I laughed. “Sounds like a plan. Why don’t you go wait in the truck and I’ll meet you there?”
“All right, kid,” Dad said.
I followed the mass of students to the gymnasium where we would return our gowns. I found myself unconsciously looking for the mysterious dark-haired boy. I’d have to remember and ask my dad about him during dinner. I knew he’d seen him too.
Once in the gym, I had to wait in line to return the cumbersome gown.
“Hey, Mara?” questioned a voice behind me.
I turned around and found Eli standing behind me. He was a football player, tall, broad shoulders, brown hair, green eyes, and the school hunk. But he liked me for whatever odd reason. Maybe it was because I was “hard to get” when really, I wasn’t interested. I mean, Eli was a nice guy, especially for a popular football player, but he wasn’t my type. In fact, I wasn’t sure I even had a type.
“Hi, Eli,” I said kindly.
“Man, was it hot outside or what?” he asked.
“Yep,” I said, nodding my head. I tried to send out not so subtle go away vibes.
“Uh—” he glanced around nervously. “Are you going to Jules’ party?” he asked as he rubbed the back of his head.
Apparently, my vibes weren’t working.
“Yeah,” I admitted reluctantly.
He smiled. “Me too. Maybe I’ll see you there?”
I was saved from answering by one of the teachers calling me over to take my gown. I handed the blue fabric to her and she checked my name off the list, then I dashed out to the parking lot before Eli could find me and continue our conversation.
Dani thought I should go for him, but I didn’t see the point in wasting my time or his. That hardly seemed fair to either of us.
Dad’s ancient Ford Ranger idled outside the front of the school. The old red paint was more of a brown color now thanks to a combination of rust and chipped paint.
He had the windows rolled down and a country song playing on the radio. I opened the door and climbed inside. “Where to, kid?” he asked, putting the truck into gear.
“How about Mammies?” I asked, naming off a local diner.
He grinned. “You read my mind.”
He finagled his way into the line of exiting vehicles and honked his horn and stuck his head out the window to yell at various drivers that he deemed either too slow, too fast, too arrogant, or too something.
My dad’s driving antics always made me laugh. It was always an adventure when he was behind the wheel.
“I declare,” my dad said, now safely cruising down a main thoroughfare, “people do not know how to drive these days.”
I laughed. “Dad, maybe it’s you who doesn’t know how to drive.”
“Nonsense.” He waved his hand in dismissal. His gold wedding band reflected in the sunlight.
My mom had been dead for almost eighteen years and in that time my dad had never dated anyone. Whenever I asked him why, he would look at me thoughtfully, and say, “Your mom was the love of my life. I’ll never find another love like hers.”
Sometimes, I wished he would date or get any kind of social life, so he wouldn’t be so involved in mine. But other times, I was thankful that my dad was so present in my life. We were close and had an unbreakable bond.
As the truck cruised down the road my hair swirled around my face. I had to keep batting it away and pulling it out of my mouth. My dad thought it was funny.
He pulled into Mammies and parked the truck. He took up two parking spots, but in Dad’s book, that was okay—but you know, driving five miles under the speed limit was completely and totally unacceptable. I hopped out and followed him inside. He picked our usual booth and didn’t even bother opening a menu.
Jessica, the lone waitress, came over and leaned against the booth.
“Let me guess … the usual?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.
My dad smiled, chuckling softly. “Of course.”
Jessica grabbed the menus off the table and disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later she returned with a Dr. Pepper for me and a Bud Light for my dad.
I slurped the brown liquid down quickly. Thirst was choking me from sitting out in the Arkansas heat for the last while. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and secured it with a band off my wrist. Little wisps of hair still managed to escape and hang in my face. Oh, well.
Jessica came back to the table with a refill of Dr. Pepper and a basket of fresh rolls. I grabbed one up and slathered it with butter before devouring it. I hadn’t realized I was hungry until we got there.
“Slow down, Mara. You’re going to choke yourself,” he warned me.
“Hungry,” I mumbled around a mouthful.
Dad laughed. “That’s very ladylike, Mara.”
“Bite me,” I growled.
“Girls,” he muttered. “Why couldn’t I have had a son?”
“Because I’m awesome and way better than any boy.” I swallowed loudly around my words, adding a flip of my hair for emphasis.
“Mara, Mara, Mara.” He sighed, hiding his laughter behind his hand.
“Oh,” I said, swallowing a bite of bread. I took a swig of soda for good measure. “Did you know that guy, the one with the dark hair and clothes, leaning against the bleachers?” I questioned, taking him by surprise on purpose.
“I didn’t see anyone,” he said way too quickly.
I narrowed my hazel eyes at him. “Really? I saw you looking at him.”
“No,” he said adamantly. “I saw no one.”
I stared him down.
I knew I saw the boy and he had definitely been looking at him too. So why was he acting like the guy didn’t exist? It was peculiar, to say the least.
Jessica came out with our food. A turkey sandwich and fries for me and an artery-clogging cheese burger for my dad.
My dad bit into his burger, chewed, and said, “I don’t know what I’ll do with you off at college next year. I’ll sure miss you, baby girl.”
“Dad,” I whined. “Don’t make me cry. I have all summer with you. Don’t say goodbye yet. Besides,” I added, “I’m still going to be living at home and working around here. I’m only taking one class.” One class was sadly all I could afford. My dad wasn’t rich by any means and since I hadn’t been able to work much yet, here I was.
My dad reached across the table and took my hand, a sad look stealing over him.
“It’s never too soon to say goodbye. Remember that, Mara.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
He swallowed. “I just mean that … sometimes you don’t have a chance to say goodbye.”
“You’re talking about Mom, aren’t you?”
He sighed. “Of course … among other things.” His eyes left me and darted around the restaurant, as if he was searching for something. It was strange behavior for him, that was for sure. He wasn’t normally so jumpy. I found myself constantly looking over my shoulder, expecting some kind of trouble.
Jessica came by with the ticket and Dad couldn’t get it paid and out of there fast enough.
On the way home, he kept glancing in the rearview mirror.
I never saw anything.
Chapter 2
WE SAT THERE FOR A moment, staring at the one-level ranch-style house with white siding, blue shutters, and a matching blue door.
When he finally reached for the car door, I followed suit. We traipsed the walkway around the side of the house to the side door that led to our sunny yellow kitchen where fruit was stenciled on the walls. It was one of the last things my mom did before she died. The walls were in serious need of paint, but Dad just didn’t have the heart to paint over her hard work. I didn’t either. Dad said she’d wanted the house to be cheery and have a special touch from her so she could always look back and know she did that. It’s too bad she didn’t live long enough to enjoy it.
Dad grabbed a beer from the fridge and headed into the living room. A moment later, the television clicked on and some kind of sports game bla
red loudly. I heard the creak of the recliner and knew that Dad was now in his zone.
“I’m going to shower,” I told him, heading toward my room. I might’ve showered this morning but after sweating off what I’m sure was five pounds of water, I felt another shower was necessary.
The hiss of the beer can being opened was the only answer that greeted me.
I shrugged and headed into my bedroom and the attached bath.
The sweaty salt had created a film on my skin and I scrubbed it away with my warm vanilla sugar body wash before I lathered my hair and watched the bubbles run down the drain. Climbing out, I towel dried my hair. I knew there was no point in doing anything to it. Dani would deem it wrong and then fix it. It was best to give her a clean slate. I pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and an olive green top. Checking the clock, I decided I better head on over to Dani’s. Who knew how long it would take her to finish getting ready and then redress me, because I knew there was no way she’d ever let me go in what I chose.
“Dad, can I borrow the truck?” I asked, leaning against the doorway.
“Sure,” he said and raised up off the recliner, pulling the keys out of his pocket. “Be back at a reasonable time, no—”
“—drinking and driving, no getting in fights, don’t let anyone else drive the truck, leave my cell phone on, and let you know when I arrive home. Did I forget anything?” I asked, ticking the list of rules off on my finger, grinning at him.
“You got it, kiddo.” He gave me a thumbs up.
“Love you,” I called on my way out the door.
I closed the door behind me and climbed into the truck. It sputtered to life like the good rusty piece of American history that it was. I wasn’t good at changing the gears, but I was decent and made it to Dani’s without stalling even once. Dad would be proud.
Dani lived in a suburban neighborhood a few miles from me. Her house was large, two-stories plus a basement. It was nice, but it didn’t feel homey to me. I’d never tell her that, though. I guess maybe I preferred the smallness of my home, the fact every room felt lived in and necessary. We certainly didn’t have a formal living room to only use on special occasions.
I parked on the street, Dani’s car in the driveway, and strode up to the front door. I rang the doorbell and, a moment later, Dani’s mom pulled it open.
“Oh, hello, Mara,” she said with a smile, moving aside to let me in. I could hear the sounds of Dani’s fifteen-year-old brother, Levi, playing Xbox in the basement. “Dani’s in her room,” she told me before disappearing into the den, scolding Levi to turn the volume down.
I bounced up the steps and into Dani’s bedroom. I didn’t bother knocking. We were both so comfortable with each other that it didn’t matter.
Dani’s room was an explosion of color. The walls were painted hot pink with one wall done in lime green wallpaper with some kind of white fancy design on it. Her headboard was a Parisian style that was obviously expensive but her hot pink and green bedspread ruined the rich look. I had more subtle taste in clothes and well … everything compared to Dani. Dani liked to make a statement.
“There you are,” she said, dancing around her room to an obnoxiously loud pop song. She turned the volume down but continued to sway her hips. “Ugh, Mara, don’t you have any … I don’t know? Party clothes?” she scoffed at my shorts and tank.
I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. “Dani, I agreed to go. Don’t push me. I can always go back home,” I warned.
“Fine, oh fine,” she said, taking my hand and dragging me toward her closet.
Clothes were spilling out of drawers and falling off hangers. In fact, I was pretty sure that half of her closet was on the floor.
“Having trouble finding something to wear?” I laughed.
She sighed and looked in her closet. “I have to look peeerfeeect,” she said, drawing out the word. “Ian’s going to be there, and I’ve had the biggest crush on him fooooreeeever,” she said in typical dramatic Dani fashion.
I also knew for a fact there was no way she’d had a crush on him fooooreeeever like she said because I hadn’t heard about him yet and she told me everything. To Dani, forever could be hours.
“Ian? Isn’t that Jules’ brother?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said, and her cheeks darkened in hue. “But he’s sooooo hot, Mara.”
“Superficial much?” I joked with a raised brow.
“You didn’t let me finish,” she said, holding up a hand. “He’s hot, he’s nice, he’s sweet to kids, he’s in college, he’s—”
“Perfect, I know.” I sighed. “If we ever want to make it to the party we better hurry.”
“Oh, crap, you’re right,” she said, looking at the clock. “Sit down.” She pushed me onto the chair in front of the vanity. Her fingers began to tug and separate my hair. “Mara, you have such pretty hair and you just let it go to waste. It’s such a shame.” She clucked her tongue. I rolled my eyes.
She twisted my hair into an elegant braid then turned me in the chair to face her. So she could dab some makeup onto my face. Hopefully, she wasn’t going overboard. She swiped some gloss across my lips and stepped back to admire her handiwork. “Lovely. You look amazing.”
She then turned me to face the mirror.
My skin glowed and my hazel eyes looked greener thanks to some shadow she had brushed across my lids. My lips looked fuller than normal and my skin glowed. I looked like some kind of exotic creature. Dani could work wonders.
I started to stand but she pushed me back down. “Ugh, look at your brows. When’s the last time you waxed them? Where’s my tweezers?” she muttered, fiddling with the vanity’s drawer. She finally found the shiny silver object and held it up triumphantly. “A-ha!”
“Dani,” I whined, squirming, “please, no.”
“Hold still,” she commanded, snapping the tweezers like a crab’s pinchers. She held me in the chair with one hand and began to pluck my brows.
“Ow!” I cried when she pinched a bit of skin.
“Sorry.” She giggled so I knew she wasn’t sorry at all. “If you only kept your eyebrows waxed you wouldn’t be in this situation.”
She finished plucking my brows and we switched places. Dani already looked immaculate. Her black hair flowed down her back in pretty waves. Her dark skin looked flawless but glowed with a strawberry-scented shimmery lotion. Her pale pink tank top was flowy and stood out against her white shorts. Her feet were encased in golden flats. Like always, her makeup was perfect.
“Do you think this top looks good?” she asked, plucking at the bottom of it.
“Dani, you look perfect.” I sighed, knowing this could go on for hours with her. Once, she’d spent so long changing her clothes we ended up missing a birthday party entirely. “Like always. It’s sickening,” I joked.
Dani smiled at my compliment. She disappeared into her closet and returned with a sparkling gold shrug.
“Here,” she said, handing it to me. “Wear this over your shirt. It’ll dress you up a bit. Oh, and these.” She picked up a pair of shoes from the floor. I could never decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing that we wore the same size clothes and shoes.
I pulled the three-quarter-sleeved cardigan on and slipped out of my Converse and into her gladiator-style shoes.
She smiled at me. “That is so much better.”
I rolled my eyes; I didn’t see how a change of shoes and shrug could make my outfit much better.
She grabbed my hand. “Come on, let’s go.” She dragged me from the room. I realized it was starting to get dark. “Bye, Mom,” she called and pulled me out the door before her mom could question our destination.
Once in her car she backed out of the driveway so fast that I was surprised she didn’t take out the mailbox and my dad’s truck with it.
“Now, Mara,” she began, pointing her finger as she drove. “I really hope you’re nice to Eli tonight. That boy has it bad for you.”
I shrugged my shoulders
and squirmed. “I like Eli. I do. He’s a nice guy but I just don’t feel that way about him. I don’t think it’s right to lead him on.”
Dani sighed dramatically. “Mara,” she said my name like a mother scolding an unruly child. “Just give him some summer lovin’. He’s going away to college and you’re going to stay here. You’ll never see him again.”
I laughed. “Dani, I love you but you’ve got some twisted logic.”
She smiled at me. “I hate seeing you alone.”
“I’m not alone,” I defended. “I have you and I have my dad.”
“Really, Mara? You don’t ever picture yourself with a guy?”
I started to say no but then the image of the boy at graduation invaded my mind. His dark hair, those gray eyes, lean hips, and those lips.
“I do,” I finally answered, “but I don’t want to waste my time with someone I don’t have feelings for. Doesn’t that make any sense to you?”
“Yeah, I guess. But—” She bit her lip and glanced at me.
“But you want to track down Ian and spend your time with him. I’ll be fine Dani. You’re not the only person in the world that I know.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile and said, “I’m such a lousy friend.”
“Yes, you are,” I laughed. “Lord only knows why I hang out with you.”
She laughed and playfully punched my arm. She flicked a piece of hair from her eye and said, “You know you love me.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Sometimes, I’m not so sure about that,” I jested.
She smacked my arm.
“Eyes on the road,” I commanded.
“Yes, Mother,” she mocked.
The party was already packed. Music thundered, and the fiery sparks of a bonfire could be seen. Recent high school grads and some college students stood around, drinking from red plastic cups.
The moon reflected off the lake making the water glow white. Looking up at the sky I was certain that I could see every star.
“Mara, you’re so weird,” said Dani, grabbing my hand. “Who stands around looking at the sky?”
“I do,” I defended.
She huffed and let go of my hand.
Enchant (The Enchanted Book 1) Page 2
