Embrace (4 page)

“I’m not hungry.” But my stomach made another embarrassing growl that said otherwise.

He stood and offered me his hand, which I took. He pulled me to my feet. “It’s my treat.”

Chapter 3

The Grill

I
SAAC
P
UT
O
N
A C
LEAN
pair of jeans and a collared shirt before driving me home so that I could change. My dad and Chase were in the family room when we got there.

“Do not do anything to embarrass me,” I half ordered, half begged my dad before introducing Isaac to him and Chase. I knew my dad well enough to know that if I didn’t say anything and if he didn’t like Isaac he’d pull out my grandfather’s old hunting rifle and start to clean it hoping to scare Isaac off. And if my dad did like Isaac, he’d be asking him what he planned on doing with his life.

The fear of what they might talk about while I was gone caused my adrenaline to take over. I took the fastest shower in my history of showers, towel-dried my hair, dressed in jeans and a sweater, and made it back downstairs in less than fifteen minutes. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do that again.

Dad and Isaac were sitting on the edge of our worn leather couch watching football when I checked on them. Chase was driving a shiny black Porsche through his Matchbox carwash, glancing up at the television every now and then. Seeing them absorbed in the game helped me to relax, and since it seemed like conversation wasn’t top priority for Dad or Isaac, I took a minute to call Josh and Kaylee and ask them if they wanted to meet us at The Grill.

When I got off the phone, I watched the back of Isaac’s head from the doorway of the family room. Perhaps Kaylee had been right when she’d said it was time to put Kevin in the past and move on. Maybe I had been holding on to what we had because it was easier than putting myself out there and giving someone else a chance to get to know me.

Isaac was easy to talk to and fun to be around, and I was dying to know what his arms would feel like wrapped around me. I mentally rolled my eyes, thinking that I was a little pathetic. But then again, I didn’t care. If I was going to start fresh, I could be anything I wanted to be, and right now I was okay with giddy schoolgirl with a crush on an older man. Besides, if I had to jump back into dating, why shouldn’t it be with the hot new mystery guy?

I cleared my throat. Isaac and Dad looked at me.

“Ready?” I asked.

Isaac got up and faced my father. “It was nice to meet you.” He patted Chase on the head as he walked by him. “Later, dude.”

“See ya,” Chase replied in a tone that told me he hoped he did see Isaac again.

“I won’t be late.” I grabbed my purse.

Dad nodded and told us to have fun.

Isaac followed me outside.

“Your family’s nice,” he said when we got in the Jeep.

“Thanks.” Then, realizing a comment like that would mean some conversation had to have taken place while I was in the shower, I asked, “So, what did you talk about?”

“Gloucester and your mom, mostly.”

“My mom?” Of all the things they could have talked about in the few minutes I was gone, I didn’t expect it to be her.

“I was looking at the pictures on the mantel; you have her smile.” He took a left out of my neighborhood. “Chase mentioned she passed away. I’m sorry.”

I knew the picture he was talking about. I was ten, and my mom was pregnant with Chase. It had been taken in our backyard a few months before she died.

Isaac placed his hand over mine and gave a squeeze. A tingling sensation drifted through me. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It was a long time ago.” My mom was not a topic I discussed with many people, and I certainly didn’t want to be spilling my life story to the guy I’d just met.

Isaac nodded and changed the subject. “Are Josh and Kaylee meeting us at The Grill?”

“They’ll probably beat us there, actually. They said they’d save a table.”

The Grill was a small restaurant in a renovated house along the main road. It was crowded, like it was every night. Both pool tables were in use, and every stool in front of the soda bar was taken. The jukebox rang out over the hum of voices. I scanned the tables to the left looking for Kaylee.

“There they are,” Isaac said, pointing to our right. “In the back.”

We made our way around half a dozen small square tables.

“Hi.” I took a seat next to Kaylee.

“How was your day?” Kaylee then lowered her voice so only I could hear her. “It had to be good or you wouldn’t still be hanging out with him.”

“It was fun.” I knew I was smiling like the Cheshire Cat in
Alice and Wonderland
, but I didn’t care.

It was hard not to inhale my burger, something I would have done if it were just Kaylee, Josh and me. Halfway through my meal, Kaylee grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “Let’s pick out some music.”

I resisted the urge to grab a handful of fries to eat on the way to the jukebox.

“So, what did you two do all day?” Kaylee asked as she read the long list of songs.

“Set up his room. It’s pretty cool. It’s in the basement.”

She put her money in the machine. “Did you kiss him?”

I must have grinned or looked as if I was ready to burst at the seams to squeal
YES!
or something, because Kaylee grabbed my wrist. “You did! Is he a good kisser? I bet he is.”

Our kiss had been so brief and soft, and I could still feel his lips on mine. Unconsciously, I touched my mouth with my fingertips, which was answer enough for Kaylee.

“I knew it,” she said. “I can still remember the first time Josh and I kissed. There were fireworks.”

Their first date was on the Fourth of July. The whole town saw fireworks, but Kaylee swears it was Josh’s lips on hers and not the bursts of red, white, and blue lights being shot into the sky.

“Soo…” She moved closer to me, so that our arms were touching as we leaned over the jukebox pretending to look for the perfect song. “What else did you do? Come on. I want the dirty details.”

“There aren’t any dirty details.” I glanced over my shoulder to make sure we were still alone.

“You want me to believe you and Sexy over there” —she indicated with a tilt of her head in Isaac’s direction— “were alone in his bedroom, and there was no cuddling or touching?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but it was just a brief kiss.”

She looked more disappointed than I had been at the time. “I bet he’s just being a gentleman. Wait till he drops you off tonight. I bet he sticks his tongue down your throat.”

“Kaylee!”

She cracked up laughing and punched in the numbers to her favorite songs, and we headed back to the table. We were gone long enough for a couple of Josh’s friends to take our seats. Mark, a lanky guy with cheeks that resembled a chipmunk’s and enough freckles to make a cloudless night sky jealous, shoved the rest of my fries in his mouth, while Ben, a guy built more like a compact sumo wrestler than a teenager, chatted excitedly.

“What are they doing here?” I whispered. This was supposed to be a double date.

“You know they have a way of finding Josh. They’re better trackers than hound dogs. Besides, Mark likes you.”

I stiffened. “No he doesn’t. And he’s dating Emma.”

“To get you jealous,” she said.

“That’s ridiculous.” I had known Mark since grade school, but we’d never hung out. The only time I saw him outside of school was when he happened to be with Josh.

Kaylee grabbed my arm and waited for me to face her. “Come on, Madison. You can’t be that blind. Mark has been trailing behind Josh ever since Kevin moved, hoping to get your attention.”

I shook my head and walked toward our table. Mark did not like me. We’d talk if we happened to be in the same place at the same time. We were friends because of mutual friends. That was all.

Mark jumped up when he saw me. “Hi, Madison. How’s it going?”

“Good.” I sat, and Mark grabbed an empty chair from the table behind him. Kaylee took a seat on Josh’s knee. To prove to Kaylee that she was wrong, that Mark wasn’t following Josh hoping to see me, I asked, “What are you guys doing here?”

“We saw Josh’s car,” Mark said, giving Isaac a sideways glance. Or maybe I imagined that.

Kaylee and I exchanged a look. Mine said,
HA! He’s not looking for me.
Hers said,
I told you so.
Only, she was wrong and just didn’t want to admit it.

Ben sucked the last of his soda through a straw with a slurp. “Yeah, and we had to come in and see if you were here.”

All the smugness I’d felt a moment ago drained out of me in one big
whoosh
. Kaylee’s eyebrows disappeared under her bangs, and she mouthed,
See.

“How about a game of pool?” Ben asked, oblivious to the tension building around the table.

“I’m in,” Mark said. He looked at Isaac and in a dry tone asked, “You want to play?”

“Thanks,” Isaac rested his hand over mine, which was on the table, “but I’ll pass.”

“Another time,” Josh said, wrapping his arms around Kaylee and giving her a squeeze as if to remind Mark and Ben they were here with us.

One of Kaylee’s songs blared over the speakers. She hopped up, dragging Josh to his feet as she did so. “Dance with me.” She grabbed Isaac’s and my hands next. “You two aren’t getting off that easy.”

Isaac looked helplessly at Josh as he stood. Josh shrugged, a goofy smirk on his face, and followed Kaylee. Ben ate a few fries off Kaylee’s plate. Mark just frowned.

Isaac and Josh sort of shuffled their feet as we danced. My back rubbed Isaac’s chest as I shimmied in front of him. He was as comfortable on the dance floor as I would have been walking a tightrope, which made it all the more fun when I turned to face him, arms raised over my head. His eyes followed my hands as they trailed down my torso, stopping on my thighs as I wiggled my hips and bent my knees until I was crouching. Then I was up again, and Kaylee and I bumped hips and continued moving to the pulse of the music around the guys. They made it through one-and-a-half songs before Josh tugged Kaylee off the dance floor.

Isaac’s arms encircled my waist. “You ready to get out of here?”

I nodded and took his hand, ignoring the sting of static electricity. We stopped at the table first. Mark and Ben were gone.

“We’re leaving,” Isaac said to Josh and Kaylee.

Josh tossed some money on the table and replied, “We better be going too.”

“Isaac, your keys.” Kaylee held up a set of keys by its bright red carabiner.

“Those aren’t mine,” Isaac replied.

“They’re Mark’s.” I remembered seeing the bulky set of keys—with the brass black widow hanging from it—clipped to his belt loop before.

Kaylee held onto them. We kept an eye open for Mark as we left but didn’t see him.

“Josh can give him a call and let him know I have them.” She clipped the keys around the strap of her purse.

The night was cool and the sky clear, but the air felt wrong somehow. Thick. It crawled over my skin, leaving goose bumps in its wake. I hugged my elbows and glanced anxiously around me, not sure what I expected to see.

Josh cursed, pulling my attention away from our surroundings. I followed his gaze.

“Damn it!” He kicked at one of the flat tires on his silver Mustang.

Isaac walked around to the passenger side. “The tires on this side are okay. We can fix it.”

The sole of Josh’s gym shoe slammed against the tire again. He hissed, “I only have one spare.”

Isaac walked back around the car and placed a hand on Josh’s shoulder. “The front tire doesn’t look bad.”

I craned my neck to get a better look at the front tire, which I would have sworn was as flat as the back tire, but Isaac was in front of me placing his keys in my hand. “The Jeep is a couple of cars down. Why don’t you and Kaylee wait for us there?”

When I opened my mouth to protest, he added, “You look like you’re freezing, and Kaylee does too.”

Kaylee had her hands wrapped around her arms and was shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She did look cold.

“Thanks.” I took the keys and motioned for Kaylee to follow me.

When we reached the Jeep, I held the remote up so that I could see it better, pressing the button with the picture of an open lock. The double beep of the doors unlocking was almost drowned out by Kaylee’s gasp. She grabbed my wrist. Her nails dug into my skin.

“Ow!” I tried to tug free. “You’re hurting me.”

Kaylee’s fingers tightened like a vise as she took a step closer to me so that our shoulders touched. Kaylee’s eyes were wide and focused on the far end of the parking lot. My gaze followed hers. “What is it?”

The street lamp flickered on and off, creating odd shadows among the cars parked there.

“Who is that?” Kaylee whispered.

I squinted, looking between and inside the distant vehicles. “Who’s who?”

She raised her free hand and pointed toward the darkness in front of us. “Right there, standing in front of the pick-up truck.”