Your Honor

by Kristi Pelton

  We walked up the skyway bridge, still laughing at our conversations, when I spotted the driver holding the sign for me. My heart beat in my throat as I walked past ignoring the man in the dark hat. By the time Ty and I arrived at baggage claim, I wondered how I would get to Elle’s.

  As we stood at the baggage terminal waiting for the luggage to start spinning, an awkward silence fell over us.

  “So. How many bags you got?” I asked.

  Immediately, he shook his head. “Zero. Just walked down here with you.”

  Unsure what it was that made the goose bumps spread over my body, suddenly I was sorry for bypassing the driver. Oddly, when I flipped around to take in my surroundings, the driver stood behind us, still holding the sign. He knew who I was.

  “Henry?” I asked, and he nodded.

  Ty glanced over his shoulder then back to me with one dark brow arched high. “Tessa Ashby?”

  Slowly, I nodded affirmation to his question.

  “Want a ride?” I asked.

  “Hell yeah!” One of his arms shot in the air and his shirt rose exposing his abs. His hipbones protruded a little, but his tan stomach made me smile. This guy was skinnier than me…but I was happy I’d be going back to Mass with a tan.

  An optimistic smile crossed my face, and at the same time the luggage carrier started moving.

  “What color is the bag and I’ll grab it?”

  “I have two. They are brown with tan…writing. Well, like an L and a V.”

  Ty shook his head. “Tess. I grew up in Orange County. Just because I don’t have money doesn’t mean I haven’t seen it my entire life. If it’s Louis Vuitton, then say that.”

  “It’s Louis Vuitton. But, Ty.” I touched his forearm and his eyes…well eye…looked up at me. The other blue eye was buried beneath a curtain of hair until he flicked it back.

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not like them.”

  “Them?”

  “My family. A lot of wealthy people. That stuff has never mattered to me.”

  His finger jetted toward the luggage, and I nodded to the one nearing him. After heaving it up and sliding it my way, both his eyes found mine.

  “I know, Tess.” He winked. A two-hour plane trip. That’s all it took for me to realize I didn’t want any of that stuff to matter any more. I liked his Vans.

  My second suitcase followed, and when he lifted that one, his eyes bugged. “What the hell is in this one?”

  “Shoes and stuff.” I grinned.

  “Your credibility just took a nose dive.”

  With solid possession of both suitcases, he nodded toward Henry.

  “You’re chariot awaits, sweet Princeton princess.”

  “Henry, lead the way. Ty here is taking us to the ‘hood.”

  Twenty minutes later we rolled to a stop in front of a cute little house. Two people stood outside as if waiting for us…or at least him.

  “Don’t mind them. I texted. Told them to come out so they could meet you.”

  “Is it your family?” I asked.

  The car stopped.

  “Close enough,” he said opening the door.

  Him opening the car door made me snicker. The thought that he didn’t wait for Henry...

  “This is her,” he said. “Our summer visitor. Our groupie. She’d heard of the band back in Massachusetts and wanted to come see us.”

  The guy and girl laughed as I simply shook my head, amused by Ty’s lie.

  “Hi.” I waved at both of them.

  “Tess. This is Rachel.” I stepped forward extending my hand. She hesitatingly shook it. Odd.

  “Hi, Tess.”

  “This is Dirk.”

  Dirk was a mini replica of my new friend. Skinny. A little grungy. Shaggy hair. Vans! I extended my hand again.

  “Nice to meet you guys.” He shook it.

  “Where’s Bodhi?” Ty asked.

  Bodhi? Rachel tipped her head toward the porch and my eyes followed. In etiquette class, we had learned to mask emotion, to maintain a poker face, but as my mouth fell wide and my eyes narrowed to focus in a little better, my breath hitched a bit in my chest. The man’s penetrating brown eyes concentrated completely on me.

  “Bodhi, this is Tess,” Ty introduced loudly.

  “Hey,” I squeaked with a weak little wave then my manners kicked in and clearly his didn’t. So I darted toward him to greet him appropriately. As I approached the porch a pebble wedged between my toes and my sandal and I shook it trying to get it out. God, it hurt. I hobbled up the steps extending my hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Nice ride.” The harsh baritone in his voice made my skin warm but he didn’t say nice to meet you back.

  “Yeah.” What was one to say to the engaging words of ‘nice ride?’

  When he shook my hand I jerked away quicker than I should have though I have no idea why.

  I hadn’t seen many guys in a baseball cap, but I liked it on him— and then as if reading my mind, he flipped it backward. He tipped a shaker bottle of something to his lips then spun back around. “We need to practice. Let’s go.”

  Wow. Bodhi was just the opposite of the rest of them. He was tall, well-built and sexy as hell…but not a bit nice. In fact, a little scary. I walked back to Ty.

  “Ignore him.” Ty patted my shoulder. “So. I gave you my number. Text me and I’ll come pick you up. You can come hang with us.”

  “OK. When?”

  “Hell. Anytime. Seriously. We sometimes surf in the morning. We play four bars a week, but you can come along. Text me.”

  Truth be told, I wanted to stay here and experience this carefree, somewhat irresponsible approach to life. But Elle would be waiting, so I nodded and slid back into the back seat.

  The trio standing in the yard waved. I sneaked a glance toward the porch as we pulled away. Bodhi leaned sexily against the doorframe. My eyes locked in on his gaze…I think. It was hard to tell. Slowly he lifted whatever he was drinking and tipped it toward me. Unsure of what that meant or what response to give, I turned and focused out the front window. Welcome to California.

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