Summer Sunsets

  In a moment or two, Bethany finally walks back, just as the ambulance and police car arrive. I shake my head, and Bethany sits next to me.

  “Great—as if my week couldn’t get any worse.” I hang my head, waiting for the cop to get out. The EMTs are already hustling over to Rutherford, and he’s probably going to milk his wounds for everything he’s got. Guys like him are cocky when they’re winning and whiny when they lose. There’s no in-between.

  Setting her hand on my leg, Bethany stares at me. “Just tell the truth, Devin. I heard every word he said, and the threat was unmistakable. Besides, he threw the first punch.”

  “Yeah, well, we both know who his dad is.” I lean back against the bench and watch as the cop gets out. He goes to Rutherford first and checks in with the EMTs then heads our direction.

  “It doesn’t matter who his dad is. He got a suspended sentence, and he just blew it.”

  I stare at the cop, unsettled by a sense of familiarity I can’t place. I know him. That’s no big surprise, considering how I know a lot of people in this town. But there’s something that won’t leave me alone about him, something really bad. He’s almost to me when I finally place him. I suck in air as though somebody’s punched me and mutter, “Fuck my life” as Kellin Morgan steps towards me.

  “Interesting greeting,” he says, pulling off his sunglasses. “It has been a while.”

  I’m looking for that same cockiness that Rutherford exudes, but Morgan just stands there.

  “Hey, Kellin.” It’s Bethany who moves first as she stands. She always was better at trying to smooth things out. Some things are just a little too rough for her to fix—things like me putting Rutherford in the hospital and him now being called to where his former best friend was punched out. I’m expecting the cuffs to come out any minute.

  “What happened with Rutherford?”

  “He threatened to go after Skye again and threw a punch at me.” I avoid his gaze because I know he’s not going to believe me.

  “Not surprising,” Morgan mutters under his breath. Then he turns to Bethany. “When did you get here?”

  “Probably about the same time Tyler did. I heard him threaten to rape Skye again because of the charges which had been filed, and I watched the creep take a swing at Devin.”

  Morgan nods and looks at the guy by Rutherford. “Is that your brother over there, Bethany?”

  She nods. “Yeah. He was here with me.”

  Morgan shoves his sunglasses into his shirt pocket. “I’m going to go talk to him.” He nods at me. “You might want to have one of the EMTs look at your eye. It’s still bleeding.”

  Although my hand starts to go to the wound, Bethany grabs my arm. “Come on. Let’s go see the EMT.”

  No, I’d rather not be walking beside Morgan, and maybe I shouldn’t have such a grudge against him. It wasn’t really his fault Skye was attacked, but sometimes, when things aren’t going well, those grudges are all we have, and that’s something to hold onto, isn’t it?

  “Could you take a look at his head, and see if he needs to go to the hospital for stitches?” Morgan asks, pointing back at me.

  “Sure. I’ll take care of it.” The EMT closest to the ambulance says. She’s already pulling off her bloody gloves and swapping them for a new pair as she points to the back of the ambulance. Gritting my teeth, I act like a good little boy and park it, my gaze straying to Morgan and Bethany’s brother.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Bethany leans against the side of the ambulance.

  “I know I didn’t. But that doesn’t mean Morgan is going to believe a word I say.” I turn my focus to the EMT coming toward my head with a swab to clean away the blood. As it touches my skin, I wince, expecting pain but finding none, just a cold wetness.

  “Give Kellin a little credit. I don’t think he’s the jock you knew in high school, and even he’s smart enough to know Tyler was the problem here. Always was, always will be.”

  I shake my head. “You know, you always find the good in everyone.”

  Shrugging, she replies, “Somebody has to, Devin. There has to be someone who refuses to give up hope, or there won’t be anything to hope for.”

  “Looks like you’re good as new,” the EMT says, peeling off her gloves. “Too bad I can’t say the same for the other guy.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her and hop off the ambulance so they can load the gurney with Tyler on it. Judging from the amount of blood on his shirt, I think I probably broke his nose. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

  Bethany looks at him and then at me. “Dang, for such a big guy, it looks like you beat the crap out of him.”

  Stepping back, I shrug. “Size isn’t everything, and he pissed me off. Nobody talks about Skye like that. Period.”

  Bethany is just about to ask a few questions when Morgan wanders back to us, effectively silencing her. Unsure what to do with my hands, I shove them in my pockets and wait. I suspect I’m about to have the privilege of hearing my rights read to me.

  “Well, I’ve got statements from everybody, and it doesn’t appear Rutherford has any witnesses on his behalf, so I’m going with what you told me, Devin, which isn’t going to be so easy for Tyler, not with his suspended sentence. Sometimes karma truly is a bitch.” He smiles at me. “Have a good day.”

  With that, he’s walked away, and I know my mouth has probably hit the ground.

  “C’mon,” Bethany says. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and get something to eat so we can talk.”

  “What about your brother?”

  She peers over at him and shrugs. “He’ll walk to my parents when he’s ready. Besides, he was the one who wanted to come here in the first place.”

  We head to the café around the corner to get a burger basket. Maybe while I’m there, I can try to figure out what to do next. There’s a small crowd, enough to blend in. Obviously people wouldn’t necessarily recognize me, considering how long I’ve been away from West Martin for college, but right now I’m just stumbling over my own two feet, and there’s nothing I can do.

  Bethany picks a booth by the restrooms. As she sits down, I head to the bathroom to wash up. I’m not expecting to find my face speckled with Rutherford’s blood, but my hands are covered, and I gladly wash them off, just wishing that completely getting rid of that asshole would be so easy. Peering at the bandage by my eye, there’s some swelling. Have to admit that he did get one good punch in. Not that it saved him.

  Shaking my head, I go back to the table and sit across from Bethany.

  “So, how are you?” she finally asks, slipping a straw in the sodas that the waitress has brought us.

  “I’m good.” For a moment, we look at each other, watching as time melts before our eyes, seeming to leave two high schoolers again. God, I wish it were that easy.

  “Your brother still lives in town, but you don’t, right? Are you here by yourself?” I ask, raking my hand through my hair.

  “Yeah, I was getting some lunch before I drive to Missouri to meet my husband.”

  “So, what about you? Are you married?” She looks at the menu instead of me.

  The weight of that question seems to swallow me, and yet she doesn’t have a clue what it’s doing to me. How could she? I shake my head. “No.” I take a sip.

  Bethany glances up at me curiously. “That’s kind of strange,” she says. “I always figured you and Skye would get together.”

  I take a deep breath. “Yeah, you and me both.” Right now, my emotions are spinning out of control. Bethany must sense it as she reaches out and gently strokes my hand.

  “So what’s going on? Where is Skye these days? Tyler seemed to think she was back in town.”

  “She is.”

  Before I can elaborate, the waitress comes over and takes our orders. The whole time I’m spouting off about what I want for lunch, I keep thinking about Skye and how things were supposed to go. Obviously not like this.

  “So?” Bethany prompts once the wait
ress leaves. “What’s going on?”

  “Well, you’re right about Skye in that I love her. Always have.” I shrug. “But you already knew that.”

  “So what’s the problem?” She takes a sip of water.

  I lean back against the bench. “Thanks to the damage Tyler did, I’m not sure Skye is ever going to be ready to open herself up to any guy.”

  “But you’re not just any guy, Devin.” She toys with her glass, running her finger around the rim.

  “That doesn’t mean she’s ever going to trust me. Ever. She keeps pushing me away. Every time I think we’re making progress, something triggers the past, and she doesn’t seem able to fight it.”

  Bethany gives me a sad smile and squeezes my hand. “Okay, so maybe it’s not going to be easy. It’s never been easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, does it?”

  “You’re right,” I admit, shaking my head. “I know you are. And I know she loves, me even if she won’t admit it, but I’m not sure where to go from here.” I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring. “I bought this months ago, and I haven’t been able to work up the courage to propose. I keep telling myself it’s the wrong time.”

  Bethany starts to answer when I see movement out of the corner of my eye. That’s when I realize Skye is there, staring at the two of us, or, more importantly the ring I want to give her. In a few seconds, I mentally go through what she’s thinking. It’s pretty clear by the slight drop of her jaw and wide eyes that it isn’t good.

  “Skye?” I whisper, blinking.

  She bolts for the door.

  “Excuse me,” I tell Bethany and literally fly toward the door, shoving the ring back into my pocket. She’s almost to her car by the time I’m just leaving the restaurant. “Skye, wait!” I yell and rush toward her as she jams her keys into the lock.

  I get to her just as she’s about to open the door and press my palm on it to keep it shut.

  “I didn’t even know you were there.”

  “That’s obvious.” She brushes the hair from her face and refuses to look at me.

  “How long were you standing there?” I try to meet her gaze but she won’t play along.

  “Long enough, Devin. Definitely long enough. I came because my mom got a call from the police department, trying to find me to warn me about Tyler. They said you’d been in a fight with him.”

  “He asked for it.” I let out an exasperated sigh and look up at the heaves, trying to figure out what to say. “Long enough for what for what, by the way? What is it you think you saw?”

  She laughs, but the sound is caustic. “Well, let’s see, there was a ring and a girl. One plus one equals two, Devin.” She jerks harder at the door, but I won’t let go. “Can you just get out of my way?”

  “No, I won’t. I don’t get it.” I lean my body against the door. “What, you saw me with a talking to a girl while I was holding a ring, so you think I’m proposing. Not that it matters to you because you have no feelings for me except as your best friend, right?”

  The tremble of her lips gives her away, at least before she purses them together and patiently keeps refusing to meet my gaze. “You’re right, Devin. It doesn’t matter. You can propose to anyone you like.”

  I rake my fingers through my hair. “Oh, really? Because I don’t think that’s true. Really I don’t.” My voice is raised, which never happens with Skye, but I’m at my wits end, and I’m tired. People are starting to look at us, and a flush creeps into her face.

  “Lower you voice,” she hisses.

  “Why? I don’t give a damn what they think.”

  “Forget it.” She jerks her hand away from the car and starts to walk off. It’s then I act, without thought or reason. I grab her, whirl her around, and kiss her, demandingly at first, then softening. I feel her body tense against me, but that slowly gives way to the tenderness, and by the time I draw back, she’s not fighting anymore. Her eyes are closed, like she’s waiting for me to kiss her again. Her nostrils flare slightly with each breath, and when her eyelids finally part, she looks slightly dazed and more than a little confused.

  She blinks a few times. “I…thought you…liked that girl,” she whispers in a breathy voice.

  “Skye, we’ve been down that road. That was Bethany. Bethany Fields—a friend, nothing more.”

  The flush on her cheeks deepens. “But you had a ring.”

  I wrap my arm around her. “It doesn’t matter. She’s already wearing a ring. It just isn’t mine.”

  “Oh.” She stares ahead, and while I know she’s listening, I can also tell the gears are spinning a mile a minute. I wish I knew what was going on. We stop in front of her car.

  “Look, we need to talk. I’m going to tell Bethany that I’ve got to go and I’ll be right back. Will you do me a favor and just wait? Please?”

  She looks at the car and back at the restaurant before finally giving me a slow nod. Unable to sense how long Skye’s going to be okay with this, I dart back into the restaurant, and tell Bethany I need to go. She smiles and waves as I head outside, grateful Skye has stayed put. Half of me figured she’d have hit the road once I slipped inside.

  Instead, she leans against the driver’s door, her arms folded across her abdomen as she stares into space. An uncertain frown plays at her lips as her long dark, hair falls toward her face.

  “So what are you doing here?” I ask, slipping into the passenger seat while Skye gets behind the wheel.

  “Devin, I—”

  “Look, Skye, you don’t have to explain. I know you. I know when you’re scared. I know when you need time. I even know when you feel like the world is falling down around you. What I don’t know is why you won’t let me love you. What’s so wrong with that?”

  She starts the engine. “It’s complicated.”

  I touch her arm. “I don’t believe that. Maybe it’s something you have trouble saying, but you know the reason. The least you can do is share it with me.”

  Sensing this discussion is going to take a few more minutes than she’d planned, Skye turns off the car. “Devin, I can’t compete with the person you seem to think is right in front of you. You see me as someone who’s beautiful, amazing, and good. I’m none of those things. I—”

  “Wrong,” I counter, turning toward her. “You’re not perfect Skye, and I’m not blind to your faults. You can be stubborn. You’re often sarcastic to the point of driving people away, and you have trouble letting things go. But you’re also beautiful. You’re amazing, and you’re not only good, you’re one of the best people I know.”

  She actually flinches at those last words, and I reach out and take her hand. “Look, Devin. I’m scared.”

  “That makes, two of us. But we’re never going to get past this unless we try.”

  Leaning back in the seat, she closes her eyes. “I know you’re right. It’s so much easier to see the future when we aren’t here where people like Tyler always remind me of the past.”

  I slip my hand beneath her chin and lift so she has to meet my eyes. “You let me worry about Tyler, Skye. He’s not going to get anywhere near you.”

  Her eyes stare into mine, and for a moment neither of us say anything. We just breathe. Then I ease closer and press my lips to hers.

  I don’t know how long we sit there. In some ways, it feels like it’s forever. In others, it’s like it’ll never be long enough, and there’s only one thing I know—that for right now things are okay again with Skye, and that’s enough for me.

  “So what happens now?” she asks.

  I shrug. “I promised my mom I’d pick up a few things from the store.”

  Immediately, Skye starts smirking, which tells me eventually everything will be all right. “Your mom actually sent you shopping? With a list and everything?”

  “I don’t need a list, thank you very much,” I reply, indignantly. That doesn’t stop her from grinning, so I try to play it off. “I think she just wanted to get me out of the house because she was tired of me
being all broody and stuff over you.”

  The smile kind of freezes and dies. “I’m sorry.”

  A lone strand of hair falls into her eyes, and I brush it back. “It’s okay. You’re here now, and that’s what’s important.”

  She nods slowly. “Okay, let’s go to the store.” She taps her turn signal, and we start down the road.

  Chapter Twelve

  “So what’re we doing here again?” Skye asks as she nervously toys with the hem of her white sundress while sitting in the passenger seat of my Jeep. She watches her fingers as though expecting them to do something unusual, but I know it’s just the way Skye is when she’s nervous.

  “My parents are having a barbeque. I told them I’d be there, and I don’t feel like socializing with all my dad’s co-workers all by myself.” I pull the keys from the ignition and scan the numerous cars parked near the house. “Looks like things are already under way.”

  I start to get out, but Skye catches my arm. “Devin, wait.” Her voice is breathy and panicked. It matches the expression on her face.

  “It’s just a barbeque, Skye. Relax.” I peer towards the house. “Looks like Uncle Rick is here, and you’ll definitely love him. He has so many embarrassing stories about me it’s not even funny.”

  I start to move again, but Skye’s grip only cinches down even harder. “Devin!”

  Turning, I sense the growing panic, and I don’t understand. To me, it’s just a barbeque, but to Skye, it’s something else entirely, and that something else isn’t good, not by a long shot. “Yeah?” I manage and turn my full attention onto her.

  Gritting her teeth, she leans back against the seat and looks toward my house. “I haven’t spoken to your mom since before everything went crazy.”

  “And?” I prompt.

  “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t care for me, not considering all the trouble I got you in during high school.”