American Honey

by Heidi McLaughlin

  She ended the hug and pulled back to look me over. “You do look good. I guess this place agrees with you.”

  I looked over at Grandma, my eyes hopeful. Maybe she would see how happy I was and not argue with me when I told her I wanted to stay.

  My parents greeted Grandma and Grandpa and found a table to have some coffee. They chatted while I went back to work. Grandma had wanted to help, but I insisted I had it covered and she should enjoy the day off.

  Eventually they decided to head back to the cottage. I told them I would meet them back there later.

  “But where’s your car?” Grandma asked me away from everyone.

  “JT gave me a ride this morning,” I admitted, my face warm with embarrassment.

  She gave me a knowing smile. “I hope you guys had a good time.”

  I nodded. “We did Grandma. He told me he loved me.”

  She hugged me quick. “I’m so happy for you. There’s something about you two that remind me of your grandfather and I.” She squeezed my hand. “So don’t you worry. Is he picking you up?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure I’m ready for him to meet Mom. She’s going to freak enough when I tell her I’m not coming back to Madison.”

  Grandma sighed and nodded. “Unfortunately my daughter judges people too quickly. Could you get Brittany to pick you up?”

  “Maybe. I’ll figure it out. Maybe it would be best to have him meet them today. I could get it all over with at once.” I shrugged.

  “It’s up to you. I’m here for you no matter what.”

  “Thanks Grandma.” I hugged her again and shooed her off.

  I was distracted the rest of the day, trying to figure out what I was going to do. I didn’t want to lie to JT or make him think I was ashamed of him, but I also didn’t want to subject him to my mother’s scrutiny. He made a few comments occasionally about me being a city girl who was too good for him and I didn’t want to feed into that.

  Things were unusually busy that afternoon and I never had a chance to ask Brittany to come get me. I heard JT’s truck outside, realizing the decision had been made for me.

  He came inside and found me in the back office. The rest of the staff was finishing up the cleaning, so we were alone. He was still in his work uniform and had a smudge of grease on his face. His red cap was on backwards and he looked so adorable.

  “You look deep in thought,” he said and leaned against the desk next to me.

  “Just going over the numbers of the day,” I lied and stood up. I moved between his legs and he reached down to grip my ass.

  “I missed you,” he leaned in for a kiss and I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’ve been thinking about you all day, mostly about how great you look naked and how good you feel.”

  I rolled my eyes and smiled. “I’ve been thinking about you too.” I was too distracted to mess around. I went back to the desk and put everything away. “Today was busy. And exciting.”

  “Oh yeah? What happened?”

  I turned to look at him and took my apron off. “My parents came to visit.”

  “That’s good.” I gave him a look. “Isn’t it?”

  “JT, my mother wants to talk to me about going back to Madison in a couple of weeks.”

  “Oh,” his face fell.

  “I’m not going,” I said firmly and went over to him. “She’s going to be angry and it’s probably going to get ugly, but I won’t let her change my mind. Grandma and Grandpa told me I could stay here and work at the diner. Maybe I can even take it over one day.”

  His eyes lit up. “That would be great. Do you want me to come with you?”

  I chewed on the side of my mouth. “JT, she’s always pushed me to end up with a surgeon or someone like my father. I’m afraid of what she might say about you or to you.”

  “I’m a big boy, I can take it.” He took my hand, threading his fingers with mine. “We’re a team and I won’t let you do this alone.”

  I finished up a few things and we left the shop. I took a deep breath as I locked the door behind me. He helped me into his truck and then got in. We rode to the cottage in silence, unsure of what we were going to face.

  At least we were facing it together.

  Chapter Ten ~ JT

  “I Don’t Dance”

  I always had a feeling she might be too good for me even though she never acted that way. Her grandparents always accepted me with open arms as well. Now I was about to go into the lion’s den and meet her mother who would make my worst fears come true. What if she could convince Kara to go back to Madison and that I wasn’t good enough for her? My stomach was a bundle of nerves just thinking about it.

  We pulled up to the cottage and there was a huge black SUV in the driveway that probably cost more than the trailer Dad and I lived in. I assumed her family did ok since her grandparents had this nice cottage on the lake and she told me her dad was a surgeon. Guess I didn’t realize what that really meant.

  “Ready?” She asked me, her eyes wide with fear.

  I reached for her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I wanted to be brave for her even though I was scared shitless inside. “Yes. It will be ok.”

  “I hope so,” she mumbled and let go of my hand. She got out of the truck and I took a deep breath, gathering my courage to face whatever there was inside that cottage.

  She walked to the door and I followed behind her. She went inside and we found everyone sitting around the kitchen table. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife and they all stopped talking the minute they saw us.

  “Mother tells me you want to stay here.” A woman that I presumed was Kara’s mother spat out.

  Kara looked to her Grandma. “I’m sorry, dear,” she said. “She was spouting off about how terrible it was to grow up here and I couldn’t help it.”

  “It’s ok, Grandma.” She went over and gave her shoulder a pat before coming to stand by me. “Yes, I want to stay in Mountain and work at the diner. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll let me take it over.”

  Her mother let out a gasp and put her hand to her chest. “Kara, don’t be ridiculous. Who’s this?” She pointed at me. “Don’t tell me you want to stay here because of a boy?”

  She grabbed my hand and held it so tight I winced. “His name is JT and he’s only part of the reason.”

  She laughed and waved her hand. “Do you think you’re in love? You don’t know a thing about love. In no time he’ll break your heart and you’ll come crying back home.”

  “I won’t ever hurt your daughter,” I said quickly.

  She looked at me, her eyes a steely grey. “What do you do for a living, JT?” She asked, her voice dripping with disdain.

  “I run an auto shop with my dad.”

  “A grease monkey? Oh really, Kara. You can do so much better than that.”

  Her words cut right to my core. I had never been ashamed of who I was until that moment. She was right; Kara could probably do better than me, but she had chosen me, and I wasn’t going to let her go.

  “Mom!” She cried out, her eyes filling with tears. “What is wrong with you?” She looked to her dad. “Daddy?”

  He shook his head. “I wish you would come back to Madison, but I support you if you want to stay here.”

  Kara’s mother looked at him with her mouth open. “Oh really? And when she comes crying and asking to come home because he broke her heart, what will you say then?”

  He looked at me and gave me a sad smile. “I’ll welcome her home because she’s our daughter and I love her.”

  “Thank you Daddy.” He got up and gave her a hug.

  Kara’s mom got up from the table. “Let’s go then. There’s no reason to stay here.” She stormed outside without saying goodbye.

  “I’ll talk to her,” Kara’s dad said, reaching out to hug her. “She’ll calm down.”

  “I doubt it,” she sniffled and let go of him.

  “Take good care of my daughter,” he said, holding out
his hand for a handshake.

  “I will sir,” I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

  “I better go. I’ll call you later, Kara. I’m so sorry.” He turned and walked out the door. I could hear arguing outside and car doors slamming shut. We stood in silence, listening to the SUV leave.

  Kara went to her grandma and embraced her in a hug. “I’m so sorry, Grandma.”

  She patted her head. “It’s ok. She’ll get over it. She’s just sad to lose her little girl.”

  “But she’s not losing me,” she protested.

  “Oh sweetie, when your little girl falls in love, you do feel like you lose them a little bit.” She smiled over at me.

  “Now you two go out and have some fun. Try to forget about this.”

  Kara stood up. “Let me go change.” She disappeared to her bedroom and I sat down at the table with her grandparents.

  “She loves you.” Her grandma said. “But she’s conflicted by her mother. Just be patient with her and love her.”

  I looked down at my hands. “I don’t plan on doing anything else.”

  “Good.”

  Kara came back into the kitchen and took my breath away. She was wearing a plain white sundress, but it accentuated her tan and the blonde highlights the sun had put in her hair over the course of the summer. She looked like my sun kissed angel.

  She hugged her grandparents goodbye and we went out to my truck. We had to stop at my place so I could shower and change quickly. Matt was having a party at a nearby bar to celebrate his birthday, so we decided to head over there. Spending some time with our friends might help us get what happened today off of our minds.

  “I’m scared to touch you and get you dirty,” I teased her. “You should know better than to wear white around a mechanic.”

  “You can get me dirty any time you want to, JT.”

  I gripped the steering wheel and was tempted to find a way to get that dress off of her, but I didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was upset.

  She chatted with my dad while I cleaned up. I put on my signature red baseball cap, some green shorts, and a brown t-shirt. I felt underdressed compared to her, but I had that feeling most of the time. I constantly wondered how a girl like her wound up with a boy like me.

  When we arrived at the bar, the party was in full swing. Kara gave me a kiss on the cheek and went over to talk to Brittany. She didn’t spend much time with her anymore, so I found Chase after getting a beer.

  A few hours later, we were feeling pretty good and the events of the evening were long forgotten. I was taking it easy on the beer since I had to take Kara home, but she was definitely drunk. She was laughing with her friends and would come over for a kiss every now and then. She even tried to drag me into a closet so I could take advantage of her. It was tempting, but then there was a knock on the door and we were busted by one of the bartenders looking for something.

  She promised me later tonight and I was going to hold her to that. Monday I was going to look at apartments. I needed to get my own place. It was too soon to ask her to move in with me, but I hoped she would be a regular visitor.

  I was talking to Matt about trucks when I heard a familiar song come on. The girls all screamed and it wasn’t long before Kara was dragging me out on the dance floor. I wrapped my arms around her and we moved to the sounds of Luke Bryan’s “That’s My Kind of Night”.

  It wasn’t a slow song, but I didn’t care. I had my girl in my arms and we moved together. She kissed my lips and whispered. “Take me home. I need you.”

  I nodded and took her hand. We didn’t say anything as we headed for the door. I needed her too and I was going to show her that tonight.

  We walked out into the warm, muggy night air. She stopped and let go of my hand with a gasp. I turned around to find her standing here, staring at something with her mouth open. I looked in the direction of her gaze and saw a guy standing there, leaning against his Land Rover with his arms crossed. He was tall with jet black hair and was dressed a lot like her dad was.

  “Hello, Kara,” he said, a lazy smile on his lips.

  She didn’t say anything but her eyes filled with tears and my instinct to protect her overwhelmed me.

  “Who are you?” I asked him.

  He looked at Kara. “Tell him who I am,” he urged her.

  She shook her head.

  “I guess I will then.” He turned to me. “I’m Grayson, Kara’s boyfriend.”

  THE END

  Read more about Kara, JT, and Grayson in the next Up North story, coming late 2014.

  Heidi McLaughlin

  Chapter 1 – Tyler

  Savannah McGuire, the girl who was taken from Rivers Crossing years ago by her power-hungry mother, is due to return. I’m excited and nervous, a deadly combination. Diagnosis: pure anxiety. My palms are sweaty, my leg is bouncing up and down and I don’t know why. Sure, it’s been five years since we’ve seen or spoken to each other, but her coming back here shouldn’t make me feel like I’m about to go on a date with Miss America.

  When I see the old Greyhound bus come rumbling down the road, I straighten in my seat, clutching the steering wheel until my knuckles are white with tension. I’ve known about her return for a week now, but I haven’t let the news set in that my one-time best friend is returning. Half of me thought this day would never happen because something would prevent her from coming home. I’m still not convinced that it will be her getting off the bus in a few seconds.

  The Greyhound comes to a halt, its breaks squealing from the pressure. The door swings open and my eyes instantly scan the windows to see if I can spot Savannah. I hold my breath when I see candy-apple-red heels hitting the last step before reaching the cracked pavement. Her long blonde hair sways lightly from the exhaust blowing behind her. It’s stifling out and this is as much of a breeze as she’s going to get. She moves her head back and forth just like those stupid hair commercials my mom is always watching. She looks up and down the road before setting her hands on her hips. I shake my head, knowing that this isn’t my Savannah.

  The bus isn’t pulling away so I know Savannah is still on it. I lean into the steering wheel to get a better look. The blonde side steps and allows the next passenger off the bus. This is my Savannah, with her shoulder-length brown hair and oversized clothes. She was always wearing her Uncle Bobby’s shirts when we were younger, afraid of how her body was changing. Jeremiah used to call her Mouse, and he’ll be happy to see that she hasn’t changed.

  After throwing my shoulder into the door, I hop out and clap my hands once out of excitement. I rush over to Savannah and pick her up, twirling her around. “God, I’ve missed you. Are you ready to have the best summer of your life?”

  “Uh, put me down, please.”

  Fulfilling her request, but not ready to let go, I pull her into a hug. Her hands push firmly against my chest as she steps away. Savannah brushes off her clothes as if I’ve contaminated them. The blonde clears her throat and smiles. I roll my eyes. I know it’s probably real hard for her to stand here and watch this reunion, but it’s not my fault that her family isn’t here on time. By her looks, I’m sure she gets all the attention she wants.

  “Are you ready to go, Savannah?”

  “Yes, I am.” The blonde speaks up. I look at her. With her hand on her hip, she taps her toe on the ground and smirks.

  “Look ma’am, I’m sorry your kinfolk aren’t here to get ya’ and if you want we can wait, but I’m sure they’ll be along soon.” I reach for Savannah’s bags, but her hand stops me.

  “I don’t know you,” she says quietly as she removes my hand from her suitcase.

  “Excuse me?” I question, as I stand tall. “What do you mean you don’t know me?”

  She shrugs. “I don’t know you and my name’s not Savannah.”

  “Mine is though, and just wait until I tell my Uncle Bobby how you tried to take someone else home, Tyler King.”

  Slowly turning and eying the statuesqu
e blonde, my heart stops beating. The smirk is back or it never left. I step closer so I can see what happened to the mousy brunette I used to know. Her gaze follows mine and I look her over. She’s taller, leaner and, besides the obvious hair color change, looks nothing like she did when she left here. Her teeth are straight and missing the metal that used to clog her mouth. There’s no way this woman is seventeen years old.

  I swallow hard and break eye contact. This isn’t going to be good. When I thought she was this other girl, I pictured us hanging out. Now that I’m looking at her, the hanging out idea doesn’t seem to be the best thing for me. One thing’s for sure: New York did a number on my Savannah.

  “Wow, Savannah.”

  She nods, pursing her lips. “It’s Vanna,” she informs me as she stalks past me toward my truck. I follow her and mentally scold myself when my eyes fall on her cotton-covered ass. The mousy-non-Savannah mocks me in disgust. I run my hand over the back of my neck and sigh.

  “Sorry ‘bout that,” I say. “Um… do you need a ride?”

  She shakes her head and I deduce that I’m better off just leaving her. I’ve already embarrassed her and myself enough to last us a lifetime. I pick-up Savannah’s bags and hustle back to the truck. I have a feeling it’s going to be one long summer and once her Uncle Bobby sees her he’s going to flip. She’s going to be every man’s wet dream in a forty-mile radius and I just know I’m going to be tasked with taking care of her. Just call me the glorified babysitter of the mousy farm girl turned New York socialite.

  I remember the day she left. I thought her momma was joking when she said they were moving, so when they packed their bags and got into the car I was left standing there, stunned. I was so hurt that I refused to say good-bye. We didn’t promise to write or even call each other. We were too young for those types of commitments. Watching her being driven away from me is my most vivid memory and one that has been replaying in my mind for the past week.

  I was fifteen when she left. We’d grown up together, attending the same school, church and having Sunday dinners on her uncle’s wrap-around porch. Our mommas always joked that we’d end up married to each other as soon as she turned eighteen and we’d start spitting out babies. After a while, I just believed them. It seemed like destiny. That was until my teenage hormones kicked in and when I discovered girls, Savannah wanted nothing to do with me. She caught me a time or two with my hands in places they shouldn’t have been and each time she’d just pretend like nothing was happening.