Retribution (Secrets & Lies #3)(30)
It's been so long since I’ve been on something that could be called a date, but with Melissa I’m actually looking forward to it. “Yeah, I guess I am. What do you say?”
I expect her to stutter, it'd be so normal for her, but for some reason she doesn't, and instead her answer is immediate and strong. Maybe because she knows this is highly unusual for me. “I'd love to.”
I stand up, gathering our mugs. “Okay then, well, I’m going to wash up, and then hit the sack. Goodnight, Melissa. I had a fun... date.”
She smiles, just a hint of her normal shyness, and her eyes sparkle in the firelight. “Me too.”
Chapter Eleven
Melissa
I'm in the chapel, marveling at how different it looks from just a month ago. Now that we're in February, I'm finally feeling better about our living situation, and I can appreciate the unique beauty of the compound.
Mostly though, the memory of the huge granite stone in the chapel keeps tickling my mind, and I came in here today to see if the stone was just as remarkable as I remember. I'm not an exercise enthusiast or martial artist like the rest of the family, so I don't come in here that often.
But when I woke up this morning, I had an image in my mind, the green flecks of the emerald crystals from the granite gleaming mellowly in morning sunlight. They reminded me of Nathan's eyes, and I decided to check out the rock again after breakfast.
Which is why I'm here now, looking at the stone under the powerful beam of one of our flashlights. Katrina and the others like keeping the chapel lit only by natural light, they say it helps them with the reality of their training. I don't quite understand it, but that's why I brought the flashlight, I need to get a really good look at the stone.
It's amazing, just as flawless as I thought, although I think the line of what looks like maybe quartz through the center runs in a jagged diagonal that wouldn't let me carve the whole stone in one piece, but that's okay. I've never done stone so big before, and I think I'd like to use smaller pieces anyway.
“What're you seeing?” Andrea asks as she comes up next to me. “I saw the door open, and thought maybe Katrina and Nathan were in here getting ready for their throwdown.”
“Are they doing that today?” I ask, surprised. They'd talked a little about it, but both of them know I don't have the stomach to think of either of them being hurt. Still, if they're going to fight, then I'll be here to watch, I love them both too much to avoid it. “Did they figure out rules?”
“I’m sure they worked it out. It’s more of a spar anyway. I think they're both going to avoid actually hurting each other, and Jackson's going to act as a ref just in case,” Andrea replies, kneeling down next to me and examining the stone. She gives me a long look before speaking again. “You okay with it?”
“Not really,” I admit, running my hands over the stone, “but I won't ask them to stop. There's no point. They've been wondering who's better for six months now. And they're healthy, I guess. At least Katrina isn't ready to kill him anymore.”
“Those little walk dates you two have been doing have certainly helped there,” Andrea says before stopping, rubbing her stomach. “Whoa, settle down there, baby.”
“What's wrong?” I ask, immediately concerned. “It's too soon for you to be feeling the baby kick.”
“No, no... just a bit of indigestion. I’ll be fine, don't worry. Tell me what you're seeing in this rock here.”
“I'm not sure,” I admit. “But with the size, it's too much for me to handle at once. I was thinking maybe breaking it up, chunks about the size of a football or a little bit bigger, and then working with that.”
Andrea nods, then takes a look at the stone. “Do you want to smash it up now?”
I blink, stunned. “What?”
My sister gives me a grin in reply and nods. “Come on, we've got the tools, right? We can get the other tools so you can shape it later. So can we crack it?”
“I think,” I say, excitement growing within me. “Do you really think the two of us could do it?”
“Damn straight we could. Come on, if we need some grunt labor we can get Carson involved, too. Besides, the worst that can happen is we crack this thing up and you don't have any good pieces. But knowing you, I could hand you a chunk the size of my hand and you'd come up with a beautiful piece.”
I nod and get up, excitement going through me. “Okay, let's do it.”
“What a giant mess.”
Andrea and I look up, sweat running down our faces and grin as Carson surveys the damage we've caused to the large block of granite. “Yeah, cool, isn't it?”
“If you say so,” Carson says, shrugging. “Andrea, are you sure you should be exerting yourself so much?”
“I'm making sure she doesn't overdo it, Carson,” I reply, wiping my forehead. “Besides, we just need to crack this thing, not break it up totally.”
“And you think you can do it?” he asks, watching as I lift the sledge up and let it drop onto the cold chisel. That's the key to my work, just letting the weight of the hammer do the work for me. It's slower than trying to muscle it down, but it works.