The Next Door Boys (17 page)

“So… today was a great non-date.” He turned in his seat a little to talk.

I laughed. “Yes, it was.”

“I was just thinking, if I wanted to, say… wish a friend a Merry Christmas or something over the holidays, how would I go about doing that?” He smiled at me.

“What's your cell?” I asked.

“Two oh six…”

I knew that area code. “Seattle?” How had we not gotten to that part?

“Yeah.” He looked surprised too.

“I grew up there—well, until my senior year of high school,” I said.

“Your parents moved you away your senior year?”

“My dad retired, and I wasn't hanging out with the best crowd. They thought St. George would be a nice spot to retire in. The weather is definitely better.”

“You could say that.” He smiled at me again. I felt it tingling through my body. That was not good. I wasn't decided on dating yet.

He gave me the rest of his number, and I dialed it into my phone. I hit send, and his phone vibrated in his pocket. “That's how you wish a friend a Merry Christmas.”

“Perfect.” He reached for his door.

“Unless you're prepared for twenty questions from those two boys, which they may or may not do, just let me get out.” I really wanted him to stay in the car.

“Okay, have a nice break, Leigh.” He settled into his seat.

“I will.” I climbed out and shut the door.

“What, is he afraid of us?” Jaron asked as I walked toward my apartment.

“Nope.” I stopped and turned toward him and Brian. “Seriously? Playing football? Did you really think you were fooling anyone?”

They exchanged glances and laughed. I walked down the steps to my apartment and opened the door at the same time as Kim opened it from the inside. She was in her dress coat, a new skirt and heels.

“You look amazing.” I looked her up and down.

“Evan,” she paused for effect, “asked me out to dinner before the break.” Her smile filled her face. “We were talking today, and he said he'd really like to take me to a nice dinner before the holidays.” She tried to shrug, but her noncommittal gesture didn't fit with the excitement on her face.

“I'm sure you'll have a great time.” I was happy for her. Her skirt actually covered her knees, which was a first. I watched her walk out the door to her car. I hoped that things between her and Evan worked out the way she wanted them to. I'd be lying if part of it wasn't selfish. I wanted Evan to be out with girls who would be ready for some of what he was looking for.

nineteen

I had a relaxing couple of weeks ahead of me. I knew my apartment would be waiting and I knew that I'd be required to do very little at my parent's house.

I carefully set my sewing machines in the back of Jaron's car as we loaded up for the drive home.

“Really?” Jaron teased as I closed the trunk.

“Only if you want a Christmas present.” I smirked at him and climbed in the passenger's side of his car. I wanted to sew everyone's Christmas presents that year and I knew I'd have time once we were at Mom and Dad's.

It was only slightly warmer in St. George than Provo—both unusual and disappointing. I hauled my things into my room and wandered downstairs, knowing swimming was not a comfortable option.

“I need to hit the fabric store,” I said as I wandered into the kitchen. “For presents.”

“All right.” Mom stood up. “I just finished lunch. Your timing is perfect.”

“Great.”

“Have you eaten?” Her forehead wrinkled in concern.

I held in the exasperated sigh I so desperately wanted to let out. “We passed through Cedar City, Mom.”

“Pizza.” She nodded once.

“Yep.” Fortunately she dropped it there.

I'd just gotten my fabrics cut at the store when I heard my name.

“Leigh?” I looked up to see a girl I went to high school with during senior year.

I scrambled inside my brain. I hadn't talked to anyone from school since graduation. “Jessica?”

She came up and gave me a big hug. “Wow, you like, disappeared off the face of the earth!”

“Yeah, I guess I did.” I stopped for a moment. Jessica had always been nice. She had a twin brother, Kyle. He'd taken me to senior prom. It started to come back.

“So, what are you up to?” She leaned against the cutting counter, ready to talk for a while.

“I'm at BYU now with my brother.”

“Oh yeah. We never met him ’cause he was on a mission, right?”

“Yep.” I was surprised she remembered.

“You always look so put together. I love the way you dress.” She reached out and touched my light jacket.

I looked down. I'd practically just thrown something on. Jacket, blouse, jeans, flats. “Thanks.”

I hadn't figured anyone from high school would remember me. I was only there for a year. Everyone had established friends when I arrived. They were already in their groups. It's not as though I felt like I didn't fit. I just hadn't had the time to get close to anyone.

“Hey, a bunch of us are going to the movies tonight—you know, since we're all in town for the holidays. Wanna come?” Her eyebrows went up. “It'll be fun.”

I shrugged. It might be fun to see some people from high school. “Sure. What time?”

“I'll pick you up at, like, 6:30?”

“You remember where I live?” I asked.

“Of course.” She laughed at me and shook her head. “I gotta run. We'll see you tonight!” She looked over her shoulder as she walked out.

I walked with my fabric to the cash register. It must've been just me whose senior year was a haze. Maybe the year after that had erased high school from my memory.

Jessica pulled in the driveway right at 6:30 with her brother and two other friends I barely remembered.

“Hey, it's my prom date!” Kyle laughed. “Good to see you, Leigh. You dyed your hair brown.”

“Uh, yeah.” I wasn't sure what to say. I ran my hands through it self-consciously. It was the one thing that was impossible to hide. “I look too much like my brother when I'm blond.” It seemed like an excuse that a twin would understand.

He laughed at that, like I'd hoped.

“Kyle leaves on his mission in two weeks, can you believe it?” Jessica asked.

“Wow, where are you going?”

“Japan. I'm pretty excited to learn a new language.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” There was no way I'd be able to serve a mission, not with my health history. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not, but it sucked a little to have options taken from you.

We loaded up on way too much sugar and popcorn at the movies, and after my long drive and afternoon shopping, I was ready for bed.

“Home, Leigh?” Kyle asked. “Or are you ready for another stop?”

“Home would be great.”

We pulled up to my parents’ house in minutes. Jessica and Kyle were still talking about the movie.

I reached down for my purse, and Kyle was at my side of the car before I had a chance to get out.

“Uh, thanks.” Sometimes Mormon boys were so over polite. We were just friends—who barely knew each other. He didn't have to get my door.

“It was great to see you again, Leigh. I think the last time was Prom—well, and I guess graduation.” He smiled at me over the doorframe.

“Right,” I agreed.

“Well, maybe we'll all get together before you disappear again,” he teased.

“I'm around until school starts back up.”

“I'm around for the next two weeks,” he said back.

“Okay, well, see ya.” I walked to the door. My body was exhausted and ready for bed.

I laid out the fabric in front of me. I'd found the perfect dinosaur material for a backpack for Nathan. I wanted him to have something he could put his stuff in when he visited his dad. I envisioned little pockets all over it for his little cars, dinosaurs, and the small people he carried around with him. I cut out pajama pants for Jaron, Brian, and Nathan out of a black and white pirate print. I laughed as I sewed them, picturing the three of them on the couch in their matching pj's watching SpongeBob. Or maybe Nathan on the couch and the big boys on the floor. I laughed again at the memory.

As I finished presents for Christmas, it made me happy that I'd done something for everyone with my own hands.

I got a call from Kyle the night before Christmas Eve.

“Leigh? It's Kyle. We're all making a run for the border, wanna join us?”

“A what?”

He laughed. “We're going to Taco Bell. How do you not remember that?”

“Oh, right. Yeah, why not?” I didn't have anything else going on.

“Great, we'll see you in, like, a half an hour.”

“I'll be here.”

I ran into the bathroom, threw on some mascara, and smoothed out my hair to pull it up. I couldn't believe how long and thick it had gotten in only one semester. I had a hard time getting it all to stay.

I heard a car pull up, so I wandered outside. Brian and Nathan were in the driveway, and Kyle and Jessica were in the street.

“Hey!” I waved.

“Hey, Leigh!” Kyle waved.

Nathan got out of the car and ran toward me. I picked him up, even though he was too big, to plant a huge kiss on his cheek. “How's my little man?”

“Pretty good.” He smiled as I set him back down.

Jaron came out of the house, and there were suddenly a lot of people in the driveway.