by Amity Hope
“I better get going. I told Dad I’d call to let him know if there was anything important.” I lifted the mail in my hand, a visual aid to my lie.
His hand slid from the door and he stepped aside.
“Remember to talk to your dad about calling the Post Office. I’m working from home this week. I really didn’t need this disruption.”
I wanted to point out to him that he was the one that had prolonged this ‘disruption’. If he hadn’t blocked my way out, I’d be halfway down the driveway by now. Instead, I said nothing as I slipped past his imposing form.
*****
The last time I saw Seth, I was wearing cut-off jeans, flip-flops and a purple tank top spattered with teardrops. I was in the midst of some major ugly-crying: red face, puffy eyes, and runny nose.
Mom had impatiently honked the horn of her SUV as I’d hugged my best friends goodbye. First Alyssa, then Logan and Brent, Seth, and last, Gabby. Caitlin hadn’t shown up. I had been too distraught and emotional to care much about how I’d looked.
The next time I saw him, I was in too much pain to care how I looked. I was trying to catch my breath and trying to ignore the jolting throb at the back of my head. All while flat on my back watching little puffs of icy air floating in front of my face with each exhalation I made.
“You okay?”
I stifled a groan as I turned my head his way. It took me a moment to realize what had happened. One moment, I was hurriedly traipsing down the driveway. The next, something startled me enough to send my feet skidding out from under me. I now realized that sound was the sound of the garage door being raised.
His form was nothing more than a large silhouette, blocking out a bit of the blinding sun as he stood over me.
His presence distracted me enough to pull me from my fog of pain. I pulled myself into a sitting position.
“You’re going to freeze down there,” he said. “Do you need a hand?”
It didn’t sound like he wanted to give me a hand. I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.” With those untruthful words I tried to pull myself to my feet. The slick soles of my boots—the reason I’d ended up flat on my back on his ice-covered driveway in the first place—had other plans for me.
As I began to flail my arms in the most embarrassing way, Seth’s hands came out to steady me. He gripped my forearms, guiding me to my feet. Luckily I managed to stay upright on my own because his hands didn’t linger long enough to keep me upright if I toppled.
Instead, he leaned down to pick up the mail I’d scattered. This brief distraction gave me just a few seconds to look at him without being obvious about it. His sandy blond hair was half hidden under a baseball cap. His face was scruffy and it suited him well. He had shot up several inches. At one time, we’d been the same height. But now, as he rose with the envelopes in his hand, he was a few inches taller than me, even though my boots had a heel.
His eyes were the same. A clear, crystal blue. But the expression in them? That had changed. I wasn’t expecting him to welcome me back with squeals and hugs like Gabby and Alyssa had done. But his detached attitude hurt far more than Caitlin’s had.
His gaze drifted down my body and back up again. It was in a completely different way than Mr. Ryerson’s gaze had drifted over me.
He handed me the mail. “You shouldn’t be wearing boots like that. Some girls can pull it off. You don’t seem to be one of them. Good thing you walked over here,” he said as he started backing away. “You shouldn’t be trusted behind the wheel if you can’t even handle being on your feet.”
It took a moment to scrape my dignity off of the driveway but I finally managed. I planted my fists against my hips. Despite feeling completely off balance, both physically and emotionally, I managed to scrounge up just a bit of sarcasm. “Gosh, Seth. It’s nice to see you too.”
“I’m late. Gotta run,” he said as he vaguely motioned toward the garage. From where I was standing I could see a large duffel bag sitting on the ground. I was sure that bag was filled with hockey gear. My guess was that he’d dropped it there as he’d come to my quasi-rescue. “Later, Monroe.”
Monroe? How charming. Made it sound like I was just one of the guys. I mentally reprimanded myself. Why shouldn’t he sound that way? Because really, to him, that’s probably exactly what I was.
CHAPTER 4
I tossed the envelopes onto the kitchen counter. From what I could tell, all three were nothing more than junk mail. None of it had been worth the hassle of retrieving it. I continued on, up to my room where I spent the next several hours unpacking. Despite the music I had blaring, it didn’t drown out the thoughts that I had tumbling through my head.
I’d known Seth since we were four. That’s when his family had moved in next door. We’d spent endless days on the swing set and in the sandbox in my backyard. As we’d gotten older, we’d shared the same circle of friends.
So as a friend I’d thought his welcome would’ve been a little more…welcoming. He hadn’t exactly been rude. He just hadn’t been very friendly. And while maybe this shouldn’t have bothered me, it did. I tried telling myself it was simply because he was in a hurry. Only, I wasn’t buying my excuse. If either Gabby or Alyssa would’ve blown me off that way, I would’ve been bummed by that too. As for Caitlin? She and I had never been that close to begin with.
A phone call from Gabby halfway through my day had cheered me up some.
I was sitting on my bed, picking away at a piece of my cake when I heard a vehicle in the driveway. I slid off my bed, taking the plate with me. Dad walked in as I reached the bottom of the staircase.
“Did you get everything unpacked?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said as I went into the kitchen to put my plate away. “You’re home early.” I assumed he’d cut his workday a few hours short, not wanting to leave me home alone.
“It was a quiet day,” he said. “I think everyone is still at the mall, getting those clearance specials.”
I nodded because he was probably right.
“Those were over at the Ryerson’s.” I pointed at the envelopes on the counter.
Dad plucked them up and flipped through them. “He called about them?”
I nodded. “Just how often do they get your mail?”
“Maybe once a month,” Dad grumped.
“That’s it?” I asked in surprise. I was giving him a few minutes to get settled in before telling him Gabby was on her way to get me. I tapped my fingers on the countertop as I continued with the current conversation. “He made it sound like, I don’t know, like it was a horrible problem.”
Dad’s expression was frustrated and he placed the envelopes down on the counter again, apparently deciding nothing needed to be dealt with immediately. “I get his mail every so often, too. I simply walk over and pop it back into his mailbox. I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal. It happens. So what?”
I smiled because that was pretty much what I thought.
“But every time he gets my mail, he has to make a production out of it. I could let him know that sometimes I get his, but then I figure those poor folks at the Post Office would never hear the end of it. As far as I’m concerned, they’re overworked enough without having to deal with him. Sorry you had to deal with him,” Dad said. “I could’ve stopped over on my way home.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. I had the time.” Though in the future, considering how unpleasant the experience had been, both seeing Bart and Seth again, I thought I’d let Dad deal with the mail from now on.
“So, Harper,” Dad started, “I suppose you’re wondering why you haven’t gotten a Christmas present from me yet.”
I shrugged. “Not really.” Dad had never been too good at picking out gifts. It wasn’t for lack of trying but after a while, he decided he was better off just giving me and Dustin some cash with a note telling us to pick out our own present. True, he hadn’t given me the tell-tale Christmas card yet. I’d assumed that in the chaos, it had slipped his mind.
&nb
sp; “Well, it wasn’t quite ready yet. But it is now so we can go pick it up. That’s really the reason I came home early.” His expression was impassive but he couldn’t keep the excited tone out of his voice.
“Go pick what up?” I suspiciously asked.
“Your Christmas present,” he evasively answered.
At that moment, I could hear a car coming down our driveway again. The sound of snow crunched under tires as it pulled close.
Dad frowned as he took a step toward the window over the kitchen sink, which faced the front yard.
I grimaced, feeling guilty. “That’s probably Gabby coming to get me. She asked if I could go to her house tonight. I guess I should’ve checked with you. I didn’t realize you had plans for us.”
For a moment he looked conflicted. Then he shrugged. “How set are you on going to her house right away? She could always come with to pick up your present.”
*****
I spent the drive into town turned around in my seat facing Gabby. Her incessant chattering kept me preoccupied. It wasn’t until she stopped, her eyes widening and a grin spreading across her face that I turned around. Until that moment, I hadn’t realized Dad was taking us to the dealership.
Dad wasn’t your stereotypical, snaky salesman. He truly loved his job. Setting people up with new cars was his passion. As if he was a vehicular matchmaker. He liked nothing more than to pair people with cars they would love. He had a reputation of being fair and honest. It made for a pretty profitable business.
He tossed me a grin as he saw me looking around.
“My present is here?” I asked. At the car lot? Did that mean I was actually getting a car? It seemed like that might be the obvious assumption but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. What if he’d gotten me a pair of snow boots or something else equally practical? And what if he’d needed to have his secretary wrap them? They could be sitting in his office. That could be why we had to drive here.
But then again, it had to be a car. Right? I felt my heartbeat take off just a bit.
“Your present is here,” Dad confirmed. He pulled around to the backside of the building, where the employees all parked. Instead of parking in one of the spots right off of the back entrance, he pulled to the very back of the lot.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“About what?” I wondered. About parking as far as possible from the door? I wasn’t crazy about that. It was cold out.
“That.” Dad pointed to the vehicle he had parked next to.
Until that moment, I hadn’t really given it any notice. There were vehicles all over the place. I hadn’t realized that one was worth special attention.
I eyed up the dark gray Jeep Cherokee. “It’s…big,” I said cautiously.
Dad hopped out, motioning for me to follow. I did and I came face to face with Gabby as she hopped out of the backseat.
“Nice!” she whispered. Her eyes sparkled in appreciation.
It was nice. It just wasn’t…me.
“It’s yours!” Dad exclaimed as he rounded the front of his vehicle. “What do you think?” His gaze bounced from the Jeep to me and back again.
“It’s nice,” I said lamely. I immediately realized my tone lacked the enthusiasm that Gabby’s had held. She was standing beside me, nodding her head in agreement. It was not something I would’ve picked out for myself.
“You don’t like it?” Dad looked perplexed.
“No, I do.”
“But…?” he pressed. “You can tell me. It’s important to drive something you like.”
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful but if I’m getting a vehicle, I was hoping for something smaller. Something sporty? A nice little two door?” I suggested. “Preferably in red. Not an obnoxious fire engine red. More like a deep, cherry-red. But still, red.”
“It has four-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes,” Dad said defensively.
“It’s kind of big. And it has four doors,” I pointed out. It wasn’t that I was trying to be unappreciative. It was just that Dad owned four car lots. I was hoping to explore my options a little. There were so many other vehicles available.
“It’s safe,” Dad argued. “It’s not some tiny car that’s going to turn into an accordion on impact. You’ve never driven on icy, snow-covered roads before.”
Gabby elbowed me in the ribs. “Take it!” she whispered. “I have an ancient Prelude with a gazillion miles on it. I would take the Jeep in a heartbeat!”
A pleased smile crept across Dad’s face as Seth’s words from earlier crept through my mind. You shouldn’t be trusted behind the wheel if you can’t even handle being on your feet.
There could be a little bit of truth to those words. They were both right. I’d never driven on ice before. I could probably use all the help I could get. Four-wheel drive suddenly sounded alluring.
“I’ll tell you what,” Dad said as he slapped the side of the Jeep. “Humor your old man. Take the Jeep for now. I’ll feel a lot better knowing you’re a little less likely to get stuck in a snow bank or go skidding off the road. Then, this summer if a sportier car strikes your fancy, we’ll do a trade.”
It sounded like a completely fair offer.
“Deal,” I said with a grin. I stuck my hand out to him. He grabbed it, pumping it up and down. “But I’m sure I’ll manage the icy roads in no time.”
“Until then,” Dad said as he held the key fob out, he pushed a button and the Jeep started up, “enjoy.”
“Remote start? You are so lucky!” Gabby said as she gave me a nudge.
“Thanks, Dad. It’s great, really.” It was true. In less than five minutes it was already growing on me.
“I assume you’ll want to test it out?”
I nodded.
He tossed me my keys and despite my bulky, mitten covered hands, I managed to catch them. “Be safe. Have fun. Be home by eight.”
I raised my eyebrows at him. I realized he’d been absent from the parenting thing for a long time now. But really? “Eight?”
“Nine?” he volleyed back.
I shook my head.
“Ten?” he offered.
“One,” I suggested.
“Midnight. Final offer,” he firmly countered.
I sighed. With Mom, I’d had no curfew.
“Midnight is my curfew,” Gabby whispered.
“Fine, midnight,” I agreed.
Minutes later, Dad had taken off toward home. Gabby and I decided to check out the mall.
“I need boots,” I told her. I was creeping cautiously along, probably more careful on the snowy roads than I needed to be. Better safe than sorry. Gabby was nice enough to not mock me over it.
Instead, she peered over at my feet. “Why? Those boots are super cute.”
“I need winter boots,” I clarified. I told her about landing on my ass in front of Seth.
Her face crumpled up in confusion. “He said that? He must’ve been joking.”
I shook my head. “It was the way he said it. Not even a hello. Just a slight insult and then he was on his way.”
She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like Seth.”
“So maybe it’s me,” I grumbled. “Maybe he wasn’t happy to see me. Did he know I was moving back?”
“Of course,” Gabby scoffed. “I was really excited the day I got your text. I read it right before lunch. I went over to the table where all the hockey players sit. I told him, Logan and Brent all at the same time.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Brent was smiling like a goon. And Logan too,” she said brightly. “They wanted to know when and why and for how long.”
“And Seth?” I pressed.
She gave a little shake of her head. “I don’t remember. I don’t think he said anything. To be honest, I don’t really talk to him that much anymore. I mean, we’re still friends. But I’ve been busy with Mason. This time of year, Seth’s busy with hockey.”
“And his playthings,” I muttered under my breath as I t
urned into the mall parking lot.
She snorted out a laugh. “His what? Did you say playthings? Why would you say that?”
I told her what Mr. Ryerson had said to me.
“I don’t know who the hell he was talking about, but it sure wasn’t Seth,” she said as her laughter faded away. “He’s not like that. He hardly ever even dates. I mean, he and Cait—”
She cut herself off as I cut the engine. I turned to her, eyebrows raised, waiting for the answer I’d already thrown together in my head.
“Never mind. I don’t really know what he and Cait do. Or don’t do. I mean, I don’t know what they are,” she hastily said.
“Are they dating?”
She shrugged and made a face. “I honestly don’t know. Despite all of her other faults, Cait doesn’t typically kiss and tell.”
I wasn’t expecting my stomach to plummet at those words. That was ridiculous. I couldn’t be jealous over that implication. Or at least, I shouldn’t be. I hadn’t even seen Seth for years. And yet, he’d never been far from my mind. I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t spent the majority of my afternoon thinking about him while I was unpacking.
If it was possible, he was even more gorgeous than he’d been a few years ago. The cut of his cheekbones, the way his hair curled around the edges of his hat, the serious expression on his face…
Seeing him again had dredged up emotions and memories that I had thought were long gone. Apparently, they weren’t gone. They’d simply been buried. But when I thought of his reaction to me, I knew the very last thing I should be feeling was a case of the warm-and-fuzzies. And yet…it was Seth. While I couldn’t logically explain to myself or anyone else, the truth was, I couldn’t get him out of my head. I’d lived next door to him for eleven years. Because of that, I’d seen him almost every single day during that time. Those ties that were formed in those eleven years didn’t just disappear because I’d lived in another state for a while.