Stacey Joy Netzel Boxed Set (9 page)

Josh asked me what I’d like to drink and I
received another raised-eyebrow look from Jenna. I stuck with soda.
Despite her cynicism where Josh was concerned, the next couple
hours were great and I was glad I’d made the trip. She and I caught
up on our lives in person instead of via the phone or email, and it
was also nice to here what my former classmates were doing these
days.

Not that they’d all made the reunion, but
our small class of seventy-six students had produced a commercial
airline pilot, military men and women, teachers, secretaries,
stay-at-home mothers, two published authors, accountants, business
managers and owners, and a host of other professions.

Some people hadn’t changed a bit, either in
looks or in attitude. Others changed, whether they’d gained or lost
weight, were starting to lose their hair, became friendlier, more
outgoing, or even more judgmental. I had a wonderful time meeting
spouses, fawning over pictures of cute kids, and laughing and
joking with people I hadn’t seen since I was a teen too introverted
to socialize.

I didn’t realize how visible my shyness had
been in high school until after the third person commented on how
much
I’d
changed. It felt good to accomplish what I’d set
out to do, especially since I felt Josh’s gaze more than once
throughout the evening.

He was one of the people who’d changed. For
the better, on all counts. I had to keep reminding myself how I’d
felt seeing him against the school lockers lip-locked with Lyssa
when he’d brought
me
to the dance all those years ago,
otherwise I feared I’d find myself encouraging his attention.

About an hour after dinner, during which
Josh sat on my right and I did
not
drop shrimp into my lap,
Dave Bensen’s cell phone chimed from an incoming text message. His
wife chastised him for leaving it on, but when he read the message
and looked at me, I was glad he had.

“Your front right tire is flat and the
alignment is all out of whack. You want my guy to tow it to M &
M’s?”

Marty Brunski had opened Marty and the
Mechanics back when my Dad was growing up. He’d passed on and Aaron
Smith ran it now—or at least he had when I was in high school—but
the name would always be M & M’s.

“I guess that’ll work,” I agreed. “My rental
insurance should cover it and tonight I’ll catch a ride with Jenna
and Doug.”

I was staying with them anyway, so I didn’t
expect a problem. Dave punched in a quick message on his phone as I
glanced around the bar area and added silently,
if I can find
them
. It’d just occurred to me that Jenna and Doug had
disappeared shortly after dinner and I hadn’t seen them since.

It was closing in on ten p.m. when I finally
received Jenna’s reply to my text message:
Where the heck are
you guys?

Jenna:
Sorry!
Doug kidnapped me 2
take advantage of the kidless evening. Were gonna come back after,
but…

Their twin daughters were at Doug’s parent’s
house and since I knew they didn’t get many nights to themselves, I
replied:
Yeah, I really want to stay there now.

Jenna (after a ten minute wait):
Oh, plz.
Come over whenever u r ready. Front door unlocked, guest room made
up. BTW, still hvn fun?

Me:
Yeah, but getting tired after the
flight and drive.
And I have no ride home! I didn’t text that,
though I did try to remember if Silver Falls offered a cab service.
I didn’t want to ruin Jenna’s impromptu honeymoon re-run with my
car troubles.

Jenna (after another couple minutes):
Josh still eyeing you like chocolate cake after Lent?

Heat crept into my face. A quick glance
around the bar confirmed no one paid me any attention as I slid off
my stool and headed for the end of the bar, all the while texting
like mad.

Me:
Talk about oh, pluuease.

Jenna:
Seriously, he’s
interested.

I hesitated a moment, located him across the
room talking to Dave, Randy Knutson, and Randy’s new fiancé Beth,
then sent:
Is that such a bad thing?
After the undeniable
attraction I’d felt for him at his house and throughout dinner, I
was truly looking for guidance with that question.

Jenna:
Yes!

Me:
Remind me why?

A full minute passed before my phone dinged.
It suddenly dawned on me I didn’t want to imagine what was going on
in between my cousin’s texts.

Jenna:
Um…he left u high and dry and
never spoke 2 u again?

Me:
There is that.
And yet…

Jenna:
Stay away from Josh
Nelsen!

A chin propped on my shoulder and delicious
masculine cologne hit my nostrils a second before a deep voice
rumbled in my ear. “Why the frown face?”

I jumped and fumbled my phone. Josh’s quick
grab saved it from the floor. He handed it back, but not before I
saw him glance at the lit screen. If he actually read Jenna’s last
message I couldn’t tell, because his half-teasing, half-concerned
expression didn’t change. Hoping he hadn’t read the text, I
answered his question with the next best thing to the truth.

“Jenna and Doug snuck home for…well, I’m
sure you can guess…but I never got a chance to tell them I no
longer have a car tonight.”

“Ah. You have no ride home,” he surmised in
a suddenly somber voice.

I pretended I didn’t notice the change in
his tone and avoided his gaze. “Not only that, but I’m supposed to
stay at their house tonight.” I made a face. “Now I feel like I’m
intruding.”

My phone dinged a new message.

Jenna:
Summer?

I ignored her and asked Josh, “Is the Silver
Falls Motel still operating these days?”

He made a face at me this time. “Better to
pretend it’s not.” Then he took a deep breath and said,
“Considering I more than owe you one, I’m happy to offer a ride
back to my place and the use of one of my guest rooms.”

I completely ignored the implication of
“considering I more than owe you one”
and found myself
focusing on
“back to my place.”
The teenager in me zipped
straight to the highly anticipated, never realized goodnight kiss
still hovering in my imagination and I found myself staring at his
mouth. The woman in me liked the idea very much.

Another musical ding. I looked down.

Jenna:
I’m coming back 2 town.

Crap. I worked my fingers fast:
No. Got a
place 2 stay and will c u in the a.m. Shutting off phone and lving
now. U N Doug have a good nite.

I quickly hit OK to send, even as I cringed
at the abbreviations littering my message. Being a writer, I
usually avoided them, but time was of the essence. Josh watched me
with an unsure expression, so I flipped my phone shut and gave him
a quick smile.

“That would be great. Thanks.”

My phone dinged. I ignored it.

Josh slipped his hands into his pockets and
hunched his shoulders. “How long do you want to stay?”

I followed his glance around the bar area,
then shrugged, even though it’d been a long day and I was done in
at this point. “It’s up to you.”

His gaze flicked to my phone when it chimed
yet again. “Actually, I’m a little tired. I was up early and—”

“Me, too,” I broke in. Then I wanted to bite
my stupid tongue. It sounded like I couldn’t wait to be alone with
him. So I quickly continued, “And after the flight, and the drive
up from Milwaukee in the snow…”

“And the ditch,” he added.

“Exactly. I’m definitely looking forward to
your bed.”

Oh my God, I didn’t just say that.
Mortified, I lifted my gaze to his and forced a light laugh. “I
mean, your guest bed—not
your
bed.”

Shut up. Just shut up!

A smile tugged the corners of his kissable
mouth. My face flamed so hot I swear the temperature in the bar
shot up at least five degrees. I wanted to sink to the floor and
crawl away in the dark.

He stepped back, jerking his head toward the
dwindling crowd of our classmates. “You want to say goodbye to
anyone?”

Ironic, coming from him. I shook my head.
“I’ll see them tomorrow afternoon for bowling.”

His hand rested on the small of my back on
our way to the door. Warmth spread through me at his touch. As he
grabbed our coats, I quickly checked my phone to make sure Jenna
wasn’t on her way. Four new messages, the first three within
seconds of each other.

Jenna:
With who?

Jenna:
Not Josh…?

Jenna:
Summer!!!

And then the last one, after a two minute
lapse. Jenna:
Just remember, I warned u.

I sighed as I powered the stupid thing
off.

“Everything okay?” Josh asked. He wore a
frown and looked a little unsure of himself. Or maybe the
situation. I knew the feeling.

I nodded and turned to slide my arms into
the sleeves of my coat as he held it out for me. When his hands
rested on my shoulders, his body was near enough I could feel his
warmth, but not pressed close in a blatant manner. I found I wanted
to lean back. Was I setting myself up for more disappointment like
Jenna suspected?

No. Because nothing was going to happen
other than me literally sleeping in his guest room, and then I’d
leave in the morning. Sunday afternoon I’d fly back to Florida and
not see him for another five or ten years, at the next reunion.

I stepped away, toward the door, and we
headed out to his truck. It was still snowing, though the flakes
were a little smaller than earlier. When he would’ve done the whole
ladies first
thing, I pushed him ahead of me and used his
large boot prints to keep from burying my bare toes in the snow
blanketing the parking lot. Good thing I had to focus on my feet,
it left me no time to check out his butt.

Okay,
fine
, I snuck a peek.

“This snow is ridiculous,” I declared as he
unlocked his truck. My toes were freezing. “Didn’t Wisconsin get
the memo that it’s
May
?”

“Apparently not.” He opened the passenger
door and stood aside for me. “Sorry. I should’ve picked you up at
the door.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine.”

Until I shivered as a gust of wind found its
way under the hem of my dress and my shoe slipped on the running
board of his truck. I fell back against him, but he easily caught
me in his arms. I laughed with embarrassment, something I seemed to
be doing a lot with him tonight.

“I’ll have another drink, please.”

His husky chuckle vibrated against my back.
“All that soda really went to your head didn’t it?”

Something was going to my head all right,
but it wasn’t soda bubbles.

“Lightweight.”

His teasing remark eased my nerves despite
the intoxicating feel of his arms around me. With his assistance, I
made it into the passenger seat and we were on our way. He made a
stop at M & M’s for my suitcase in the rental car, and I was
touched by his thoughtfulness.

“Tonight was fun,” I remarked, lifting my
toes so the heat blew directly on them. “Sounds like a number of
people stayed in the area. Do you all get together a lot?”

He shrugged. “I see Jenna once in awhile,
and a couple others, but mostly keep in touch with Dave and Randy.
Everyone’s busy with their own lives. You know, jobs, marriage,
kids.”

“Yeah, sounds about right. Do you keep up
with anyone on Facebook?”

He shook his head. “I don’t Tweet, either.
Couldn’t get the hang of it. Never knew what to say, so I quit even
trying.”

“I know how you feel. Plus, I won’t do that
stuff on my phone, and since I’m on the computer all day for my
job, I’d rather spend my free time outside.”

“And what does Summer Clark like to do
outside?”

“Garden, hike, swim. My dog, Jenga, loves
the water, so we go to the beach a lot.”

After a brief pause, he said, “Lucky dog.
What kind do you have?”

“She’s a mutt from the pound. The vet’s not
even sure what’s all in her.”

“Those are the best dogs.”

I looked over when I heard the slight catch
in his voice. “Speaking from experience?”

“I had to put mine down last fall.”

“I’m sorry, Josh.”

“It’s okay, Deek was older. He loved hiking
and the water, too.”

To divert the subject, I asked, “Where do
you like to hike?” I hadn’t discovered the joys and benefits of
hiking until after college, so didn’t know what my old backyard
offered.

He told me of a few places in the
neighboring towns of Crivitz and Wausaukee and further north as we
finished the slow, snowy drive to his house. I’d enjoyed our
conversations over the course of the evening, and though most were
more casual than personal, I was sorry when we parked back in his
garage.

He was easy to talk to, and I realized we
had a lot in common. In fact, if Josh lived in Florida, or I lived
here, and he hadn’t ditched me all those years ago, I wouldn’t
hesitate to say yes if he asked me out again. I had to keep adding
the negative reminder in my head. Otherwise I’d completely forget
the blow he’d dealt to my fragile teen self-esteem.

He carried my bag, held the door, and helped
me remove my coat. I leaned against the counter and bent to take
off my sandals. My toes were still ice cold despite the heat he’d
blasted in the truck.

“Would you like some coffee or hot chocolate
to warm up, or would you rather just go to bed?” he asked.

I straightened but didn’t look at him
because my mind went directly to my slip up at the bar and I knew
my face was turning red again. Bed was the smartest option.
Guest
bed. Alone. Except...I’d enjoyed his company tonight
and our conversation in the truck. And I wouldn’t see him again for
years, so what was the harm in spending another half hour or so
with him now?