Pieces of it All (5 page)

"I can't pass this up. How could I
not
go? It's different. I'm getting out of this hick of a town. I'll be in a big city at a top school. So many job opportunities, too."

"What does Jackson say?"

"He's happy for me. We agreed we love each other, but we're young. We'll try our best to make our relationship work. He was going to be in Iowa regardless, so we always planned trying to make things work long distance. Now just add some more miles between us. Same difference." She waited for a response. "Can you support me on this?"

As if on cue, the waitress put their drinks on the table. Was it Waitress 101 to interrupt a conversation or try to ask a question mid-bite? Beth thanked her and stirred her straw in the cup, making patterns in the carbonation. Lucy made sense. This wasn't about their friendship, but Lucy's future. Beth wasn't stupid.

"Please, Beth. Support me on this."

Wow. Lucy resorted to pleading. Did someone kidnap her friend and replace her with someone willing to beg? Lucy needed her. "I can support you, Luce, but I still don't like it."

"I'll take it!" She jumped out of the booth and wrapped her arms around Beth. "I didn't want to tell you. I was afraid of your reaction." She jumped a few times before sitting back down.

"What did your mom say?"

"Are you kidding me? She flipped out at first. She thinks I'm abandoning her. Maybe she'll get out of the house and finally meet someone. She gave me a long speech about how going to live in the big city isn't all I think it's going to be and if I want to live in the city, I should just go to Brinkman or the local technical college. She wants me close."

Beth studied Lucy's face and her contagious smile. "We all do."

 "I know. She's going to miss me, and I'll miss her and everyone else. Hopefully she'll eventually understand why I have to do it." Lucy patted her hands on the table. "Enough about me. We lost a lot of time over the past month. What's new? Have you gotten a job? Met anyone?"

  Beth's face gushed with embarrassment, followed by a rash of fear. Time to tell her about Harvey. Her hands clammed up, and a chill worked its way up her spine.

 "Spill it."

 Lucy didn't like Harvey the first time she met him. This man, whom they just met, almost tore their friendship apart. She prepared herself for the eye roll before she spoke. "I wouldn't say I met someone. Technically, I already knew him, but he showed up on my porch yesterday."

She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Showed up on your porch, out of nowhere, like Prince Charming arriving with your glass slipper?" She took a bite of her burger.

"Stop it. No. Nothing like that." Although his eyes sparkled like Prince Charming. "His dog ran away and he was searching for him. We chatted for a few minutes, but he had to get going."

"Do you think you'll see him again, or did he ride off into the night?" Lucy watched as Beth's eyes gazed off toward the door. "Beth?"

She pointed toward the bar where Harvey approached a group of guys. "Apparently he hasn't. He's right over there."

Lucy looked over at the bar and immediately began shaking her head. "Nope. Forget about it. Not going to happen." She patted her hands together. "That guy again? I thought we had this discussion."

"Lucy, let's not argue about this again. This is what caused our fight last time, remember? How do you even know what type of a guy he is? All you have to go off of are rumors, which doesn't mean much."

She took one last bite of her burger and pushed the plate aside. "I don't know him personally - you're right - but, trust me. I know his kind. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm sure he's like his dad. He's definitely older than us, too. At least over twenty-one, which is why he's at the bar. He's trouble."

They stared at each other for a few minutes before Beth fostered up the courage in her gut. "I don't care. I've lived my whole life being careful. I didn't have any fun through high school. It's my turn, Lucy." She pressed her finger into her chest. "I'm eighteen now. I'm an adult. I should be allowed to make my own mistakes."

"Oh, it's a mistake, all right."

She grunted. "Luce, come on. You're leaving me. Let me do what
I
want to do." She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm
going
to do what I want to do." Was this what people referred to as an epiphany? Her whole body trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, and her voice shook. But she said it. Gosh, she didn't want to lose Lucy over this again, but she didn't want to miss out on any chances, either, because it scared her to take any.

Lucy flattened her lips and bit the bottom one. She was holding back.

"Luce, come on. Let's not fight." She wasn't giving in, but her pleas were necessary to keep peace. "We're not kids anymore. I don't need you to protect me." If she were lucky, Harvey would do that.

Lucy shook her head a few more times. "You're right. I just want you to be careful." It wasn't too believable when she kept shaking her head like a bobble head.

"Come on. It's me. Of course I'll be." Beth grinned. Had they just met yesterday? No matter how much she wanted to take chances, she'd always be safe. "Now I have to think about how to approach him and figure out what to say."

"You better think fast. Here he comes now."

Chapter Five

Beth's head cranked so fast to her right she almost pulled a muscle. "What?" She pressed her hands on her hair, fixing any loose ends and smoothed down her skirt. He was approaching too quickly for her to find her compact and check for food in her teeth. She slid her tongue against them and prayed her dinner wasn't stuck between them.

"Beth, we meet again." He set his cup down on the table. The carbonation from the soda fizzed and popped in her ears. "I figured we would." He moved his eyes over to Lucy. "I'm sorry. I forgot your name."

"Lucy." She huffed.

"Where's the feisty one?" He asked.

Lucy might as well have been the feisty one with her attitude. "Heather?" Beth replied, realizing she had also met Harvey. "She's already off at college. Her dad rented a condo for her. Did you find Bullet?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for asking. He ended up by the pond. That's where I looked originally and came up with nothing. On my way back, I found him rolling in some mud. He got a scolding
and
a bath."

"I'm glad he's safe, Harvey." She loved his name. Old fashioned, yet tough. She searched through her file of classmates in her brain. She didn't think she'd ever met a Harvey before. A Phillip or a George, perhaps, but never a Harvey.

"Are you planning on entering the karaoke contest?" He pointed to the poster by the bar.

She flicked her head back, letting out a bellowing laugh. "I don't think so. I'm not a singer." If she wanted to impress him, her vocal ability wouldn't help things.

He shrugged. "Me either. With karaoke, though, you don't have to be Mariah Carey or Beyonce. I'll partner up with you." He motioned to the sign again with a nod of his head, hair falling over his eyes. Beth sucked the inside of her lip as his long fingers moved them out of the way, imagining them on her body.

Those thoughts had to stop. She didn't have an extra pair of underwear to change into. "No. That's quite all right. In fact, Lucy and I should be going."

Without hesitation, she interjected. "Yes, we need to go."

"I can take her home."

Lucy grabbed her purse and started to wrap the straps around her hands. "Actually, we're out for her birthday-"

"If you're okay with it, Luce, I don't mind if Harvey takes me." Their eyes locked, and Beth pleaded with her, raising her eyebrows and slightly cocking her head toward Harvey. Lucy stated her opinion plenty already, but Beth made it clear she intended to make her own decisions.

"Fine. I'll go pay the bill. You two have fun. Happy birthday, Beth." She bypassed Harvey, leaning into Beth. "Be safe." As she stepped past Harvey to leave, she said behind his back, loud enough for him to hear, "I'm familiar with your type."

Harvey scooted into the booth across from Beth. "What was that about?"

"Don't mind her. She'll be fine." She gave herself a hug and rubbed her bare arms.

"Did I hear correctly? It's your birthday."

Beth blushed. "Yes. Eighteen."

"Eighteen! No wonder she was upset. I'm sure she was planning a crazy night."

"A thousand opportunities don't open up at eighteen. I can vote, and buy cigarettes." She stuck her tongue out. "Besides, I'm not a wild kind of girl." Yet, she thought. If given the chance to let loose, this man sitting across from her would be the one to do it with.

He scoped slowly over her face, down her neck, until he caught a glimpse of the cleavage trying to escape from her scoop line top. "Too bad."

She shifted her weight. His hungry eyes hunted her, and she wanted to sacrifice herself. What would his lips taste like? They'd cover hers, sucking the edge as he pulled her body into his. Shoot, he was hot.

"What's Beth doing this summer?" He grabbed a fry hanging on the rim of her plate. She liked he wasn't shy.

Trying to focus on his words rather than his tongue peeking out from under his teeth when he said her name, she replied, "Not much. I should get a job, but since I start college in a few months, I didn't want to quit just as soon as I started."

"Good plan. What are you going to study?"

"More school," she laughed. "My plan is to become a teacher. So the last twelve years have been spent preparing for a lifetime in education, apparently."

He leaned back and crossed his arms. "Nothing wrong with that."

"How about you? Are you in college?" She paused. "Or did you graduate?"

He chuckled. "I'm twenty-two, if that's what you're getting at. No higher learning for me. School wasn't my thing. I excelled at sports, but couldn't keep the grades for a scholarship, or to stay on any teams."

"So you never wanted to go?"

He shook his head. "Those weren't my words. I couldn't afford it. Even financial aid has to be paid back, and taking money from my father was out of the question. I'm pretty certain he wouldn't have offered it, either. Not sure what I would have pursued anyway." His gaze moved past her. "Enough about me. Let's go sign up for a song," he said, patting his hands on the table.

"No." Her voice deepened in refusal. "I don't think so. Like I told you, I wouldn't be good at it." A girl she recognized from school walked past them and gave a small wave. Oh gosh, people she knew were there. The Facebook post flashed before her eyes:
Beth Overland butchering Crazy in Love, watch the video!
Damn, the Internet.

"Come on, Beth. Live a little on your eighteenth birthday – just try!" His mouth fell open in the softest grin. Delicate lips outlined his perfect teeth she thought only celebrities had.

She fidgeted under the table, looking at Harvey. Singing would be embarrassment at its highest level. On the other hand, she'd seem like a chicken if she didn't. Two months and summer would be over, and she still hadn't done anything more exciting than wear just her underwear under her graduation gown. Reading eight books since June hardly counted as an exhilarating summer.

"What would we sing? The theme is country and I can't even name a country song." She played along. "I'm more of a pop kind of girl." Or whatever was on the radio. Two years of having an iPhone and nothing in her music collection to show for it.

"You
are
familiar with karaoke, right?" He laughed. "They put the words on the screen for you."

"Of course I know that." 'Idiot' must've been written on her forehead.

"No reason to worry. Just sing along when they highlight the words. Simple." He tapped his finger onto the dimple in his chin. She melted. "A duet. How about a classic? Like
Islands in the Stream
by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers."

The title sounded familiar, at least, and she knew Dolly Parton was the woman with the big boobs from
Steel Magnolias
. The thing she hated most in school, next to gym, had to be getting up in front of a crowd. Unless she was an expert on the topic, her body paralyzed with fear. She'd freeze on stage and forget the words, even though they would be directly in front of her.

She took a deep, relaxing breath. "Fine," she said, stretching out the word. If she wanted a story to tell, this would be a fun one.

He patted his hand on the table. "Great! I'll go sign us up."

Harvey went to put them on the list and she waited at the table, observing the patrons. In order to do this, she had to find the least intimidating person to focus on. To her left sat a couple, undoubtedly out on their anniversary or a first date, holding hands, deep in discussion. Their consumption with each other would override their interest in Beth, but her hideous performance would top their conversation if they ever stopped staring at one another.

Just beyond them an elderly man sipped soup, a walker resting against his table. Soup in the middle of summer? Maybe he was sick and the soup reminded him of when his mother took care of him as a child. The bowl kept his attention, so if luck fell her way, he'd never look up. She had her focal point. She could do this. She was going to do this.

"You ready?" she snapped back to reality, Harvey standing there, holding his hand out. "We're first."

What had she gotten herself into? No way were they first! She wasn't doing this. "Are you sure?" Was it too late to back out? She scanned the room for the girl from school, trying to place what class they shared. Science? She couldn't remember, but she didn't want this video taped on someone's phone. Oh god, was she having an anxiety attack? Sweaty armpits, a spinning room, her heart racing at a tiring pace.

"More than ever." He led her up to the stage where the DJ started announcing them. They stood beside the platform, Harvey's hand enveloping hers. Their hands stuck together, mostly from the muggy air, but partly because Beth held on tight. Those long fingers intertwined with hers, tickling her, setting her on fire. Or it could have been the lights. She couldn't tell.