Chapter 10
AGE 18
My parents’ living room
“You guys are going to take samples again ?” Jacob pops a handful of Doritos into his mouth as he eyes me up. He’s wearing his standard gym shorts with a tattered T-shirt and his short dark brown hair is wet from the shower.
“Why are you so dressed up?” he asks around his food.
I watch him as he shoves it in, bouncing his knee as he talks. He's been super antsy lately, something I can’t quite put my finger on has been off. And maybe it’s a twin thing but when he’s antsy, so am I. I look away from him and down at my outfit so my nerves don’t skyrocket any more than they already have.
“It’s just a sundress,” I mutter defensively, cocking my hip and placing a hand on it.
Jacob turns his attention back to the TV with what I’m pretty sure is a hint of a smirk. “Mmkay,” he mumbles.
I grab my purse and sling it over my shoulder, not bothering to correct him on where I’m going. I’m already nervous enough, I don’t need to hear him razz me about going out with Rowan…on a date. A fake date just because I lost a bet and he wants to see me sweat through Annabelle.
It took me way longer to settle on my white eyelet lace sundress and faded jean jacket than it should have. I never used to wear dresses but the self-confidence blog I’ve been following has really encouraged me to embrace my curves, so here we are, embracing my curves. Although I’m paranoid Rowan is going to get here, take one look at me, and say there’s not a chance he’s going to take me to the movies, even if he did win the bet.
Elk Creek had more hydrocarbons and pesticides than Petersburg by almost double. After some further investigation we determined that run off from a local farm was contaminating the creek. I think we’ll get bonus marks for figuring that out.
“So, you’re going to take samples for pollutants…in a sundress?” Jacob asks as my dad comes into the living room with his new iPad and a snack, ready to relax after having just come home from work. He’s still in his clean Sky Ridge uniform, a black T-shirt and his greens. Fire season hasn’t really got off to a busy start, but he still has to work a daily shift. Every day he comes home clean, I can breathe a little easier. When I was young, sometimes he’d take me with him to organize equipment or help him wash the service truck the guys use to stock the base, just to show me his job wasn’t always dangerous. I’ve always had a fear of him getting hurt in the field, ever since third grade when one of my classmate’s dad died. He was a hotshot just like my dad. It was the first time I understood that my dad was at risk and anything could happen to him.
“You look nice, Vivi,” he says, kissing me on the top of my head. He smells like motor oil and heavy-duty cleaner.
“Cleaning the equipment room today?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
“How’d you guess?” He grins.
I smile up at him, noticing for the first time a few threads of silver in his blondish hair. My dad is getting older, but he has to stay in shape as part of his job. He reminds Jacob every chance he gets that he could still kick his ass.
“She’s got a date—I mean, homework—with King.” Jacob snickers.
My dad looks at him, and as he does, I give Jacob the death glare. My dad is unfazed. He looks back at me and shrugs.
“I know.”
My head snaps up from searching for my favorite bubble-gum lip gloss.
“You know?” Jacob and I both ask our dad at the same time.
He nods. “Yeah, Rowan called me and told me he was taking Vivi out. Said he won a bet and that she was gonna hate every second of it.” Dad grins, and I want to die.
“What??” I groan at the same time a heavy knock sounds at the front door.
Dad and Jacob are still laughing when I swing it open to find Rowan wearing black jeans, a white T-shirt that fits him perfectly, and his staple black boots. His wavy hair sits perfectly, just touching his forehead and his tan is deep, making his intense blue eyes seem even more piercing. Shit. What was I mad at him for again?
His eyes rake over me slowly, from my strappy white sandals, over my dress to the snug fitting top, he pauses and swallows, and then his gaze continues to my face. Something about the way he looks at me makes me feel like I’m going to overheat. My hormones are just out of control around him. When his eyes meet mine his lips part slightly, and I’m wondering if I’m overdressed. Since I’ve never been on a date before, I have no basis for comparison and my only friend good enough to call for advice is away with her family for a week.
I clear my throat and Rowan blinks, then runs a hand through his hair.
“So…” He smirks. “Ready to hide behind your fingers all night?”
“You should take the blanket you hide behind when we watch scary movies here, Vivi.” Dad chuckles from the sofa, turning up the Mariners game Jacob is watching.
Oh yeah, now I remember why I was mad. He called my dad.
“I looked it up,” I say to them both defiantly. “It’s not even going to be that scary. I’ll be fine.”
My dad, Jacob, and Rowan look at each other, and at the same time all of them start laughing.
I narrow my eyes at Rowan
“Whatever, jerks,” I say awkwardly to my dad and Jacob, which makes them laugh even harder. As I storm out of the house past Rowan and onto the porch, I pause hearing Jacob speaking low to Rowan just inside the door. I turn back to them just as Rowan pats Jacob on the shoulder and nods.
Weird.
I hear him call out “She’ll be home by ten” to my dad before adding, “Go M’s.”
“Got that right,” Dad echoes. The one thing they always have in common is their love for the Mariners.
Ugh…if Rowan wasn’t so annoying he’d be pretty close to perfect.
“Did you have to call my dad? I’m eighteen, I don’t need permission to hang out,” I bite out as I get into the passenger side of Rowan’s mom’s Ford Explorer.
“To date ,” he corrects as he closes my door with a smile on his face that I can’t really be angry at. He gets in on his own side. “And yeah, I did. You aren’t a stranger, I wanted to make sure your dad and Jacob were all right with it.”
I roll my eyes. I mean, it was kind of sweet he told my dad he was taking me out, but little does he know I’ll never hear the end of it from Jacob, and my mother will be asking me every five seconds what’s going on between us.
I turn to face him, the scent of his cologne fills the space between us, and it’s hard not to breathe it in. He smells so good. I will myself to focus and try to get my point out.
“It’s 2014, you aren’t ‘courting’ me, and you have no idea what happens in my family when you throw the word date around with my name like that—especially since I’ve never been on one! And also because it’s only a date because I lost a bet. My family will hound me about this for years to come,” I protest.
Rowan grins and starts the engine before looking back at me, placing his broad palm on my forearm, and I realize just how close we are. How close his face is to mine when he looks down at me.
“Vi, do you not understand that I’ve been having fun hanging out with you the last few weeks and that winning this bet was just an excuse to get you to go out with me?”
My mouth falls open and my eyes drift from his down to his full lips, then back up to his eyes. He wanted to take me on a date?
“ Why? ” I ask out loud before my brain tells me not to. Rowan’s thumb grazes my arm as he speaks and my skin breaks out in goosebumps. He angles himself toward me a little more and leans in slightly, bringing that delicious scent with him.
“Lots of reasons…” He smirks. “You’re terrible at judging scientific matter, you have a really hard time admitting when I’m right…about anything or that you even like me...but”—his voice grows softer like he’s about to admit something—“the thing that seals the deal? You look really, really cute when you’re trying to pretend that you aren’t absolutely terrified of shitty horror movies.”
I sit dumbfounded for all of three seconds before I scoff and swat at him for poking fun at me and also saying I looked cute, because he can’t mean that.
“Uh-uh. Don’t do that,” he says, gripping my arm a little tighter, as if he’s reading my mind. His eyes grow instantly serious. “For the record, when you opened that door tonight… you took my fucking breath away.” He lifts his hand from my arm to twist a piece of my curled hair between his fingers then releases it.
We sit across from each other; the only sound is our breathing as his gaze drifts to my lips. Rowan is looking at my lips…like he likes them? I feel something start to heat between my thighs. I clench them together to stop it, but it only makes me feel it more.
“But I’m nothing like the girls you normally date…” I say, because I just can’t make sense of it.
“I know. That’s why I like you, Vi,” He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, leaving me speechless as he turns and starts to back out of my parents’ driveway.
I say nothing, because, well, I just really didn’t expect that and I need a minute to process that this is my first real date.
With Rowan.
Internal panic mode activated.
So, it turns out Annabelle is that scary, and I did actually spend the entire movie peeking between my fingers, much to Rowan’s delight while he chuckled and ate popcorn. He did tell me what was happening when I was too afraid to look and he did in fact share his popcorn with me. Every time I reached into the bag and our fingers brushed, those little butterflies swirled in my stomach. I keep reminding myself it’s Rowan, but my body isn’t listening to the logical side of my brain. My heart rate is almost normal again by the time we’re leaving the theatre and there is a little more space between us.
“I think I might need to buy you some ice cream to bring your heart rate down to a reasonable level. I can hear it from all the way over here.” Rowan wraps his pinky finger around mine, pulls my hand to the center console and laughs.
I feel my skin heat with his unexpected touch, but I fight the urge to say no, I’ve been doing so well with my diet this week. I know one ice cream won’t kill me, but I already ate popcorn and candy at the theatre. The familiar guilt creeps up and I do my best to push it down. How often do I go on a date? NEVER. I make the decision almost immediately to go with him. I’m sure there will be something of the healthier variety at our local ice cream parlour, Licks.
“Okay, but I can pay for myself, you know,” I remind him, but he’s already shaking his head.
“Not a chance,” he says. “My mother would have my head for that,” he adds.
“Well, when you put it that way, I’ll do it for Liz,” I say, mentioning Rowan’s mom by name. She’s always been so nice to me and Jacob, I’ve met her a lot more than I’ve met his dad because his dad is a long haul truck driver, he goes back and forth from coast to coast. He’s only home for a few days every two weeks, but he does his best to make it to every one of Rowan’s games he can.
When we get to the other side of town, Licks comes into view. You can’t miss our town ice cream parlor, it’s a staple in Sky Ridge. Licks Dessert Bar and a huge milkshake are painted in a bright, retro style on a large mural across the side of the big historic red brick building on the corner of Sky Ridge’s Main Street and it’s packed as it always is this time of year. There are people from our school sitting on the numerous picnic tables outside under the overhang and it features enough twinkle lights to brighten the entire patio in the dark. People who don’t fit at the tables eat in their cars, or on their tailgates in the parking lot. I feel my palms start to sweat at the thought of going into this place with Rowan Kingsley and having to see all of these people from school. I look around nervously trying to talk myself into walking by all of them with confidence.
“Vi.” Rowan chuckles as he sneaks into a free parking spot and cuts the engine.
“Yeah?” I ask, looking out the window. Kyleigh Miller, her cronies, and three of Rowan’s teammates take up a few of the tables.
“You ashamed to be seen with me or something?” he asks, noticing my nerves.
“You’re fucking with me,” I say with a laugh.
He pulls his black Seahawks hat off the back seat and pops it on his head backward, then faces me. “Well, I can’t help but notice you look like you’d rather rob this place than go in and get ice cream with me,” he says.
I look back out my window. “I don’t normally mingle with this crowd,” I say truthfully.
“You aren’t here to mingle with them, you’re here to have ice cream with me.” He smirks that lopsided grin and I know I’ve lost any battle I had of going in there with him. He’s so relaxed all the time, nothing phases him. It’s kind of contagious and I will it to give me courage.
Rowan gets out of the car and I follow suit, but he’s at my side and towering over me before I even see him coming. He takes my hand in his, it feels warm and it’s like I just…fit with him.
He leans down, my heart thunders in my chest as he does.
“Forget them, it’s just you and me, yeah?” he says, his voice is deep and comforting in my ear.
His thumb strokes the inside of my palm. Okay, yeah, I’m pretty sure I’d do just about anything he asked when he’s touching me. I nod and smile up at him.
To my horror, all eyes are on us as we round the corner, Rowan stays a step behind me and places his hand on my lower back. It settles me a little.
He doesn’t get far before his teammates stop him, he does a little handshake with two of them and they start talking about some play they need to perfect for tomorrow night’s game. I stand beside him, feeling so awkward and out of place. Kyleigh is sitting with Brittany and Carmen, of course. Every single one of them wears little crop tank tops that showcase their figures and cut off jean shorts. It’s like they called each other and planned their outfits. The only difference is that Kyleigh highlights her very slender waist with a gold chain that circles her and dips below the top of her jeans.
“You all know Violette?” Rowan asks when there’s a small break in conversation.
His rugby buddies turn to nod and say hi, looking between me and Rowan. One of them is taller than the rest, with a round, kind of baby face but he isn’t chubby in the slightest, in fact he’s built like a brick wall.
“Max,” he says to me with a head nod. “You’re Jacob’s little sister.”
I nod and smile. “Yeah, but we’re twins, actually.”
“Wait…no way, you’re in our grade?” Max asks. We’ve had at least one class together every year, so my guess is if he doesn’t remember that, he’s probably never noticed me.
“Yep,” I say, popping the p.
Kyleigh snickers, I’m sure just to make me even more uncomfortable.
“Awkward,” someone says in a mock cough, and the rest of them laugh.
“You guys are dicks,” Rowan says to all of them. “This is why I don’t come out with you.” He turns to me. “Ignore them, Vi.”
“Ahh, come on, King…we’re just joking, sit with us,” Max says.
Rowan grabs my hand as he pulls the door open with the other over my head, guiding me in. “Nah, we’re good, see you fuckers at practice tomorrow.”
I make the mistake of looking back at Kyleigh through the window, and discover her eyes are on me and she’s holding her thumb and finger to her forehead forming an L , and laughing with Brittany and Carmen.
I look away quickly, doing my best to make conversation with Rowan to stop the bridge of my nose from stinging. They’re all just out there laughing because I’m with Rowan.
“You should come to my game tomorrow,” he says as we get in line.
“I am,” I say, watching the way his face shows surprise. It only lasts a few seconds until he realizes.
“Of course, you’re coming to watch Jacob.”
I smile. “My whole family is coming. Playoffs are a big deal.”
I scan the menu for anything remotely healthy. There is nothing.
“What are you gonna have?” Rowan asks, turning to face me while we wait in the long line. I blow out a breath.
Fuck it. I mentally block those girls out and decide to have whatever I want. I’m going to enjoy my date. I turn and smirk back at them over my shoulder, leaning in closer to Rowan. Mentally telling them, “You can make fun of me all you want, but I’m the one who’s here with him.”
“A scoop of rocky road, and a scoop of chocolate peanut butter with hot fudge and whipped cream,” I say.
Rowan starts laughing. “Nicely done. Love that you didn’t order a vanilla kiddie cone. You know what, I’m having the exact same thing.” His face beams with pride over my sudden burst of confidence.
Rowan reaches forward and grips my open jean jacket tugging me toward him. I look around at all the people in the space, and he lifts a hand and curves his finger under my chin, tilting it up so I have nowhere to look but into his gorgeous blue eyes.
“Don’t pay attention to them, Vi, I want your eyes.”
My breath hitches and I’m pretty sure I gulp. What is this man doing? Half the school is here.
“You never stop surprising me, Violette Taylor. Now…” He pauses and looks up as if deep in thought, then brings his eyes back to mine with that damn smirk. “If only there was a way I could get you to admit you’re also coming to the game tomorrow night to watch me…” he rasps, dipping his head low in front of everyone in the ice cream parlor.
They all fade away in a haze as Rowan Kingsley’s lips meet mine.