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“I can’t.” I smeared my hand across my face and focused on the road ahead.
“Okay, fine. We don’t have to talk about what happened but let me at least drive you home. Please. There’s a storm brewing.”
Yes, there was, both figuratively and literally, however, it was the distant roll of thunder he was speaking about.
“I’m okay.” One foot after the other, I kept my pace, but I was begging for a full breath and clutching at my chest.
“You’re not.” He put the car into park and hopped out, blocking my path. “Libby, look at me.”
Finally, my gaze rolled up over his chest, over his clean-cut face, and settled on his sympathetic eyes.
“There you are.”
I didn’t dare utter a word. Internally, I was fighting an intense battle to reign in my emotions, and as it was, they were boiling just beneath the surface.
He took my hand and guided me over to his car, opening the door and gesturing for me to have a seat. All the energy I had to protest was gone, and I fell inside with a thump. Once I was seated, he got in and put the car in drive.
The inside of the vehicle was thick with tension, whether it was rolling off me or brewing from him, it was hard to tell.
Finally, he spoke. “Did I ever tell you about my family?”
I stared at the road ahead, postcard-perfect houses lining either side as the car drove on.
“Eric and I were fairly close as young kids. We’d hang out with the Baker girls quite a bit, that is until Lily become a little brat.”
If he was expecting me to turn toward him, it didn’t work. I rolled my shoulders in and wrapped my arms across my chest, huddling to keep warm.
“Yes, hard to believe it when you know her now, but in her teenage days she was a total bitch, and she’ll admit it when asked.” Through my peripheral vision, he faced me before refocusing on the residential road. “However, we had similar upbringings; you know the whole mom-dad-two-kids lifestyle. Lily and Mona’s mom died on Christmas Eve in that beach house; the one I pointed out to you. That summer, Lily was a total bad-ass. Looking back now, I know it was a reaction to the death. Whereas Mona shut down her feelings in order to step up to be the parent, Lily went wild, regressing to the temperament of a toddler.”
“Why are you telling me this? Is there some sort of point?” A shiver rippled through me, so I flipped the vents to blow the warmer air over me.
He tipped his head to the side. “For one thing, it seems like having a conversation going takes the edge off, and I’m trying to share a little of myself because I’ve been told ladies like it when you tell them personal bits of your past.”
Sometimes, peace was welcomed. There didn’t always have to be a conversation going.
As much as I wanted to look at him, I felt if I did, I’d melt into a puddle of goo. Instead, I inhaled and re-wrapped my arms around me.
“Anyway, a few years back, my dad passed away. It was sudden, and I never got the chance to say goodbye. I channeled a little of Lily’s style of emotions and became a wild partier. A total frat boy,playboy, like you said.” His hand reached for mine. “I know it’s hard to believe, right?” He laughed at his own joke. “But after a while, I settled down. Sort of. Not so much partying, but more taking responsibility for things.”
Somehow, it was easy to picture him as both a wild card and as a gentle soul. But still, I kept my mouth closed and let my thoughts stew.
He carried on. “What happened to my mother, you ask?”
I hadn’t, but he was right, somehow the one-sided conversation was oddly welcome. It didn’t hurt that I was interested in learning a little more about him without having to probe; he was laying himself open like a book. I snuggled into my seat, head turned away, but enjoyed his endless conversation.
“She’s now living the sweet life in Arizona. She married an American, a great guy really. He’s not my father, but I call him Dad.”
He turned off onto Lighthouse Way, heading toward one of two functioning lighthouses in the bay area.
“Where are we going?” This wasn’t the way to my apartment.
“I want to show you something.” He drove slowly around the bendy road. “What about you, do you have family?”
I threw a gaze his way, my eyebrow arched high enough to melt into my hairline. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
“Touché.” He produced a weak smile and squeezed my hand. “Are you close with them?”
“No, not really.” Just Everest, but no one would accuse us of being close.
