Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Mr. Pierce could wait until dinner was over to continue the conversation about his daughter’s future. His approach lacked all semblance of tact. I could tell that Holly was annoyed—getting close to angry—and Mrs. Pierce didn’t look like she was that thrilled by the direction of the conversation. I started to regret staying for dinner because the family was teetering on the edge—and it was their last night together.
“If you can’t pick a major, then you should probably plan on finding a rich husband.” Mr. Pierce put his fork down. “Find someone like Everette—before they graduate from medical school and have their pick from every eligible woman in Arizona.”
“William Pierce!” Holly’s mother brought her knife down on her plate—hard. “That’s enough. We said we were going to drop it—so drop it.”
“I just want what’s best for her…” He shook his head back and forth.
“Yeah, marrying a guy because he’s rich—that’s what’s best for me.” Holly’s jaw tightened up.
I think she’s about to go off on him…
“Or you could pick a major…” her father exhaled sharply.
“Bill…” Mrs. Pierce’s tone was stern enough for everyone at the table to know she was not happy.
“I’m just going to excuse myself now.” Holly pushed back from the table and stood. “It was nice to meet you, Everette. Maybe I’ll see you again when I come home for Thanksgiving.”
Holly stormed up the stairs, leaving most of her Baja Chicken Casserole on her plate. I wanted to go after her—but that would have looked pretty weird to her parents, so I just sat in my seat like I was a bump on a log—a bump that was casually eating Baja Chicken Casserole, despite the tension in the room. It was pretty clear that Mrs. Pierce was holding whatever was on the tip of her tongue just to avoid verbally snapping her husband in half in front of a guest. Mr. Pierce killed his second beer and went to get another one from the fridge. I really just wanted to go at that point, but my analytical problem-solving brain was trying to solve the wrong problem.
“Maybe I could talk to her…” I looked at Mr. Pierce, and then turned my head towards his wife. “I didn’t always know what I wanted to be when I grew up…”
That’s barely the truth but maybe it’ll work anyway…
“She’s already grown up.” Mr. Pierce twisted the top off his beer and took a sip. “That’s the damn problem. She needs to start acting like an adult instead of a kid.”
“You just want to make sure she doesn’t interrupt your plan to retire early and buy an RV.” Mrs. Pierce’s words were quick, and there was a harshness in her tone.
“You know it’s more than that. Look at my sister—she…” Mr. Pierce’s face twisted into a scowl, but he didn’t finish his sentence.
“Holly is nothing like your sister. She’s smart. It’s okay if she doesn’t know what she wants to do yet. She’s got plenty of time to figure that out—and I’ve told you that multiple times now, but you don’t seem to get it through that thick head of yours.” Mrs. Pierce’s tone softened as she scolded her husband, who seemed to sink lower in his seat with every word.
I guess they’re not going to accept my offer to talk to her—I should just go.
“Wow, this was delicious.” I put a smile on my face and pushed my chair back. “I really appreciate your hospitality.”
“Going so soon?” Mr. Pierce looked up at me. “There’s dessert—there’s always dessert.”
“You don’t deserve dessert!” Mrs. Pierce shook her finger at him.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m stuffed. That casserole was amazing.” I looked back and forth between them.
I was afraid they would keep pushing, but luckily, they let me escape. I felt really bad for Holly, and I felt pretty bad for her parents too. I could see things from both perspectives, and neither one of them were inherently wrong. Her father wanted what was best for his daughter, but he didn’t have enough tact to encourage her to make a decision without pushing her in the opposite direction. Holly had no intentions of just moving through life without direction—from what she had told me at least. She set a timetable and planned to figure it out after she had a year to consider which option was best for her. I could respect that, and I got the impression that her mother did too, but her father was quite stubborn.
I made it really easy for my parents—they were extremely happy when I told them that I wanted to be a doctor. They do get a little feisty every time they bring up the grandchildren I haven’t blessed them with yet—at least that doesn’t result in a fight.
The next morning
I had trouble getting to sleep. I wanted to talk to Holly and make sure she was okay. I got up a couple of times and looked at her bedroom window. The light was out every time I checked, so I assumed she must have had an easier time getting to sleep than I did. I finally forced myself to close my eyes and slept for about four hours. It wasn’t a peaceful night by any means. I tossed, turned, and never got to the point I felt comfortable. There was an uneasiness in my head—a twisted knot in my stomach—all because I felt something for that beautiful girl who lived next door.
I wasn’t going to let Holly leave without seeing her one last time, and my analytical problem-solving brain already had a plan to bring us together before she left Los Angeles. It was going to require a little bit of timing, but I felt confident that I could make it work. I remembered what Holly’s father had said about her getting on the road early—which gave me a time frame to work with. I didn’t want to leave things hanging—with no real understanding of where they were. Holly mentioned seeing me again at Thanksgiving before she stormed up the stairs—but what did that mean? Did that mean she wanted to wait that long to even speak to me again? I hoped that wasn’t the case.
I debated not taking more days off work than I actually needed to get moved in, but I don’t regret taking the extra days now—it’s not like I’m planning to go on an actual vacation this year.
Holly’s car was packed with all of her things, so it wouldn’t take her long to get on the road once she was ready to leave. I watched her house until the lights came on and waited for any sign of activity. There was no way that I could just stroll up to her car while she was saying goodbye to her parents—that might have worked when her father was checking the oil, but it wasn’t even daylight yet. When I finally saw the front door of their house open, and Holly walked outside with parents following closely behind her, I ran to my back door, sprinted to the gate that opened to the wooded area behind my house and made a mental note that I needed to buy a lock for it since there was no sign of one.
I’ve got one chance to make this work—I can’t blow it.
I ran parallel to the privacy fences that connected all of the properties together—it created one large wall that practically surrounded our neighborhood. At the end of the wall, was Maple Street—which was the road Holly would have to drive when she left the neighborhood. I mapped it out with my phone, and it was supposed to be the fastest route. If her father wanted her to avoid rush hour traffic, then getting out of Los Angeles as fast as possible would be integral to that. Once she hit the interstate, there wouldn’t be much traffic to worry about except for the usual delays—she would probably miss all of that too since she was on the road so early.
Alright—no headlights. Hopefully none of the neighbors call the cops and report some weirdo running through suburbia before daylight.
I got a little nervous as I leaned against a tree and waited for her car. There was always a chance she could have driven in the opposite direction—the GPS said Maple Street was the best route, but maybe the locals didn’t agree. My head started forming possibilities—worst case scenarios—the kind of thing that generally made me a good doctor—but the exact opposite of what I wanted to focus on at the present time. I also didn’t know how Holly would react when she realized I was waiting on her. It occurred to me, after I was already creeping in the dark, that my behavior coul
d have been considered a bit stalkerish. It wasn’t like we were in a relationship or anything—we had only known each other a couple of days.
Maybe this is stupid, but all I can do is go for it—and live in the moment. That has worked out a lot better than trying to analyze everything…
Chapter Five
Holly
I knew my parents had the best of intentions—they really did. My dad loved me. He was just too stubborn for his own good sometimes. He wanted me to be successful and have a career that I enjoyed—but he wanted me to figure all of that out before I went to college. He didn’t agree with my plan to think about it for a year and then declare a major. I think my mom was actually in that boat with him, but she didn’t like how he handled it, so she stood up for me most of the time. At the end of the day, she just wanted me to be happy—provided that I was staying in my lane and following something that resembled progress. They would have just tag-teamed the attack if I told them I didn’t want to actually go to college or something crazy like that. Luckily, my dreams aligned with theirs, even if mine weren’t fully developed yet.
The worst part is that Everette had to hear all of it—I’m not surprised that he decided to leave without having dessert.
As soon as my car pulled out of the driveway, I started thinking about the gorgeous doctor next door with the stupidly-sexy smile. I didn’t expect to see him again after our first kiss. I thought that would be the end of it, especially when my parents came home. I certainly wasn’t expecting him to walk up and offer to help my father check the oil in my car—or insist on helping me load my boxes into it. It was nothing more than a ploy to get us alone for a few seconds. They were moments we stole and made our own. Every single kiss made the spark burn brighter than it did before his lips found their way back to mine.
Now all I have is what might have been—if my summer was longer—if I was going to be in Los Angeles for another year…
I hated the way I left things with Everette. I didn’t even get to sneak away with him for a proper goodbye. Maybe it was better that way. I would have made promises to him and asked for some in return. I didn’t know if it was possible to fall head over heels for someone in a matter of days, but I did want to know if it was more than infatuation. I could wait until Thanksgiving—if he could do the same—but that wasn’t fair—so it was best that I never got a chance to do something foolish like ask. The last image he had was me storming off to the top of the stairs after a spat with my dad—that was sure to make him want to come back for more. Not to mention the fact that my dad tried to suggest that I marry myself off to a younger version of Everette.
I’d much rather have the current version than one my age—there’s just something about him that turns me on.
I made a right on Maple Street, and I was on autopilot. I needed caffeine, and the soda I had before I left the house just wasn’t doing a damn thing. An energy drink sounded like a really good idea, even if it caused me to have to stop for a bathroom break much earlier than expected. My main goal was to get past the worst part of Los Angeles before rush hour, and then I had to drive seven and a half hours to get to campus. It would probably take me closer to nine hours to actually get there since I was definitely going to be taking a few breaks along the way.
I was just about to reach for the radio and see if some music could help wake me up when I saw something to the right of my car—it was a person—and they were waving at me. I wasn’t going that fast; when I pulled my foot off the accelerator, I quickly started rolling to a stop. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was Everette! I moved my foot to the brake pedal, brought my car to an immediate stop, and rolled down my window.
“Hey! What are you doing?” I looked at him in confusion.
“Hoping to see the most beautiful girl in Los Angeles before she left.” He leaned forward and smiled.
“Get in.” I motioned to him. “The neighbors will call the cops if they see some random guy wandering around the neighborhood before the sun comes up.”
“I was afraid of that…” He chuckled as he opened the passenger side door and sat down in the seat.
I didn’t wait to see if he was going to kiss me—it was my turn again. I kept my foot on the brake and leaned across the middle console until my lips found his. He put a hand behind my head and held me there while our lips seared together. It was another soul-crushing kiss—one that made my head spin while my entire body tingled. When his lips finally parted from mine, and he removed his hand from the back of my neck, I just kind of fell back into my seat with a rather silly smile etched on my lips—I wouldn’t have even noticed how silly it looked if I hadn’t caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
“My parents really scare you away?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Nah, they’re trying to look out for you in their own way.” He shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with that, and you’ll show them that you’re doing just fine soon enough.”
“I just met you, and I think you have more confidence in me than the people who have been raising me for nearly nineteen years.” I sighed and shook my head.
“I don’t want to talk about your parents anymore, and neither do you. Let’s talk about us—and where this is going.” Everette reached over and took my hand. “I know this is crazy—I know you’re about to leave for college…”
“I’ll wait if you will.” I bit down on my bottom lip. “It’s only a few months until Thanksgiving.”
It’s not fair for me to ask him, but I think he was about to ask me the same thing…
“I just want to see where this is going,” he exhaled sharply. “This whole thing has completely caught me off guard…”
“I agree.” I nodded, and then a thought hit me—almost like a lightning bolt out of nowhere. “Hey, aren’t you off work for the rest of the week?”
“I am…” He nodded, but his face registered confusion.
“It’s only seven and a half hours to Arizona once we hit the highway—probably more like nine with a few breaks thrown in there.” I squeezed his hand. “I’d love the company…”
“I…” He seemed to be processing what he said. “I could take a bus back—or rent a car.”
“You’re a doctor.” I raised an eyebrow. “You can probably fly first class.”
“My residency doesn’t pay that well.” He laughed and shook his head. “Okay, if that’s an invitation, I accept.”
“Do you need anything from your house?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“I left my back door unlocked…” He looked down for a moment. “Fuck it; I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” I eyed him apprehensively. “We could swing by…”
“Forget it.” He waved off my concern. “I don’t want to give you a chance to rescind your invitation. Just drive.”
I took my foot off the brake and started to press the gas. It was really happening. I was leaving Los Angeles with my gorgeous new neighbor riding shotgun. If we could survive a nine hour drive without getting sick of each other, it might very well be destiny. I was willing to give it a shot. We stopped at a gas station once we were on the outskirts of suburbia. I grabbed an energy drink, and Everette loaded up on coffee. Our lips met as soon as we were back in the car, and we delayed our journey by a few minutes just to get it out of our system—well, maybe that was what we had planned, but all it did was fuel the spark growing inside of me. We drove for a few more hours, talking, listening to music, singing along to songs one of us knew—and I just couldn’t stop smiling.
“Hold on…” I looked down at my phone. “I need to pull off at the next gas station. My best friend Amelia is blowing my phone up. She knows I’m driving…”
“Want me to check it?” Everette turned his head towards me. “That would keep you from having to stop.”
“Um—sure.” I shrugged held my thumb against the screen of my phone to unlock it before I nudged it towards him.
“Whoa, is she really driving to
Georgia?” He stared at my screen.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “She got a scholarship offer from the University of Georgia and it was the only school that was willing to give her a full ride…”
“Wow,” he sighed. “I think I would have just flown—if I had stuff I needed to take; I would have paid someone else to transport it for me.”
“Her parents considered it, but she needs a car when she gets there, so they thought it just made more sense to drive.” I shrugged.
“Crazy…” He shook his head back and forth. “At least our trip isn’t that long.”
“You think you would get tired of me before that trip was over?” I looked his way and grinned.
“Not a chance.” He put his hand on mine and met my grin with one of his own.
Everette narrated a few of Amelia’s text message, and then fired off a rather stern warning about texting and driving—she was probably going to think that came out of the left field, but he sent it before I could say anything. Amelia apologized and stopped sending messages after that—but promised she’d get in touch with me when she found a motel for the night. Everette and I stopped for lunch around noon at a small diner right off the interstate. We were really struggling to keep our hands off each other—and every time I felt his touch—it was enough to make me shudder, shake, or feel like I was going to spontaneously combust. I had to actually concentrate on driving instead of looking over at him—and that was difficult because he was certainly easy on the eyes with a presence that just drew me in.
Obsessed with a Daddy Page 5
