Chapter 121

Anna sat up in her bed and looked around. The morning sun danced through the space between the drawn curtains of her bedroom. She remembered not feeling well, becoming feverish, and dreams. But now she felt better. All better. She smiled and stretched, then got out of bed and went to find something to eat in the kitchen. Aaron had gone upstate to Saratoga Springs. She remembered that.

“Anna?”

Anna jumped and spun around. Tom stood in her kitchen wearing pajama pants and nothing else.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’ve been here for a week watching over you. You’ve been... sleeping.”

Anna blinked and stared at him for a long moment, trying to remember... something. Anything. But all she remembered were her dreams. “I think I’m better.” She chewed her lip, silently assessing her body. “I mean, I remember how I felt before, and I feel much better now. Normal. Actually, better than I have in a while.”

Tom chuckled. “Maybe your body finally figured out how to fight whatever bug you caught.”

“I didn’t think I could get sick, though. How did it happen?”

Tom shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know. You do tend to be more human than Immortal, though.”

“I’ve been sick for a week?”

“Three weeks. But once you fell asleep, you remained pretty steady. Low-grade fever was really all.”

“Oh.” She looked at the counter. “Was Vincent terribly angry?”

“Vincent? No, he was very concerned. As were all your friends. Aaron left only after I promised I’d stay with you.”

Anna scratched at some dried jelly on the counter. “Did Kurt call at all?”

“I spoke with Wilhelm several times, but no, Kurt didn’t call.”

The knife in her heart she had begun calling Kurt twisted again. Though she hadn’t felt it since she’d been sick, it was obviously still there. “I think I’ll shower and go out for a while.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been sick for quite a while.”

“I want to go outside. I want to walk.” She glanced up. “I bet you’ve missed quite a lot of work because of me. And your family.”

“I could work from here. Kelsey understands why I’m with you.”

Anna nodded. “I appreciate you watching over me. It couldn’t have been very interesting.”

He shrugged. “It’s alright. I kept busy.” He chuckled. “I think I might have gotten more done here rather than at the office. Fewer distractions.”

Anna laughed.

“Well, if you’re going out, I think I might head into the office for a while.” He raised his eyebrows. “If you start feeling sick again, call me and I will come get you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Tom,” she said softly, astonished at the concern in his eyes.

“Where are you thinking about going?”

Anna thought for a minute and then smiled. “The library.”

Tom stared for a moment, and then threw his head back and laughed. “You are a strange girl.”

Anna flushed.

“Do you want to call Wilhelm, or do you want me to?”

“You can.” She turned and returned to her bedroom. Since Kurt had visited, she had felt disconnected from the family. She didn’t want to open herself up to more hurt than she already had.

“Alright. You should call Aaron and let him know you’re awake.”

“I will.”

After a nice long shower, Anna dressed and headed downstairs. Tom had gone to the office, promising to call later. She left a message for Aaron after he didn’t answer his phone. He was probably in rehearsals.

She meandered down the street, not wanting to push herself too hard, though she felt better than she had in a long time.

After stopping to get something to eat at a bakery on the corner, she headed toward the park. She loved walking through the park to the library, even though it added ten minutes to her journey. It was worth it.

A whisper of a sound on the breeze made her freeze in her tracks, croissant halfway to her mouth. She would have sworn she’d heard Alex’s voice. Her heart pounded as she slowly turned around, half-expecting to see his ghost behind her.

The street behind her was empty. She inhaled and let out a long breath, trying to right her heartbeat. What a ridiculous thought. Alex was dead.

Oh, but she would have sworn she could feel him right here, right now. She closed her eyes, relishing something she hadn’t felt—his presence—in years. Oh, Alex. Will my heart ever get over you?

Sighing, she shook her head and resumed her journey, letting the tall trees and cool grass of the peaceful oasis soothe the ache in her soul. That there was an enormous park in the middle of a bustling city never ceased to amaze her. Despite the faint sound of cars in the distance, she could easily imagine herself far away from the city as she followed the winding paths. Maybe she would stop on the way home and read for a while. It was a beautiful day and a perfect place to get lost in a book.

Fifth Avenue was just a few minutes away when she caught sight of the Plaza Hotel. The place where Kurt had stayed and slept with another woman after throwing her engagement ring at her. She stared up at the French-chateau-inspired building, with its green, peaked roof and white rounded corners. Which of those hundreds of windows did Kurt look out over the city from, naked and relaxed from his bedmate’s attention? She twisted the ring on her finger, hating its presence and contemplating “losing” it. But she just sighed and continued on her way, knowing she could never lose something on purpose.

By the time she made it to Rockefeller Center, she’d recovered from her sad memories and went to buy a soda from one of the restaurants. She usually stopped in on her way to the library, and the bartender knew her by name.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, Katrina,” Levi said, grinning at her as he filled the cup with cola without having to ask what she wanted. “Where ya been?”

“Sick.”

He handed her the cup with a smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. Feeling better?”

Anna nodded. “Much better. Thanks.” She gave him a big smile and put a five-dollar bill on the bar. “I’ll be around more from now on.” She smiled and turned to walk away.

“Your fiancé come visit you yet?”

She froze, then turned around, trying to keep her face impassive. “No.”

Levi gave her a sympathetic look. “He’s really stupid, in my humble opinion. Shouldn’t let a pretty woman wander around the city alone. It’s... uncivilized.”

Anna laughed. He’d asked her out a few times, before Kurt had come into town. She paused and looked at him. His dark brown hair was wavy but pulled back into a ponytail, contrasting nicely with his electric blue eyes. He’d always been nice. Kurt had said he didn’t care what she did, as long as she kept it private... Maybe she should test that theory.

She stepped back to the bar and wrote her number on a napkin, sliding it across the slick wood at him with a shy smile.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw what was on the napkin. “Really?”

Anna shrugged her shoulders. “If you want.” She bit her lip, then hurried away, not quite believing what she’d done.

As she walked outside, she nearly ran into someone. She looked up and met the man’s puppy-dog brown eyes. She gasped. It looked like... Seth!

The man spun around and hurried away, disappearing around the corner. Without thinking about it, she followed him, her heart pounding hard in her chest. He stopped a few feet away, looking down at his phone. She hoped he’d look up so she could get a better look at his face, but he didn’t. He wore a hat over long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and had a thick black beard. After a moment, she slowly turned and walked away. Seth was a military man through and through. He would never let his hair grow so long or have a beard like that.

Besides, he was dead. Just like Alex.

The ghostly voice from earlier had just set her imagination on fire, making her think dead men roamed the streets of New York City.

She shook her head, pushing aside the idea of the dead being alive, and made her way down Fifth Avenue, sipping her cola, until she reached the lion-flanked steps that stood guard in front of her favorite building in the city. After stopping at the information desk to have them tell Max, the head librarian, that she was here, she headed upstairs, trying to decide what kind of book she was in the mood for. She headed to the dance section and settled on the floor with her favorite ballet book. Max had told her a hundred times she should just check the book out and read it at home in comfort, but there was nothing like sitting on the floor of the library, surrounded by the scent and presence of a thousand paper friends.

She heard footsteps and looked up to see Max’s smiling face. “How’s my favorite reading ballerina today?”

She smiled back. “Much better and glad to be here.”

“You haven’t been around, or have I just missed you?”

She shook her head. “I was sick for a few weeks, but I’m better now.” She motioned to the book in her lap. “And back with my favorite book.”

Max chuckled. “I’m glad you came. We have an exhibition that I wanted to make sure you saw.”

Anna smiled brightly as she looked up at him. “What of?”

“Old photographs of dancers from Cambodia. The exhibit closed this weekend, but the photos are still here, if you’re interested.”

“Oh, yes!” Anna leaped up and carefully slid the book back into its place before following Max to the back rooms where the photographs awaited.