by Julia Day
As we reached his mom, he gave her a smile. “I’ll take you home first. Brooke and I can run the errand on our way to her house.”
* * *
Micah parked in the visitors’ lot near the shopping district. Since he’d only been downtown to try out the restaurants, I pointed out the other businesses as we made our way down the block.
He laced his fingers through mine. Whenever we were together, he was always touching me, as if he had no other choice. Kissing and holding hands were amazing, of course, but I also craved the little touches. The brush of his lips on my temple. The light pressure of his hand at the small of my back. I loved how affectionate Micah was with me.
We had just turned onto Main Street when I pulled him to a halt.
“What’s wrong?” Micah asked.
Coming down the sidewalk, headed our way, were Kaylynn and Jonas, holding hands and eating ice cream cones.
“That’s my best friend with my ex-boyfriend. I didn’t know they were…”
“A couple.” Micah’s frown was wary. “You haven’t talked about her since the trip to Pullen Park.”
“We had an argument three weeks ago and haven’t spoken much since.” By now, they had spotted us. After a brief exchange, they both tossed their cones in a trash can and continued toward us.
Sadness hummed hollowly in my head. My best friend was dating my ex, and I hadn’t known. It was a major enough change that I should’ve rated a warning. I wasn’t jealous, but I was disturbed. How could we have lost each other so quickly?
Of course, she didn’t know about my boyfriend either.
“Hi,” she said, taking in our clasped hands.
“Kaylynn. Jonas. This is Micah.”
Everybody nodded at each other. Then silence.
She looked from me to Micah. “Do you go to school around here?”
“No, I’m only here for the summer.” He shifted closer to me.
He was confused, and I could do nothing to help him, not with them standing there. “So how long have you two been dating?” Oh, wow. Had I really asked that?
Jonas looked at Kaylynn. “Two weeks?”
That hurt. She and I had talked or texted a couple of times since then. She’d even mentioned having a date—but not who it was with. There had been opportunities to tell me, instead of letting me find out by accident. Why had she kept it a secret? I honestly didn’t mind them as a couple. How could she not understand that?
It was time to go. I gave them my best imitation of a smile and tugged on Micah’s hand. “Well, nice to see you.” We walked past them.
“Where’s Natalie?” she asked.
I stopped and looked over my shoulder. The question left me cold. Angry. I could smell the nastiness underneath. “Why?”
“I thought you and Natalie went everywhere together.”
“Well, you would be wrong.” I slipped off my shades and stared at her hard, until she flushed. This disagreement was complete crap. Our friendship should’ve been worth more. “My conscience is clear, Kaylynn. If yours isn’t, you have to live with it. But don’t try to unload your guilt on me.” I stalked away without looking back.
Micah waited until we had handed over the samples at the print shop and were back in the car before bringing up the scene. “Will you tell me what that was about?”
“I don’t know what to think.”
“Did it bother you to see Jonas?”
“What?” I shook my head firmly. “No.” I sorted through several ways to explain, but none seemed to work. Maybe because my emotions were so tangled over this. “I don’t care that they’re dating. I split up with him months ago, and we’ve hung out at the same events since. It hasn’t been a problem.”
“What was the guilt thing about?”
My throat thickened. “Kaylynn and Natalie don’t get along. It’s best to keep them apart.”
“Translated, Kaylynn can’t take Natalie’s quirks, and since you and Natalie are a package deal, your friend doesn’t call anymore.”
“That sounds really bad.”
“Because it is.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “She’s wrong. You’re not. Done.”
True, but being right didn’t fill the void.
He released my hand, backed out of the lot, and drove to my house.
“We only have two hours before my family gets back,” I said, leading him inside the house.
“That should be enough.” At the top of the stairs, he halted on the threshold to my room, took it all in, then walked over to my shelf of baseball collectibles. “Nice. Not what I expected but better.”
“What did you expect?”
“Something frillier.”
Hands on hips, I gaped at him. “Where did you get that? There is nothing frilly about me.”
“I still wouldn’t have guessed a collection of bobbleheads.”
“Don’t forget the foul ball that I caught myself.” Grinning, I went to my desk and opened my laptop. “Come here. I’ll show you what I’ve prepared.”
As I played a rough slideshow of the images I’d found on Jeff’s computer, Micah’s expression didn’t change nor did he speak. When I came to the end, I elbowed him. “Do you have any opinions?”
“When have I ever not had opinions?” He pulled his Mac from its case. “I like the flow you have with the before-and-after shots. You’ve got a nice mix. And having captions is good. I’d also suggest adding voiceover.”
“Whose voice?”
“Yours. Sound is my thing. I’ll make it work.”
It bothered me to hear my own voice on recordings, but Micah wouldn’t have suggested it if I sounded bad. I flipped open my notes for the gallery, oddly nervous. Jeff wasn’t big on surprises. I could make the video both ways and see which presented better. “If I don’t like it, we’ll skip the voice track.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Alright, let’s do it.”
* * *
An hour later, we’d reached a stopping point with the first pass of a video. It lasted less than a minute, but it was solid.
I stood and stretched. “That went by fast. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. We’re a good team.” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me.
I froze. Jonas had never allowed me to sit on his lap. He said I weighed too much, which had been a jerk thing to tell me. I would never claim to be thin, but I liked the way my body looked. I’d once read in a romance novel the words lush curves. Secretly, it was how I thought of myself.
“Anything wrong?” Micah asked, studying my face.
“No.” I always felt exactly right in Micah’s eyes. He wanted my lush curves on his lap. “We’re perfect.”
He kissed me again, then settled me more securely in his arms. I snuggled against him.
My phone buzzed. A text from my mom. I drew the phone over.
Should be home in 20
Why was Mom warning me? Had she assumed—correctly—that Micah and I were together? I looked at him apologetically and wiggled off his lap. “You have to leave. They’ll be home soon.”
With a curt nod, he shoved his computer into its case, the lingering tension of our disagreement hovering between us.
“Micah, please.”
“I’m dealing with it, but I’m worried that your luck will run out.” He left my room and thudded down the stairs.
I caught up with him as he was opening the front door.
“Wait.”
He paused, then closed the door and set his case on the floor. Turning, he reached for me. I stepped into his arms eagerly, sighing with relief when he drew me to him.
“It’s time for some honest conversation, Brooke.”
I didn’t have to ask the topic. “I know you don’t like the secrecy. I don’t either. But I’m afraid of what might happen when she finds out. The world is black-and-white to Natalie, and we’ve created a shade of gray she’ll never understand.”
“She’s stronger than that.”
“I
can’t take the chance.”
“Okay.” He eased away and reached for his case. “But I won’t lie for you.” He opened the door again and disappeared into the night.
* * *
When Natalie wandered into my room around eleven, I’d finished my share of edits on the video and forwarded the file to Micah.
“How did you like the psychologist?”
Natalie shrugged. “I don’t know what I think yet. I’ll go again before I decide.” She took a deep sniff. “Has Micah been in here? It smells like him.”
My throat went dry. Busted. “Yes. He helped me with a project.”
“Like what?”
“I’m creating a photo gallery for Jeff’s website.” I kept my expression neutral.
She eyed me warily. “You do a lot of stuff together.”
Had the moment arrived? Could I slide the real story in now? “We’re … friends.”
“Huh. What kind of friends?” She was staring at my chin as her fingers rubbed her knuckles.
“We’re, um, friendly friends.” And there, I’d done it. Deliberately deceived her.
Her fingers slowed. Crisis delayed.
She looked away. “We haven’t had many late-night chats recently.”
If she’d missed our conversations enough to say something, she must really enjoy them, which made me happy because I did, too. “We’ve both been busy.”
“I haven’t been. What are you doing?”
“Working all day at the arts center, and helping Jeff with his business at night.”
“His website doesn’t need that much effort.”
“I’ve also been submitting government forms and filling out paperwork.”
She went to the window and looked out. “Can we talk now?”
“Sure.” I closed my laptop. “What?”
“The show will be over soon. What will I do after that?”
“Good question.” I spun the desk chair around. I’d better think this through. Neither Mom nor Jeff had talked about a vacation since Natalie arrived. It could be an oversight—but probably not. “We’d planned to take you to the beach in August.”
“Which one?”
“At the Outer Banks.”
“Dad and I went there last summer, but it might be alright to go again.”
“There are other options, especially if we drive over and come back on the same day.” Which I could handle, if our parents could spare me a car.
“We should do that. I prefer to sleep in my own bed.” She walked to the doorway. “I like having something to look forward to.”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
28
Shielding Her Face
By Wednesday, the show still looked pretty bumpy to me, but Micah assured me it would be spectacular. I believed him.
He spent most of his time in the booth now. I stayed at Lisa’s side, although my job was winding down. I didn’t have to hunt down missing cast members. They knew their cues. Our deck crew, led by Elena, was handling the scene changes. We were off-book this week, so no prompting lines. I’d volunteered to be the house manager on show nights, but that didn’t kick in for another week.
After watching every scene and hearing every song at least a dozen times, I was fighting boredom. It fascinated me, though, to observe Lisa and Micah. They never lost enthusiasm as they coached, praised, and urged the cast on to success.
We were focused on Act One this morning. Laurey and Ado Annie were having a girl-to-girl dialogue downstage. Behind them, the scene change was visible and noisy, practically drowning out the actors. Lisa twisted in her seat and scowled at the booth.
Micah’s sigh was loud over the headset. “Tell her I’m on it.”
“Don’t worry, Lisa,” I said to her. “He’s noticed.”
She jotted a note on a legal pad. “It needs to be faster. Try to cut five seconds.”
“I heard that, too,” came over the headset.
I hid a smile. The Daltons were cute.
At the end of Act One, the cast returned to the auditorium and fidgeted through Lisa’s review of her notes. I joined Micah in the booth and scooted my chair over until it bumped his, but I didn’t touch him. We were completely visible in here.
“That’s a lot of suppressed energy out there,” I said.
He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his temple. “I know.” He sounded odd.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He met my gaze, his face solemn. “The band director is meeting with Mom tonight. She wants me there.”
It took a moment for the impact to sink in. If his expression was any clue, there would be no date for us. The disappointment stunned me. “Wow.”
“It’s my job. I can’t miss it.”
“I understand,” I said, upset and struggling to hide it.
“Thanks.” He frowned at his binder.
Lisa’s voice drifted in through the speakers. “… That’s all I have. Anyone else?”
Silence.
He grabbed the mic. “Lunch break. The counselors will be outside in thirty, so head there after you eat.” He clicked it off.
“Did the counselors know that?”
Shaking his head, he picked up a pencil and wrote a note. “Can you tell them to make a schedule? One at a time is fine.”
“Sure.” I stood and stared at his bent head uncertainly. “I packed us a lunch-for-two today.”
His hand stilled, then he threw down the pencil, stood abruptly, and placed his hands on my hips. Seconds later, I found myself backed into an equipment closet, his body blocking me from view.
“You’re distracting me, and I like it.” He lowered his head until our lips touched. I’d just closed my eyes when he deepened the kiss—and boom, the world shattered and bright lights sparkled behind my lids and all that mattered was him.
The door to the booth rattled. With a groan, he wrenched away.
“Hello, Micah,” the light designer said as she walked in. She blinked when she saw me. “Brooke.” An understanding smile stole across her face. “Don’t let me interrupt. Go back to whatever you were doing.” She chuckled and plopped down in front of the light board.
Close call. That could’ve been anyone coming in.
I was too happy to care.
“Find the counselors,” Micah murmured. “I’ll meet you in the staff lounge in twenty minutes. For our lunch-for-two.”
* * *
Even though we couldn’t have a date Wednesday night, we talked on the phone for thirty minutes until Natalie came in for her late-night chat.
Thursday’s date lasted barely an hour. I drove over to the Daltons’ house so that Micah and I could watch a movie, but he fell asleep midway through, his head on my lap. I turned off the TV and sat in the dark, smoothing his hair and listening to him breathe. He’d been so stressed lately, I wouldn’t wake him. Carefully, I eased away and slipped from the house.
Micah arrived Friday morning looking better rested, although his greeting held an edge. There would be no stolen moments for us today; we were too busy. That worried me, because I wanted to explain.
Although he wouldn’t be taking over official control of the show until Monday, today he and Lisa would be in “transition”—a word that seemed to mean more to the two of them than anyone else. As the morning progressed, I couldn’t see any difference in their interactions.
We’d finished a complete run-through by midafternoon, and the cast went on break. Some parents had banded together and brought in a snack extravaganza. I watched from the doorway to the campers’ lounge, trying to choose between my jiggly thighs or the nachos.
“Brooke.” Micah spoke over the headset. “Meet me in the wings, stage left.”
“On my way.”
I practically ran—as fast as safety allowed. Micah stood by himself, headset off. When he opened his arms, I flew into them.
He kissed my forehead. “Hey.”
“Hi.” I smiled at him, my palms pressed to his chest. “How are thing
s?”
“Going great. Why did you abandon me last night?”
“You needed the sleep.”
“You should’ve let me make that decision. We wasted another night.”
I didn’t respond. He was right and I was right—and it was too late anyway. Break would be over soon. I wouldn’t waste now on arguing. Time for a diversion. “This set is amazing. The show’s going to be good.”
He was slow to speak, probably irritated at my obvious attempt to change the subject. “I think so, too.”
“Nervous?”
“No, things always go wrong. Part of the thrill is fixing the problems in the moment. I’d be nervous if everything was going smoothly.” He leaned in and gave me a light kiss.
“What are you doing?” Natalie screeched from the opposite side of the stage.
We sprang apart.
“You’re kissing!”
Horror gripped me. The moment I’d hoped would never come had arrived. One moment of letting down my guard was all it had taken. “Natalie—”
“Like you’re girlfriend and boyfriend.”
“We are,” Micah said as he gripped my waist possessively.
I shrugged him off. What the hell?
Her gaze transferred to him, eyes wild. “How long?”
“Since last week,” I answered, my voice soft with guilt.
She turned her back on us and muttered, “How could you?” Then she repeated it, over and over, faster and faster, till the words slurred. Behind her, more campers had trickled into the auditorium, some watching the three of us with interest.
“Natalie? Let me explain.”
“Don’t need to. I get it.” She took off into the wings.
When I started to follow, Micah caught my arm. “Wait, Brooke.”
“No. I have to rescue her.”
“How?”
“By taking her home.”
“That seems drastic. Just give her some time to calm down.”
I pulled my wrist from his grasp. He had never understood how bad this would be. He didn’t see friendship or mentorship or whatever kind of -ship they had in the same way she did. “I don’t think she’ll be able to do that here.”
Lisa walked up. “What’s going on?”
“Natalie isn’t feeling well. I’m taking her home.”