Awakening Book One of the Trust Series(18)

Caitlyn could hear Garrett coming up the stairs. He appeared with her large duffle bag, the only indicator of Caitlyn’s previous life as of right now. He put the bag down in the living room before inspecting the small space. “This is nice. Thank you, Trish. Do you like it, Caitlyn?”

“Yes. Much more than I expected.”

“Good. I was thinking we could get you settled in, and then have dinner, if that’s alright with you.”

Caitlyn unpacked her few belongings in her closet while Garrett waited. When she was finished, she peered out the window, pondering yet again how her life could change so dramatically in such a short period of time. It was bound to change her completely, and Caitlyn determined that she was going to make the most of this experience.

When she walked out of the bedroom, Garrett grabbed his keys.

“Where are we going?”

“Out. To the best burgers in town.”

Garrett and her drove through the town. Instead of stopping at one of the restaurants in the town, he pulled into a tan house.

“Where are we?”

“My house.”

“I thought you said these were the best burgers in town.”

He grinned. “Not to brag, but they are.”

Garrett gave her a brief tour of the house. The more modern preference that Garrett had was evident in the décor of the home. Slick clean lines and bold colors made up each room. As the tour ended in the kitchen, Garrett lowered behind the granite countertop island, popping up with two wine glasses and a bottle of Merlot.

“Wine with burgers?”

He leaned back against the kitchen counter. “You need to relax, have a drink, and eat some comfort food. Tomorrow we can begin our training, but tonight is going to be just about enjoying the fact that you are getting the journey you wanted, even if it is not exactly what you had planned.”

Caitlyn drank her first glass of wine slowly as Garrett expertly prepared burgers and some homemade French fries. Caitlyn couldn’t help but admire her new mentor as he worked around his kitchen, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, drinking his wine as he cooked their food to the sound of relaxing jazz.

As he flipped one the burgers, she took a sip of wine, asking a question. “So tell me about Colorado.”

He twisted his head to look at her. “Colorado? What do you want to know about it?”

Her finger played with the rim of the glass. “What was it like growing up there? You obviously liked it.”

Garrett took one last glance at the stove, deciding that the burgers were done. He assembled the burgers and then placed her plate in front of her before answering her question. “Colorado was nice. We had a lot of land. It was a good place to grow up as a kid.”

“Did you know any others like us?” She asked as she took a bite of her burger. She did have to admit that the burger was one of the best she had ever had.

He placed down his food. “No, not until I was much older. I always knew what I was since I was eight. My mother never kept it a secret from me, but she did ask that I keep it secret. At that age, it wasn’t hard, because I just wanted to be like everyone else. As I grew older, I became more curious. When I was fourteen and a half, my mother finally introduced me to others like us that were in the area.”

“Anyone your age?”

He wiped a bit of ketchup from his mouth with his napkin. “There was a girl named Isla. At that time, there were not a whole lot of Actuals in Colorado, never mind teenagers who held that kind of secret. So she and I naturally became friends.”

“Did you become more than friends?” she raised her eyebrows.

Garrett knew where Caitlyn was taking the line of questioning. He replied, “We were really close friends, but not quite that close. I left Colorado when I was sixteen, so we never really explored that path.”

“Are you still friends with her?”

“Actually, yes. Over the past few years, when I moved up to Maine, I ran into Isla and we became reacquainted. I see her now and again at different events. If she is in the area, she will give me a call and we will get together.”

“Ah, I see.” Caitlyn replied in a teasing voice.

He shook his head at her, laughing, throwing a fry at her, which Caitlyn dodged easily. “It’s not like that! Really, we just hang out, reminisce about the past. Isla is far too refined for someone like me. She couldn’t stand my laid back ways and I would never be able to stand her needing to be involved in everything. As friends, we work just fine. As anything else…” he trailed off.