My shoulders sagged, it was my senior year. Only the most important year in my whole high school career. But it wasn’t like I was bitter or anything.
I opened the door and stepped out of the SUV, happy face firmly back in place. I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. I had stowed a few boxes and our suitcases in the back of the car, knowing the moving truck would not be arriving until later. I walked around the back of the car and opened it up. My dad was still searching through the cup holders and cracks in the seat looking for the key to the front door that Dean had mailed him earlier this month.
I grabbed my suitcase and one other box.
“A big man’s load is a lazy man’s load,” I heard my father say as he pocketed the key and made his way around to help me.
“I got it all,” I mumbled, carrying everything of mine in from the car.
I huffed up the first, then second step, and my shoe caught on a large crack stepping up to the third, I could see myself going down, I could hear the words my father just spouted. With both of my arms full I couldn’t even brace myself for the hard landing. My shin took the brunt of the fall. I dropped the suitcase, my box of books spilled out, and I let loose a nasty curse I would have never normally said in front of my dad.
“Are you okay?” The I-told-you-so went unsaid, but I could hear it in his tone.
I rolled onto my side and sat up. My shin was a bloody mess. “That’ll be pretty for school. It’ll leave a nasty scar too. Great.”
“Just stay right there. I’ll take this stuff inside and see what’s in there in the way of a rag, or tourniquet…or surgical instrument for a hasty amputation..”
I barely smiled looking at my leg, “Ha, ha.”
From my view on the step, the neighborhood was pretty. A girl, about my age, with a bright pink stripe in her hair was ignoring her mother and hastily making her way to her beat-up little car in the driveway. She caught my eye, smiled a little, and waved. She turned and spoke harshly to her mother, but they both smiled, hugged, and then the girl drove off. I guessed there were all kinds of family dynamics. I hoped I could get to know my new neighbor. It would be nice to have a friend living right across the street from me.
I sighed, missing my mother. I would have given anything to have mine with me. She wouldn’t be coming up for another few weeks since she felt the need to stay in Alexandria and finish up some closing paperwork for her clients. She was a real estate agent and didn’t think it was ethical to leave her clients hanging with the sale not finalized. My father and I managed, but we didn’t function well without her.
Dad came back out and brought lukewarm soda and a ragged kitchen towel. I pressed the towel to my leg.
“Where did you get this?” I asked referring to the drink.
“Can you believe there is a big gift basket full of drinks and snacks in there on the counter? The Dean must have brought it by and put it in there for us.”
“Wow, the college sent you a welcome basket?”
“Nope,” He handed me a small white card and sipped his own drink. I turned it over and read the words.
Take care of each other. I’ll see you in a week. Love, Mom.
I smiled, “Aww, that’s perfect. I call shotgun if there’s any kettle corn in there.”
“Okay,” He laughed and took out his phone to make a quick call to mom, telling her we were here and thanks for the snacks. I rolled my eyes at the thought of my parents. So in love. So codependent. So sweet.
Gag me!
He hung up and finished his drink.
“Hey, you see that?” he was pointing to the old restored jeep that was sitting in the driveway of our new house.
I took a better look now that my shin wasn’t hurting as much. It was actually very cool. Someone had taken a lot of care to fix up that old jeep, painting it a happy turquoise with a white rag top. It practically called out to me. I was impressed. It was exactly the kind of car I wanted to get before I left for college.
I tried to play it off, “I guess you’ll have to tell the neighbors not to park their car here anymore.”
“Nah. That’s not the neighbor’s car. I found it online and figured you needed something to drive to school in.”
It took a long time for me to fully understand his words and goofy smile, as it crept further and further up his face. He shook his head, and I was so afraid. I didn’t dare to blink or breathe, thinking this moment might vanish from existence.
“It’s yours. Your mother wanted to wait until she got here, but I knew that wouldn’t work. I wanted to be the one to give it to you.”
I screamed and jumped up, all depressing thoughts of the house, my knee, my impending senior year were gone. I had a car. A car. He pulled out his cell phone and took pictures to send to mom of me fawning all over my first car. I sat in the front seat of my jeep and turned the key.
“Can we take it out?”
“Of course, but we need to wait until later tonight. We still have to wait for the movers.”
He was right. I added the key to my keychain, along with the new house key he had given me. It was time to get down to business, the true business at hand. We had to go look through the house and unload the car. I wanted to dance. I wanted to cry. Instead I took a few selfies with my phone to post later and went to pick up the spilled contents of my box. My bloody shin, all but forgotten, I had to hurry- my jeep was waiting for me.
This move is looking up.
But there was something else. I stood in the yard, keys in hand, leg bloody, and I couldn’t bring myself to go inside yet. There was something outside I could feel it.
Someone outside.
My heart beat funny in my chest. It felt tight, pulled, as if some external force was pulling on it, begging me to wait. Just wait and see. But for what?
I stood there for a moment holding my breath, as if something bigger, even bigger than the car was about to appear any moment. I had never felt anything akin to the electricity that was flowing through me at that moment. I couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear, I just knew my heart was about to beat a hole through me as if it was trying to free itself and run away.
And then I saw him and I knew.
He was making his way up the sidewalk still some yards away. His eyes hit mine and matched my stare. I let out my breath and my knees almost buckled. Those intense blue eyes. I had seen them before, I was sure of it. I had stared into them, up at them before. But when? His expression mirrored my own and then turned to a cocky, enchanting smile.
He wore khaki pants and a loose grey shirt and a set of aviator sunglasses perched on his head. A long chain dangled around his neck with a ring dangling next to his heart.
That ring. I’ve seen it before.
Whoever he was, I felt a burning need to touch him. I felt as sure of him as I had known my own name- he was mine, he was everything and he belonged to me. He would be the man I would spend the rest of my life with. I had never believed in love at first sight until I saw him.
His eyes left mine and he had a genuine smile for my father.
“James?” he called out, his voice evoking some deep pain and longing within me.
My father smiled back, surprised. He put the boxes down quickly and walked over to this charming and beautiful man. The two men shook hands and then slapped each other on the back. Whoever he was, they seemed to be old acquaintances, which was odd because he was definitely younger than my dad, but older than me.
Dad motioned me over to meet friend. Who was I to be rude? I walked, trying not to look too eager, but I felt my smile a bit too wide. I couldn’t take my eyes off him so I prayed not to trip over any more cracks on the craggy terrain.
“Layla, before we start unpacking. I want you to meet someone.”
As if I needed an invitation. My father was introducing us, I could hear him speaking, I’m sure he said the man’s name, but I didn’t catch it. I was staring into this stranger’s eyes for the first time, for the millionth time.
>
I held on, while the spark I felt earlier flowed through both our hands. My heart found its peaceful rhythm again with the touch of his skin on mine.
He could feel it, and he knew I could feel it too. Suddenly we had a secret that was all our own, but until now I had only known a piece of it. And after what felt like forever, he had finally arrived to share the rest.
I finally found you, His eyes seemed to say.
How do I know you? Was the only message mine could convey.
His eyebrow raised slightly, daring me to respond, and it was a challenge I would gladly accept.
He was a devil. He was an angel. He was my perfect match.
Acknowledgements
If you have reached this page then you can add your name to the list of people I would like to thank. This book has been especially important, since it has brought to a close my first adventure as a writer. It has been daunting and I am looking forward to what the future holds for me as a writer.
To God be the glory in all things, including my dramatic, angsty stories. As always to my family: to Vince for allowing me to keep the computer in my lap at odd hours of the night and listening as these stories developed from ideas into actual books. To my kids- Callum, Hayden, Carleigh and Liam, who were a constant source of inspiration and irritation. Mom and Dad, you are a constant blessing to me and my family. You help keep me sane when life gets too hectic. From the beginning my grandmother, Johnnie Bravenec, has always been a fan. Thanks, Nonnie, for holding onto the first book I ever wrote when I was eight. It sits along with my others in a place of honor on her coffee table. Robbie and Kristen, thanks for reading and pushing me forward with this series. Thank you for always giving me your honesty (I think). Your opinions and excitement were invaluable to getting this last book finished.
Sarah, thanks for being the President of the Finding Justus fan club. The idea of someone fangirling over my books will live with me forever. I have enjoyed getting to know you personally and look forward to helping you with your projects as you have done so with mine. Jean, you have been waiting for this last book, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for staying captivated while I strung you along for so long. And Maddie, I hope you enjoy this book as much as the first two. I’m so glad your mom let you read them (even though I told her they were too old for you).
There are so many more I would like to thank- family members, colleagues, the Inez community, my students online friends, my superman: you all have pushed me to reach this point. Writing is a very solitary venture, but knowing you were there, cheering me on made it anything but lonely.
I love you all to pieces.
Biography
Mother, author, teacher, singer, super-hero.
You ever come across someone and think, Wow, that person makes me exhausted? She is either the biggest stereotype or an absolute maverick, but whatever you think, Ashley Dotson is a tempest. Like her social media and t-shirt collection indicates, Ashley is a high-school English teacher and mother of four busy children. She is a dreamer, lover, cheerleader and Christian.
Ashley is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University where she earned a BA in History and Music Education. She then earned her MA Ed. in Reading from Texas A&M University Kingsville. She has been in the classroom for eleven years, where she focuses on inspiring a love of reading in her students. Ashley is a lover of Young Adult literature, Texas sunsets, and all things Supernatural. She is currently working on her next project, Dincan’s Park, with her oldest son, Callum.
Visit Ashley’s website for more on her adventures and other novels:
www.ashleydotson.com
The Lariat (Finding Justus Series) Page 25