Perception by Kim Harrington Read Free Book Online

wasn’t just a freak curse. Maybe it was something more.
    I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to my family. “I feel that these gifts we’ve been given …”
    “Our abilities?” Mom clarified.
    I nodded. “That because we have them, we have a responsibility to use them to help people.”
    “We do,” Mom said. “We make people happy. We amaze them, make their day brighter, their vacations more exciting. And Perry has soothed the grief of dozens of people.”
    “I know that, but … I feel like I should do more.”
    “Oh, look, it’s my little sister,” Perry said, breaking into his movie trailer man voice. “She’s a sassy girl detective, out to save the world!” I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm, but he continued, “Seriously, Clare. Who do you think you are, Spider-Man?”
    I narrowed my eyes at him. “Huh?”
    “You know. ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’”
    At my blank look, he shook his head. “I’m going back inside.” His movie man voice echoed as he climbed the stairs. “The sassy girl detective saves the world — one person at a time.”
    I groaned and balled my hands into fists.
    “You know your brother loves you,” Mom said. “And you love him.”
    “Yeah, yeah.”
    Mom let out a small sigh, got up from the swing, and walked toward the door.
    “It’s a nice thought, Clarity,” she said, “but where would you even start?”
    I sat alone for a while, thinking about the Waldmans. It would be helpful to have more details on the case. To make sure I had all the facts.
    Maybe from a police source.

YUMMY’S IS THE MOST WIDELY LOVED RESTAURANT in Eastport. Tourists like the kitschy drunken sailor décor. Locals approve of the fresh food. Teens appreciate the prices.
    I seated myself in a booth under a precariously hung lobster trap filled with plush lobsters featuring Yummy’s logo (on sale for only $12.99 each!). Though the owners liked to stick with the same ocean motif all year round, they had placed a pumpkin at the end of the bar. Good for them. Expanding their horizons and all that.
    I perused the menu, wondering if I wanted regular dinner or something from their breakfast-all-day menu.
    When I’d called Gabriel, asking him if he could pick his father’s brain on the Sierra Waldman case for me, he’d asked for dinner at Yummy’s in return. I figured he already knew most of the details because … what else are you going to talk about with your cop dad at the end of the day? But I’d agreed anyway.
    Yummy’s was where I first saw Gabriel. I don’t believe inlove at first sight, but that day proved the existence of lust at first sight to me.
    If Gabriel had come into my life at any other time, I’d have been all over the idea of our being more than friends. If I’d met him before I met Justin. Or even right after the breakup. But now … things weren’t so simple.
    Justin had earned my forgiveness. Hell, he’d nearly died trying to save my life. My feelings for him had morphed and changed again and again, but the one constant was that they never completely went away. I knew I wanted Justin in my life. What I had to figure out was … in what way. And I couldn’t jump into anything with Gabriel until I answered that question.
    I felt a blast of cool fall air as the door opened. Gabriel’s gaze swept around the room as he walked in. He wore a faded gray T-shirt, dark jeans, and running shoes. His black hair was choppy and messed up from his habit of running his hands through it. But, still, all the female heads turned. He didn’t even have to work at it.
    Gabriel’s eyes found mine and lit up. My heart did a little dance in my chest.
    He slid into the booth opposite me. “Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?”
    “First off, it’s dinner. Secondly, it’s not free. It’s a trade.” I leaned forward on my elbows and said conspiratorially, “Information for French fries.”
    He smirked. “I feel like I’m in a spy movie. Will you be