22. Nicolette
Nicolette
I didn’t want to lead Jeremy on, but I did need a ride if Iwasgoingtobring the crates to Riot’s booth. I stillwasn’tsure why Iwasdoing it. Someone like Katie should be doing this for him and I idlywonderedif she evenknewabout his art.
She’s helping me re-acclimate to the community.
And thatincludedtelling him hehadto hide his face from the world because of a measly scar.
Riot had left to pick her up nearly an hour ago and holy fuck did he look good.
I began to drool when my eyes landed on him.
At first, I couldn’t help but feel like maybe he’d shaved for me.
I had told him a few times I wish I could see his smile more and the way he’d regarded me made my heart stop.
I noticed the little scar on his chin. Was that what he was so worried about people seeing?
“Excited for today?” Jeremy kept looking at me and it was irritating, like he was waiting for some reaction that would never come.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Yep,” I replied, gazing out the window. The town was buzzing and there was significantly more traffic through the streets. I couldn’t believe after everything, I found pride in seeing this event become successful.
“After the mayor does the welcome, I’ll need to go on stage, I was hoping you’d join me.” I raised an eyebrow.
“Why would I need to go on stage?”
“I feel like Godotison the brink of a little renaissance, you know? Good thingsarehappening, like these Family Field Days. And I think youarea big part of it. We need to highlight the bright thingshappeningin Godot. The successful people thathavecome out of here and no oneisa better example of that than you.There’stoo much press about the drug problem and the health issues. ”Hewavedhis hand dismissively.
“Don’t you think those thingsareworthaddressingso that maybe someone can root out the cause to correct the problem?”
Jeremy faltered but recovered. He tipped his head back and forth.
“Of course, but those issuesaregenerational now.We’repast the point of being able to eradicate the drug problem.”
“Yeah, I heard about the class action from the homes built after the fire.” I was baiting him but if he had any new information for me, he didn’t give it away.
“Those poor people will be lucky if they’re even alive when they finally see that payout. You know how those things go, deny and delay.” He waved another hand dismissively. I parted my lips to speak, but he threw the car in park. “We’re here!”
Tearingoff my seatbelt like I couldn’t get away fast enough, Icameto stillness when my feethittheground.
Riot’s gaze met mine across the parking lot. The petite brunette tugged on his hand and they were holding goddamn hands. Jealousy gripped me and I’d never felt so unbelievably temporary. I was already looking forward to this day being over so I could go back and pack.
“So, what do you say? Be my Vanna White on stage?”Jeremycamearound to my side andheldhis arms out, expectant.
“Okay, sure.”Hebeamed.“Thanks, Jeremy, and thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it. Ihavesome set up to do. ButI’llsee you in there?”
His smile faded when I began to unload all the items I brought.
“Do you need a hand?” He moved to help me.
“Oh,I’malright, I just need to get thesesetup before the vendor booths open!”Iflashedhim another smile but the phoninesswasapparent, even to me. Isawhim frown and scuff his shoe and a pang of guiltstruckme before Idisappearedto take care of Riot’s booth.
An hour later, I’dcheckedon all our sponsors,gavea few comments to bloggers, andrefilledapproximately three large tumblers with rum and Diet Coke. The eventwasrunning smoother than I couldhavepredicted.
Everything felt like it was wrapping up in Godot and that sense of finality filled me with a surprising amount of sadness. I sucked down whatever was left in my cup and tossed it in the garbage. Maybe it would be better if I just took off tonight. Better to sober up.
I found myself wandering into the artists’ showcase. I idled past the children’s section and stopped in my tracks when I came to the end.
It was the twinkling sound of metal chimes I heard first.
They filled my ears and brain with the reminiscent sound of adolescent summer.
The sound somehow sprinkled its way down my entire body.
I felt like I could float away. But I was viscerally grounded by the harmonious carousel of sparkling colors that caught the tent walls.
The shimmering display called me forward and the crowd that had gathered around it parted like they’d been commanded to.
My mouth fell open when I reached the front.
The whirligigwasmadeof all kinds of scrap metal and glass shards to form the body of a pickup truck.
Riot’s pickup truck.
An empty jug of cheap winewasbrokeninto pieces andaddedto act as the truck’s doors. Therewereold cigarette ads decoupaged on the metal hood of the truck.
The real punch to my heart, though,wasthe old Barbie doll in the center of the truck bed.
Her long blonde hairpulledup into a high ponytail.
Half of her facewasmarredin black dirt, which only somehowmadeher more spectacular.
Shewaswearinga dirty blue gown, and shespun,positionedlike a ballerina.
The back of the truckcamealive with pieces ofstainedglasscascadingoff the back.
Slivers of a mirror behind itmadeit look like itwasburning.
One small, round lightemanatedfrom the front.
The twinkling that emanated from it was hypnotic. Everything about it was magnetic .
My breath caught in my throat, which was quickly tightening when I let my eyes drift to the card beneath it.
ME & CINDERELLA - Riot Asher
He used his real name. My chest burst with pride I hadn’t earned and when tears sprung to my eyes, I didn’t blink them away. They were evidence. That something, no someone, had moved me.
I’m not letting this one go , he had said to me last night, referring to the piece before me. At least that’s what I had thought he was referring to. Now it didn’t feel like that.
Not even a little.
Isuckedin a shaky breath, unable to tear my eyes away.
Even when the familiar scent of leather, clean citrus and a hint of motor oilcamewaftingfrom the strong body now standing next to me.
“It’s an old, beat-up truck…” I whispered almost inaudibly.
“With one headlight,” Riot finished for me.
Heart in my throat, Itoremy eyes away from the whirligig andgazedup at him. The carnivalfellaway, and itwasjust us. Back in his truck,vyingfor the volume of the Wallflowers’“One Headlight”.
Only wewerefacingone another now. No pretense. No facade. Only the deep reverence on Riot Asher’s expression, his eyessweepingover my face.
“You used your real name.” My voice was tight. I pulled my bottom lip in between my teeth to keep the tears from spilling over. His jaw twitched.
“Iwantedeveryone to know it’s mine.”He said the words with such conviction, Ilostmy breath.
Riot’s eyesgrazedmy lips. The air between us crackled with all the things weweren’tsaying.
All the things we’d kept inside. I felt something shift inside me like waking up in a brand new time and place.
And there I saw it all over his face. That same feeling of newness breaking through a long, dark and cold night.
A night that lasted forever. But here we were.
Together, bathing in the sanguine hues of a brand new morning .
I was never temporary for him. Like he was never temporary for me. No matter what happened Riot would be a permanent stamp on my heart.
“Riot…” I rasped. His chest rose, inching closer to me. The weight of everything he’d left unsaid poured from his icy blue gaze.
“There youare!”Jeremy’s voicewaslike a bucket of cold water.
“Nicolette, Ihaveto introduce you to the mayor. Let’s go!
”Ifelthim grab my hand. He didn’t wait for a response beforedraggingme away.
My other handshotout for Riot, almost instinctively.
Iclutcheda thick bicep, the rigid tension of his bodyrelaxingunder my palm.
Iclungto him for as long as I could before ultimately, my fingersslippedaway.
“Godot is on the cusp of becoming an even more incredible town than it once was and will be again.” Jeremy sounded like he was running for president.
Everything in my bodyhummed, and itwasalmost likeI’dbeenhitby Riot’s artful truck. All Iwantedto dowasgo home. See him. Talk to him. I didn’t know what I would say. I justneededto be near him. In his orbit.
All Ihadleftto dowasjoin Jeremy on stage to be his little case study and then I would duck out.I’dwalk, no, run back to Riot’s house.
“We’regoingtocontinue to bring fresh, new, invigorating ideas on how to bring more visitors and more businesses to the town.
Wehavean unbelievable amount of talent and leadership in Godot and I want to highlight one special leader who not only calls Godot home buthasmadean incredible impact in the world outside our humble hamlet.
”Jeremygrinnedandmotionedfor me to join him.
“If you didn’t catch her on the national evening news, you mighthaveseenher workhostingthe Godot High School morning announcements.
”A chucklerumbledthrough the crowd, which by my calculations,consistedof the entire town population.
“It’s my honor to reintroduce Nicolette Parker! ”
Iwalkedacross the stage,realizingI didn’t know if heexpectedme to speak.
Itookslow, regretful steps across the stage,scanningthe crowd for Riot.
Hestooda few rows back, a head taller than everyone around him.
He shiftedhis weight to the other foot as Katiewrappedan arm around his waist.
“I know I, for one,amlookingforward to the resources and relationships that people like Nicolette can bring to Godot,”Jeremycontinued.
Ismiledhalf-heartedly out into the crowd.
Ihadcome here to blend in, to root out a story and now here Iwasbeingparadedin front of the entire town like some sort of beauty queen and itturnedmy stomach.
“And wehavea little surprise for you,”Jeremypulledme into him, giving me a tight side hug and my stomachturnedsour.
“The Family Field Days committeewantedtoputtogether a little highlight reel,honoringyour success. Youleftbefore graduation, whichiswhen students usually get the chance to becelebrated. We nevergotthe chance to applaud you in person and it’s important you know how proud weareto call you one of ours. ”
My skin flushed. My eyes glided over to Katie who had a strange look on her face. Riot’s jaw was tight, but I never wanted to look away.
The projector screen came alive behind me. My face was huge and everywhere as my own voice came out of the speakers. They were all clips of my early newscasts. God, it had been so long since I’d seen these. They elicited a sad wave of nostalgia.
My career at IANN had gone down in such disastrous, embarrassing flames that I had never had any interest in looking back.
The work I had done, the stories I had covered, they made a difference.
They gave a voice to people who’d been robbed of theirs.
Watching the highlight reel, that same wave of pride I’d felt for Riot came back. But this pride — I’d earned.
I had worked hard to get where I was that early and I had never been celebrated by anyone. I wanted to turn around. I wanted to share this moment with Riot and see what he thought of my work. But the walk down memory lane had my eyes fixed on the screen .
The video cut from my newscast to an onsite interview I had conducted with the county prosecutor about a sex trafficking ring that had been busted after I followed a few tips on some bizarre solicitation arrests.
The reel then cut to a few of my most viewed podcast videos, including the one that had exposed an embezzlement scheme in Easton.
Finally, as the reel wound down, I gazed out at the faces that were all beaming and smiling at the screen.
A wave of guilt for all the judgment I’d passed crashed over me.
I had assumed they would reject me because I had left.
I never considered the thought that they might be proud of my success, hailing from their hometown.
As the background music started again, Jeremy turned back to the microphone.
“One of our hometown heroes, Nicolette Parker!” He started a large round of applause and I finally caved in and found Riot again.
He was standing there, hands in his pockets.
Katie clapped her hands, still clinging to him.
When his eyes met mine, they softened and I caught a small nod.
He slowly clapped three times. A smile stretched across his bare face and I’d never been so appreciative of beard clippers.
“Thank you—” Jeremy began again, and I moved to the right to step off stage when an audible gasp spread through the crowd. I scanned the townsfolk. Eyes went wide and parents wrapped their hands around their children’s eyes.
It was a sea of incredulous gasps.
“My heavens…”
“Oh my goodness!”
“What is this?”
“What in the Sam Hill?”
I frowned, confused, and I couldn’t help but flit my gaze to Riot whose eyes were fixed beyond me.
There was confusion in his expression before realization passed over him.
His jaw clenched in a hard line and his whole face took on a dark, dangerous visage.
Next to him Katie’s mouth dropped so far open I thought it might hit the grass.
My hearthammeredin my chest when familiar, animalistic noisescamefrom behind me. Every inch of my bodywentrigid.
Oh, God, no…
The worldmovedin slow motion. A cool breezepusheda wisp of hair in front of my face and Iblinked. I somehowmanagedto turn around to see the unforgiving sex tape of meplasteredin live action over the giant screen.
My heartstoppedand for the first time in my life, Ihadno words.