Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Sarah bypassed the liquor store.
Funny how sitting in the parking lot and waiting to find a guy to buy her drinks had seemed daring and grown-up a couple of weeks ago.
Now? She felt ten times more grown-up for keeping her distance.
Anyhow, it’s not like she ever really needed the drinks.
She merely enjoyed the attention they brought her when she got to a party.
Here in Heartache, she had attention. Erin looked at her as more than just a kid on the verge of a breakdown because her mother died.
Erin saw her as a person with a life that wasn’t just defined by one god-awful moment.
It had felt good talking to her about the past and her old house.
It felt good having a friendship with Ally Finley and rooting for her mom to fix her marriage with Ally’s dad.
Sarah’s father might still only see her in momentary flashes between the old bouts of grief, but in Heartache, it didn’t hurt as much, because there were other people who paid attention.
Circling the village square in her car, Sarah searched for a free parking spot and realized she’d have to do a bit of walking. She should have left the B and B earlier, but she’d taken extra time to look her best.
She’d also spoken to her counselor about the new turns life had taken, and for once, she didn’t feel like a fraud when she got off the phone.
She’d been honest. Amazing how much it helped to have told her father about the letter from Brandon.
She’d deleted her Twitter account like the police suggested so “lockeduplove47” couldn’t find her.
The cops seemed to think “Becky” was Brandon’s girlfriend.
Ew.
Pulling into a free space on a street two blocks from the park, Sarah texted her friends to see if someone would walk with her.
Dad harped on stuff like that constantly, and in her effort to be better to him, she figured it couldn’t hurt to wait five more minutes. A reply came faster than that, though.
Flash your lights so I can find you.
Lucas.
Warmth tingled along her skin, heated and shivery at the same time. She turned her light on and off quickly then stepped out of the car. Already, she could hear his footsteps as he jogged toward her on the darkened street.
“I’m going to be ready for track season you’ve got me running so much, Sarah.” He sped past a streetlamp and she could see him vault over a fire hydrant, the reflective stripe on his tennis shoes catching the light.
“Nice!” she called, locking the car behind her. “Your hurdle form isn’t bad, but your speed could use some work.”
He slowed to a stop in front of her. Only now did she notice that he really could be a runner. He had the lean strength of a track athlete and he hadn’t broken a sweat. Wasn’t breathing hard, either.
“I’ll let my hurdle coach know you approve.” He took both her hands in his and looked into her eyes in a way that made her insides melt a little. “But I paced myself so I wouldn’t be sweaty for you. I’m hoping I can convince you to take a turn on the dance floor tonight.”
“Really?” She stroked her thumbs over the backs of his broad hands and admired how nice he looked in cargo shorts and a polo shirt with wide blue stripes. “Are you sure you know how to two-step?”
The back street was quiet even though it was packed with cars for people who were at Lucky’s tonight.
“You’re asking a Tennessee boy if he can two-step? New Girl, you’re showing your Miami side.” He hovered closer and she remembered how good his kisses felt.
“I’m a Cajun first and foremost.” She let go of his one hand and pirouetted under his other arm. “I was at the fais do-do when I was old enough to walk.”
“Is that right? You’ll have to catch me up on your bayou-speak, Cajun Queen.” He leaned in close enough to nip her lower lip. Gently. Slowly.
She had to gather all her defenses to keep from kissing him senseless in return. Just because she wanted to take her time and get to know him better didn’t mean it was going to be easy.
“Fais do-do.” She pronounced it slowly. “It’s a dance where the mamas leave their babies in the sleeping room off the dance hall so they can dance all they want.” She stepped away from the car, keeping hold of his hand. “I’ll tell you more while we walk.”
“You’re awfully sure I’ll follow you,” he said in her ear, the sound tickling all the way down her neck.
“No. I just hope you will.” She was nervous about telling him she wanted to slow things down. What if he was mad he’d broken up with his other girlfriend?
He held out an arm like a real gentleman so she could take it. Maybe because she’d worn a dress tonight? She felt special. Pretty. Talking to Erin had made her think maybe she could go to school in the fall and no one would be the wiser that she’d screwed up her senior year.
There was hope for her yet.
“Like I said before, you keep me running, but I’m not complaining.”
They walked in silence along the sidewalk for a moment, her skirt brushing up against his leg as they passed an abandoned flower shop and—unbelievably—a cobbler place.
Who fixed shoes anymore? There was a gun and rod store on the street, as well, but everything was dark until they reached the pizza shop on the far end of Main Street.
The scent of garlic and oregano wafted out the door along with rock music.
She thought she saw a few kids inside who’d been at the soccer game.
A couple of them looked up as they passed the window. Sarah held up her hand to wave, but a couple of them were already bending their heads together and whispering.
“Sarah,” Lucas said. “Remember how I said I wanted to talk to you?” He hurried past the pizza shop and they neared The Strand and Last Chance Vintage. “Can we do that first? Before we dance? I know you didn’t want to go anywhere private, but—”
“Let’s go to the baseball fields past the playground.” She’d seen the field the week before when they’d been playing laser tag. It’d been dark there. And quiet.
“Okay.” He pointed down the alley near Erin’s store. “Can we go this way? We’ll come out on the side of the dugout.”
“Sure.” She felt nervous. Jittery. What did he want to talk to her about? “Want to run?”
“Seriously? You’re in a dress.”
“Afraid I’ll beat you?” She let go of his arm. Picked up her pace.
“Can you see well enough?” he called. “Sarah?”
But she was already flying.
She wasn’t much of an athlete, but she knew how to run. It was her first-response system when times were tough. She ran from the field trip. Before that she ran from her bad grades with bad boys. Then she ran from her therapy sessions by drinking too much.
And, in between it all, she ran her butt off to get sweaty and forget about her mom taking a bullet in her temple one night in March when Sarah was at a sleepover smoking her first and only cigarette.
“Sarah!” Lucas shouted. She slowed down in case she’d gone the wrong way.
She tripped on a tree root, skinning both knees. Heard the fabric of her dress rip.
“Ouch.” The pain radiated down her legs as she held herself off the damp grass with one hand.
Not that it mattered, her dress was probably already ruined.
Footsteps pounded the earth hard and fast behind her.
“Are you okay?” Lucas was beside her in an instant, arms all around her, though he didn’t move her. “I couldn’t see you in the dark. I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” She leaned her head into his shoulder for a second then fell the rest of the way into his lap. He fell over and they were a damp messy tangle of limbs. “It’s me who wanted to race in the dark.”
“You have to be more careful.” He sat up, straightening her legs. “What did you hurt?”
“My knees.” She didn’t want to sound like a baby, but they both stung. “I skinned them.”
The twang of a country band floated on the breeze. They must be closer to the park. She thought she saw the baseball field up ahead, but the lights were off.
“You’re sure nothing is sprained? Did you make certain the cuts weren’t deep?”
She wrapped her arms around Lucas’s neck and squeezed. “You look. I don’t like the sight of blood.”
“You and me both,” he muttered.
“Why don’t you?” she asked, stopping his hands before he could lift up the hem of her skirt. “That is, why don’t you like the sight of blood?”
“Just let me see.” He set aside her hands and positioned his body out of the way of the moonlight to see better. “This is important, so I’ll get over it.”
He folded her dress gently, laying the extra fabric just above her knees. So careful.
Something about the tender way he cared for her made her let go of his neck long enough to watch him. He cradled one knee and slowly moved her lower leg up and down, testing the range of motion in first one knee and then the other.
She winced.
“That hurts?” He stopped immediately, his warm touch vanishing.
“Yes, but only because it pulls at the cuts. Nothing is sprained. I’m sure of it.” She felt bad for scaring him. He appeared really spooked.
“I’m fine. They’re just scratches. It’s my fault for taking off.”
“Why did you do that?” He studied her face, his eyes roaming every corner in the moonlight.
She cupped his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his body through the cotton.
“I was nervous about why you wanted to talk. I get antsy and twitchy when I’m scared. I don’t know. Running felt good.”
His head tipped forward until it met hers, creating their own dark little pocket of privacy.
“What am I going to do with you?”
“Tell me what you wanted to talk about.” She toyed with his collar. It would be hard going slow with him when it felt so good to be next to him, his warm strength anchoring her to one spot and scattering every impulse to flee.
“You asked about my reputation once and I didn’t want to talk about it.” He tensed. “But I need you to know what happened.”
“You can tell me.” She could feel all his muscles go taut. His nervousness fed hers even as she wished she could reassure him it was okay.