Page 14 of A Storm of Nightmares

The question swirls around in my head. Had I ever tried to fall in love? Of course, I had. I searched and searched for anyone who could take my mind off Betty. A guy to sweep me off my feet and make me happy again. I never found it, so I eventually closed myself off.

He must have taken my silence as an answer because he adds, “I don’t mind waiting for you to figure it out.” His voice is laced with sleep, and his breathing becomes slow. “Love, I mean. I’ll wait for you, Kat.” And with that confession, I feel his hot breaths on my neck, and I know he’s fallen asleep. I follow shortly after, comforted by his sweet words and even sweeter embrace. It feels too easy to fall asleep wrapped in Keith’s arms. Our bodies fit together seamlessly.

I dream of Betty again, but not of the night she vanished. I’m happily seated at a dining table with her, both of us smiling from ear to ear. We talk about silly childhood memories while sipping tea in the sunny kitchen. Then the back door opens, and in walks Dan and Keith. Dan slumps his arm around Betty as he sits down next to her. He places a swift kiss on her cheek, and she blushes shyly. Keith shoots me a look filled with love and takes my hand in his as he joins us at the table. The four of us are so happy. How did I get this lucky?

When I wake again, the room is bright. I take in a deep breath and can smell Keith’s cologne. It is my absolute favorite smell now. But his arm isn’t around my waist like it had been last night. I reach my hand out for him and feel nothing but empty sheets. I open my eyes to make sure he isn’t in bed, just out of reach. Nope. He snuck out on me.

I quickly get out of bed and get dressed. I open the bedroom door and almost slam right into something. I rub my eyes, still feeling a bit tired. And then I see Keith standing directly in front of me carrying a tray filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and a bowl of fruit. I look up from the tray to his face and can’t contain the giggle that escapes my lips. He looks like a kid on Christmas morning. His eyes are bright with excitement and humor.

“Why are you laughing at me? I just cooked you breakfast and so kindly brought it to you in bed. Or I would have brought it to you in bed if you hadn’t just ruined the surprise.” He says with amusement in his voice.

“You’re cute,” is all I can say.Cute, really, Kat?“Sorry, you’re not cute. Well, you are. I mean, you’re handsome. And cute?” I can feel my cheeks turning crimson red. A smile starts to creep onto Keith’s face like he’s holding back laughter. I clear my throat. “What I’m trying to say is thank you, Keith. For breakfast, and also for last night.”

“You’re welcome.” He leans down close. I am positive he can hear my heart racing in my chest. “And I think you’re cute, too.” He adds softly. My stomach fills with butterflies.

He walks past me into the bedroom and proceeds to sit on the bed. Looking up at me after popping a grape into his mouth, he says, “Just because you ruined the surprise doesn’t mean we aren’t still eating breakfast in bed. Although I’m famished, so you better hurry before I eat all of this mouthwatering food without you.” He picks up a fork and digs into the eggs, shoveling food into his mouth at an alarming speed.

I can’t contain my glee. I take a few quick steps over to the bed and plop myself right next to this remarkable man. I take a bite of the pancakes and moan. I’m not even embarrassed at the sound because the pancakes are practically orgasmic. They taste like cinnamon and vanilla and melt right on my tongue. God, Keith is not only extremely good-looking, but he can cook too? What a catch. I just don’t understand what the hell he sees in me.

“Did you mean what you said at the motel? About me?” The question comes out before I can stop it. But I so desperately want to know the answer.

“I meant every word. You’re a breath of fresh air in my shitty life.” I don’t know what he means by that. His life hardly seems shitty. I glance around the room, taking in the ornate details of the wood trim and the beautiful, original oak floors that have been perfectly preserved.

He must have noticed my confusion because he starts explaining himself. “A big home and all the money in the world won’t make me happy if I don’t have someone to share it with. And this house just reminds me of how alone I am every single day. My parents died when I was in high school, and I don’t have any siblings. The few women I’ve dated have wanted nothing more than my money. It doesn’t take much digging on Google to find out how much I inherited. Even if I did find someone who didn’t care about my bank account, I don’t think I could ever truly give myself to them. Another woman has completely taken over my mind for quite some time.” He leans in just a few inches. “I’ve been alone for so long. You have no idea how nice it is to have you here, Kat.”

It feels like my body gravitates towards his all on its own. I find myself leaning in, too, holding my breath in anticipation. Keith licks his lips slowly, seductively.

“I’m glad you showed up at my motel room,” I confess. And then his lips are on mine in a second. Again, his kiss feels so passionate and desperate. I understand it, though. He is the only guy who has ever made me feel this happy. It doesn’t feel like I’m suffocating in sorrow and guilt anymore when I’m with Keith. I can breathe as long as he is beside me. I need him too.

This time when we pull away from each other, Keith doesn’t apologize. Instead, he places a soft peck on the tip of my nose and another on my forehead. I giggle. That was the sweetest thing a guy has ever done to me. It reminds me of when I was a child, and my dad would tuck me into bed with a loving kiss on my forehead. I feel completely safe with Keith. He makes me feel so wanted and cherished. He told me last night he would wait for me to learn how to love someone. I don’t think it’ll be as hard as I first expected. He is a true gentleman, and I’m at his mercy.

We finish eating the delicious food in no time. I ask him some questions, trying to get to know him better while scarfing it all down. I learn that Keith’s favorite color is green, and he commented on how my eyes are the perfect shade of deep emerald when the light hits them. He told me his middle name is August, and even though his parents said it was after some great, great uncle or something, he swears it was just the month he was conceived. His parents used to bring him to this house to spend the summers, but he actually grew up in a perfectly normal-sized home in town. He loved his childhood, and he was always happy. But then his parents died in a car accident when he was a senior in high school. Since he was already eighteen, he got his inheritance right away.

He told me about getting into some trouble after that. Hanging with the wrong crowd, drinking, and doing drugs. Anything to numb the pain of losing his parents. It wasn’t until he got pulled over for drunk driving that he realized how stupid he had been behaving. He talked about how the cop took pity on him, having known his parents, and gave him a warning after throwing Keith in the back of his car and driving him home.

It was then that he decided he wanted to be a cop. He wanted to help people the way that cop had helped him when he was in desperate need of it. That cop pushed him down a better path in life, and I can tell Keith is eternally grateful. But then Betty’s case came across his desk when he was just a rookie, and everything went downhill from there, it seems.

Hearing his story only makes me care about him more. Keith isn’t some perfect, wealthy man who has had everything handed to him. He had gone through a terrible loss. He has his own demons, so I know he won’t judge me for mine. So, I decide to tell him more about myself too.

I start the conversation off lightly. I tell him my favorite color is yellow. My middle name is Leanne, but I don’t have any distant relatives that I was named after. I had a pretty happy childhood too, but I was always more reserved than Betty. I admired and envied my big sister because she embodied everything that I wished I could be.

I told him about how badly I miss Betty. How everyone told me that time would help ease my pain, but instead, it feels like each year that passes without her makes my pain so much worse. So, I became a private investigator because I wanted to be brave. I want to help people that the cops can’t or won’t. But the few cases I have landed so far have been small. I caught a few pictures of cheating spouses and looked into a middle school teacher that some parents were suspicious of. He checked out, though and the moms that hired me weren’t pleased.

When Malerie brought me the case about Jess, I felt like it was a second chance. I told Keith that I thought maybe if I found Jess before it was too late, it would take away some of the pain and guilt I felt about Betty. But I’m worried that I won’t be brave enough if push comes to shove. I started getting those notes, and I ran to a motel. And things haven’t even gotten bad yet. That’s not bravery.

I told Keith everything about myself, including my flaws, and he just listened to me. I am so thankful for that. When I finish my little autobiography, and all our dirty laundry is out in the open, it feels like we maybe have a chance at being happy with each other.

The only secret I kept to myself was the fact that I’m a virgin. That is a conversation for another time... Or maybe not ever. He doesn’t necessarily need to know my most intimate secret. I am positive he’s no virgin, and I don’t have any desire to confess my lack of experience.

Chapter 8

After finishing breakfast, showering, and trying to clear my mind of dirty thoughts about Keith, I meet him back in his weird surveillance room. He's already sitting at the table, deep in thought, with Betty’s case files strewn about in front of him. He takes a sip of his steaming coffee and then looks up at me, a smile instantly spreading across his extraordinary face. My insides heat up.

“What are you up to?” I ask and then feel rather stupid. Obviously, he’s looking into Betty’s case again.

“I’m just going over all the details we know about Betty. I was wondering if you could tell me a little about Jess’ case. If you’re right, and they are connected, then maybe I can find the link.”

“Oh, sure,” I say as I take a seat across from him. “I’m almost positive it was the same guy who took both Betty and Jess. I can’t figure out why though, but the similarities between their bedrooms are uncanny. Both bedroom windows were wide open, clothes missing, the parents were gone for several hours. The blood...” I shudder. “And actually, I thought Jess looked a lot like Betty too.” I pull out my phone and show him the picture of Jess and Malerie on their family trip to Tahoe. Malerie sent it to me along with the names and numbers of everyone Jess knew.

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