Rock and a Hard Place (11 page)

“
There was glass everywhere
and the car was all twisted. It took a while for my dad to help me
out of the back where I was stuck. Then he and the truck driver
worked on getting my little sister Sarah out while I tried to reach
my mom.”

Libby felt transported back in time to that
terrifying summer night on the side of a highway. The night her
life changed forever.

“
The car was rolled onto
the passenger side and was crunched in really bad. My dad was too
big to crawl around the twisted metal, so I did.”

She remembered the thick metal crumpled like
tin foil. It cut and scratched her arms and legs as she fought to
get through. She recalled the desperate need to get to her mom who
lay limp, still fastened in her seat, the remnants of the deployed
airbag draped around her.

“
Chunks of broken glass
were everywhere and I kept trying to pull it away.” The taste of
panic returned as she recalled the glass spread over her mother
like a sheet of deadly ice crystals. Libby opened her scarred hands
to Peter in testament. “But it didn’t work.”

Peter held her hands in his, as if to keep
her from harm. It felt good.

“
Anyway, it was horrible
and I don’t live in Michigan anymore, cause Dad couldn’t take the
pain after Mom and Sarah died. He was so depressed he needed to
leave.”

Libby couldn’t slow herself down. The dam
opened and the flow of painful secrets could no longer be held
back.

“
That’s when he left me at
Aunt Marge’s, but she’s really screwed up and smokes pot all day.
And I don’t know why, but my dad is gone and I don’t know how to
find him, so I’m just trying to finish high school so I can figure
out what to do. But you need to know this because you have an
amazing life and you have a real family with a mom and a dad and
brothers.”

Peter sat silent, his eyes warm and caring.
He took it all in as she babbled.

“
So I just thought you
should know I’m not like you, and that’s okay, and you can go do
your thing and I’m all right with it.” She nodded her head with
finality. “I’m all right.”

She’d said it all and now she didn’t know
what to do. She glanced all around, but avoided beautiful talented
Peter as long as possible. Finally, she let her eyes meet his.

Pity. She pulled back and crawled away from
him. She hated it when others felt pity for her.

“
Libby wait.”

She crawled faster. Peter grabbed her leg
and rolled her over in the fall leaves. He lay next to her on the
ground.

“
Libby, stop. It’s okay.”
His eyes were a deep river of concern.

“
Don’t you dare feel sorry
for me. I don’t need that. I’m fine.” Her jaw set in defiance, but
her watering eyes betrayed.

“
Look at me.” He held her
by the shoulders.

She looked up at him, her rock, her only
friend, her whole world.

“
It’s okay. I don’t care
about that.” He shook his head. “No, I do care about that, but it
doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything. You are who you are and
I am who I am. Nothing’s changed.” He locked eyes with her and
looked deep into her soul. “You’re life sucks right now, and mine,
well, it doesn’t, except that I can’t be with you all the
time.”

He wouldn’t let go of her and she felt so
safe. He accepted her past.

“
I wish you would have told
me before. Why have you held this in?”

“
I didn’t think you’d want
to know.” Her voice began to quiver.

“
Of course I want to know.”
He pulled her to him and wrapped his famous, talented arms around
her.

“
It’s okay, Lib, I love
you, I’m here for you and I’m not going anywhere.”

His words made her feel she might survive
after all. She relaxed against him. A rare breath of mourning and
pain escaped, and then a single tear. Peter held her tightly, his
body enveloping her in a warm embrace of love and
understanding.

For the first time in many months, she
cried.

# # #

Peter held Libby crying in his arms. He
didn’t move, afraid he might frighten her back to her stoic façade.
He never understood before this moment what loss meant. Here, in
his arms, was a fragile, quivering girl who’d lost everything in
her world. She put on such a strong act, pretending her life was
normal, when it was everything but.

But today she opened up. After all these
weeks of pretending, she lowered her guard and let him into her
world. He imagined she rarely shared her story, and it explained a
lot. No wonder she thought his family so perfect. How could he ever
complain about them again when Libby longed for the family she
lost.

Peter kissed her tears away. The taste of
salt reached his tongue. Her breath warmed his chest as he held her
close. He’d known for a while he was in love with her. She never
treated him like a famous rocker. It was always real with her.
Libby’s confession amped up his determination to protect her and
keep her safe. He didn’t care about the press or the tabloids or
their age. He’d been living the life of an adult for years and
apparently she had too. Things were about to change.

Chapter 10

That night they cruised down the highway
toward Rockville in a sporty jeep. “Nice wheels,” Libby ran her
fingertips over the butter soft leather seat.

“
It’s a rental.” Peter
grinned.

He pushed his hair to the side unaware of
how great he looked. He held the steering wheel casually, the
seatbelt snug across his narrow hips. Damn he was gorgeous, and he
was only driving.

“
If you’re hoping to keep a
low profile, I don’t think this is the best way.” The flashy red
jeep would stand out in small town Rockville. The country roads led
to the heart of historic downtown.

“
I couldn’t resist. I can
park in a dark alley, if you want,” Peter said.

“
I’m not worried about me,
I just figured you wanted to keep things quiet.”

“
Fans expect to see
Jamieson as a group, not one of us out alone wandering middle
America. Plus, I brought a hat.”

Libby shifted comfortably in her seat.
Tonight was just them, flying under the radar. She managed to avoid
Aunt Marge this afternoon. With any luck, the woman would be strung
out and oblivious to Libby’s whereabouts. If not, well, Libby
didn’t care anymore. She’d turn seventeen in a few months and that
was practically eighteen.

“
Turn right at the stop
sign, that’s Fourth Street. It takes you straight to Main.” Her
breath caught in her throat at the thought of driving into the
heart of town with Peter Jamieson. She felt the need to pinch
herself.

They drove down the quiet neighborhood
streets lined with giant oaks. Old Victorian homes stood witness as
they passed. A bend in the street led them over an old stone bridge
and the Rock River.

“
This place is amazing.
It’s like stepping back in time.”

“
It is pretty.” Libby
absorbed it with fresh eyes. She always thought of Rockville as a
purgatory she’d been forced to endure, not a quaint little town.
They drove past the town square, where a pavilion graced the center
and stone benches scattered the tree filled park. Fall leaves
coated everything.

“
It looks like a cool hang
out place. Do you spend much time here?”

“
Nope, never been,” she
answered without regret. “It’s too far from my aunt’s house, almost
five miles. I ride the bus to school and don’t have my license, let
alone a car to drive.” She stopped asking permission to get her
license months ago. Aunt Marge said it would only lead to bad
behavior. Libby didn’t care about getting her license. She worried
driving might be a constant reminder of the accident. The pungent
smell of gasoline at the crash still haunted her. However her
tolerance of Aunt Marge’s bizarre rules wore thin. Since the issue
with her Dad’s letter, she cared far less what her aunt said or
thought.

“
That’s why I hang out at
Parfrey’s Glen. Anywhere else is too far.”

Peter reached over and held her hand, which
amazed her every time. It was as if he could transfer all his love,
strength and confidence to her.

After a turn onto Main Street and past a
handful of shops, the lights of Ed’s Burger Joint appeared.

“
That must be it.” Peter
approached the old-fashioned drive up. A handful of cars occupied
spots, each with food trays attached to their windows.

“
Yep.” Libby
nodded.

“
This is going to be fun.”
Peter pulled into the lot and parked farthest from the restaurant
and the bulk of the other cars.

After checking out the menu, Peter placed
their order through a little metal box with a crackly speaker.

“
Get cheese curds too,”
Libby added.

Peter gave her a crooked look. “It’s a
Wisconsin thing, right?”

“
Oh yeah.”

They sat in the Jeep and talked about
everything and nothing at all, oblivious to the other cars. When
the food arrived, the twenty-something waitress looked twice at
Peter, but said nothing. As she walked away, she glanced back at
him and then Libby, obviously weighing the likelihood of the
recognized face belonging to the real Peter Jamieson.

“
People don’t expect to see
me, so they don’t.”

Peter was here to see Libby and she wanted
everyone in town to know it, but she didn’t want to share him
either. She coveted their every moment.

Together they stuffed themselves with good
ole greasy food until Libby thought she’d burst. She couldn’t
remember the last time she ate out.

“
So you aren’t one of those
girls who barely eats on a date?”

“
Why wouldn’t I eat?” She
sucked the last of her chocolate malt from the bottom of the glass,
creating a hollow suction sound with her straw.

Peter laughed. “I don’t know, I guess some
girls don’t want guys to see them in their natural habitat.”

Libby stirred the straw around the glass,
scooting the last bits of malt together. “I love food.” She handed
the empty glass back for him to place on the tray.

“
Where to next?” Peter
asked.

“
First, the waitress needs
to come get the tray off the side of the door. Otherwise, I
guarantee you will be noticed driving down the street with a food
tray hanging on your window.”

“
Oh yeah, guess I missed
that little detail.”

His brief look of embarrassment warmed her
heart. The world traveler, Peter Jamieson, didn’t know how to do a
drive-up restaurant. “Start the car or turn your lights on. She’ll
come.”

Peter started the Jeep; the powerful engine
hummed. Within a couple minutes the waitress returned for their
tray. As she lifted it from the window, she eyed Peter again.

“
You wouldn’t happen to be
. . .”

“
Nope.” Peter interrupted,
then flashed her his famous smile as he put the Jeep in
reverse.

The waitress stepped out of the way. Libby
saw her glance down at the tray and see the twenty-dollar tip. She
looked up at him, her face more confused than ever. Peter backed up
and then pulled onto Main Street.

“
So which direction is the
Trivoli?”

“
We’re going to a movie?”
Libby hadn’t seen a movie in ages.

“
Of course, it wouldn’t be
a proper date if we didn’t have dinner and a movie.”

Libby couldn’t have asked for a more perfect
night. She directed him further down Main. They had a half hour
before the show started, so Peter parked and they wandered along
the river.

“
So how did you convince
your parents to let you come?” She looped her arm around
his.

“
I held them at gun point,”
he said with a straight face.

“
No really?” She poked him
in the arm.

“
It wasn’t hard at all . .
. considering it’s my eighteenth birthday.”

Libby stopped. “It’s your birthday? When?”
She faced him and blocked his path.

“
Today.”

“
You jerk, you didn’t tell
me.” She grabbed the front of his leather jacket and tried to give
him a good shake; he laughed at her.

“
What was I supposed to
say? It’s my birthday, so you have to be really nice to me and bake
me a cake?”

“
Yes, that’s exactly what
you were supposed to say,” she brooded. “I would have gotten you a
present.” How, she didn’t know. It would have been worth cleaning
the school lunch room again.

“
Spending time with you is
all the present I need.” He put his arm around her and pulled her
close.

His words blew her away. Today was his
special day and he came all this way to celebrate with her. “Well
you need a birthday present. Eighteen is a big deal. When I turn
eighteen, the world is going to know.”

“
My life is filled with
over the top, I wanted something meaningful.”

Libby gazed into his gorgeous eyes then
reached and brought his face down to her. She kissed him sweetly on
the mouth. It felt like her birthday today, not his. She reached
behind her neck and unhooked her necklace.

“
I know this isn’t much,
but it’s one of my favorite things. If it isn’t too dorky or weird,
I’d like you to have it.” She held the pendant out for him to see.
It was one of her most prized possessions.