She eased his hands off her shoulders and held them. On the few dates she’d gone on after her breakup with Chris, the guys had quickly come to understand that she wouldn’t participate in the extracurricular activities they had in mind. Then she’d given up on dating altogether.
In the past couple of years, she’d done just fine with her mom and Rachel, her whales, her newspaper work, and Scrabble. Then David had come along. And Rachel had deserted her.
But David was off limits, at least for now. Maybe forever. And standing in front of her was the most perfect boyfriend material she was likely to ever come across.
Only a fool would fail to give this relationship a shot at romance. Maybe the reason she’d never felt a spark between her and Garren was because neither of them had attempted to ignite one.
A smile played at the corners of Garren’s lips as he looked at her. “You’re going to kiss me.”
Awkward.
She blinked. “It’s probably a bad idea.”
“Actually, I think it’s a good idea.”
She looked into his eyes and was calmed by their kaleidoscope effect, though, as usual, she didn’t feel aroused. A kiss could change that, though.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned in. His eyes remained open, but when their lips met, she shut hers. His mouth felt soft and warm and nice. But still, there was no real heat. She pressed her lips more firmly against his and felt them mold with hers. Still nothing.
As a last resort, she stretched her tongue out to meet his. She pulled away as though she’d been burned. But not by passion. If she’d had a brother, she imagined kissing him would feel the same as it had to French-kiss Garren.
Her lips felt cold and wet as she stepped back. She stared at Garren’s sneakers. When she dared to look into his eyes again, he didn’t flinch away from her gaze. His face was perfectly composed.
“You’re not attracted to me. That way,” she said.
“You’re not attracted to me. That way.”
True. She shook her head.
He nodded, which she took to mean he wasn’t upset about it.
“Not because there’s any reason I shouldn’t be attracted to you. I just can’t force myself to feel something I don’t. Trust me, I know I’m crazy.”
Now he shook his head. “You’re not crazy. You’re human. And not every relationship between a male and a female is meant to be romantic.”
“Well, then, the answer is yes. I’d love to go to the dance with you, my friend.”
TWENTY
Rachel was absent on Wednesday and Cara was grateful to be able to focus solely on David in journalism class. She expected him to offer an explanation for his abrupt departure the previous night. After class, he again asked her and Garren to stay.
In the far corner of the room, Mr. Cutter talked on his cell phone. He looked at David, pointed to his phone, and walked out.
Cara stood next to David, where he sat at the teacher’s desk. She was hopeful, but kept her expression blank. Garren stepped close to her side.
“I apologize for not being able to work with you last night,” David said in his formal teacher’s tone. “Thank you both for the work you did. I saw you got most of the layout done, but I’m hoping you won’t mind meeting again tonight.”
Disappointed that David seemed ready to dismiss them, Cara offered a curt, “Sure,” and turned to follow Garren out of the classroom.
Like the day before, David called out, “Cara, wait.”
Garren waved good-bye and left.
Cara’s breath hitched. She and David were alone. And he didn’t have any containers to return this time.
She was dying to know what he had to say, but first, she needed some answers. She swallowed and focused on his desk.
“Amber was pretty rude last night.” She spoke lightly in hopes of sounding more sympathetic than annoyed.
“I know she was. I’m sorry. I made it clear she’d better not bother me at work, so we shouldn’t have to worry about her intruding again.”
“Are you dating her?” She looked him in the eye now.
He met her gaze and warmth flooded through her.
“No, I only took her out once.”
“I’m sorry she’s bothering you.”
“Me, too.”
Satisfied by the irritation in his tone, she let the subject go and asked, “What do you need from me?”
He drew in a big breath. “I wanted to ask if you’d like to cash in on that Scrabble rain check I promised you?”
“Tonight?” Her question popped out before she thought to tone down her surprise and delight.
“Why not? We’re ahead of schedule. We’ll have plenty of time to finish things up.”
“What about Mr. Cutter and Garren?”
“Mr. Cutter can’t make it. And Garren can either play with us, work on the layout, or both.”
“You’re on,” she said as she walked away.
Score one for Cara. Take that, Amber.
* * *
Around four thirty, Cara’s mom came home from shopping, ready to cook dinner. She found Cara in the kitchen nook eating a microwaved macaroni and cheese.
“Hi, Mom. I forgot to tell you that I’m going to the school to work on the newspaper layout tonight.” Really, Cara hadn’t told her so her mom wouldn’t have a chance to consider saying “no.”
As expected, her mom asked, “Who’ll be there?”
“Garren and Mr. Wilson.”
Her mom’s eyes narrowed. “What time will you be home?”
Figuring discretion was the better part of valor, Cara got up, tossed the macaroni and cheese in the garbage, and placed her fork in the sink. “In a couple of hours. See ya.”
Her mom didn’t protest as Cara picked up her backpack and hurried off.
At the school, David’s truck sat in the teachers’ lot. She grinned at it and parked a few spots away. Garren must not have arrived yet.
She slung her backpack over her arm and made her way to the building’s entrance, where she keyed in the door code. In the journalism classroom, David sat at a table in the back, where a Scrabble game was laid out. Garren showed up as she set her jacket and backpack on a desk.
“Thanks for coming, you two,” David said, standing to greet them.
“Of course,” she said.
“You got a lot more done last night than I expected. There should be plenty of time to get the rest of the editing and layout done tonight if you want to play Scrabble with us afterward, Garren?” David asked.
“No thanks. I’ll just finish up with the layout,” Garren said. He walked over to an already glowing monitor.
David joined him and pointed out a few things on the page displayed on the computer screen. “Let me know if you need help.”
Cara sat at the computer next to Garren and started in on the rest of her editing. That amounted to committing to add Rachel’s “Make Believe or Magick?” Q & A to the newspaper issue, sans the question and answer about magick being able to reward a person with whatever he or she wanted. When Cara finished, she stood behind Garren and watched as, like the night before, he scrolled up and down the computer screen, calling up articles and placing and sizing them with speed and skill she thought would take many years to achieve.
“You’re really good,” she said and squeezed his shoulder. “I was going to offer to help, but it doesn’t look like you need me.”
Garren turned his head toward her and smiled. “I couldn’t do this job if you hadn’t done yours. I can handle the rest if you want to play Scrabble.”
Did she ever. “Thanks.”
She headed over to David, who flipped through a Scrabble dictionary.
He gestured to the seat across from him. “Ready to play?”
She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s do it.”
As they began their first game, David held her gaze and she immediately sensed the familiar warmth between them. She relaxed and gave him a sly smile that bunched u
p at one corner as she placed a Bingo on the board, using all her tiles to score fifty extra points, in addition to the double points for her first word. The word she’d arranged on her rack was C-O-M-P-L-E-X, of all things.
David nodded, not surprised by her play. Or her luck. She let out a quiet sigh. Playing with him was something she’d looked forward to, but she didn’t want to look stupid if he creamed her. Luck or not, the Bingo would help her save face if she lost.
“So did you end up going out to see the grays?” he asked before he made a strong play using an “H” two ways.
“Yeah, Garren and I went out a couple of weeks ago,” she said, then bit the inside of her cheek when she realized she’d made it sound like it had been a date.
David focused on the tiles on his rack. “Did you see any whales?”
She got the feeling he was really asking whether she’d seen any transient orcas. She still wasn’t sure she hadn’t just imagined the black dorsal fin. “We saw Crossback and Bobbi, actually. I got to touch Bobbi this time.”
David’s lips turned up into a soft smile. “Nice. The transients must have left.”
“It’s been a while now and Rick hasn’t seen them, so I’d say that’s a safe bet.”
She won the first game by over one hundred points and they started another. David took a significant lead this time. She had to exchange tiles several times to keep up. It pleased her to note that, depending on who got the better tiles, they seemed to play on the same level. They didn’t talk much, instead communicating with facial expressions and body language in response to each other’s plays.
“Done,” Garren announced, not turning away from the monitor.
“Just a sec,” David said to Cara, and headed over to check Garren’s work. He scrolled down the computer screen. “I’m impressed with your layout skills.”
Garren shut down the computer and followed David back to the Scrabble table.
“Thanks for offering your help,” David told Garren. He swept a hand toward the Scrabble board. “Are you sure you don’t want to play?”
“You’re welcome. And no. You two have fun.”
“I hope you don’t feel like I stuck you with all the hard work,” Cara said. “You’re just way better than me at layout.”
“You’ve done more than your share,” Garren said. “Happy early birthday, Cara.”
“Thanks. And good night,” she said as he walked away.
“When’s your birthday?” David asked, reclaiming his seat across from her.
“Tomorrow. I’m turning eighteen.” She cringed when the number came out. It only seemed to emphasize her youth.
David offered no reaction as he made his next move on the board. “What do you have planned?”
She set down her next play and waited for him to add the points to her score. “Garren’s coming over for the celebration my mom’s putting together.”
He raised his eyebrows at her.
So he wondered if she was dating Garren. He cared. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest as she shook her head in answer to his unspoken question.
He drew in a deep breath, then made his last play. She finished up the game with a win, though only by twenty-two points. He seemed to lose with too much grace, responding with his lopsided grin.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You didn’t let me win, did you?”
He shook his head and met her gaze. “I always give it my best, I swear. We’re a good match.”
A burst of energy sparked in her chest, where she imagined the tether extended toward him. She wondered if he intended the double meaning in his words.
He didn’t look away for a few glorious seconds. Then he turned his eyes toward the table. “We should go now.”
Outside, the sky had darkened, contrasting starkly with the parking lot’s white overhead lamps. The air was cold, still, and silent. Even the seagulls were mute.
The quiet was comfortable at first. Until they reached her car. Spray-painted in thick, black letters across the driver’s-side door was “S-L-U-T.”
She stopped and stared at the word. Her stomach clenched and she clutched her midsection as if she’d been punched. David froze at her side and put a hand on her shoulder.
It took her a minute to get her feet to move again. They circled the car together. The passenger’s side was a mirror image of the driver’s side, punctuated by the long black scrape from Rick’s bumper.
“Do you know of anyone who would do this?” David asked, his voice tight.
She shook her head, but her instincts told her Amber had done it. Amber wouldn’t know about her feelings for David, but she’d made a competitive display the night before. Maybe she was still upset that Chris had dumped her years ago and had chosen to date Cara. Whatever the reason, Amber was as big of a pain in the ass as ever.
Cara’s cheeks burned. She was too humiliated to look David in the eye. He might believe that about her, like half the students at Seaside, thanks to Chris. But she was a virgin, far from deserving of that judgment.
David’s hand dropped from her shoulder. “I’ll bet Amber did it. She feels threatened by you.”
“Why?”
“When she saw a pretty girl waiting to spend time with me last night, it made her jealous. But like I told you before, I only took her out once.”
He said she was pretty. His compliment registered in a tender spot within her, but she left it tucked away. Right now, she needed to deal with her vandalized car.
“I doubt the police could prove Amber did the damage,” he said. “But I’d like to pay for the repairs.”
“No. It’s not your fault.”
“Let me at least follow you home and explain this to your mom, then.”
Her mom knew she was still hung up on David. It would only make matters worse to reveal that another girl who was interested in him, not to mention someone Cara used to go to high school with, was harassing them. But the prolonged time with David was something she couldn’t refuse.
David held her car door open. She tossed her backpack on the passenger seat to hide the empty chip bags piled there.
“Don’t walk alone at night, okay?” he asked as she buckled herself in.
“Okay.” She wrapped her arms around herself, contemplating his protective words and relishing the memory of his arm around her, once again keeping her warm, safe, and secure.
“Everything look okay inside?”
She hoped it was too dark for him to see the plastic bag on the floor overflowing with empty soda bottles and fast-food wrappers. “Time for a cleaning, but nothing looks out of place,” she said, her words rushed.
She grabbed her door handle and he removed his hand. After she yanked the door shut, she started the engine and waited for him to climb into his truck. He followed her out of the lot and kept a close distance behind her on the drive to her house.
Less than thrilled about driving her vandalized car, she didn’t look at any passing drivers. She parked deep in and far to the side of the driveway, which was lined by bushes.
David parked on the street. They remained silent as she led him into the house and down the hall to the family room. Her mom jumped up off the love seat and stood straight as a soldier at attention. She drilled David with a straight-on, angry gaze.
Cara should have introduced him, but she hesitated too long, concentrating on her mom’s rigid stance and hard stare.
“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Markwell. I’m David Wilson, the student teacher in Cara’s journalism class.”
“What’s going on?” Her mom’s jaw clenched as she looked to Cara to answer.
Cara couldn’t find her voice to respond.
“Cara’s car was vandalized,” David said.
Her mom’s shoulders relaxed, but her brows furrowed.
“Someone spray-painted … a hateful word on the driver and passenger sides,” he said.
“Someone called me a slut, which is the opposite of the truth,” Cara said, eager to defend her r
eputation.
“I think I know who did it,” David said.
Her mom remained silent.
“I dated a girl—I took her out once and then told her I didn’t want to see her anymore. She keeps calling and showing up—”
“What does that have to do with Cara or her car?”
“The girl came to the school last night to find me. She saw Cara there and felt threatened.”
Cara recognized the strain in her mom’s face, in the tightness around her lips.
“How old is this girl?” her mom asked.
“Twenty-one.”
Her mom paused, then switched into her standard, problem-tackling mode. “We’ll file a police report and an insurance claim for the car,” she said to Cara. “As for this girl,” she told David, “you should change your number if she’s calling a lot. If she contacts you, you should make it clear that she’s not to call you or come to your place of work. Threaten to get a restraining order if she doesn’t listen. And you may very well need to follow through on getting one.”
“Thanks for the advice,” he said. “I’m hoping she’ll back off. But I feel terrible about Cara’s car. I’d like to pay for the repairs.”
“We’ll leave the details about the car to the police and the insurance company.” Her mom motioned for them to follow her to the front door. “I’m serious when I say to ignore this girl,” she told David. “Any reinforcement, positive or negative, can encourage her behavior.” She especially emphasized her last three words.
Cara might have vandalized her car herself if she she’d known it would amount to her mom giving David professional advice to avoid contact with Amber. Cara’s stomach twisted, but it was more of a happy, light feeling than a nauseating, anxious one. If her feelings for David weren’t so intense, she’d be ashamed of how glad she was that his recent romantic prospect was a lunatic.
David said good night to her mom and offered another apology as he stepped onto the front porch.
“I need to grab my coat and backpack from my car,” Cara said to her mom before she turned to David. “I’ll walk you to your truck.”
Cara didn’t allow any time for her mom to object as she stepped outside and swung the front door shut.
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