Rise (Roam Series, Book Three) (17 page)

“Absolutely.
Come on in.”

“I really like your towel, by the way. I’m a huge fan.”

His damp swimming trunks were black, and he realized he was drying himself with Eva’s
The Little Mermaid
towel. He laughed, the tension finally leaving the air between them. “She wants to be a mermaid when she grows up.”

“Well, anything’s possible,” she replied, reaching for the door handle at the same time he did. He recoiled, nearly jumping backward to avoid touching her hand.

She lifted her eyes, offended confusion darkening the lush green color.
I know every shade of her eyes
.

“After you,” he nodded to the
house, and her polite smile returned as she moved through the sliding glass door to the living room.

“That’s an interesting tattoo,” she gestured to his forearm, and he resisted the urge to cover the numbers with the towel.

“Coordinates,” he responded quickly, dismissing.

“
Your house is so beautiful!” She exclaimed, twirling as she entered the living room so that her skirt caught the air. He watched her rigidly, nearly jogging to the stairs.

“
Thanks. I’m going to get some clothes, be right back.”

Once inside his bedroom, he threw on khaki shorts and a white polo.
The balcony overlooking the living room offered him a full, unobstructed view of her as she stood waiting.

She
walked with her hands clasped behind her back, slipping her flip-flops off and leaving them by the door. Her skin lit with plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and her perfect figure complimented the sundress in every way.

I will never stop loving her.

His muscles tightened, and he swallowed, taking a step backward.

She has her own life; you were never supposed to be part of it.

The memories will destroy her, if you give them back to her.

Give her the letter, send her on her way.

“
I feel like I’ve been here before,” she called as he descended the steps quickly. “This is kind of embarrassing, but I have dreams about your house… and you… a lot. Okay, that’s
completely
embarrassing; I don’t know why I’m telling you this…,”

She dreams…
he nearly folded with relief, grateful that
some
part of her remembered him.

“Hey, the mind is a strange place,” he replied, powering up the laptop.

She turned to him sharply, her breath hitching in her chest.

“How’s Logan?” He clicked the mouse absently.

“Good. He’s leaving on August sixteenth.”

“How are you feeling with him going?”

“Okay, I guess.” She yanked at her fingers, and he fought the urge to still them by dragging them to his lips.

“
You two have been together for a long time,” he sat in the kitchen chair, pulling up a
Word
document.

“Yeah,” she smoothed the skirt of her sundress. “He’s very supportive. He knows how important college is for me, and I know what the Marines mean to him.”

“Is this letter ‘to whom it may concern’?”

“Yes, please.”

“Have a seat- you don’t have to stand,” he turned to smile at her, gesturing to the kitchen chair adjacent to his own. “Would you like something to drink? You’re welcome to whatever’s cold in the refrigerator.”

“Thanks.” S
he moved toward the refrigerator, stopping at the basement door.

He watched her grab the counter, swaying on her feet.

“Roam?”

“Is that a door to the basement?”

“Yes,” he slid his chair backward, standing.
She’s holding her breath.

“What’s down there?”

“Just storage. You should probably breathe,” he ordered.

He watched her squeeze her eyes closed, dragging slow breaths in her nose and out her mouth. “Sorry… just… I don’t know. Refrigerator,” she murmured.

He pointed at the kitchen chair. “Sit down. I’ll get water for us both. Breathe,” he longed to take her into his arms, fighting the urge determinately. “Are you okay?”

“
I’m so sorry… I hold my breath sometimes, for no reason. I’m fine now,” she promised.

There’s always a reason.
He forced the dark thoughts of Julie and 1977 out of his mind.
That was a completely different world.

“
Here,” he set the water on the table, and returned to the keyboard. “How is your family?”

“Good,” she answered, sipping the water. He watched her creamy neck as she tilted her head
back, swallowing. “Morgan is working with my dad- he works for a car dealership. She goes back to school in the fall. She started dating Ally May’s brother, Jason. We’ve known each other since we were all kids- same neighborhood.”

“Good for her,”
his genuine reply was heartfelt.
Move on, Morgan.
“This won’t take long,” he murmured, his fingers punching at the keys.

“Mr. Perry, can I ask you something?”

“West,” he corrected, eyes fixed on the screen.

“West,” she repeated, his name on her lips tightening his grip on the mouse. “Did you always know that you wanted to teach history? Was there ever a time you thought about doing something
… else?”

He continued staring at the screen. “Of course
I had other ideas. I traveled a lot before deciding what I wanted. Are you having second thoughts?”

“I think maybe I’d like to be a preschool teacher. I don’t know.”

“College is a time for setting and achieving goals. Think short-term first, and reevaluate often.”

“So first, get to Princeton, throw mys
elf into thousands of dollars of debt, and try it out?” She replied, taking another sip of water.

He lifted his eyes. “No scholarships?”

“I have a few, but I’m relying heavily on financial aid.”

Damn it.
He sat back, staring at her. “Is it the money that’s making you second guess Princeton?”

“Maybe.”

“And are you opposed to taking a year off before starting school?”

“All the paperwork is done, I already have my dorm information, I-…,”

“Roam,” his even look caught her attention. “Are you here for a letter?”

She blinked slowly, meeting his gaze. “I don’t know. I’ve been having a hard time since graduation. I…,” she
pressed her fingers to the table, and he knew she was trying to still the wringing. “I’ll just be honest. I have nothing to lose here. I miss you, I miss seeing you every day. I think… I have a crush on you, as childish as that sounds. I’m sorry, I know nothing about your life… I had no idea you even had another daughter,” she darkened to a shade of crimson he’d never seen on her before. “And I’m with Logan. My birthday is tomorrow, and maybe I’m just having some kind of breakdown, I don’t know.”

He listened without interrupting, his mind racing.
I love you, baby, I understand.
Asher’s spell obviously left residual effects, and he silently cursed the circumstances that brought her there. Looking down at the tabletop, he moved his hands away from the keyboard.

“
Happy birthday,” he whispered, finally meeting her eyes. They were brightened with tears. “I think you’re going to love Princeton. Let me send this letter to the printer,” he clicked twice, moving to the desk.

“I’m sorry. I’m mortified.”

“In another place and time, I may have answered you… in a different way. Right now, I just want you to keep following your dreams, okay?” He placed the letter on the table, well within her reach.

“Okay,” she
jumped to her feet, smiling as she brushed a delicate tear from her cheek. “Yes, you’re right. Thank you so much for the letter,” she hurried, retrieving the document and backing toward the door. “Thank you.

“You’re more than welcome. My phone number is on the bottom of that letter. Call me if you need anything at all,” he said firmly, slipping his hands into his pockets, locking them away from her body.

“I will. I really appreciate this. I’ll go out the front, if that’s okay… please tell your daughters to have a nice summer,” she opened the door, stepping onto the front porch. For a moment, she stopped, staring at the post near the stairs. “You have a nice summer, too,” she added, turning to smile at him.

The last time
I saw her on this porch, I carried her up the stairs and made love to her.
Wiping the memory from his mind, he nodded once. “You too.”

As she drove away in Logan’s Camry, Violet appeared behind him. “
I’m sorry. That must have been so hard.”

“I have to get out of town for a while. I’ll make a few phone calls and then we’re going to the beach. Sound good?”

She shrugged, watching Eva climb to the kitchen chair to play on the laptop. “Yeah… sounds great.”

July 13, 2014

“It is making a knocking noise? Have you checked the oil?”

I shifted my phone, reaching beneath the steering wheel to pop the hood. “Dad, you changed the oil before I left.”

“But it may be leaking… go in the trunk, and get the white rag in the bin I made for you back there. You’ll need to check the oil.”

I moved to the front of the car, the North Carolina heat sweltering in the afternoon sun. Pinning my iPhone between my shoulder and my chin, I slid my fingers under the slight opening in the hood of my 2003 Hyundai Elantra. “Camden Car Curse,” I murmured, unable to find the latch to pop the hood.

“I should have gotten you something newer.”

“Dad, I love my birthday present. That’s not what I meant.” Frustrated tears slid from my eyes and down my cheeks.

“I wish I was there, sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m almost nineteen. It’s time to be a big girl,” I sniffed, backing away from the hood. “I just can’t believe Logan did this to me.”

“Oh, honey.”

I thought back over the last twenty-four hours with Logan. I’d driven from New Jersey to Camp LeJeune in North Carolina to be with him before his deployment in September, fully prepared for him to propose to me.

Instead, his heartbreaking words
had left me gasping for air.

Cam, you’re always going to be my best friend.

I just don’t feel… that way about you.

I love you, but I’m not
in
love with you.

“Okay, I got it open.” I propped the stem against the hood, jumping back as I stared underneath. “
Ew… Dad, there’s… oil or something sprayed all over the underside of the hood.”

“Shit, that’s what I was afraid of. I’m going to call you a tow truck. Where are you?”

“I drove to this book store in this plaza… in Emerald Isle. Emerald Isle, North Carolina.”

“Okay. Wait there, get yourself something to eat. Don’t worry. I love you.”

“Thanks, dad. Love you too.” I ended the call just in time. Crumbling, I lowered to the curb next to the sidewalk, burying my face in my hands. My jean shorts were too short to prevent the concrete from chafing beneath my thighs. I looked down, realizing I’d gotten grease on my white,
American Eagle
tee-shirt.
Perfect
.

Taking the summer off from school was a mistake.

I longed to be safely back in my dorm, curled up with a history book. When Logan left me with a half-hearted kiss next to my car before he returned to his barracks, I had immediately grabbed my phone, searching for the nearest book store that sold the new Roman Empire book I’d been waiting for.

Read
for a while before driving; calm down, or you’re going to cry the entire way back.

I’d made it into the parking space
outside the plaza as the engine began sputtering.

My hair, reaching my lower back, was roasting on
my neck. I wished for a ponytail holder more than anything in the world at that moment.

“Roam?”

Hearing my name in the middle of the unfamiliar place made my heart race. I rose to my feet, brushing my tears away as Mr. Perry stood before me.

“Mr.
Per- West, what are you doing here?”

“I live here,” he took inventory of my car, hood still propped open, and my tears, coming to obvious conclusions. “And I wander the island for damsels in distress. Looks like you’re
today’s winner.”

Relieved laughter burst from my lips, and I tried to wipe the grease off of one hand with the other.
“It’s really nice to see a familiar face,” I admitted, tears rolling non-stop down my cheeks. “I just… well my car… and Logan’s being deployed to Afghanistan…
and he broke up with me… and…,
”

“
Hey,” he said soothingly, placing a bag with
Emerald Isle Books
splashed across the front on the sidewalk next to me. “You read this, I’ll look at your car. I used to be a mechanic.”