Or worse, would they ask her a bunch of questions and treat her like she was a foreign object to be studied?
Her stomach growled again, and she decided that her hunger was going to win out. Sighing and bracing herself, she got up and slowly made her way down the hallway.
She could hear Garrett and his grandmother talking, and she paused. Bracing herself, she rested her head against the hallway, before she forced herself to walk into the kitchen. They must have heard her coming, because as soon as her feet hit the entryway into the big kitchen, all of them were staring at her.
Garrett’s eyes were filled with a mixture of happiness and heat. A look that she was sure she could get used to, but wasn’t sure if she should.
His grandmother, she recognized from the night before, and she was smiling softly, welcoming to her.
The last was a woman about her age that was scowling at her over her cup of coffee.
“About time,” the woman who was scowling at her griped.
“Sara,” Garrett growled, and she took a step back.
“Come on in, dear. Ignore Sara. She hasn’t had near enough coffee yet. I’m Eleanor, and this is Garrett’s sister and my granddaughter, Sara.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said, but Sara gave her a look and didn’t acknowledge her in any other way before going back to her coffee.
“Can I get you something to drink, little one?” Garrett asked, coming up beside her.
She hadn’t noticed it last night, but he was so much taller than her that she found her head tilting back to look up at him. The move shouldn’t have done anything for her, but she felt a slither of pleasure flow through her body.
“Um… Tea?” she managed to get out over her thick tongue, and when he smiled in response, her heart tripped.
“A woman after my own heart. Don’t like coffee?” She wrinkled her nose just thinking about it, and he chuckled before winking. “Me either.”
“How you can stand to start the day without coffee, I have no idea,” Eleanor said, smiling at Garrett, who had grabbed a cup and was unwrapping a tea bag for her. “Sit down, dear, and let me fix you a plate.”
She sat in a blur as a cup of tea and a plate full of food, just like the night before, were placed in front of her. Garrett sat next to her and draped his arm over her chair, gesturing to her plate.
How was she supposed to concentrate with him this close.
“Eat.” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, as if he could read her mind.
She forced herself to pick up her fork and start eating. She was so nervous that she hadn’t thought she would be able to eat, but before she knew it, her plate was empty, and the deliciousness was completely gone.
Was it rude to lick the plate?
She couldn’t remember ever eating something so good.
“Would you like some more?” Garrett asked, watching her with a puzzled look, and she felt her cheeks go hot.
“No. Thank you, though,” she said, and instead took another sip of her tea.
Sara got up, her chair scrapping against the floor, and without taking her plate or cup to the sink, and without a word to anyone, she simply walked out.
“I’m sorry… Did I…” she asked, wondering what it was that she had done wrong.
“It’s not you. Sara is… well, hard to deal with on the best of days,” Garrett answered, frowning at the hallway Sara had disappeared down.
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” Eleanor asked, eyeing her over her cup of coffee, and it felt like led had settled in her gut.
Seemed like she had let her guard down too soon. But the woman had fed her, and Garrett had saved her, so she nodded.
“As Garrett has told you, I can see certain predictions through my dreams. Before today, I’ve seen glimpses of you coming into our lives, and I knew you were like me. However, Garrett has explained a few things, and I’m wondering if you are actually a dream walker.”
“Other than with Garrett, I’ve never dream-walked.” Garrett’s hand on the back of her chair slid along her shoulder, his fingers playing with the edge of her collarbone over her shirt. She got the feeling that he liked that she hadn’t dream-walked with anyone else.