Salvaged (11 page)

He looked over and winked at me. "Good."

"Eyes on the road, Riley Bennett," I warned as I pointed out the
front window.

"Oh." He looked back at the road in front of him and laughed.
"Good grief, Charlie, my hands are sweating. Having you in the car
is making me a nervous wreck. It's like I'm carrying precious cargo
or something."

I laughed at his misery. "You are; I'm pretty darn precious if I
may say so myself"

He rolled his eyes but smirked. "You have no idea."

"You do realize that you so much as hit a curb and I could very
well have a breakdown."

"Lord, help me!" He laughed. "In that case you better wipe my
brow. I'm freakin' sweatin' bullets over here. We've got to get your
driver's license."

"Good luck. I'm the world's worst driver. Looks like you'll have
to carry the burden a bit longer."

"Last night you told me not to carry your burdens."

"We'll have to make an exception in this particular instance."

"Works for me; I'll carry any burden you ask."

Leaning over, I kissed him on the cheek. "Such a sweet boy."

The car jerked slightly.

"Riley!"

He was laughing. "Don't do that while I'm driving or we really
will wreck. Shame on you, getting me all hot and bothered like
that."

"Yeah right. Just drive."

Church service was fantastic. I hadn't been to church since before Mom
died, so all of my time with the Lord had been alone in my room.

After the accident, as I drew closer to God, my dad pulled away
from him. Growing up my Gramps's son, Dad was always at church,
so he had a strong spiritual foundation and was saved at the age
of eight. I knew Dad would eventually come back around. He'd be
another sheep found by his shepherd and returned to the fold.

"Attie!" I heard a voice call my name and turned to see Anne in
the back of the sanctuary motioning for me to join her. As I went
toward her I noticed two girls standing beside her, and all of their
eyes were on me as I made my way to join them. The three girls
could not have looked more different.

Anne's short blonde hair was slightly spiky, yet neat, and her
classically beautiful facial features matched the way she dressed.
I don't know if you could call her style preppy as much as it was
classic. My guess was that she bought most of her clothes at Ann
Taylor, and I assumed her purse always matched her shoes. Her
appearance certainly matched her personality. Friendly, energetic,
and well mannered.

The girl standing to Anne's right was the total opposite of her
in terms of dress and the way she carried herself, but she possessed
a certain beauty all her own. Her complexion was fair with light red
freckles, and with one look the phrase that came to mind was "free
spirit." I knew instantly that we would be friends. Her hair was short and spiky, and even from afar I could see red, brown, and blonde
tufts all over her head. She dressed like she shopped at Goodwill not
out of necessity but because she wanted to. She reminded me of a
very young version of Shirley MacLaine's character in Steel Magnolias. Unconventional but beautiful.

The girl on Anne's left looked like a simple t-shirt and jeans
type, and I honestly would have killed for her complexion. Her black
hair was cut into a bob that hit her shoulders, and whereas the other
two girls seemed more outgoing, she acted more reserved.

I made it through the crowd to join them, and Anne started the
introductions. The free spirit's name was Tammy, and the other girl
was Tess.

After visiting for a few minutes, all the girls' eyes left my face
and looked at something behind me. They were in awe.

"Hi, Riley," Anne greeted.

As he walked up behind me, I felt his hand rest on the small of
my back. "Hey, Anne," he replied.

"Do you know Tammy and Tess?" I asked.

"Yes, I do. Hey, girls, how are you?"

"Pretty good, can't complain." Tammy didn't act interested in
the fact that Riley joined us.

"Good." Tess's voice was soft.

Riley's attention turned to me, and as he talked, he reached up
with his free hand and brushed some hair away from my eye. I wasn't
certain, but I thought I heard Tess sigh.

"A group of us are gonna take a road trip to El Reno for lunch.
You girls wanna go?"

I looked back at the girls and noticed that Anne's and Tess's
mouths were hanging open. Part of me desperately wanted to reach
over, place my hand on their chins, and shut their mouths. Tammy,
on the other hand, was still unfazed. "Sounds like fun. Why don't
you girls go ask your parents if you can go?" I suggested.

Within seconds they all took off in separate directions to find
their parents. Riley Bennett just asked them to lunch, and they
weren't going to waste any time.

Riley and I stood with our shoulders almost touching and
slightly turned toward each other. As I smiled up at him, I realized
his hand was still protectively resting on my back.

"You do realize you just made their year?"

He lowered his gaze and pulled on his ear. "No, I didn't."

"Riley," I whispered, "I'd be willing to bet that every girl standing here has a crush on you."

He tilted his head. "Except one?" Looking up at me out of the
corners of his eyes, he gave a sly grin. "Do you have a crush on me,
Charlie?" His voice sounded strangely hopeful.

"No. I know you too well."

He laughed. "Is that so?"

His eyes still smiled on me as the girls made their way back to
us. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was fairly certain that I hadn't
seen him look at me like that before.

He finally turned to the girls. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Anne and Tess squealed.

Tammy rubbed her hands together. "Let's do this thing."

Leaving his hand on my back, he led me out of the sanctuary,
through the foyer, out the door, and toward his car. The girls followed behind us like little chicks.

He opened the passenger side door, and after the girls slid into
the backseat, he stuck his head into the car and told them to buckle
up. Once the front seat was back in position, I went to get in, but
he gently grabbed my arm. "I'm gonna go talk to the guys for just a
minute. I'll be right back, okay?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Good grief, Riley, I'll be all right. I'm
a big girl. Besides, the sun's still out, so I shouldn't turn psycho for
several more hours."

He gave me a small smirk, placed his hands on either side of me
onto the car, and leaned forward until our faces were mere inches
apart. Our eyes locked. "I'm actually looking forward to sundown,"
he whispered.

My heart raced as he held my gaze. It was as if dragonflies were
fluttering around inside my chest-it was a sensation I'd never felt before. I tried to think of something to say, but before something
came to mind he pulled away, gave me a wink, and motioned for
me to get into the car. When I was safely inside, he closed the door
and ran toward his friends. I watched him in the side mirror as he
gracefully sprinted toward the boys who were making fun of him as
he approached. Riley slapped one of them on the head.

"What in the world was that?" I asked myself out loud. "And
why did I like it?"

Anne began jumping in her seat. "OMG."

The backseat erupted in squeals of delight.

"He's hot; there's no doubt about it," Tammy said dryly.

Tess fanned herself with her hands. "And so romantic. Did you
see how his hand rested on her back? Oh my gracious."

"Oh my gosh," Anne gushed. "You never told me that you and
Riley were together."

"We aren't together."

"And milk doesn't come from cows." Tammy sneered.

"Honestly! He's just being protective. He's not interested in me
or anything."

Tammy glared at me cynically. "You don't try to protect things
you don't care about. But, allow me to add, Riley Bennett can protect
me anytime."

Tess sighed. "Tell me about it."

We were all silent until Anne spoke again. "Oh my gosh!"

The car filled with squeals and laughter until Riley opened his
car door. At once we sat stone-faced and quiet.

"Let's go," he said over his shoulder while he started the car.
"Everyone buckled up?"

"Yes, Dad," Tammy chided.

He looked over at me and winked. "We wouldn't wanna upset
Officer Attie over here."

I heard Tess sigh again. I wished she'd be a little less obvious.

Riley glanced into the rearview mirror. "Tess?"

She looked shocked. "Me?"

"Chase is in the car with the guys."

"Oh yeah, Chase. I forgot about him."

"Who's Chase?" I asked.

"I don't remember." She sat in a daze for a moment before a fit
of giggling erupted.

I definitely liked these girls.

Tammy leaned forward and, in a dry tone that I assumed was
normal for her, started talking to Riley. For a split second I fought
the image of Melody leaning forward in the car just before the accident. I shook my head and tried to focus on the girls and Riley.

"You're one hunk of a boy, Riley," Tammy said flatly.

"Gimme a break!" He tried to act cross but actually laughed.

Tammy shrugged her shoulders and sat back. "I'm just sayin'."

I turned to face the girls in the backseat. "Okay, Tess. So who is
this Chase person?"

"He's my boyfriend."

I laughed at the way she spoke. As words left her mouth, they
seemed to float on air. Every word sounded like a dream.

"They've been together since sophomore year." Anne took over
the rest of the explanation. "They're the cutest couple you've ever
seen.

Tammy raised her eyebrows at me. "Until now."

I gave her a quick glare and then looked over at Riley to make
sure he wasn't paying attention. He wasn't. His face was expressionless, and his hands were tightly gripping the steering wheel. The
sight reminded me of the conversation we'd had earlier in the day.

"Do I need to wipe your brow, Riley?"

He grinned. "Maybe in a minute. I'll keep you updated."

I looked back toward Anne, who was still talking. As my gaze
fell on all the girls, I pictured The Three Stooges. Like the famous trio,
the girls were very different, but when you put them together, you
got a slapstick comedy routine. I was sure that Anne's always-excited
personality; Tammy's mellow, dry wit; and Tess's life in a dreamlike
state were going to make my life a lot more fun.

We talked easily with each other until finally pulling into the
parking lot.

"We're here," Riley announced. "Johnnie's."

I couldn't be certain, but I thought Riley might be salivating
already.

"We have Johnnie's in town, Riley," Anne spat.

"Not this Johnnie's we don't. They have nothing to do with each
other. This place has been here forever."

My door opened, and a very mild-mannered, brown-headed boy
smiled down at me. He grabbed my hand to help me out of the car
and then continued to remove the remaining girls from the backseat.
As Tess got out, he gave her a small kiss.

I smiled. "You must be Chase."

"Yes."

"Anne has told me all about you."

Anne broke in. "Shut up, Attie. Chase, your girlfriend couldn't
tell your story fast enough, so I did it for her."

"Big shocker," Tammy chided as she cut between all of us and
made her way inside. "I'm getting me a burger."

Riley grabbed my hand in his and led me inside as Anne gave
me a curious glare.

While the boys slid tables together and we got comfortable,
Riley made the introductions. "Matt and Curt, this is Attie. Attie,
this is the guys."

The African-American boy with shoulder length dreadlocks
and shockingly blue eyes shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Attie,
I'm Curt. You ready for Coney time?"

"Coney time?"

Matt, a redheaded boy with freckles, shook my hand next. "Oh
yeah. It's heaven on earth. You'll be sorry you've been missing out
your whole life."

My curiosity was rising. "Okay, Riley, what exactly is a Coney?"

He took the seat directly across from me. "It's an amazing hotdog with coleslaw on it."

"Coleslaw on a hotdog? Oh, I don't know, just thinking about it
makes my stomach churn."

Tammy threw her feet up on the empty seat next to me. "I'm in," she announced. As I gave her a quick pat on the foot, I noticed that
her socks were striped. She was one of a kind.

Riley stood and reached out, offering Tammy his open hand.
"That's my girl, Tammy. High five."

"You know me, I'm up for anything," she answered as she slapped
Riley's hand.

"Now we just gotta get Attie to give it a try." Sticking out his
bottom lip, he batted his eyes at me. "Come on, Charlie, give it a try.
Please."

"That look is totally unbecoming," Tammy scolded before turning her attention to me. "Just eat the dang dog, Attie. It's not gonna
kill ya."

"Fine! Bring it on," I conceded. "What about you, Anne? Are
you going to do it?"