Awakening (Lily Dale #1)(28)

Evangeline, standing again, follows Calla’s gaze. “That’s where Jacy lives.” She gestures at the neat little house with double signs.

“Jacy?” Calla realizes he’s the guy she met just after she arrived.

“Yeah, he’s this guy . . . he’s pretty new here, too. He came from Jamestown, but before that he lived on a reservation down on the southern tier.”

“Reservation? You mean like—”

“He’s Native American,” Evangeline explains.

Oh. Not Cuban after all, Calla thinks. Native American. She knew he had to have exotic blood, with those unusual good looks.

Evangeline goes on, “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon.”

Calla opens her mouth to tell Evangeline that she already did, but Evangeline is the chatty type and rarely pauses for a breath. “I saw him heading toward Leolyn Woods before, when I was coming across the yard to your grandmother’s. Walt and Peter are his foster dads. You have to meet Jacy. He’s really cute.”

Now that it seems to be her turn to speak, Calla tries to think of something else to say. Something other than, I’m not interested in meeting cute guys.

Her thoughts shift automatically to Kevin. Kevin and his new girlfriend. Annie.

All right, so maybe Calla should be interested in meeting cute guys after all.

Then—as if called up by her consciousness—one happens to materialize right in her path at that very moment. Not Jacy. Another cute guy. Maybe the cutest guy she’s ever seen.

Evangeline stops short. “Oh, Blue! You scared me!”

“Sorry.” He’s not looking at Evangeline, though. His eyes—the same deep indigo shade the lake was yesterday, in the sunshine—are fastened on Calla.

“I’m Blue Slayton,” he says, and sticks out his hand.

She takes it and finds his grasp strong and sure, though his hand is a little cold and dry for a warm, sticky day like this.

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” Calla tries not to stammer, unnerved by her own sweaty palm and his good looks. His light brown hair is wavy, and she has the strange urge to run her fingers through it. She releases his hand and shoves hers into her pocket, not just to wipe off the moisture, but in case it’s tempted to stray his way again.

“She’s Calla, Odelia’s granddaughter from Florida,” Evangeline tells Blue, and Calla realizes she forgot to introduce herself. “It’s Delaney, right?” she adds, and Calla nods.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about your mother.” Blue Slayton’s words catch her off guard.

“So am I,” Evangeline chimes in awkwardly, “but I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up.”

“It’s okay,” Calla murmurs, wondering just how many people in Lily Dale are aware of her circumstances. Probably just about everyone, she realizes, if Odelia has been talking about her. After all, it’s a small town. People in small towns like to gossip, don’t they? She wouldn’t know, never having lived in one. But judging by the way both Blue Slayton and Evangeline Taggart are looking at her, they both know a lot more about her life than she knows about theirs.

“Your grandmother’s glad you’re here,” Evangeline offers. “At first, she didn’t think you were really going to be able to come, because of your dad. But I guess it’s good that he’s going to California and you can’t go with him right away. He had no choice where to send you, huh?”

Sheesh, Calla thinks. Does she know my shoe size and grade point average, too?

She says nothing to Evangeline, just does her best not to sneak another peek at Blue. She can feel him watching her with those amazing eyes. She wonders if his parents named him Blue, or if it’s just a fitting nickname.

“So, how long are you sticking around town?” he asks, and she looks up.

Wow, he really is gorgeous. Even better-looking than Kevin. More sophisticated, too, despite Kevin’s new grown-up haircut and attitude.

Why is he staring at her? He seems to be waiting for something.

Oh! He asked her a question. What was it?

She backtracks to How long are you sticking around town?

“Until, um . . .” How long is she sticking around? Distracted by his stare, she searches her sluggish brain for the information.

“You’re here until the beginning of September, right?”

“Oh! Right,” Calla says, grateful to Evangeline for bailing her out.

“That’s good,” Blue tells her, barely glancing Evangeline’s way. “Maybe we can hook up at some point while you’re here.”

Hook up? Does hook up mean the same thing here in Lily Dale that it does back home?

She dares to sneak another glance at his face, sure someone like him can’t possibly be interested in her. But his expression sure makes it look that way.

Hmm. Maybe hook up means the same thing everywhere.

Her heart pounds a little faster as she says, “That would be good.”

“Good. See you around, then.” He gives a little wave and takes off.

“OhmyGodheissototallyintoyou!”

Calla shifts her focus from the departing Blue Slayton to Evangeline.

“Just so you know?” Evangeline goes on, bouncing a little on her purple sneakers, “Blue Slayton is the hottest guy in the Dale. Not that there are all that many guys here, but . . .”