Shades of Atlantis Read Online Free Page A

to the cutlery as Jen leaned in again.

    “You’re blushing—looks like Caleb might have an admirer too.”

    “I would say an awful lot more than one. I would have to get in line, wouldn’t I?” I said cynically.

    She let out an exasperated sigh, and I glanced at her sideways. Her eyes narrowed, studying my face. “You do like him, don’t you?” Jen’s eyes darted from me over to Caleb again and back. “Well, from where I’m standing, you’re first in line.”

    I felt the butterflies flutter erratically and pursed my lips sarcastically for show.
     
    “I’ll be talking to you tomorrow. It’s good to see you’re not immune to every male on the planet after all,” she quipped.
    ***
    At the end of the night, when all the customers left and the staff were leaving too, I was in the locker room.

    “See you, Triona ,” Stephen, the chef, called, heading through the door. Besides me, he was last of the staff to leave. I smiled half-heartedly in response.

    I’d been in limbo all evening. Caleb didn’t mention last night. In fact, apart from the stolen, guarded glances in my direction and the occasional curious expression crossing his face when I was speaking to a customer, he pretty much stayed at the opposite end of the room, ignoring me. It seemed like every time I moved, he did too. It was as if we were dancing around each other, mirroring each other’s movements, with Caleb maintaining as much distance as possible between us within the confines of the dining room. Was it my imagination, or was he giving me extremely mixed signals? It was very frustrating; I didn’t know what to think. The kitchen door opened, interrupting my thoughts.
     
    “ Triona , can I have a word when you’re ready?” Caleb’s tone was careful, but there was an undercurrent of something else I couldn’t make out. He didn’t wait for a reply, just left the door swinging after him.

    Butterflies fluttered around my insides again instantly, and my breathing became jagged. I couldn’t imagine what line his train of thought was on; this could either end very well or very badly. I shook my hands in front of my body, trying to calm the butterflies. Opening the kitchen door, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He wasn’t there. I scowled. I could see in through the open door of his office, and he wasn’t there either, so I headed to the dining room, but still no Caleb.
     
    “Hmm,” I muttered, exasperated. Last night we were playing tag, tonight it seemed to be hide-and-seek. My heart started to thump a little louder. I surveyed the room again, just in case he decided to hide under a table or something. Who asks to speak to someone and then vanishes? The room was dark, but he definitely wasn’t there.

    Exiting the double doors that led to the deck, I finally spotted him. He had his back to me and was leaning against the rail that surrounded the deck. As I moved forward, I could see Caleb resting his forearms on the rail with his fingers intertwined, locked tight. I quietly approached and stopped at the rail, still about two feet from him, far enough away that his scent wouldn’t permeate the air that I would be using as soon as I started to breathe again. Caleb’s head was lowered, his eyes were closed, and he appeared to be miles away deep in contemplation. My heart was still racing when I placed one hand on the rail to steady myself and turned halfway toward him.
     
    The few lights still lit on the deck caught his features. His dark hair and his impossibly long eye lashes against the gold of his skin made my stomach do somersaults. I attempted in vain to compose myself and steady my breathing.

    “Caleb, are you okay?” I asked meekly, not knowing exactly what I would to say if he answered no. I watched as his lips started to turn up at the side. His eyes opened, and his expression became warm.

    “I’m really not sure.”

    Confounded, I waited, but he said nothing. Was he waiting for me to speak? He had asked