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“So, that’s how I knew you two must have had a fight. I know you were seeing each other because lots of people told me about you being together at the fair. I wish you would tell me what happened the other night. Did you break up? That’s it, isn’t it? Oh, my. Tell me what happened.”
Phae shook her head. No way was she confiding in Kent’s aunt.
“Oh, you young people,” Miss Eugenia said with a huff. “You’re so closed-mouthed and secretive. Humph. Well, the least you could do is come over to my house and get that boy to clean up. He hasn’t shaved or bathed even once, I bet. He’s downright disreputable looking. And he won’t take his calls either. I know because they’re calling on my house phone since he won’t answer his pocket cell phone. Kent made me tell them all that he wasn’t home. He even made me lie to Sheriff Jones when he dropped by. I was taught you never lie to the law. Couldn’t you help me out, Phae dear? I worry he’ll ruin his health with these shenanigans.”
“I can’t help,” Phae said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“Poor Kent has never been healthy, and I’m afraid this will take a terrible toll on him. I never scoff at lovesickness. It’s a real illness and can lead to more serious conditions like—”
“Lovesickness?”
“Definitely. I’ve lived on this planet for eighty-one years and I know what I’m talking about. That poor nephew of mine could waste away with it. I’m right to be concerned. Since you won’t help me, maybe I should call my brother and tell him to come out—”
“Miss Eugenia!” Sylvie bustled up out of nowhere. “Happy Fourth of July!”
Miss Eugenia scowled at Sylvie then stood and folded her little chair. She turned to Phae. “I have to go now, Phae dear. Think about helping me out and let me know what you decide. Maybe you could come over for tea some time this week and we’ll talk more about it.”
Sylvie spoke quickly. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to be busy this week at the shop. We had to close for two days, so we’ll have a backlog to catch up on. We appreciate the invitation, but we have to say no all the same.”
Miss Eugenia sniffed loudly and with a brief farewell she walked away.
“You know, Phae,” Sylvie said after the elderly lady was out of earshot, “she’s been mad at me ever since that day in the shop when I gave her a hard time about Kent bashing his head. She’s mad at Neesa, too. Oh well. I guess the old gal will get over it some time.”
Sylvie looked closely at Phae’s face. “You don’t look right. You may be getting heat stroke. Take a drink of that soda.”
Phae numbly took a sip. She felt as though she hadn’t swallowed since Miss Eugenia had joined her under the maple tree.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get over here to rescue you sooner. I was kind of distracted. I take it she told you that Kent hasn’t left town.”
“How did you know?”
“James told me when we told him what you—oh don’t look at me like that. You know how it is. Anyway, he said he stopped at Miss Eugenia’s house yesterday to see Kent and she told him that Kent wasn’t home, but she kept pointing her finger up in the air. James didn’t know what to make of it, so he asked her what she was doing. She shushed him then mouthed something a few times until James figured out she was saying, ‘He’s upstairs.’ James didn’t want to get involved so he left. What a funny old lady, huh?”
Phae couldn’t help but smile. “I think I’d better go home. Kent might show up and I don’t want to have to talk to him or anything.”
“That’s silly. If he goes out looking for you it would be easier to find you at home than in this crowd. Stay for the fireworks. It’ll be dark in an hour or so. Neesa and I won’t let anyone bother you, I promise. We’ll guard you against all comers. And that’s not a gossip promise, so you know I’ll be able to keep it.”
Phae nodded half-heartedly and even allowed Sylvie and then Neesa to flutter around her for a bit, fetching her a fresh soda and a bowl of homemade strawberry ice cream.
Phae ate the comforting treat and wondered whether or not she should believe what Miss Eugenia told her about Kent’s state of mind. Saying that the old woman tended to exaggerate was like saying that the universe was a fairly good-sized place; both were vast understatements.
Besides, it was over between Phae and Kent, so none of this should matter. If Kent had indeed sunk into a depression, then it was probably caused by his disappointment that she’d failed to live up to his unrealistic expectations.
She finished her ice cream then packed up the lounge chair and mingled into the crowd of Joneses, Neesa and Sylvie trailing her like a security detail. She half expected them to be wearing earpieces and to start speaking into their collars.
When darkness finally fell, Phae relaxed and Neesa and Sylvie wandered off. Phae felt safe setting up her lounger in the open field, joining the rest of the spectators in ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the fireworks. Multi-colored balls and sparkles lit the night while crashing booms shook the ground and air.
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see who it was. His face illuminated by the bright flashes of red, blue and gold, Kent stood beside her chair.
He bent down and spoke near her ear. “Can we go somewhere and talk, Phae?”
The bottom dropped out of her stomach when she saw that he hadn’t shaved in a good long while. “I don’t know,” she mumbled, trying to find the strength to deny him.
He reached for her hand and held it firmly in his own, larger one. “Please, Phae, only for a moment. I’ve got to talk to you.”
The look in his eyes was so gentle and soft that she couldn’t say no. Against her better judgment, she allowed him to help her up from the chair and to lead her away from the crowd. In no time, she found herself under the maple tree again.
They stood there, the two of them, in uncomfortable silence, their hands hanging loosely at their sides, mutely watching the fireworks through the holes in the tree’s canopy.
Phae finally broke the silence. “It seems like you and I are always having conversations in the dark.”
The lights from the display cast changing shadows across Kent’s face. “I know I said some things to you that I shouldn’t have said. I have to tell you how sorry I am. I regretted them even before I could finish packing.”
He searched her face, then continued. “I didn’t mean it. I was tired and angry and I … I wasn’t thinking. I’d never want to hurt you. Never. And I realized later that I had. I’m sorry for that, truly.”
She didn’t know what to say. She studied his features and thought she saw sincerity there. But how could he say he was sorry and believe that would fix everything?
He wrapped his long fingers around her limp wrists. “I shouldn’t have apologized in a hurry like that, but you don’t know. I was at home tonight and I was thinking of you, of course, and of what happened. It’s all I
’ve thought about for days. Have you been thinking about us, too?”
Chapter 18
PHAE GAVE A MINUSCULE NOD.
“You’re so beautiful,” Kent said. “These pictures of you kept flashing in my head. That little smile of yours right before you opened that present. The way your hair glistened in the moonlight outside the fairgrounds. And those incredible brown eyes of yours that glow with your amazing spirit. And there’s dozens of other pictures that have burned themselves into my brain. Like the look on your face, the way your lips trembled when you came for me.”
She shuffled her feet. She’d been doing the same, seeing pictures of him in her mind, the way his hair swept back from his forehead, the way he looked at her with those bright blue eyes when she stood naked before him for the first time, his charming smile in Miss Eugenia’s back yard. Hell. This line of thought was no good for her resolve.
Kent released her wrists and tenderly stroked the side of her face. She could clearly hear his deep voice even though the booming fireworks continued to explode.
“I lay on my bed hour after hour and these images wouldn’t stop coming,” he said, “and that’s when I knew I had to find you. I can’t let this go without fighting for it. I had to tell you these things, so here I am. I’ve made mistakes, but I want to fix them. Fix us.”
He reached behind her head and released the latch on the heavy barrette holding her hair in a low ponytail at the back of her neck. He smiled lovingly as he spread the heavy strands about her shoulders. Phae’s heart pounded hard.
He exhaled. “When you weren’t at home, I nearly panicked, then I remembered what day it was, and knew you’d be here with your family. I’ve been running everywhere looking for you. And here you are. You’re so lovely, I want to—”
He pulled Phae against his chest then slanted his mouth across hers in a searing kiss. She parted her lips, wrapped her arms around his waist and let herself fall under his spell.
