "Is he staying at his parents or is he going to come back today?"
"I didn't ask. He'll probably come home later but I don't know when. Did you want him to give you a call?"
"No, it's alright. Thanks, Peta," Heather said and ended the call before Peta could speak further.
She hid it at work, but for the rest of the day she felt horrible. When it was approaching the end of her shift at 1, she was helping a woman check out while her husband was carrying about five shopping bags. While she was doing so, she saw Embry enter the store at the corner of her eye and her heart rate skyrocketed. Regardless, she kept her attention on the woman she was assisting. Once that woman had what she ordered, she walked away with their food and her husband at her side. Embry approached the counter and Heather looked up at his staying as professional as possible.
"What can I get for you, sir?" Heather said.
"A coffee and that eggnog éclair," Embry said. "When does your shift end?"
"I leave at 1. Why?"
"I just wanted to know," Embry said.
Heather rang up his order and retrieved his donut and coffee after Embry paid for it. Once he had his coffee and donut, Embry put the five dollars from last night in Heather's tip jar and walked out. Heather never looked at a bill with such disdain as she did that five dollar bill. All her irritability and frustration from the night before reemerged with a vengeance. She didn't react since her boss was there and she was still on shift, but she kept staring at that five dollar bill feeling enraged at it. When her shift was finally over, she took her tips and put them in her wallet, but the five dollar bill Embry put in there she kept out. She suspected he was still in the mall and looked around for him. She didn't have to search for long. He was sitting at one of the tables in the food court reading a newspaper while finishing his coffee. Once she spotted him, Heather bolted for his table. She didn't yell just in case her boss might be looking but she did slam the five dollar bill on the table, making Embry jump suddenly.
"I don't want your God damn five dollars," Heather said pointedly in an even tone before turning to walk away.
"God damn it," Embry said to himself and put the money in his pocket. If it was really a lost cause, he'd accept it, but he would not allow Heather to walk away like this. Embry followed after her and waited until they were out of the mall and at her car before finally stopping her. "Heather, stop."
"What, Embry?"
"Heather, don't act like this. I didn't come here to argue. Peta told me you called and sounded upset. I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to upset you and I just wanted to make things right. Let me take you to a movie or anything you want."
"Embry, I'm not interesting in being taken on a pity date," Heather said and started opening her car door.
"God damn it, Heather! Listen to me!" Embry snapped and forced the car door closed just as she was opening it. Heather was staring wide eyed at him and even looked a little scared. He took a deep breath taking his hand away from her car door. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just want to make up for yesterday. We can meander around the mall, we can go eat something, whatever you want so long as we can talk.
Heather stared at Embry a moment before finally saying, "Did you drive here?"
"No," Embry answered. He'd been running most everywhere since his truck was in New York.
"Get in the car," she said, opened her car door again and got into the driver's seat. Embry complied and went around the car to get into the passenger's seat.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere quiet," Heather answered and backed out of the parking space and began driving. They remained silent while on the road. Before long, Heather brought them to an area in the suburbs that was near a large lake. There was an open area of the beach filled with rocks. It was far too cold with snow on the ground, so no one was on the beach or in the water.
"Let's go for a walk?" Embry suggested once the car was off. Heather hesitated but eventually turned off her car and stepped out with Embry following after her. She walked closer to the shoreline of the lake and Embry came up beside her.
"I'm sorry for how I acted last night," Heather started, "and back at the mall. But I'm not stupid: I know you're avoiding me."
Rather than deny it, Embry just said, "I'm sorry."
"Why?" Embry was quiet again and when he was quiet for too long, Heather looked at him. "Is it because your feelings for me have become romantic?"
"Yes," Embry finally answered.
"Why should you avoid me? Why can't we just be together?"
"You're too young for that," Embry said. "And don't ask if you look like a child. You know full well that's not the point."
"You sound like Evalynn," Heather complained.
"Good; I'm being reasonable then," Embry said.
"No, you're being a killjoy," Heather snapped back. She started kicking stones at the shore into the water. "Just because I'm not 18 doesn't mean I'm a child. I'm a grown woman and I'm tired of being treated otherwise. Especially by you."
"How do you want me to treat you, Heather?"
"Like your imprint," Heather answered and looked up at him with a firm stare. Embry didn't have an answer for that. "I want you to treat me like you love me and not like you can't stand to be around me."
"That wasn't my intent," Embry said.
"It's how you're making me feel," Heather replied. They were quiet for a moment until Embry finally broke the silence.
"Heather, I can't do that now," Embry said. "Fine, you're right – you aren't a child. Legally you are but you aren't otherwise. But this isn't just about us."
"What else is it about then?"
"It's about being respectful to you and to your father," Embry said. "When I imprinted on you, I promised Kevin that I would not do anything if he didn't approve."
"Are you being serious? What right does my father have to determine what I can and can't do with my private life?"
"Heather, stop," Embry said firmly. "Your father and I have been friends our whole life. I won't ruin our friendship by seeing you behind his back."
"Then don't," Heather said. "Tell him you love me and want to be with me."
"He already knows that," Embry said, "and we can't be together like that. Not now. Someday soon we can be, but not now."
"You're unbelievable," Heather said and kicked another rock.
"You're being really immature about this, Heather," Embry said.
"Given I'm still 'just a child' I suppose it's fitting."
"Alright," Embry said, holding up his hands briefly and taking a step back, "I've had enough. I don't want to argue with you but if all you're going to do is snap at me and twist my words then we may as well end the conversation here. Go home, take the rest of the day to yourself and I'll see you next I see you."
"Oh fuck you, Embry!" Heather yelled and Embry gawked at her. He wasn't positive he'd ever heard her swear like that before. "It's bad enough you're avoiding me; don't insult me by acting like my dad. Your age doesn't mean shit! You have no business talking down to me like that."
"You have no business swearing at me!" Embry yelled back.
"Like hell I don't," Heather said but turned back around to look out and crossed her arms. "Fine, just leave. I don't care." Embry was about to do just that. She wouldn't settle for anything less than him saying he didn't care what anyone said and being with her and that wasn't something he was going to do. So he was better off walking away. But as he started to walk away, he kept glancing back in her direction. She looked like she was trying not to cry.
"Son of a bitch," Embry muttered and turned back around and walked up to Heather. He took a hold of her arm and made her look at him. "This is ridiculous. There's no reason we can't be platonic. We've been that way for years, we can still be that way now."
"I don't want to be platonic."
"Neither do I, but that's what we've got to do," Embry said. "Like I said: it won't be like this forever. Before long, we can stop this dancing around and be together, but it can't be now."
"When does it end?"
"When you're 18," Embry said, finally giving her a date hoping that might help her calm down; help him calm down for that matter. "When you're 18, you mark my words we'll be together. At least then you'll be a legal adult and we really can care nothing for what anyone says, but we can't do that now. Can we agree on that?"
"And I suppose until then we're just supposed to pretend we aren't attracted to one another?"
"Yes," Embry said. "No more teasing me or trying to bait me; let's just be friends like we used to be. We can cut the bullshit once you're 18. I promise." Heather only stared at him.
"Can you at least say you love me?"
"Yes, Heather, I love you," Embry said, his tone finally calming and becoming affectionate regardless of whether it should be or not. "But-"
"No 'buts'," Heather interrupted. "Just say it again."
"I love you, Heather," Embry repeated. Heather finally smiled a little but she still looked upset.
"It'll be enough for now," Heather said.
"Are we okay now?"
"Yes, Embry, we're okay," Heather said. "Could I ask for a kiss?"
"Heather," Embry said firmly and she shrugged.
"Figured it was worth asking," Heather answered. "Let's get to the car; I'll drop you off home."
Heather drove Embry home and the two said goodbye to one another as cordially as possible. When she returned home, she kept her composure but when she was upstairs, she tossed her purse on the floor and plopped onto her bed in a fit of irritation resisting the urge to scream. Needing to clear his head, Embry went to one of their construction sites that day to help with anything that he could although when he returned home, his mood hadn't improved so he just took an ice cold shower and went to bed – the hour be damned. The next day, he woke to the sound of his doorbell. He opened his eyes and saw that it was 5:00 in the morning.
"Who the hell.." Embry mumbled, got out of bed and into a pair of jeans before walking downstairs and checking the peephole. When he saw it was Heather, he was wide awake. He grabbed his jacket and put it on before finally opening the door. "Heather? What are you doing here at this hour?"
"I start my shift in an hour," Heather said, "but I wanted to stop by to talk to you first."
"Sure," Embry said and stepped aside so she could come in and then closed the door. "What did you want to talk about?"
"About yesterday," Heather started but then started crying. "I'm sorry. I'm being such a bitch and I know that, but I can't help it."
"Hey," Embry said calmly and approached her, taking Heather in his arms in a hug. "It's alright. I get it. We're in a delicate position and I know I haven't been making it any easier."
"I'm not helping by getting angry with you," Heather whimpered as she hugged Embry back. "I'd wanted to apologize to you yesterday, I really did."
"It's okay," Embry said. "You don't need to apologize." Embry swayed back and forth while she cried and rubbed her back tenderly. "It's okay, Heather. I'm sorry; I really am."
"You're not the one that's behaving like a brat," Heather whimpered more. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"You're going to awake to your wolf soon," Embry said. "We all know how you feel. We've all been there. The wolf either makes you shift immediately or it takes time and when that happens it makes you moody."
"This isn't the wolf, Embry, this is me being impatient," Heather said.
"Just breath, Heather," Embry soothed and kept swaying her back and forth comfortingly. "Just breath," he repeated in a quieter voice. She was finally starting to relax and her breathing was evening out. Then she finally stopped crying and held onto Embry while she continued to calm herself down. Eventually she released Embry and started rubbing her eyes. "Better?"
"Better," Heather mumbled. "I must look awful."
"Not possible," Embry smiled reassuringly. "Go ahead and splash some water on your face. It'll help." Heather nodded and went to the bathroom to turn on the sink and wash her face. A few minutes later, she finally emerged again. Her eyes were still a little red, but it was better than it had been. "When does your shift end today?"
"About 1," Heather said.
"How about I take you to lunch after work? You can tell me how school's going, I can tell you how work's going and we can spend some time together."
"You mean it?" Heather asked.
"Absolutely," Embry smiled. "Just tell me where you want to go and we'll go." Heather finally smiled.
"That would be great," Heather said and came to Embry to give him a hug that he reciprocated. "Thanks, Embry."
"Not a problem. You have a good day at work, okay?"
"Thank you," Heather said.
They released one another and Embry walked her to her car so she could leave for work. Just to be safe, Embry called Kevin's office and let him know what happened and that he'd be taking Heather to lunch after she got off work. Kevin confirmed that was fine but said to make sure she was home after they finished lunch. Embry stopped by the office to check on things but left for the mall once it was nearing the end of Heather's shift. He waited in the food court for her sitting at a table near the donut shop reading the newspaper. Shortly after 1, Heather came out and asked if they could go to a burger place she really liked and the two of them got in her car and drove into the city to the restaurant in question.
"So how's school been? You're on winter vacation right?" Embry asked once they were seated together.
"Yeah, I'm on vacation until the second week of January," Heather said. "In the meantime, I agreed to the morning shift at the donut shop while I'm on vacation."
"At least you've got the afternoons," Embry said. "So before school let out, what were you up to? Any class in particular you're enjoying?"
"I'm taking a French history course," Heather said. "It's like an advanced French class, but truthfully, our instructor speaks to us mostly in English while our reading material is in French."
"You should've taken German; get an easy passing grade," Embry joked.
"Sadly, my school doesn't offer German or I would have," Heather smiled. "Levi's taking French too, but he doesn't like it. Every time he has a test coming up, he'll bug daddy or grandpa to help him study."
"Will he continue taking French next year?"
"Yeah," Heather said. "I think our school requires a foreign language course in order to graduate, so we're both stuck taking French until we leave high school and go to college."
"Do you know what you want to do for college?"
"Not really," Heather said. "I'm still trying to decide what I want to do with my life. I've got time to figure it out at least."
"Exactly," Embry said.
"So how's Uncle Alphonse's house coming along?"
"The foundation and frame are done," Embry said. "Once I get back, we'll be putting up the brick and drywall, but it'll be entirely under a giant tarp, so it's going to be uncomfortable."
"He sent you to Austria didn't he? How'd you like it?"
"I didn't really get to enjoy it," Embry shrugged with a smile. "I was staring at homes in town and in the mountains taking notes and pictures the whole time. Alphonse said he and his daughter would be vacationing and I'd be working and that was certainly the case."
"I'm sure Austria is beautiful if you get to enjoy it."
"Any country can be beautiful if you get to enjoy it," Embry said. "Even if I didn't get to see much more than the architecture, I'm still glad I got to go. It was a learning experience."
"Definitely," Heather said. "Is there anything you can't recreate for him?"
"Certain tile and fabric patterns aren't going to be feasible, but he's taken to finding close replicas. All this furniture is being custom made for this house, so even if it's not exactly the same, it'll be as close to perfect as is within his power."
"Daddy says when the house is done, Uncle Alphonse will be having a really fancy house warming party," Heather said.
"I know, he told me," Embry said. "It'll be the stuffiest barbeque you've ever been too."
"Don't be silly, Embry. Uncle Alphonse would never throw a barbeque. It's too dirty," Heather said.
"It's too 'poor' I think is the word he'd use to describe it," Embry smiled. "For a man that hasn't been a Baronet since the end of World War 1, he certainly still acts like a royal pain in the ass."
Heather giggled, "I'll make sure not to tell him you said that."
"Yes, please don't," Embry said sarcastically. "I know you said you aren't certain what you want to study, but have you thought about what school you want to go to?"
"Not Yale," Heather answered and Embry laughed a little.
"No shame in that," Embry said. "Are you wanting to go out of state or stay in Washington?"
"I guess it depends on what school appeals to me," Heather said. "I haven't really started looking. I'll start giving it more thought once I start my senior year."
"No rush, you have time to think it over. And with your job, you can save up for college and get some good experience under your belt. That way if you go out of state, you won't have any trouble finding work. Speaking of, how do you like working at that donut shop?"
"It's a paycheck," Heather said. "The other day a man started throwing a fit with me because we didn't have whole milk and my manager had to step in. Thank God he did too. If he hadn't I might have slapped that man clear across the face. 'Customer is always right' my ass."
"There'll always be people like that I'm afraid," Embry said. "Years ago when I worked at a movie theatre, I nearly got into a fight with a customer that told me I needed to get him some popcorn and I had to find a polite way to tell him that's not my job and to fuck off." Embry smiled a little at the memory. "It was the depression, so everyone was on edge."
"You started doing construction then didn't you?"
"Yeah, it was a program President Roosevelt put into place and it did a lot of good. It certainly gave me some much needed direction. If there's any good that came of the Crash of '29 it's that I found my calling."
"Hopefully I'll find mine," Heather said. "Sans the economy crashing."
"Yeah, no repeat of that," Embry agreed.
A waitress came over and took their orders and for another hour the two of them just talked. It was really nice. There was no tension, no pushing; just the two of them enjoying each other's company. While they were talking, Heather did swoon just a little, but she couldn't help it. It felt like they were on a real date and she was falling more and more in love. She felt like she was really getting to know him and not just be infatuated with him. After they finished having lunch, Heather drove Embry back to his house parking out front and leaving the car on.
"Thank you for lunch, Embry. I had a good time," Heather said.
"Me too," Embry smiled back. "I'll see you later alright?"
"Yeah, I'll see you later," Heather replied.
Embry got out of the car and went up to his house. Heather stayed outside waiting to make sure he got inside, all the while staring at him with a silly smile on her face. He waved at her just as he was entering the house and she waved back before he closed the door. Once he had, she sighed and smiled while she rested her cheek on her hands that she had placed atop the steering wheel. She did eventually leave the front of the house and made her way home. When she arrived, Levi Jr. and Anatoli were outside with the twins helping them build a snowman.
"Where were you?" Levi asked.
"I went to lunch after work," Heather said and walked inside.
Heather slept better that night than she had in a while, but when she woke in the morning, she was sweating profusely and she felt like she was in an oven. She opened her eyes and realized she was just in her room, but her head was pounding and her whole body ached. She felt like she had to flu. She glanced at the clock and saw her alarm was about to go off in mere minutes. She turned it off so it wouldn't sound and forced her aching body out of bed and did her best to make her way to the house phone downstairs. Kevin and Amber were already downstairs getting some coffee brewed when Heather got downstairs.
"Heather?" Amber said and went to her to feel her cheeks. They were burning. "Honey, what are you doing out of bed? You're burning up."
"I feel like I'm in an oven," Heather mumbled. "I don't think I can go to work today."
"What's the number to the shop?" Kevin asked, already picking up the phone ready to dial for her. Heather had to think about it but couldn't for the life of her remember at the moment, so Kevin went through the phone book until he found it and dialed the number. Once it was ringing, he handed the phone over to Heather so she could let her boss know she was sick and couldn't come in that day. Once she'd spoken to her boss, Amber was about to bring Heather upstairs. "Amber, we really should bring her to the tribe."
"Kevin, she's got the flu; we can't take her anywhere."
"It's not the flu, it's the wolf. I guarantee you," Kevin said. Then he dialed Embry's number and waited briefly before he answered.
"Hello?" Embry asked, barely awake at the moment and still in bed.
"Morning Embry. Amber and I need to take Heather to the tribe so she can shift. She woke up this morning with a high temperature and she's aching."
"Daddy, I really don't want to go anywhere," Heather whimpered.
"I know you don't honey, but you can't change here. You need space and seclusion for this," Kevin said to Heather then returned to his conversation with Embry. "I'm sorry to call you like this, but Amber and I can't miss work today."
"Yeah, no problem," Embry said, waking up a little. "I'll be there in a minute. I'll need to drive her car."
"That's fine," Kevin said. "We'll see you in a bit." Embry and Kevin hung up and then Kevin approached Heather to feel her forehead and his own. As he suspected, they were the same temperature. "The sooner she shifts the sooner she'll feel better. You don't feel like you'll vomit? It's just burning and aching?"
"Yeah," Heather answered while she was leaning against Amber.
"Are you sure we shouldn't just let her rest?" Amber asked.
"It won't help right now. She needs to shift," Kevin said. Not five minutes later, Embry let himself into the house with his key and walked over to Amber to hug her, giving her a brief reprieve from the heat with the cold of his leather winter jacket. Sadly it didn't last very long.
"Come on, Heather. Let's get in the car and go to La Push. I'll leave the window down so you can stay cool okay?"
Heather nodded absently and managed to get her boots on but wouldn't put on a coat stating she was too hot. Embry helped get her into the passenger's seat of her car rolling down the window on her side before going to the driver's seat. He needed to take a minute to adjust the seat so he could drive comfortably, but once everything was adjusted, he got them on the road to the tribe. Heather slept or seemed to sleep through the whole drive and Embry stayed quiet, letting her relax. He was actually shocked she'd not shifted entirely on accident already, especially given their arguments the past few days, but he was relieved she hadn't. Once they finally arrived at the tribe, Embry got the car parked somewhere off the beaten path and helped Heather out of the car.
"Alright, Heather. Don't fight it; just let it happen," Embry encouraged.
"My head hurts so bad," Heather whimpered and rested against a tree taking deep breaths. "Okay…..hold on. Just give me a second."
"Take your time," Embry said. "Do you want me to look away?"
"Oh, don't bother. It's nothing you won't see eventually," Heather said irritably and waived her hand dismissively. Embry didn't say anything. Instead, he took a few steps back so he was leaning against the hood of her car and looked averted his gaze anyway. "Shit, that's right: I need to get out of my pajamas," she mumbled and started taking off her pajamas. "Can you take these?"
"Sure," Embry said, doing his best to avert his gaze since she was now completely naked. He put her clothes in the car and went to the trunk to get a blanket. "Here: stand on this," Embry said and put a blanket on the ground so she wasn't standing in the snow in her bare toes. "I don't think you're resistant to frost bite just yet," Embry tried to joke.
"You could've fooled me," Heather grumbled and got atop the blanket. She kept taking deep breaths willing herself to shift and get it over with, but it just wasn't happening. "Any pro tips for me?"
"Try to visualize it happening," Embry said. Hoping to help her, Embry went on the other side of the car, got out of his clothes and then shifted before approaching her.
"You make it look effortless," Heather mumbled with a small smile, but it didn't last, the pounding in her head making it hard.
She took a few more deep breaths and tried visualizing it. It took her a while, but finally she felt this strange stretching sensation, heard herself make noises she'd never made before and all the aching was gone. She no longer felt like she was burning up and she could suddenly hear everything in Embry's mind, so she knew she'd changed. She looked up at him and what she always knew would happen, happened. She looked into his eyes and her whole world shifted. Her thoughts felt like they were going a mile a minute and she could tell Embry was just smiling at her.
Do you think pack members have ever imprinted on each other before? Heather asked.
Nope, pretty sure we're the first, Embry answered with a small laugh that came out more like light barking. Heather approached him and tucked her head under his and they sat beside one another like that. You remind me a little of Natalie as a wolf: really long hair, solid color – that sort of thing. Only you're more a blonde coat.
I think strawberry blonde is the color you're thinking of, Heather replied.
Whatever, Embry shrugged with a smile. Regardless of the name, her coat was a pretty color. Are you planning to cut your hair?
No.
Good. I like your hair long, Embry said.
That sounds like something you'd say if we were together. I thought we couldn't be together just yet, Heather said with a light smile.
Just for now, we can pretend otherwise. Just for now.
Yeah, Heather agreed. Just for now.
After that, the two of them remained as wolves snuggling in the snow and talking. Heather felt closer to Embry than ever before and the sentiment was mutual. They would still need to stay friends for now, but for the time being they just enjoyed being together. Nothing happened except the two of them enjoying each other's company. Eventually they figured they should probably get back, so they shifted back, got dressed and Embry drove Heather back home.
Fowles, John. The Collector, Back Bay Books, 1997
Originally published in Hardcover by Little, Brown and Company, 1963