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20
Chase had promisedher a ride home.Although he was her plus one, Katie had been adamant about going to the wedding riding in the family car with her momma and her sister.He didn’t pick her up.Laurie had mentioned to him that she knew it was Katie’s wish since her mother rarely stepped out of the house for a social occasion, and this was important to her.
They left the diner and strolled across the parking lot.Outside, it was a warm, dark night.The sky was hazy.The clouds had drifted, obscuring the moon.A light breeze blew, scattering Katie’s hair.
“You know the ridge you took me to on our first date?”She studied his profile and paused.“The spot you picked with the spectacular view on the hillside overlooking the town?I’d like to see it, and the sparkling lights at night.”
“Yes, I’ll take you.”He put the truck in reverse, turned it around, and steered out of the parking lot.
Chase remembered the ridge.He knew exactly the spot she was talking about.Now, as he drove, he couldn’t stop thinking.He groaned inside.What right did she have to ask him?What good would it do to relive the past?He remembered sitting in his car, self-conscious of the fact that he was all alone with her.He was shy, tongue-tied, and laughed and made nervous jokes, not sure if she’d think they were funny.Then he tried to get closer, casually flinging his long, scrawny arm on the back of the car seat, resting it a fraction of an inch from her soft, fluffy curls.When he’d plucked up enough courage, he stretched his fingertips, gently playing with and pinching stray strands of her shoulder-length hair.She’d pretended not to like it at first, snatching his hand away—until she didn’t let go of him.He thought he was in heaven.
It’d been an emotional night,from the intense highs of the wedding to the deep lows of Chase’s pain.Katie’s heart went out to him, glimpsing the grief that still ripped through him and the responsibility he’d shouldered raising little Timmy.She saw him differently now—a matured man still carrying his anguish and sadness.
Wrapped in her own thoughts and silent during much of the ride to the ridge, an overwhelming sense of loneliness flooded through her.She shivered, even though it was a warm, balmy night.
Chase swung the truck into the parking space on the hillside, the headlights drilling into the darkness.He parked, turned off the ignition, and got out, meeting her on the other side.
The view from the ridge was breathtaking, tiny lights twinkling in the distance, lighting up the town.“It’s beautiful,” she said, taking in the view, leaning back on the vehicle, bending one knee, and putting her foot on the front bumper.
The wind blew gently on her cheeks.In the distance, faint night sounds provided a soothing background.
“Did you know only male crickets chirp?”Chase asked.
Katie couldn’t see his expression, but he seemed more relaxed, calmer.
“No, tell me why.”
“I read in a magazine that males will make this sound for mating to attract females.”
“Like now?”
“Mostly during daytime.”
“This is one of my favorite spots.”
“I haven’t come up for years.I’m glad you suggested it.”
They stayed out there for some time.She didn’t know for sure how long, and he hadn’t checked his watch.Somehow, it wasn’t the same.The first time they were here, it was different.They were open, sharing and giving of their hearts with the innocence of first love.Butterflies had fluttered in her stomach then.
She felt his closeness now; his arm brushing against hers sent ripples through her body.Katie, she thought, get a grip.
Yet Katie couldn’t heed her own words.All she could think of was this strong man beside her, who outgrew the boy he was, and yet remained vulnerable inside.She felt protective.Maybe it was the guilt of having left ten years ago.Or maybe it was knowing how much he’d been hurt, losing his only brother, who left a child to be raised by him, the uncle, since the grandparents were no longer alive.She reached out for his hand.
“Katie…” The anguish in his raspy voice spoke volumes.
She couldn’t see his face clearly in the darkness.But she felt his hand pushing hers away.
Chase didn’t wantto be reminded of his loss and pain tonight.He’d gone to great lengths to push those guilty feelings down, to forget the horrible night when Kenny and Darlene had died on their way to see him.But they never reached their destination.It had happened quickly on the highway.The oncoming car had veered out of its lane into theirs, and the drunk driver had hit his brother’s car head-on, killing the couple instantly.
He didn’t want to let his guard down in front of Katie again.She was the woman who’d shattered his heart and filled it with more pain again when he saw her tonight.He gritted his teeth.
He hadn’t been to this spot for years, and being here brought back those early memories of their first date.
When she grabbed his hand, so large it completely covered hers, and turned around to face him, he hardened his heart and pushed her away.
The clouds had shifted as they floated across the night sky, unveiling the full moon tonight.
He could see her face clearly now, under the soft glow of the moonlight.Her eyes, twin pools of light, focused on him.She stroked his cheek, tracing the outline of his lips, then down to his chin, zeroing in on his cleft.He could smell her perfume, a heady and maddening scent with a trace of lavender entangled in the light floral fragrance.
