My thoughts turned over to what Simon had just told me, a vulnerable secret of his own. Simon didn’t feel like he was enough when it came to his family. I sympathized, and nestled closer. “Don’t let your family keep you from being you,” I said. “I like you as you are.” After a moment, I looked up at him. “What is it that your family doesn’t approve?”
His arm tightened slightly around me, and he let out a deep breath, “Well, college is already a sore spot with them. My parents want me to follow in my dad’s footsteps and become a lawyer. I really don’t think that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
“So that’s what they don’t approve of, that you don’t want to be a lawyer?”
He rubbed a hand up and down my back. “Well, that’s one of the things.” He pulled back further and searched my face. “Are you really okay? With your leg, I mean?” Before I could answer, he went on. “I’m sorry I left so quick. I probably should’ve stayed with you. Actually, I came back to check on you but…”
“But what?”
“I could hear you screaming and I just couldn’t come in. I’m sorry.” He looked hurt, and his voice held a hint of anguish that made me melt.
“Simon, it’s alright. You didn’t need to see that, anyway. Uncle Borys could barely stand it.” I smiled a little. “I wish it would’ve been someone else. I would’ve liked to see the stitching up.”
He scrunched his nose. “I hate needles.”
“No one likes needles,” I pointed out. “But I like the stuff my aunt does.”
Simon smiled a little, his eyes locked on mine, and it grew silent in the room. My heart beat against my chest, and I wasn’t even sure why. Did he just lean closer? His eyes dipped to my lips and back, and for the first time, I wondered if he was feeling the pull I was. I leaned closer.
“Kate,” he whispered.
Hearing my name snapped me out of it. I sucked in a breath and looked down, feeling the flush in my face. That had been close. What was I doing? This was Simon. He cared for me like a cousin, a friend, and that was it…right?
Simon patted my arm and his attention turned to my legs. “Can I see your wound?” he asked, turning back to me.
I nodded, and he kneeled, removing the blanket reverently from my legs. I heard his small intake of breath when he really assessed the bruising on my right thigh. It was definitely ugly. Simon stared at it and had such a compassionate look in his eyes that had me wondering if he was struggling to keep himself composed. My heart went out to him again, at his kindness toward me.
I reached down and pulled the bandage from my leg, wincing at the couple of spots it stung. Simon’s jaw was rigid, and he turned his face away for a few seconds. He looked back again and tilted his head to the side, considering my leg for a long time. I’d have given anything to know what was going through his head. I read his emotions easily enough; sad, concerned, angry, though it was hard to decide which was the most prominent.
Simon took a deep breath and leaned his face close to my leg, closer, so close, and finally, lightly touching my skin, placed a kiss next to my stitches. It was too sweet. I sat frozen, afraid to move in the slightest. Simon lifted his head slightly and rested his forehead against my knee with his eyes closed. I breathed, finally, and reached out, placing a hand on the back of his head, running my fingers through his dark hair.
Chapter 9
I’d paused on the trail, absentmindedly feeling for the scar that remained on my thigh. Parker was howling with laughter about my fall so many years before, and I rolled my eyes. “You weren’t even on the cliffs, Parker. You only saw my leg afterward. I remember you stuffing your face with licorice.” I hit his arm lightly.
He shrugged and grinned. “It’s probably funnier in my head, anyway.”
When I met the others at the top, we each lined up to take a turn off the cliff. The height didn’t bother me now, as it had when I was young. Amy and James jumped first, hand in hand, and I found myself a little jealous. I was happy for her—James seemed to be everything she wanted—but it was still a bit hard for me when I was around the two of them. It brought that empty feeling back that I kept fighting, and I ground my teeth against it.
Parker jumped next, letting out a loud "Woohoo!" on his way down.
Trent and I now were the last to jump. I turned to him to offer that he could go first and found his eyes roaming my body. Why was it that any time I looked his way, he was doing something that made me cringe?
"Trent!" I snapped him to attention. He smiled smugly, and I struggled to keep the scowl off my face. "You can go ahead," I said, gesturing toward the edge.
Trent held out his hand to me. "Lets jump together."
My mouth dropped open in surprise. Was he serious?
"Come on, Katie, I'm not going to bite you."
I hesitated. We all jumped at times holding hands. It was fun to jump with two people most of the time, but I was afraid Trent would get the wrong idea. "If you want to jump at the same time, I’m good with that,” I said casually. He was already smirking, but I shut him down. “But not holding hands.” I didn’t give him another option as I crept toward the edge. He was at my side a moment later and on the count of three we jumped, and I felt the familiar rush of adrenaline as I fell and crashed into the water. When my head popped up, I started; Trent’s face was only inches from mine. I grimaced as I motioned to back away from him but before I could move, he tugged my hand. I felt his other arm come around my back, pulling me so close that the front of my body was pressed flush with his.
"Trent, cut it out," I said and used my free hand to try and push him away.
He held me tight and didn't budge. "Oh, come on. You know I like you, Katie. Why won’t you give me another chance?”
I stopped struggling and stared at him like the idiot he was proving to be. “You really don’t know me if you think this is the way to convince me. Now, let me go.”
He grinned, as though I was teasing or flirting, which was far from the truth. “We don’t have to date, you know,” he said in a suggestive tone that made my stomach drop. “We could just benefit from each other’s company…”
My head drew back. “What?” I gasped. He was insane if he thought I’d agree to that.
“You know. You do something for me, and I—”
I glared. “I know what you meant. I was just surprised that yo—”
He cut me off with his wet lips, and I was too shocked to move. I quickly thought of how to get out of this situation, and an idea came to me. I instantly stopped treading water. It worked well enough. Without my help, he couldn't keep us both afloat. We dropped under the water, and Trent’s grip on me loosened enough for me to shove away from him. I wiped my mouth even though our lips had barely touched, and didn't even look back to see if he’d surfaced again. I heard him coughing when I only just started back to shore and rolled my eyes. Served him right.
I walked toward the beach in the shallow water and looked over at camp. Simon and Bryce just exited the wheeler, smiling and talking among themselves. My heart jumped at seeing Simon. Even after our time earlier in each other’s company, I was still stunned by how handsome he was. That handsome, smiling face caught sight of me, causing his footsteps to falter a step. I pretended not to see, but couldn’t help feeling pleased I’d caught his attention. It was interesting that I didn’t mind Simon ogling me, but the idea of Trent made me want to walk around in a bathrobe to cover myself up.
I was still irritated at Trent when I sat beside my aunt in a chair near the empty fire pit.
"Katie, honey, are you alright?" she asked.
I blinked a few times, trying to squelch the memory of Trent’s lips on mine. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just felt a little queasy for a minute."
Aunt Chantelle went to the cooler and brought me back a bottle of water. "Here," she said, offering the bottle. "You probably need more water. Have you had any today?"
I gave it a quick thought and shook my head. "Not much. I’ve had mostl
y pop."
"You need to drink plenty of water or you'll get dehydrated," she scolded. "I guess I don't need to tell you that, do I? I forget I’m not the only nurse in the family now."
I smiled at her. "Apparently I do need to be told." We laughed.
"Oh, Katie, I do love you."
"I love you, Auntie." I leaned over and gave her a small hug. "Oops." I pulled away quickly. "Sorry, I forgot I'm all wet."
She laughed. "I'll be dry in a jiffy. How was your jump?"
My smile faded. "Oh, fine. I'm just not in the jumping mood, I guess. I only went one time." I looked toward the cliffs, but they couldn’t be seen through the trees from where we were. I stood and stretched. "I'm going to change, and then I can help with dinner if you'd like," I offered.
"Oh, that sounds great. I'll go start the grill. Can you bring the burger patties with you when you come back out?"
"Yes, ma’am."
As I walked around the trees toward the trailer, Simon was coming out of it, and I paused when he smiled kindly and came closer to me. “I think it’s safe to say Bryce will be at the shop in the near future. He sure likes my wheeler.” He stopped in front of me, his hands leisurely in his pockets and a towel tucked under his arm. “And thank you for keeping your word about talking it up to him.”
“I was happy to help.” I grinned as I reached for my dripping hair and wrung the excess water. It dripped down the front of me, and I winced from the cold.
Simon chuckled and before I knew what he was about, he unfolded the towel, holding it open. “Here, take this, and I’ll get another.”
He was too sweet. Of course he was; Simon had always been sweet. A warmth accompanied by an odd ache settled over me. It was almost like feeling homesick, and it caught me off guard. I looked from the towel to Simon. He waited with a patient smile, and I slowly stepped forward to take his offering. Rather than handing the towel over as I’d anticipated, he wrapped it around me in a flash and waited until I had it pinched closed with my own hands before he stepped back again. He looked at me for a moment with those gray eyes of his and offered a half smile before walking away.
A little breathless from the whole encounter, I looked over my shoulder, expecting him to head for his belongings or the lake, but he sat beside my aunt and had a genuine smile on his face as he spoke to her. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she seemed happy with his company, and I was glad they were getting the chance to catch up. Simon glanced up and smiled when he saw me still standing there watching him. I smiled timidly at being caught and headed for the trailer with the towel wrapped snugly around me.
Dinner was a pleasant affair. Everyone was enjoying Simon, and he seemed just as happy. Even Trent had chuckled good-naturedly about a couple of things Simon talked about. As I studied Simon discreetly throughout the evening, it was interesting to see the changes in him from when we were young. He’d always been social, but a little reserved, not offering too much conversation in a crowd, especially with his parents had been around. Now, I watched him as he offered to build the campfire when the air took on a chill from the sun sinking below the mountain. He picked through the small pile of wood beside the pit, and I observed him intently. His jaw was more defined this evening with the sprinkling of a five-o-clock shadow more fully visible. In this dim light, his dark hair looked black, and I wondered if it was still as thick as it had once been. I ignored the others around me and everything else as I focused on Simon. He once had been the most special person in my world. He’d meant everything to me.
Simon leaned over the small flames, which had sprung to life, climbing higher along the timbers. As I kept my unmoving gaze in him, my heart ached. I found myself missing him like I missed my parents. I was no longer sad about their passing, but that desire to hold them, see them, never went away. That was what I was suddenly feeling. I missed Simon in a way I hadn’t for a very long time, and it caused a painful tightening in my chest.
Simon glanced up and caught me in my private moment. Rather than look away, I stared at him, letting my guard down for a selfish moment. He stared back at me, the firelight now flickering across his intense face, and my desire to know what he was thinking burned like the growing fire before me. I wanted to know him again. I wanted to be able to lock eyes with him and know what was going through his mind. I wanted my Simon back. The man of my desire stood, his gaze never leaving mine, and the side of his mouth twisted in a half smile. I was returning the small gesture when my aunt addressed me.
“Katie, are you still going to check on the twins this evening?”
I broke with Simon and looked at my aunt, thrown by her question after being so caught up. “What?”
She raised her eyebrows and seemed to be harboring a smile. “The twins. You wanted me to remind you…”
I stared at her for a moment, blank, and then squeaked, “Oh.” She was right. I wanted to reach out to Jesse and see how my little patients did today.
A low chuckle sounded from Simon and when I looked his way, he was watching me. I smiled timidly and stood, looking at Aunt Chantelle again. “Do you mind if I take the truck to the main road to get service on my phone?”
“Go ahead. Oh, and ask him about Bart. That poor man.” I chuckled when she tightened her lips and shook her head.
“I’ll ask. Maybe the stubborn old man finally snuffed it, and we won’t have to deal with him anymore.”
My aunt gasped with a horrified smile, and Simon’s laughter caught me off guard when he was suddenly standing behind me. I looked back at him, and he grinned down at me.
“Do you mind if I come with you?” he asked. “I want to check on Caleb and make sure everything’s okay there.”
My stomach fluttered, and I was nodding even before I thought about it.
“I can drive if you want,” Simon offered. He placed a hand on the small of my back to usher me away.
I caught my aunt’s eye as we passed and she was hiding a smile once more. I was suspicious of her now, with how she’d brought up the twins, and as I walked to my uncle’s truck, I wondered if she’d planned for me to have Simon’s company.
“I’m fine driving,” I told him as we reached the vehicles. “My phone’s in here anyway.” I was anxious about being alone with him again and took a calming breath before opening my door.
When we settled into the truck, I stuck the key in the ignition and paused with a wince. Simon’s scent filled the air, and the smell of him was intoxicating. It was ridiculous that I was having this kind of reaction to him. I started the truck and did my best to ignore the pleasant scent as we headed down the dark dirt road. The lights came on automatically, and I relaxed, able to pay better attention through the dark forest.
“I’ve never seen you drive before,” Simon murmured, finally breaking the silence.
I looked over, his grin illuminated by the lowlights of the dashboard, and laughed quietly. “I guess not,” I agreed. I glanced at the road and back to Simon with an eyebrow raised. “Is it all you dreamed it’d be?”
He chuckled and shrugged. “I guess so. You were so excited to drive when I last saw you.”
I rolled my eyes with a smile and focused on the road again. “Yes, well, I’m not sixteen anymore. The thrill of being behind the wheel has worn off.”
“Has it? You seemed pretty intent on driving tonight.” I looked over with my mouth slack. “I’m glad to see you’re still easy to tease, Kate.”
“Sorry, I’ll try not to be so predictable.” I replied, as I slowed to drive over a cattle guard.
It was quiet for a moment, and I tapped my thumbs over and over on the wheel. I was full of nervous energy, having Simon with me. Maybe it was the change in the atmosphere that the dark brought with it. Whatever it was, the conversation didn’t seem to come as easily as it had earlier in the day.
To keep from being a nervous wreck, I finally thought to ask about the call he needed to make.
“It’s a busy weekend over the fourth of July,” he sa
id. “I want to make sure Caleb’s not too overwhelmed. We have a couple of other guys who work for us, but I’ve never been gone for this long before.”
Always responsible, I noted. “It’s kind of you to be concerned about him. Do you think he can handle it on his own?”
“Yes. He’s pretty invested in the place. What about you? Your aunt mentioned twins?”
A smile made its way easily onto my face when I thought of the little boy and girl who stole my heart on a daily basis. “Two of my patients,” I said as we neared the main road. “They have something wrong with them, but the doctors don’t know what. There’s no diagnosis, so we just keep trying different treatments.” I parked and looked at Simon. He was watching me again with that sweet smile.
“It’s good that you enjoy your job, Kate. I’m happy for you.”
I raised my eyebrows and gave him a pointed look. “I’m just as happy for you and your job. You deserve that after doing something you hated for so long.”
He nodded as he turned his attention to his phone. My phone was in the compartment in front of him, and I slid over a bit, reaching for it. My arm brushed Simon’s, and I was laughing internally at myself for the small thrill just brushing against him gave me. As if that slight touch wasn’t enough, Simon’s hand was suddenly sweeping my hair, which had just fallen between us, back from my face. I stilled, and a chill went down my neck as he tucked the last strand behind my ear. After a moment, I looked his way. Simon smiled a little as he spoke into the phone and trailed the back of his fingers along my cheek. The heat in my face was enough to give me away, which was why I was glad for the cover of darkness; only the dim light from the dash was glowing.
I bit my lip against a smile and finished retrieving my phone before I made a fool of myself in some way. I hadn’t expected his touch but I found myself missing it when I settled into the driver’s seat again.
“Are you kidding me?” Jesse said dully when he answered.
Everything for You (Unforgettable) Page 7