First Degree Burns Read online

  “My time with Animal…it was weird. I don’t remember a lot of it. Between the drinking and the drugs, I’m not even sure how I made it to school every day.”

  Nicole’s eyebrows shot up her forehead, and she stared at Dane with wide eyes. “You went to school every day? Despite all of that, you actually went to school every day?”

  “Yeah, it was somewhere to go. There was food.”

  Nicole nodded and emerald eyes glanced away briefly. “So, you went to school for meals?”

  Dane ran her hand through her hair and shook her head a bit. “I didn’t qualify for free lunches or anything, but I had a teacher who took care of me as much as I’d allow. Brought me food, asked about me, tried to keep me in a good headspace. Mr. Preston. I didn’t let him do too much for me, but he tried. The scorch marks from Lynn and Henry Briarmoor remained years after they burned me. He tried to get me help, a lot, always talking about programs and junk. I didn’t want that, though. The drinking and drugs helped me deal. I felt like they kept me sane or balanced or alive. Something like that.” She wasn’t sure how to explain it and hoped that made some semblance of sense. How the hell do I write lyrics if this is how I talk?

  “That’s not really dealing,” Nicole whispered. She put her hand on her lover’s hip and pulled them closer together.

  Turning her mouth down a bit, Dane shook her head. “I didn’t know that at the time. I thought I was dealing. I took showers and stuff at school, in the locker room if I didn’t have a girl I could stay with. I joined a music program in the summer, so I could keep going to school when it was over. Mr. Preston made me wanna graduate, so I tried to keep it up when I could. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t have all the answers. How could I? Was only fifteen. Sometimes, I starved, was cold, sick. I fucked up a bunch in that year. Got into fights. Woke up in strange places. Didn’t know if I was coming or going sometimes. It all runs together sometimes. As bad as it was, I never once thought to go home, though. Never.”

  Nicole played with Dane’s fingers briefly before kissing her cheek. “Because it wasn’t home.”

  Dane turned to look in her emerald green eyes. There was no pity, but that level of compassion and sorrow that she had grown used to from Nicole. She leaned down and offered her lover a sweet kiss.

  “No, it wasn’t home.” But, this is.

  Chapter Four

  NICOLE WAS OUT OF school and had taken three days off from work for their camping trip, giving her a total of five days off because of the weekend. Dane helped her load the car with their camping gear. Haydn would stay with Mina as usual. They dropped him off and then they were off to meet Raymond. Nicole practically bounced in her seat, obviously eager to start this trip right now. As Nicole pulled into the driveway of her parents’ house, Dane was left astonished, her eyes wide and her jaw slack.

  This was a mansion. Not quite like where Dane’s parents lived, but definitely unexpected. Nicole’s grandparents lived in a little, middle-class neighborhood like she and Nicole did.

  “Your parents got a house like this off their own hard work?”

  Nicole laughed. “Yes, not everyone inherits their money like your mother, or marries into that money, like your father.”

  A chuckle escaped Dane as she rubbed her head, pushing her hair back. “You know, sometimes I feel like I have no clue how the world works. I’m guessing that’s because I was high for most of my life. Well, that, and I didn’t care how the world worked.”

  Nicole only shook her head as she parked her car. “Didn’t you earn a lot of money when you were leading your band? Isn’t that when you were able to stop depending on random women to feed you and offer you a comfortable bed?”

  For a moment, Dane could only look at Nicole. She was surprised her girlfriend had brought that up. Nicole was curious about her past, but didn’t often bring up what Dane used to do for a warm place to stay. Dane didn’t blame her. It wasn’t like Dane wanted to think about people Nicole had been with.

  “I did earn money, but that was entertainment. I can see how that happens, because it happens. It’s hard to picture regular people building up their fortune to buy a mansion, though. Don’t think I’d have made it this far unless I eventually signed with a label or something,” Dane replied, glancing once more at the large estate.

  Dane had never been inside Nicole’s parents’ house, and she didn’t know what to expect. There was no valet, which her own parents tended to have whenever they had a party. And while the house was much smaller than her parents’ house, she was quite impressed that a colonial style mansion could be earned through regular, basic hard work. She never got the impression that her father had been a good enough attorney to earn such a thing on his own, but then again, she didn’t pay her father any mind.

  “Your parents must be awesome at their jobs,” Dane said, as they exited the car.

  Smiling, Nicole nodded and stood with her head held high and proud as they stood at the door. “They are. They always have been.” She rang the bell.

  Dane looked, taking in the well-kept lawn and the lovely landscaping across the front yard. There were colorful, beautiful flowers in bloom, lighting up the area. A small statue of what appeared to be the Virgin Mary was nestled between some of the sculpted bushes. Dane couldn’t help wondering about that, as she had gotten the impression that Kathleen wasn’t a very devout Catholic. Nor was Nicole.

  For a moment, Dane tried to imagine little Nicole running around the yard. Raymond probably allowed it, but Kathleen probably worried about her getting hurt or ruining the lawn. This yard had probably heard plenty of fun giggles in its time and held love in every perfect blade of grass.

  A person that Dane assumed was the maid answered the door. She was a small, plump woman, probably in her late forties. Her creamy complexion seemed healthy and there were no real stress lines on her face, so Dane assumed that working for Kathleen wasn’t like working for the devil. She had black hair that was done in a tight bun, and she was wearing a plain maid’s uniform. She smiled at them.

  Nicole’s face lit up when she saw the woman and hugged her, so she had probably been working for the family for years. Dane had always felt more comfortable around her family’s servants than around her family. She doubted Nicole was the same. Nicole looked at her family’s servants as people, which was something the Wolfe family ever did, so at least Nicole would treat the woman kindly.

  A bright smile danced on Nicole’s face as she introduced the two. “Danny, please meet Mrs. Harlow. The only woman who can scold me better than my mother.”

  “This girl would leave her softball equipment all over the place,” Mrs. Harlow complained, reaching out to shake Dane’s hand.

  Dane smiled. “I’d never believe that. She’s the neatest person I’ve ever met.” So neat, in fact, that living with her had turned Dane into a neater person.

  Mrs. Harlow laughed. “I’m glad she’s cleaned up her act then. She used to be terrible after games. There’d be muddy shoes, soiled uniforms, and equipment all over the place.”

  Nicole pouted. “I was not that bad.” She laughed, which suggested she might’ve been that bad. It was a little hard to imagine.

  Mrs. Harlow gave her a teasing smile. “No, you were worse. Your father’s in the back, still gathering his camping equipment, and your mother’s in her study.”

  Nicole nodded. “Thanks, but I want to give Danny a little tour before I start bothering Daddy.”

  Mrs. Harlow smiled, and Nicole took Dane by the hand, pulling her into the house. They stepped into the foyer, which was fairly large and held a dark wooden table with pictures on it. Dane wasn’t surprised that the first thing she saw were family photos lining the wall, the table that Dane first noticed, and a table that was opposite it. The pictures weren’t just immediate family, but there were pictures of all of Kathleen’s family as well as pictures of people that Dane didn’t know. She assumed those people were Raymond’s family.

  “I want to show you my bedroom befor
e anything,” Nicole said, with an impish glint in her eyes, leaning toward the stairs at the end of the foyer.

  “Lead the way, Chem.” Dane smiled, earning a chuckle from her beloved.

  They made their way up the stairs, which also had pictures and such lining the walls. There were a few paintings and prints, but mostly family photos. For some reason, that warmed Dane and she thought it was wonderful to have a house full of family pictures.

  “It’s cool your parents have so many pictures hung up.”

  Nicole smiled. “They’re both very family oriented. They have very supportive families.”

  Dane nodded. “Kinda know what that’s like now.” She gave Nicole’s hand a squeeze. The redhead smiled at her.

  The hallway went by in a blur, as Nicole pulled her into a nearby room. The room was as big as the master bedroom in Nicole’s house, but this was not the master bedroom of the mansion. This was Nicole’s bedroom from when she was a teenager. It was painted an inviting mint green. There were a few posters on the wall: a baseball player Dane didn’t know, a softball player Dane didn’t know, and what was probably a play Dane didn’t know.

  Her imagination went wild as she tried to picture Nicole here. Against the wall, by the far corner, was a neat and tidy white desk. She thought of teenage Nicole there, working on school stuff. Her heart fluttered a little, finding the image cute. She thought of teenage Nicole rummaging through the bookcase of five shelves, next to the desk. It was lined with books, as well as a couple of boxes and magazine holders, for researching school things because, surely, her lover had been a bookworm.

  The image was disturbed as Dane looked around the rest of the room, and her mind wandered. A white vanity stood by the white canopy bed covered with a mint-green bedspread with outlined white hearts. Dane had to hold in laughter as she looked at this ‘princess’ bed, which held all sorts of pillows and plush toys. She couldn’t imagine her lover, who underneath it all was very much a tomboy, had slept on this bed.

  “Your mom bought this bed, didn’t she?” Dane guessed.

  Nicole smiled. “No, I picked this bed out when I was about ten. It seemed cool then. It’s very comfortable, though. I didn’t keep the decorative pillows and stuffed animals on the bed when I was younger. I think my mom did that, just to make the place look nice after I left for college. It’s pretty much for decoration.”

  “This is a cozy place. Did you used to have friends over a lot?” Dane asked, flopping down in a nearby chair. It was quite comfortable, despite sitting low and somewhat reclining. It seemed like something to be found in a college dorm. How many friends sat in this chair and gossiped with teenaged Nicole?

  “I entertained study groups and such,” Nicole answered with a coy smile, as she sat down on a white chest at the foot of the bed. She had to slide a couple of plush toys out of the way.

  “Oh, did my angel bring boys and girls up to her bedroom and…study?” Dane wiggled her eyebrows.

  A little giggle escaped Nicole. “We were actually studying. My parents never allowed me to close the door when I had company. I think, early on, my mom worried I was gay, because she’d come in every five seconds if I had a girlfriend over, but practically praised me whenever I had a guy over. Of course, the door still had to stay open.”

  Twisting her mouth up, Dane looked around the room once more. “Your parents were really involved, huh?”

  “Yeah, sometimes it was annoying, but eventually I realized they were worried about me, cared about me, and wanted to make sure I did the right thing. But, every teenager hates to be looked in on when they have company over. In fact, every teenager probably hates that they have parents whenever they have company over. I know I sure did. My mother was so embarrassing.” Nicole smiled as she shook her head.

  Dane laughed a little, even though she didn’t know anything about that. She imagined it was true. It wasn’t something she had ever worried about. Even if she had stayed home, she doubted her parents would’ve checked on her, her mother especially. She opened her mouth, about to share, but decided against it. This was supposed to be a fun time, after all.

  “Nice TV and stuff.” Dane motioned toward the television stand and DVD player, which was opposite the bed. It was close to the door. There were a couple of stacks of DVDs next to the DVD player.

  “Yeah, I had a pretty good life here.” Nicole nodded as she looked around and then her eyes settled on Dane. “I still have a pretty good life.”

  “Mine isn’t so bad either,” Dane replied with a smile of her own. She looked around the room. “So, wanna tell me something about the girl that lived in this room?”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Well, when did she first develop a love of chemistry?” It was something Dane often wondered about, because she had never gotten into science or any school subjects.

  “That was a late love that blossomed in high school. When I first stepped into a chemistry lab, it was like the world suddenly made sense to me. I mean, I’ve always been fascinated that things change, especially when something else is added in or taken away, but it came into focus in my chemistry class. I mean, the way things transform in chemistry and how things are made…I don’t even know how to explain it. From that moment on, every elective I took was in chemistry, and I joined the science club. It was hard to attend because I was already on the softball team, the debate team, and my mother talked me into signing up for mock trial, but I did what I could. I enjoyed it and even showed up when I was dead on my feet, because I loved science.”

  Dane smiled. “Glad you’re going after it again.”

  Nicole got up and went to sit on Dane’s lap. The chair groaned a little from the extra weight, but Nicole didn’t move. “Because of you and your encouragement. It’s all thanks to you.”

  “Don’t give me any credit, Angel. You had to make the decision.”

  Nicole’s eyes shined and she leaned in to kiss Dane. Dane accepted and returned the show of affection. Nicole wrapped her arms around Dane’s neck, bringing them closer together. Each touch of Nicole’s lips sent warm waves through Dane, and she was certain she’d never tire of such a delightful touch. She sighed as Nicole pulled away from her, ending the wonderful kiss.

  “Come on. Let me show you the rest of the house,” Nicole said.

  Dane pouted. “No more kisses?” She was tempted to suggest some role-playing, but neither of them would dare do that here.

  A soft chuckle escaped Nicole. “Not if you don’t want to chance getting caught.” She laughed again as Dane grimaced. “Yeah, I thought as much. So, let me show you the rest of the house.”

  Dane gave a short nod and followed Nicole through the rest of the house, minus the master bedroom. There were two guest bedrooms upstairs and two small offices. The living room looked like it came out of a magazine, including shelves full of ribbons and trophies displayed by proud parents of their winning, only child. They went to the den next, which was across the foyer, and they both jumped because Kathleen was in there, which they hadn’t expected.

  Nicole recovered first. “Hey, Mommy.” She gave her mother a smile while Dane’s heart finally calmed down. Nicole moved over to the leather armchair Kathleen sat in and hugged her. Kathleen had to put down a notepad to return the embrace.

  “Hello, Nikki,” Kathleen replied without sparing Dane a glance. She was dressed in what Dane could only assume was a suit that she’d wear to work. She wore a pantsuit with a blush-pink blouse, complete with the jacket, while lounging inside of her own home. It wasn’t surprising Kathleen dressed formally in her own house, but it was still weird. It does explain a little about Nick and what she used to relax in, though.

  “Hi, Kathleen,” Dane muttered, giving a weak wave.

  As expected, Kathleen ignored Dane as Nicole sat down on a small sofa. Dane sat down next to her and looked around the den. Or maybe it’s a family room. There was a bookshelf on the back wall. Well, more like the shelf was the back wall and it held more awards
for Nicole. On the bottom shelf, there were board games. Did they play board games as a family? Nick probably smiled a lot if they did. I liked that with the Briarmoors. Would Nick want to do that with me and a kid? We’ve never done it with Luke and Thomas.

  Nicole patting her leg and laughing brought Dane out of her thoughts. Her eyes searched Nicole’s face for some clue as to what she needed, but all she saw was an amused glint in her lover’s beautiful emerald eyes. She smiled softly, knowing she had been busted daydreaming. Truthfully, she had little interest in what Nicole was speaking about with her mother. She actually felt like a trespasser and she knew Kathleen agreed.

  “I was telling Mommy we’re taking you on your first camping trip,” Nicole said, holding her chin up.

  Kathleen made a noise and frowned. “Enjoy yourself.”

  “Mommy never goes camping with us.”

  Dane could believe that. She couldn’t see Kathleen camping, but then again, she couldn’t see Kathleen doing a lot of things she was sure Kathleen had done. After all, Kathleen had grown up in a rather modest household. It was hard to tell that when the woman was sitting around the house in a suit that probably was worth more than Dane.

  “Too many bugs, too much dirt, and there’s no privacy.” Kathleen wrinkled her nose.

  The comment drew a laugh from Nicole. “There’s bug spray, dirt is kind of the point, and you want to do stuff with the people you go with, which is why you go with people. Where’s Daddy?”

  “Actually, he wanted me to send you to him when you showed up. He swears you’ll know where his camping tool box is because the Lord knows he has no clue,” Kathleen said.

  Nicole blinked and her eyes went wide. “I do know where it is.” She turned to Dane. “I’ll be right back. I need to go get that thing or we’ll be here all day waiting for him to find it.”

  Nicole rushed off before Dane could respond, leaving her with Kathleen. She suspected that might’ve been halfway planned. She wasn’t sure if Nicole, or Raymond, or both set it up, but it really felt planned. She squirmed a little, feeling like the air in the room got heavy.