Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) by Venessa Kimball Read Free Book Online Page A

since Sam was MIA.
    On the first day I brought Nate to the store, Ms. Olivia put him to work. Nate assumed the handyman role for the bookstore and fit right in.
    Ms. Olivia baked and cooked for Nate when she wasn’t helping in the store. Nate’s eyes glazed over whenever he smelled the sweet cornbread, homemade cinnamon rolls, and casseroles she had made for us to take home. Ms. Olivia also had breakfast ready for us every morning. Every couple of days, she baked at least two batches of cookies to send home with us. She was spoiling us, but I could tell that she loved to do it.
    * * *
    Today, I’m distracted by Nate working under Ms. Olivia’s kitchen sink. I’m supposed to be studying black holes, white holes, and Laplace’s theories of their existence within our galaxy. Instead, I’m watching Nate.
    His arms tense as he turns the wrench around the pipe. I think about those hands touching my face, my lips, and my neck. My eyes move down over his chest, lowering down to the bottom hem of his green T-shirt. His shirt is lifted just enough for me to see a small portion of his sculpted abdomen.
    God, Jes, why are you torturing yourself? I try to refocus on reading, but it doesn’t help knowing that after we leave the store tonight, we are going out on a date.
    Nate breaks me out of my stupor when he growls from under the kitchen sink. “Damn it! Stupid pipe!”
    I hear Ms. Olivia walking back to see what the commotion is all about.
    “Nathaniel! There’s no need to get upset over something as irrelevant as a silly pipe!”
    Scooting out from under the sink, Nate mumbles, “Sorry about that, Ms. Olivia.”
    Ms. Olivia responds, “It’s alright. Cookies are almost ready, my boy.”
    Nate must feel my gaze on him. He looks at me and winks. He crawls back under the sink, his eyes not leaving mine until the very last possible moment.
    * * *
    We are heading out, and Ms. Olivia is trailing behind us with two batches of cookies. She calls after him, “Nate, these are for you, my boy.”
    I smirk, rolling my eyes. “Ms. Olivia, you are spoiling him.”
    She fans her hand at me softly. “Oh hush, Jesca. He reminds me of my son. Let me enjoy myself. I love baking for you two.”
    I smile weakly and give her a quick hug. I can’t resist how huggable she is. “Thank you, Ms. Olivia.”
    She hugs me a little longer than I expect and pats me on the back. Before she lets me go, she whispers into my ear, “Enjoy your date.”

Chapter 9
    Xander
     
    The weight of my eyes become too much and I fight briefly to reopen them. Suddenly, my body jolts a bit, like I’m falling in my sleep. The shift causes me to open my eyes. I’m in the cabin, and everything looks a bit different—in a good way though. Every detail of my surroundings is crisper, sharper, and brighter than normal.
    The lamp next to the sofa is too bright to look at, so I turn my eyes away from it. Streams of light are shining in from the window, creating a river of iridescent white flecks. I watch them as they shift and sway, and then I push down the throw blanket, leaving only the bottom half of my body covered. The flecks of light land on my upper half bring the strong sensation of warmth.
    I feel complete relaxation, and my muscles sink deeper into the sofa. I shift my weight to lean back on the couch pillow and look up at the ceiling. I eye the color of the wooden beams supporting the roof. They are a rich reddish-brown color. Beyond that, I can see the splinters beneath the contrast of the wood. Deeper still, I hear the creaking of the wood under the strong, frigid winds outside. The sound moves and shifts to include the walls and the floorboards.
    Creaking floorboards.
    I am not alone. My eyes dart around the room, realizing that something is not right. Xander thinks to himself, “Is this a dream or is it real?”
    A familiar husky voice comes from the kitchen behind the open refrigerator door.
    “Hello, Alexander. No, this is not real. It is a