“You know I am,” Emma said gruffly. “I don’t need any crap from you or anyone else. You should act more like a gentleman when you’re with a girl,” she stated flatly.
“I really am sorry,” Destry grinned. “I’ll try harder to be a gentleman.”
When they pulled up to the gas station Destry quickly jumped out and jogged over to open her door.
“See, I’m being a gentleman already,” he announced as he held the door open and swept his arm out in front of him as he bowed. “My lady,” he said in a genteel voice.
Emma couldn't help but giggle, as she hopped down out of the truck. “That’s more like it,” she said, she playfully stuck her nose up in the air, mimicking royalty.
Destry reached out and grabbed Emma's hand in his, pulling her towards the store. His hand was so warm, and strong. Emma liked the feel of it around hers.
Once inside, Destry presented Emma with the none-to-healthy choices available. She wasn’t really hungry; the butterflies were still flitting around in her stomach, making her feel a bit queasy. She didn’t want to be rude though, and she didn’t want him to think she was one of those girls who's always watching her figure and refuses to eat in front of a guy.
Emma had always had a healthy appetite. Her mom always said her legs must be hollow, there was no other explanation for where all that food went. It was only fair that Destry know what he was getting into, in case this went any further.
“I’ll just have a corn dog and a cola,” Emma said decidedly.
“That sounds pretty good to me. I think I’ll have the same." Destry seemed exuberant, apparently, that Emma wasn’t one of those girls that didn’t eat. “Looks like we have a real gourmet meal ahead of us,” he teased lightly.
“I can hardly wait for the first bite,” Emma smiled back.
They stepped up to the counter together with their hoard, and Destry paid the clerk. He quick-stepped to the door and somehow managed to hold it open for Emma and the truck door as well, all while juggling the rectangular Styrofoam boxes with their dinner, and two soda cans.
“Here,” Emma spoke guiltily, “let me take some of that for you.”
“No way. I won’t be accused of not being a gentleman again,” Destry insisted.
As he walked around the truck, Emma swiftly leaned over and pulled the door handle to open his door so he wouldn’t have to fumble with it on his side.
“I could stand to act a little more like a lady too, you know,” she announced stubbornly as she read the disapproving look on his face at having her help with the door. “Besides,” she goaded, “I don’t want to have to eat my gourmet dinner off the dirty asphalt.”
“I had it under control,” Destry retorted.
Emma could see he wasn’t really agitated with her. Just a typical guy who didn’t want anyone thinking he needed help with anything, especially not from a girl.
Destry climbed in and sat the food on the seat between them and then looked at Emma, as if he was going to tell her something important but didn't know where to start.
The brief silence made her uncomfortable. "Do you want me to hold the drinks?" She asked, breaking Destry out of his daze.
"Um...sure that would be great," he said as he handed her the two Sodas. He started the truck and pulled out of the station.
“Where to now?” Emma asked. They were already driving, heading north down the deserted road. Even the main street through town was pretty much dead after the sun went down. Destry pulled his truck over, slowing to a stop. They were in the parking lot behind the high school, next to the football field.
“Well, that’s the problem,” he said hesitantly, as he turned to face her. “Since that snow storm last night decided to grace us with its presence, they had to postpone the opening of the drive-in for another week. So I’m not really sure what we should do now. But I didn’t want to cancel the date,” he admitted, “so I thought we could just wing it.” He opened up Emma's Styrofoam box and handed it to her.
“Oh…well that’s okay,” Emma said, trying to keep her voice calm.
In reality, she was worried about their plans being up in the air. That meant they would probably end up sitting in the truck together for the remainder of the evening, alone.
Emma took a big bite of her corn dog, and began to chew it slowly, hoping it would calm her stomach.
Destry clearly wanted to stake a claim on her. Emma didn’t know if she was ready for that, or if it was even the way she wanted this to go. There were still too many choices in front of her, too many decisions that needed to be made. She couldn’t commit to anything yet.
She still couldn’t push Micah out of her thoughts, although she was trying to for this evening. Destry deserved a fair chance.
“Are you worried or something?” Destry’s voice broke through Emma's thoughts.
“What do you mean?” she asked warily. Destry had already proven to be pretty good at judging Emma's mood just by watching her face. He apparently hadn’t lost his gift for reading her like a book.
“You just look like you're worried about something,” Destry said, worry filling his own voice. “Are you upset about the drive-in? We could head into the city if you want and find a movie theater. I’m sure…” Destry's words came out in a rush.
“No, no,” Emma blurted out quickly to ease his panic. “I’m not mad about the drive-in, and we don’t need to drive all the way into the city. I’m sure we can come up with something to do,” she smiled at him reassuringly.
“Well do you have any ideas?” he asked hopefully.
Emma's lack of a social life had left her pretty bereft in the ‘fun local dates’ area. She hated to admit it to herself, but she had no idea what other kids around here did for fun.
“I’m pretty much stumped in that area,” Emma admitted reluctantly. "To tell you the truth, prom was the first real date I’ve ever been on,” she added pathetically.
“Yeah, me too,” Destry chuckled darkly. “We are quite a pair, aren’t we?”
"I don't believe that," Emma huffed. Surely Destry had dated lots of girls.
"It's true," he said honestly. "I never met anyone before that I wanted to go out with."
His beautiful, deep blue eyes were penetrating the dim light of the cab and searing into Emma's.
She felt like a deer in the head lights, trapped in the depths of his haunting stare.
Chapter 16: KNOWLEDGE
"I never thought I'd date an older woman," Destry said as they sat in his truck, a sly smile spreading across his face.
"What do you mean...older woman?" Emma huffed. "You're the same age as me."
"Your birthday was in April and mine isn't until June, so technically you're an older woman," Destry bounced his eyebrows up and down.
"How do you know when my birthday is?" Emma felt a little violated knowing he'd been gathering personal information about her.
"I have my sources," he smiled mischievously and Emma felt the blood pounding in her veins.
"Are you the one that put that note in my locker?" Emma said as the realization dawned on her. Destry just smiled and looked out the windshield at the darkening sky. "You're not going to tell me?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said trying to fake innocence.
Emma decided to let it go, he didn't need to answer it was written all over his face.
"Two months age difference isn't anything to go bragging to your friends about," Emma snorted, trying to make her voice indifferent.
"You're worth bragging about though," Destry said seriously.
Emma turned her head hoping he couldn't see her blush in the darkness. She could feel his intense gaze as if he was hoping for some response, she was at a loss.
The air in the cab felt like it was charged with electricity. Emma needed to interrupt the current somehow before it fried her senses again. Small talk seemed like the perfect remedy.
“So tell me about your family,” she prompted.
“What
do you want to know?” Destry asked, and Emma thought she felt hesitation at the subject which only made her more curious.
“Well, I’ve seen your dad before. He works up at the resort right?” Emma inquired, hoping that would start him talking. She had no desire to go back to the electrical silence.
“Yeah,” Destry answered lightly, “he’s over all of the maintenance crews up there. He’s sort of the foreman I guess, so he’s gone a lot. Stuff is always breaking, and it’s got to get fixed or the resort loses money.”
“And, what about your mom?” Emma mused.
“She died when I was ten,” Destry answered in a steady voice.
“Oh,” Emma's own voice lowered and she looked down at the floor.
“It’s okay, I’m used to her being gone now. It was hard for the first couple of years, but now I try to think of it as a long vacation, or business trip she’s away on. I know I’ll see her again someday, so it’s not like she’s really gone. That knowledge makes it easier to deal with, you know.” Destry smiled warmly. He obviously believed what he was saying; it put Emma at ease.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked.
“Nope, it’s just me.”
“You’re lucky, trust me.” She raised her eyebrows to emphasize her disdain at having an annoying sibling that plagued her existence. Destry laughed at Emma's sour face.
“You’re the lucky one,” he said, seriousness in his tone. “I wish I had a brother, or a sister, or both. I love big families. When I get married, I want lots of kids. It's got to be a lot more fun than being an only child. It's not that great being alone.”
“I guess it does make life more interesting when you have someone to tease,” Emma snickered.
“What about you?” Destry asked earnestly. “I’ve met your mom and your little brother. Do you have a dad around or what?”
“My mom and dad got divorced when I was thirteen. I wasn’t very happy about it, but I guess it’s what needed to happen. They didn’t get along very well when they were together,” Emma let out a sigh. “That’s how we ended up here in Eden. My mom wanted us to live close to our Grandma so she could help out.”
“Well, I for one am glad you’re here,” Destry smiled warmly at her.
“Thanks,” Emma mumbled, “I’m glad too, I guess. This place isn’t so bad if you enjoy complete and utter solitude.”
“You’ve got me now, your solitude is forever ruined,” Destry teased, but Emma could tell he meant it.
Emma wondered at the significance of his statement. That was all she'd ever wanted out of life, was to escape the solitude she feared would engulf her if she didn't find the right person. Emma rolled the question around in her mind; was Destry the one she was looking for? She couldn’t be sure yet.
“I'm not so sure about the forever part,” Emma said quietly, “there’s nothing holding you here. Aren’t you planning on leaving eventually for college or something?”
“No, I don’t have any immediate plans for leaving,” he looked her in the eye to convey the truthfulness of what he was saying, “and right now, believe it or not, you're part of what’s holding me here.”
“How can I be holding you here?” Emma said, exasperated. “We barely know each other.”
“We’d know each other better if you would quit avoiding me all the time,” Destry pointed out blatantly. “Am I really that scary?” He raised one eyebrow and grinned an evil grin.
“No,” Emma stammered, “I’m just not used to this kind of attention I guess. You come on kind of strong.”
“You think I’m strong?” He laughed as he flexed his perfect bicep in Emma's direction.
“No, I said you come on strong,” Emma demanded, feeling herself blush as she found her eyes glued to the lean muscles that ran up and down his arm.
“Well I’m sorry,” he said sweetly. “I’ll try not to be so strong in your presence from now on.” He pulled his T-shirt sleeves down to cover his biceps; still teasing Emma with his play on words.
“I actually don’t mind you being strong…in that way,” Emma mumbled, embarrassed.
“Well, I’m glad of that at least. I didn’t want to have to turn wimpy to win you over.”
“See!” Emma blurted out with too much emphasis. “There you go again. All this talk about winning me over isn’t exactly the opposite of coming on too strong. There’s no contest going on here, in case you haven't noticed. Do you see anyone else standing in line? I’m not much of a prize anyway,” she muttered.
“I think you’re the ultimate prize Emma. And you really shouldn’t be bashin’ on yourself that way all the time,” Destry said sternly. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you were worth the trouble. And believe me, you’re plenty of trouble. You're a little too feisty for your own good,” he smiled and leaned closer.
“I have to be feisty,” Emma retorted, leaning away. “There are some people out there who think it’s funny to send me flying through their windshield.”
“I told you I was sorry about that. Boy, you sure do hold grudges don’t you?”
“I’m not holding grudges, I’m just exercising a little self-preservation.”
Destry's face smoldered a little. “I would never do anything to hurt you Emma. You know that right?” His hand slid across the seat and covered hers. Tiny shocks traveled over her skin, making the hair on her arms stand up.
“How can you be so sure?" she asked, pulling her hand away. "I mean, I know you wouldn’t hurt me physically, but there are other ways of hurting people. Plus, what if I hurt you someday? I’m not sure I deserve your loyalty. Don't misunderstand, it's flattering and all, but how can you be so devoted anyway?” Emma knew she wasn’t making much sense. Rambling again; it was a curse.
“Because that’s what I feel like I need to do, it’s like that’s what I’m here for, is to protect you.” He wasn’t looking at her; he seemed focused on something far away.
“Protect me from what?” Emma was bewildered.
“I don’t know, it’s a weird feeling. It’s like I can’t remember the reason, I just know there is one.” He shook his head in frustration still not looking at her.
Destry's answer didn’t make much more sense than Emma's question had, but somehow she knew exactly what he was trying to say.
Destry reached over and placed a hand on Emma's knee, and it sent a chilling ripple through her body. Why did he keep touching her? She flinched away from him again. Obviously that hurt his feelings, because she saw his expression change. He quickly recovered and gave her a concerned smile.
"You should probably drink some of your soda, you look like you could use the sugar,” Destry said softly.
He was right. Emma's head was spinning and she could feel her hands trembling. Sugar always helped her level out when she got anxious. She didn’t know how he knew that…she’d never told him about it.
Emma picked up her cola and started gulping it down.
Destry started to laugh. “Don’t drown yourself; you’d better come up for some air soon.”
Emma put her soda down and tried to smile, but it came off looking kind of sickly. She couldn't rationalize these things she was feeling. It was too much to deal with.
These weren't feelings she should be having for Destry. Micah was the one that had an eternal connection to her. He trusted her and she felt like she was betraying that trust somehow.
“I guess I’d better get you home,” Destry said when he saw Emma's face. “You look a little pale,” he added, sounding concerned. His voice held a hint of disappointment.
“Yeah, suddenly I don’t feel so good,” Emma murmured.
Destry started the engine and then glanced over at her again, hesitating. Emma knew he was hoping for something more from her. She didn’t exactly want the night to end this way either, but she didn’t know what to do or say to change it. She felt the need to distance herself from Destry, from these feelings that she couldn't deal with.
Emma had already
known she liked Destry, but she hadn’t realized how much she liked him. It scared her, because it made the impending decision between real life, and Micah seem even more hopeless. Liking him had never been part of the plan. It was just going to make it harder to say goodbye.
On the way home, there wasn't much conversation. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, both of them seemed content, lost in their own thoughts, or maybe that was just Emma. For all she knew, Destry was considering whether or not to even bother with her anymore.
Before Emma realized it they were back at her house. She hoped Destry wasn’t too disappointed with her and her uncanny ability to ruin everything. Emma really did like him.
There was something about him that she trusted, something good. She hoped, at least, that they could still be friends after all of this.
Emma looked over at Destry and he seemed to be at war with himself over something too. She didn’t want him to hate her, so she tried to salvage the evening as best she could.
“Thanks so much for dinner,” she said sweetly. “I’m sorry we had to end it so soon, but it’s probably a good idea for me to get some rest; school tomorrow you know.” Emma thought her attempt at making things better came out kind of lame.
"Get some sleep," Destry suggested, "It'll help you feel better."
"I'll see ya tomorrow, okay?" Emma said trying to be upbeat.
"Yeah," Destry mumbled. He stared intently at Emma and began to lean toward her.
Emma opened the door and jumped down out of the truck. She didn’t give him the chance to finish whatever course he was on. She thought it best to keep her distance for now.
Apparently, Destry was still set on kissing her.
"Goodnight Destry," she said swiftly, and shut the door, leaving him hanging there like a limp noodle. She strode quickly toward the house, when she reached the door she turned back to wave at Destry before going inside.
He smiled at her slyly, like this was all a game he was sure he would win eventually. He waved back then revved the engine and spun out, spraying gravel everywhere.
Eternal (Eternal series) Page 14