The Steward (20 page)

With more music than anyone I knew, Rachel’s dad, Lance, had volunteered to DJ for me. Rachel only agreed to let him come after he promised to leave everything from the eighties, especially the Depeche Mode albums, at home. Rachel was embarrassed already, but I thought he was awesome. He had his headphones on, and was dancing and bobbing his head to Usher at the moment. When he saw me, he grinned really big and mouthed “happy birthday” without missing a beat.

The music slowed while I scanned for Gavin. There was still no sign of him. Dad tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to dance.

“Love the dress, honey, you look beautiful,” he said as I wrapped my arms over his shoulders.

I laughed. “I thought you’d hate it—Candace was sure of it.”

He looked me up and down with a handsome smile, and then peered over my shoulder, whispering, “Seriously? You’ve spent half your life in a bathing suit. I’d say you’re relatively well covered today. But it wouldn’t bother me if the boys stopped staring quite so hard.”

I laughed.

“I did tell you that you’re not dating until you’re thirty, right?”

“Yes, Dad, you did,” I whispered back.

“Well ... maybe twenty-nine, as long as you have your pepper spray.” He chuckled.

We danced around under the tent for a few minutes before I noticed Gavin. He was dancing with Mom, and staring at me. After a few turns, we were next to one another. Mom grabbed Dad and pulled him away, giving me a wink in the process.
I owe you big-time, Mom.

Gavin lowered his chin toward his chest and looked at me through his dark eyebrows. He took my hand and I wrestled with the butterflies in my stomach as he pulled me to him. The warmth of his hand, when it made contact with the small of my back, lit me up like a Christmas tree. I focused on the hollow where his neck met his chest—I couldn’t handle his eyes right now. It was the first time I’d been this close to him, and I couldn’t seem to get enough air. I felt his body move and it sent electricity through every cell in my body. I took a deep breath and concentrated on calming down. It was my chance to talk to him, and it might have been the only one I would have before the end of the night.

“Where were you?” I whispered.

“Sorry, I’ve been inside talking with Ronnie and your brother.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I looked up at him briefly. The lights in the tent danced off the amber flecks in his chocolate eyes, and my stomach fluttered.

He looked down at me and smiled, making it hard for me to swallow. “Oh, that. Sorry about Friday—I had to help your dad with something.”

I thought about it for a moment and felt the tension leave my body. “Why didn’t he tell me that?” I asked.

Gavin flashed a devastating smile and my knees got weak. “Maybe it’s a secret,” he whispered. He caught my weight and looked puzzled.

“Sorry … lost my balance—I’m not used to these heels,” I said quickly.

In a deep melodic whisper, he said, “You know, Maggie O’Shea, you are the most beautiful person here. I think you may very well be the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”

The breath caught in my throat for a moment.
Did he actually just say that … to me?

I wheezed out, “No, you are.”

“Maggie, your beauty is real, mine is a mirage.”

He pulled me a little closer and my body reacted. Delirious, hot and cold at the same time, I fought hard to keep what I thought in the back of my mind. But I knew the emotion started to bubble through. It was there again—I felt the same chemistry between us that I’d felt on Friday.
Oh my god, it’s real.
This time I was sure. I had to look away from his face or I’d lose it. The first person I saw was Sara—her eyes were fixed on me, and emotionless.

I felt a pang of terror. I knew that if I found Victoria and Sherman they’d probably have the same look on their faces, each of them peering into my mind, trying to discover my thoughts. I’d been careless and I knew it. If I slipped, even for a fraction of a second, it would be all over.

I smiled at them, then threw my head back and forced a laugh. I hoped the act would lighten my mood. I was careful to avoid meeting Gavin’s gaze while he stared a hole through me. I looked over to Rachel. She and Candace stared at Gavin like two ravenous dogs with a pork chop between them. They only made matters worse. I could just imagine what images they played in their minds for the Fae to see. Ronnie was there, but he didn’t look at us. He was smiling at someone behind me.
Thank god, something I can focus on other than Gavin
. I turned my head and saw Doug. He stood at the edge of the dance floor, smiling at me.

He looked like he’d just walked off a plane from Bora Bora. His sun-kissed blond hair was tousled over his handsome, tan face. He didn’t seem to fit in Arkansas. He wore a loose fitting, long-sleeved linen shirt, unbuttoned down to his waist, over a tight white tank top that hugged the muscles of his chest. He’d rolled the sleeves up to the middle of his tanned forearms, and stood there, feet spread, with his hands buried in the pockets of his linen slacks. He waved. I saw an opportunity.

I allowed his image to fill the front of my mind, and I pulled the stopper off the emotions I felt for Gavin. I felt a change in Gavin’s body immediately—his back stiffened. Not only were Sara and the other Fae reading me, he was too. I hated doing this—I wanted to write a note in my head telling Gavin that my feelings were for him, not Doug, but I couldn’t.

I told myself it was for the best. The consequences of the Fae finding out how I felt were too terrible for any other course of action. I’d find a time and let Gavin know. It would all be fine. When the song changed, Gavin let go of my waist and we walked off the floor. I stared up at him. He looked at Doug and then he looked at Rachel. Oh crap, I could only guess what debauchery was going through her mind.

Gavin started to pull away, but I wouldn’t let go of his hand. There was more than one way to send a message, I thought. He smiled at me like he always did, and gently pulled his hand free to shake Doug’s hand. It was odd, seeing both of them standing there. When Gavin let go of his hand, Doug reached out and hugged me.

“Happy birthday, Havana,” he said with a grin.

I studied his eyes, looking for some sign of the sadness I knew he had to be feeling, but found none there. They were crystal blue and as intense as always. I glanced back over to Sara and Devin, who were talking with Dad. I sighed. Apparently the ruse worked.

“I heard about you and Rhonda. I’m so sorry.”

Doug shook his head. “Don’t be, it was a long time coming. But let’s not talk about that, please. Everyone keeps apologizing and I’d just like to forget about it.”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m perfectly happy to discuss
anything
else.”

Gavin had returned to the dance floor with Becky, a friend of mine from school. I watched them dance for a moment. He looked back and smiled, and each time I made eye contact with her, she fluttered her eyelids.

The next hour or two went by much the same way. Doug and I danced twice, but only to upbeat songs. I avoided any more slow dances. When I finally had a few minutes to myself, I walked over to my parent’s table and sat down. Mom smiled and took my hand without saying a word. Dad was talking to Aunt May about another party they had at the cottage when he was a child. He glanced at me, looked down at his watch, and walked over to Lance. When the music stopped, Dad took a microphone and faced the crowd.

“Oh god, this is going to be terrible!” I whispered to Mom.

She smiled and squeezed my hand. “This ... is a rite of passage for every young woman lucky enough to have a loving father,” she whispered raising one eyebrow. “Consider it practice for your wedding reception. Now…” she said through a big smile, never taking her eyes off of him, “…suck it up and take it like a woman.”

I sat through his sentimental speech and managed not to cry. When he finished, he directed everyone’s attention to Aunt May. She pulled a small pink package from under the table and set it in front of me.

“You already gave me such a fantastic gift this morning—I don’t need anything else,” I said.

She just smiled. The pink lace bow was bigger than the box. It felt light when I held it. I looked up at Aunt May, and she had a crazy smile on her face—she was anxious. Once again, more than a hundred sets of eyes stared at me. I shook the box and it made a ‘thunk’ sound as something slid back and forth inside. My fingers wrestled with the bow, briefly, before I slid the top off the box. There was a note and a jewelry box inside. I opened the note and read it aloud,

Maggie,

May this bring you as much happiness as it has me.

Bunches of Love,

May

“What’s in the box?” Candace said behind me.

I couldn’t imagine what piece of jewelry Aunt May had picked out. She wore so much of it—I really had no idea. I pulled the box open and was momentarily confused. There were two small keys on a piece of pink ribbon.

The keys were worn, with no writing on the topside. I turned the larger one over and studied it closer.

“Ford,” I said.

My breath caught. They were car keys. I looked up at Aunt May and threw my arms around her neck. “You got me a car?” I screamed.

“It’s parked out front—can’t miss it. It’s the one with the matchin’ bow,” she said, holding the one I pulled off my package.

I held her for a few seconds and watched a tear roll out of her eye.

“Well, aren’t ya gonna go see it?” she asked, composing herself.

I nearly knocked my chair over as I leapt to make my way to the cottage garden in front. The stone path was a little too rough for my new heels, so I yanked them off and all but ran to the steps leading up beside the kitchen. Once I made it to the garden wall, there were too many people standing around the car to see it. As I got closer, I caught a glimpse of a pink tailfin and a round taillight. It was Aunt May’s ‘57 Thunderbird. I knew I had to be mistaken, so I looked for another car. Surely she wasn’t going to give me that. But no, there it sat with the top down and a huge, pink lace bow on the windshield.

Stunned, I silently stood there with tears rolling down my cheeks. My great grandfather gave Aunt May the car when she learned to drive. I knew how much it meant to her—the connection—and she adored it above nearly everything she owned. I couldn’t believe she gave it to me—the most beautiful car I’d ever seen. I walked around to the driver’s side, and slid behind the wheel.

Candace crawled into the seat beside me and struck a pose, “Okay, I’m ready for my close up,” she teased. “This is glam, girl.”

“I know—can you believe it?” I said.

“It looks fast, Mags, let’s go for a ride!”

I rolled my eyes at her. “I have a hundred people here, I can’t just drive off.”

“It’s your birthday. You can do whatever you want.”

She looked up and quickly got out of the seat. She grabbed Doug by the arm and pushed him in beside me. He looked over and smiled.

“This is a hot ride, wow!” he said.

Aunt May finally came up beside me, a little out of breath, but smiling ear to ear. “How da ya like it?”

“Oh, my gosh, Aunt May—it’s too much. I can’t possibly…” I started.

She shook her head. “I don’t take gifts back. Besides, the title’s already in yer name.” She grabbed my forearm. “An’ can you really see me crawlin’ in an’ out-a this tiny thing at my age?” A laugh rattled in her chest.

“How did you know I liked this car—I never said a word?”

“A little birdie told me.” Aunt May winked and snorted a laugh.

I remembered Sara being in the garage weeks ago while I fantasized about driving it on Ocean Boulevard in Miami. I wrung the steering wheel in my hand and started with the goofy smile again.

“Yer mom’n dad bought a new stereo for it. Ya can hook yer IPod up right there,” she said, pointing to a small jack just under the dash. “Gavin installed it Friday night while ya went ta swim practice. But right now, ya need ta take it for a spin. And stop lookin’ so severe.” Her crooked grin widened.

“Can I?” I asked Mom and Dad.

“It’s your car, but just up to the road and back,” Mom said. “I know you don’t have your license with you—there’s no room for it in that dress.”

Several of the guys did cat calls, and I fought to keep from blushing. Doug started to get out, but Candace pushed the door shut.

“Maybe you should take someone else,” he said. I looked up and saw Gavin standing behind Dad. This would be a chance for me to drive him far enough away so that I could tell him the truth.

“Well, Gavin did teach me how to drive—it would only be fair.”

Gavin shook his head. “I’ll get the next ride. You should take Doug.”
Dammit, Gavin!

I looked over at him and smiled. Twisting the key in the ignition, the engine came to life, burbling out the tail pipes. Dad pulled the bow off the windshield, and several people backed out of our way as I pulled up the driveway. It felt good, and I couldn’t wait to get the car out on the road and really drive it. We drove the mile to the top of the hill and stopped.

“Would you like to drive it back down?” I asked Doug.

“No, I’m good. I’m actually enjoying watching you.”

I laughed when he said that, and met his eyes. He looked at me with more intensity than I’d expected. It made me uncomfortable, and that only grew worse when he leaned toward me. For a moment, all I could do was panic and focus on his eyes and lips. He was going to kiss me and deep down a part of me wanted him to. When he got a few inches from me, I put my hand on his chest and pushed him back. My fingers touched his skin—it was warmer and softer than I’d expected, like velvet stretched over stone. I felt an electrical current run down my spine. I almost let him do it, but I thought of Gavin.

“I can’t,” I said.

He sat back a few inches and exhaled slowly. “Why not?” he asked, smiling at me.

“You and Rhonda, that’s why,” I said.

“We broke up.”

“I know that ... today.”

“It only became official today. We were done three months ago,” he said.

“What do you mean, three months ago?” I stared at him.