Shadow Keeper (14 page)

“I’m not, but I am worried about Sherry. Her boyfriend is cheating on her and she doesn’t know it.”

“I hope you’re not going to tell her.”

“Are you trying to protect your friend?”

“No, but finding out the truth isn’t going to help anything.”

“Don’t you think she should know whether she can trust her boyfriend?”

“She already suspects what he’s done, but she doesn’t want to believe it because once she does, she’ll have to deal with it. I don’t think she’s ready to break up with him.”

“So you think she should live in ignorance?”

“No. She should trust her instincts.”

Chapter Seventeen

Carson plopped down at the empty picnic table. “When is your mom getting here?”

I pulled a couple soda cans from the ice chest. “I don’t have on a watch, but she should be here soon.”

“But I’m starving,” he shouted as I walked away.

“Have some chips,” I said over my shoulder.

When I reached the blanket, I offered both sodas to Lisa. “Which do you want? Root beer, or a cola?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Are you still mad at me?” I sat on the blanket and faced her.

“I’m not mad.”

“Then what’s wrong?’

She nodded to Sherry and Paul standing by the water’s edge. “They’re fighting again.”

“They’ll work it out—one way or another.” I let out a heavy sigh. “They were friends for a long time before they started dating. If they break up, it’ll be hard to go back to being just friends again.”

Lisa gave me a funny look. “That’s why I’m glad we didn’t start as friends because after I break up with you, it won’t be so awkward.”

My breath caught in my throat.
Lisa was dumping me?

She put both hands over her mouth to smother her laughter. “You ought to see the look on your face.”

I still wasn’t breathing. I sucked in a deep gulp of air. “If that was supposed to be a joke, it wasn’t funny.”

“I’m sorry.” Her hands still covered her mouth, but her eyes got wide, and the laugh lines disappeared.

“You should be.”

When she moved her hands, her lower lip quivered. “I really am sorry.”

I grabbed her arms and started to lift her. “I ought to throw you in the creek and let the sharks eat you.”

Maybe a change showed in my eyes, because I don’t think I smiled, but she started giggling. “Don’t throw me in. I just put on lotion.”

“Then you better be nice, or you’re going to be shark bait.” I tried to stay serious, but her contagious giggles had me laughing. I released her arms and picked up the bottle of lotion. “Sharks love mangos.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t.” I unscrewed the lid. “But I could always slather you up and see how many sharks attack you.”

“Don’t.” She held up one hand when I squirted lotion into my palm. “I already put on a bunch.”

“You might’ve missed a few places.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I see a spot.” I grabbed her ankle and pulled her leg into my lap. “Your kneecaps.”

“No! Don’t touch my legs.”

“Why not?” My hand froze above her bare skin. Had I crossed some invisible boundary?

She put her head down so I couldn’t see her face. Her hands moved over her calves. “I didn’t have time to shave my legs this morning.”

Her revelation brought back my laughter. “Then that makes us even. I didn’t shave my legs either.”

Her head turned and her gaze brushed over my legs. When she looked up, her forehead crinkled. “You shave your legs?”

“Just the lower half. I can’t afford an injury playing football, so I tape my ankles. It’s not as painful to pull off the tape if I shave away the hair.”

She scrunched down my wet sock. “It looks funny like this.” Her fingers skimmed up my calf and she pinched at the dark, curly hair. “Why don’t you just shave off all of it?”

“I’m not a girl.” I pulled my leg away, embarrassed for the first time in four years of shaving around my ankles. “I do it for practical reasons, not vanity.”

“Vanity?” She made that funny little laughing noise. “Are you saying girls shave because of vanity?”

“Then why do you do it?”

“Because of boys. Guys don’t want girls with hair on their legs.”

“Are you telling me that if it wasn’t for guys, you’d never shave your legs?”

“Maybe.” She nibbled at her lower lip. “Or at least, not as often.”

“You don’t have to shave for me.” I ran my palm over her leg. “I kind of like this stubble. It’s soft and tickles my hand. And your hair’s not dark.”

“You mean it’s not as bad as your beard stubble?”

“I don’t have any stubble. I shaved this morning before church.” I lifted her ankle to my face and rubbed my cheek against her calf. “Smooth, right?”

When I pulled at her leg, she fell back on the blanket and landed on her elbows. Her long braids dangled behind her. I glanced at her face. A smile didn’t show, but a strange glimmer appeared in her blue eyes. Her lips parted. She closed the gap by biting on her lower lip.

My gaze brushed across her body and lingered at the swell of her breasts above the swim top. Her smooth skin glistened in the sunlight. I lowered my gaze and skimmed down her belly, past her navel, all the way to those loose fitting denim shorts. The leg holes gaped open. My vision zoomed to the top of her bare thighs and the dark shadows just beyond.

Suddenly, I became aware of how we were positioned. Her heel rested on my shoulder with my hand clasped around her ankle. Her other leg was drawn up with her knee bent and her foot flat on the blanket. My body was positioned sideways between her thighs.

The smell of the mango scented lotion heating from the sun’s rays wafted up my nose. I leaned forward, wanting more, but not the smell of an artificial perfume. I breathed in deeply, hoping to capture something real. The natural essence from her skin. The scent that would define her as a woman.

I placed my hand on the blanket near her waist to support my weight as I leaned closer. Heat radiating from her body rose up and glanced across my cheek. My senses spun out of control. Her scent, her warmth, her closeness brought out a primitive response in me. My hand skimmed up her leg as I bent over her. I wanted to cover her with my body and let her heat penetrate my clothing.

“What are you doing?” Her hand pressed against my chest, and she pushed at me.

“I, ah…” I didn’t know. I glanced around at the blanket. Near my hand lay a soda can. “I’m getting this root beer.” When I moved back, she curled her legs under her.

“I don’t think I’m ready for this.” She turned away from me and stared at the water. “My mom keeps telling me I’m too young. Maybe I am.”

I popped the tab and took a deep swallow, hoping the cold liquid would calm my body. “Too young for what?”

“For this. For you. I’ve never been alone with a guy before.”

I glanced around at the twenty or more people enjoying the public park. This wasn’t a secluded beach with just the two of us. “I don’t understand, Lisa.”

“My mom is so protective that she won’t let me go to parties alone. I want to be independent and make my own decisions, but I don’t want to learn the hard way by making bad mistakes.”

“You think being with me is a mistake?”

“No.” Her eyebrows creased when she glanced at me. “But we’ve only known each other a few weeks and already you’re calling me your girlfriend.”

“Don’t you want me calling you that?”

“No, it’s all right. This way, I don’t have to wonder how you feel about me. But what you just tried to do...” She looked away. “I’m not sure what you were doing.”

“I’m not sure, either.” I took her hand and pulled her around so I could see her face. “Lisa, I like you. You must know that.”

She looked into my eyes. “I like you too.”

“People have been telling me we’re moving too fast. Maybe we are, but I don’t want to slow down.”

“But, I can’t—”

I held up one hand to stop her. “What I mean is, I like where we are. We don’t have to move forward right now, but I don’t want to go backwards to being just friends.”

“Does that mean you won’t try to crawl on top of me again?”

I cringed at the reminder of my lack of self–restraint. “Is that what I was doing?”

“You don’t remember?”

I could’ve lied, but I didn’t want her to think I lost control around her. “I remember. And I’m not going to try that again, at least not for a while. A long while,” I added when her eyebrows rose. “We’re going to move slower from now on.”

“Good.” Her smile returned. “So no more of what you were just trying to do.”

“Right.”

“And no hugging or kissing.”

“What?” I saw her mouth moving, but my mind couldn’t register the words coming out. “No what?”

“We both want to go slower, so we’ll wait for a while before we move on to kissing.”

I shook my head in denial. Kissing wasn’t part of the moving slower plan. “How long do you want to wait?” I blurted out.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to put a time limit on it. When it feels right.” Her head was down, but she glanced up with just her eyes. “When it’s special.”

“Special?” Oh, crap! I had no idea when special was. My mind kicked into overdrive. I was smart. I could figure this out. “You know, Lisa, Cache Creek is one of my favorite places. And here I am for the first time with my girlfriend. I was thinking this is pretty special.”

“There’s that sense of humor again.” She laughed while struggling to her feet. “You are so funny.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I’m frigging hysterical.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Hey, X–man,” Carson shouted. “There’s your mom. I mean, our mom.”

“I’ll be right there, bro.”

Sherry walked past the blanket on her way to the table. “Your mom wasn’t expecting all of us. I hope she brought enough food.”

“She expected three hungry guys,” I said. “She’ll have plenty.”

Paul trailed a half dozen steps behind Sherry. “There won’t be any left if Carson starts eating before us.”

I ignored his remark. Carson and I had broken bread together plenty of times. He wouldn’t wolf down the food without making sure everyone else had an equal share. I held out my hand to Lisa. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to my mom.”

Instead of taking my hand, she dug around in her bag and pulled out a little blue tee shirt. “Let me put on something first.” She slipped it over her head and smoothed the wrinkled material down her body before pushing loose strands of hair back from her face.

“You don’t have to be nervous about meeting my mom. She’s pretty cool—most of the time.”

“Brendon!” Stevie ran toward me while struggling into a life vest. “Mom said I could get in the water if you go with me.”

“Slow down. You’re not going anywhere without getting this hooked up right.” I grabbed the straps on his vest and fastened them.”

“Who’s she?” he asked.

“This is Lisa. Guess you haven’t met her yet.”

He scrunched up his face and looked at me. “Is she the girl you’re always talking to in your sleep?”

Lisa giggled. “You talk about me in your sleep?”

I ignored her question and focused on Stevie. “You better behave yourself, or I’m going to toss you in the creek.”

“Do it.” His voice rose with excitement. “I want you to throw me out there, only real far so I miss all the rocks.”

“You smart aleck.” I picked him up and tossed him in the air before catching him. “You give me any lip, and I won’t take you out there at all.”

“Sorry,” he said but didn’t look it; he was laughing too hard.

Krystal ran toward me dragging a life vest in the sand. “Brendon, will you help me?”

“Hey, sweetie.” I picked her up and tossed her in the air, but not as high. “Are you having trouble getting this on?”

She ignored me and looked over my shoulder. “Is she Lisa?”

“Yeah. Do you remember her?”

She nodded. “We both have braids.”

I put Krystal on the ground and hooked up the vest while the two girls talked about their hair.

“Okay, Stevie.” I sat Krystal on the blanket. “Stay here with your sister while I take Lisa to meet Mom.”

“Oh, man.” Stevie started with the grumbling.

“You heard me. And no backtalk.” I grabbed Lisa’s hand as we walked to the picnic table.

“Is that your mom wearing the straw hat?”

“Yeah. She’s got red hair and fair skin, and doesn’t like to sunburn.”

“That must be why she’s wearing that long sleeved shirt and baggy jeans.”

“I guess. But sometimes I wonder if it’s so she won’t attract any attention. Even after all these years, I think my mom is still in love with my dad.”