Page 48 of Stalked

“It smells delicious,” I said, making sure I didn’t sound like I was trying too hard to be proper.

Caleb laughed under his breath, obviously aware of what I was doing.

“Desiree is preparing you two chicken parmesan pasta?—Mercy, yours is vegetarian, I may add?—with a special ingredient of mine. And as Caleb knows, I’ll never tellanyonewhat it is.” Abigail smiled as she grabbed a very old, expensive-looking bottle of wine. “Desiree and I have already eaten, so we’ll leave you to your date once your meals have been served.”

“Oh. No. This isn’t a date,” I corrected. I looked up at Caleb, who rolled his eyes at me, and Abigail only smiled back, filling up my glass halfway. The wine was so deep red and dry that I could smell it from here. “Thank you.”

She walked over to Caleb’s side of the table with the bottle and poured him a glass.

Slowly, I sipped the wine and shuddered as it went down. I wasn’t a big red wine fan, and this was dry enough to sting my nostrils as I drank it, leaving an odd aftertaste in my mouth. But I didn’t want to be rude, so I continued to drink it without complaint.

“Abigail grows the grapes on her property, and her staff makes the wine themselves,” Caleb explained. “They’ve been producing for decades now.”

“Well, it’s delicious,” I lied. “Thank you again, Abigail.”

I wasn’t sure if I saw a hint of a smile on her lips because I was too distracted by how she stared at me again as she took a seat on the other end of the table. Her eyes narrowed as she focused all her attention on me, and I resisted the urge to look away. Something told me I was being evaluated, even if I didn’t know what for.

What the hell is wrong with this woman?My heart rate picked up as we continued to stare at each other wordlessly.

“Tell me, Mercy,” Abigail started. “Do you remember anything about your life before this?” Her fingers drummed against the table.

“Only a few memories have come back to me in visions.” I glared at Caleb sternly. He looked uncomfortable.Good. “Honestly, it’s a strange concept; visions of a past life, as if my brain in this body had something to do with it, even though I know it didn’t. I never really believed in souls or reincarnation.” Abigail’s head tilted to the right, as if my words confused her. “Anyway, Caleb’s going to help me make sense of it. That’s why I’m here tonight. That’s all.”

No, that wasn’t all. The truth was, as fucked up as that vision was with killing someone, it wasn’t entirely terrifying for me now as it had been when it first happened. It had taken me by shock, but now, talking about it only feels like I dreamed it all.

Our attention was drawn toward the kitchen as Desiree entered through the entryway. She was a young girl?—maybe fifteen?—short, with black, pixie-cut hair, a thin frame, fair complexion, and dark green eyes. She wore a white and blue striped sundress with an off-white lace apron and was carrying a large serving tray.

“Dinner is served. Tonight?, we have chicken parmesan with pasta, garden salad, and whole wheat rolls, fresh out of the oven,” Desiree said, leaning down and placing a steaming plate in front of me. “Mercy, I made yours with soy protein and topped with our garden’s fresh basil. Is that okay?”

I nodded courteously, hiding the confusion I felt.

How does she know I don’t eat meat?

“Hey, Caleb,” she muttered, putting the second plate in front of him, then turned back to me. “Wow, you sure are beautiful. I’m Desiree.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Desiree. As you know, I’m Mercy. Are you also family?”

“Not by blood, but we’re pretty much like brother and sister.” She playfully punched Caleb in the arm.

He grinned and gave her a friendly wink.

“And I’m your waitress for the evening. Caleb mentioned you liked pasta and don’t eat meat,” Desiree added.

That answers that question.I glanced over at Caleb.

He acted as if he hadn’t been following me before we met at the park, but it was clear he knew a lot more about me than I initially thought.

“Did I eat meat in my past life?” I asked Caleb.

“You did. You have picked up on new likes and dislikes and have formed quite a different personality, but you’re stillyou,” he said, picking up his fork.

Desiree smiled, took our cloth napkins, and placed them on our laps. Caleb and I didn’t say much during dinner. I was too nervous about spilling my food on my elegant napkin. It looked more like a small tapestry you would hang on a wall rather than something someone would use to wipe food off their face.

Abigail had excused herself along with Desiree while he and I ate. After dinner, Desiree cleared the table, and then Caleb grabbed my hand and lifted me up from the chair.

“Care to dance with me?” he asked.

Caleb, acting like a gentleman, escorted me across the dining area and to the room behind us. As we entered through the double doors into a large ballroom, I heard beautiful violin music playing over the speakers strategically placed throughout the room.

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