Chapter 6

As he turns on to Elena's street, Gavin half expects to find her exactly where she had been yesterday, lying in a hammock, pretending to read a book while smiling at him over its pages. Although her street isn't empty, there's no one in front of Elena's house, not even a tabby cat lying in ambush. The two people he does see, a man and woman walking their dogs, appear somewhat out of breath, as though it is the dogs, a pair of black Labradors, and not they who are deciding the route to be followed.

Sliding off his bike, he walks it the rest of the way to Elena's driveway, and gives the panting couple a polite nod as they are pulled passed. Grinning to himself, he rolls his bike up the driveway, and props it on its kickstand in front of the garage. At least he didn't end up like yesterday, swerving out of control and ending in a heap in the middle of the street.

Mac isn't with him. After some consideration, Gavin had decided to leave the German Shepherd at home. His assigned task, to meet Elena's parents, introduce himself, and somehow arrange for a phone call to his father, had been daunting enough, without the added problem of "Would you mind storing my dog in your back yard while I explain who I am and why I'm here?"

He pulls the envelope he plans to give Elena from the pocket of his shorts, and tries to smooth out its wrinkles against the front of his shirt. Will she be glad to see him? She had told him to come back today, but had she planned on introducing him to her parents? Maybe not, considering how concerned she'd been to sneak him out the night before.

And, what about the issue her friend Laura had brought up last night? Once they' were alone, should he try and get answers to all the questions he has about her ability, or wait for her to bring up the subject again? She had told him about seeing her father's death as soon as the opportunity presented itself, so perhaps she would expect him to have questions.

The sound of a car door slamming somewhere makes him glance up, but he doesn't see anyone. There are neighborhood sounds all around him, a weed whacker's high pitched growl in the distance, the thumping baseline from someone's radio or music player, and a dog's periodic barking. The house of Elena's gray-haired neighbor across the street, the guy who had returned Mac, is a two story as well, and for just a moment, he catches a flicker of movement by the curtains to the room above its garage.

Someone watching me?

Gavin shrugs. Even if someone is watching, it doesn't matter, he's not sneaking around today. He runs a hand through his windblown hair, wishing for a comb, and then quickly walks down the sidewalk to Elena's front door. His buddy Ken always used to give him shit about not having the balls to ask a girl out, but things are different now. Elena is one of the prettiest girls he's ever seen, and they had done a Hell of a lot more than just kiss.

Eat that, Ken!

He steps on to the porch, locates the doorbell, and gives the button a quick push before he can chicken out. There's a narrow window just to the left of the door, but his view is mostly obscured by a rather tall vase with what he assumes are artificial flowers on the inside. There's another window further down the porch, and underneath it a rectangular planter with more flowers, although unlike the ones in the window in front of him, these appear somewhat bedraggled and partially chewed.

After several seconds, Gavin considers ringing the doorbell again, and is just about to do so when the door in front of him swings open.

"Mrs. Bradburn?" he asks, studying the woman standing in the doorway of Elena's house. He shifts nervously from one foot to another, and then makes an effort to stand still. His own mother had always asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom whenever he fidgeted like that.

Although he recognizes a few of Elena's features in her face, she is surprisingly tall. For some reason, he had expected her to be petite like Elena, but instead she's about five foot eight, with a wealth of raven-black hair. He remembers running his hands through Elena's hair while they kiss, and flushing, looks quickly away from her mother.

"Yes?" She returns his gaze with interest.

He offers her his right hand. "My name is Gavin."

I'm selling encyclopedias. Are you a World Book or Britannica fan?

"Oh," her handshake is firm, no nonsense. "So, you're Elena's Gavin?"

Elena's Gavin?

"Yes Ma'am." His tongue feels as though it's made of cotton.

She's watching him knowingly, as though realizing how tongue-tied he is. Yes, definitely her mother--he recognizes that knowing and amused look from yesterday.

"Elena helped me after a bike accident I had yesterday," he says all in a rush, "and I just wanted to tell her thank you."

She looks at the envelope he's holding in his other hand, and one eyebrow twitches upward. "Really?" She gives him an encouraging smile, "That's very nice." Opening the door wider, she gestures him inside. "Come in, everyone's in the back yard."

He follows her inside, and carefully closes the front door behind him.

"Elena didn't mention a bike accident," Christine says over her shoulder, walking down the hallway he remembers from yesterday.

No? Well, what we did upstairs was more interesting anyway. What did she mention?

"Um, my dog got a little bit distracted by your neighbor's cat."

"Did he now?" Christine turns into the kitchen that's on their left, and picks up a glass from one of the counters. "How is Barnabus?"

Her back is to him, and Gavin isn't able to see her expression. There's something in the tone of her voice though. "Your neighbor said he was okay. Probably a little scared when Mac chased him, but..."

"Oh, that's too bad," she says, turning to face him. "When that disgusting animal isn't tearing up my flower beds, he's peeing on something."

Encouraged, Gavin grins at her. "According to your neighbor, he was so terrified by Mac that he jumped on top of a hot grill." Christine laughs. "It wasn't open though."

"Better luck next time I guess." Her eyes grow serious, and she examines him closely for a second. "It seems you made quite an impression on Elena also."

Gavin does his best not to show any expression. "I did?"

Christine nods. "She and her sisters are going camping with some family friends, and she asked me this morning if you could go with them." Her hazel eyes catch his, and he does his best not to show how nervous he is. "That's pretty fast, especially since you two only met yesterday."