Chapter Ninety Five
Bo was already gone when Leif got up the next morning, and he didn’t want to talk to his mom about it. Instead he busied himself with the usual Saturday morning chores around the house, and eventually found himself on his bike, headed for the lake. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his family right now.
***
Sarai sighed as she unpacked her last box of books. This place sure didn’t feel like home. It was nice enough, but without her dad’s laughter, it was empty. Her mother’s new job kept her busy, and the promise of getting a car had been put off. The Army story worked for now, but if she let Leif get close…
Arranging her Lucy Radcliffe collection by numerical order, she got to her feet and stretched. She wanted to walk, but she didn’t want to run into any Duke cousins. And she knew they were everywhere in the neighborhood, from what Leif had said.
A heavy sigh escaped her. Leif Duke. Why in God’s name did she have to meet him? He was so cute, and charming, and the mouth… she had so wanted to kiss him last night. Then she ‘met’ his father. She had never made the Duke connection, and she hadn’t known Bo was from White Plains. Duke was a common name.
“Sarai, you hungry? I’m going to make some lunch,” her mother poked her head inside the room.
“Yeah, that’s fine. Mom, do you think we might go look at cars this weekend?”
“Sure, honey, we can go tomorrow. What about your young man?”
“Oh well, you know, I don’t like relying on other people,” she hemmed, “besides, once it gets colder, I’m not riding on that thing.”
Her mother smiled, her green eyes studying her daughter. Something had gone wrong with the blond boy, she knew. Her daughter was hurting but in the long run, it was for the best.
“We’ll go tomorrow,” she promised.
***
“Dad?”
Bo looked up from his desk. “What’s wrong?”
“You got a minute?”
“Of course,” Bo took off what he called his ‘old man glasses’ for reading as his son flopped into the other chair. “Looks like a girl problem.”
“Of course,” Leif sighed, stretching out his long legs.
“I never thought I’d see the day when one of my sons was having girl trouble,” Bo said mildly. “Is it the pretty little filly from last night?”
“Yeah. She dumped me. Again.”
“When was the first time?” Bo asked, hiding his amusement. “Didn’t you just meet her this week?”
Leif launched into the whole story of the week, and how he cornered her at her locker to make his case and steal a kiss, at which Bo laughed with a proud, “That’s my boy!”
“But she was fine last night until we were here, then she just did a one-eighty again.”
Bo had been dreading this conversation, which was why he was out up and early this morning. But his son had been waiting for him when he got home. Usually, the boys made themselves scarce on the weekend, to get out of chores.
“You really like her?” Bo asked.
“Yeah, I do. She’s not like the girls around here. She’s smart, funny, more than pretty—her eyes just blow me away, and when I can get her to smile, it just—I just feel weird,” he muttered, feeling foolish.
“Sounds to me like she’s scared of something. And despite the Duke charm, probably needs gentle handling. She’s in a new school, new town, she’s probably just overwhelmed. Maybe back off a little, start out as friends.”
Leif smiled. “That’s what I thought we were doing.”
Bo chose his words carefully. “Well, maybe you need to really slow it down. You don’t know her history, or what she’s been through. Use kid gloves and respect her boundaries. Don't pursue too hard, if she says no, then back off and move on. And it ain’t just her heart on the line. Remember a Duke don’t give his heart easily. You’re probably gonna get it broke a time or two, but if your time with her makes you happy, and you find yourself thinkin’ ‘bout her all the time, to the point where your insides feel like mush, then sometimes the pain is worth it. But Leif, also remember, there’s an awful lot of girls out there, especially in college. You’re awful young to set your sights on someone.”
Leif thought about it for a minute. “That’s pretty deep, Dad.”
“For an old country boy?” Bo grinned.
Leif got to his feet. “Thanks Dad.”
Bo watched his oldest son wander out of his study and hoped he hadn’t just sent him to Heartbreak City. But better Heartbreak City now than something worse down the line.
***
Waiting for her report to print, Sarai rubbed her temples. Searching for a car had been fruitless. The salesmen were obviously out to take the two women and Suzanne refused to pay their prices.
Sarai remembered Leif’s offer about his dad. No way, she thought. It was best to avoid Bo Duke altogether. And that meant his son as well.
Tomorrow she’d ask her mom to drop her off at school on her way to work. She’d be very early to school, but she could go hang out in the library maybe. There’d be a lot of teasing and harassment she knew, with everyone thinking Leif had dumped her, but she’d deal. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d be ostracized at school. She could only imagine what Cammie Wes would start the rumor mill on, but Sarai would handle with it. They never stayed in one place for long anyway, a few months and they’d probably move, and she’d never see Leif Duke again.
Having packed her backpack for the morning, she headed to the shower.
***
The next morning, she was brushing her teeth when she heard a motor outside. She had forgotten to ask her mother to take her to school, which left the wretched bus. Peering out the window, she almost dropped her toothbrush when she saw the twins perched out front on their motorcycles. Her phone beeped and it was a text from Leif.
Outside if you want a ride. No pressure. Just a friend picking up a friend.
Finishing her teeth, she grabbed her jacket and added a hint of lipstick.
Leif smiled at her when she came outside, his helmet off and resting against his hip. Logan waved, his helmet still on.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Another thing about us Dukes. We don’t give up easily. So, you’re going to have to try harder to get rid of me as a friend,” he smiled. “Go get your stuff, unless you really want to take the bus.”
Speechless, she did so, locking her front door behind her.
“I like your hair wild,” he grinned, making her blush as he handed her the second helmet.
“Thanks,” she murmured, getting on behind him.
But he kept his physical distance throughout the day, no arms around her. She kind of missed it, she realized, but it let her relax. She joined them for lunch, and Mabon kept drawing her into conversation about Homecoming dresses and asking her advice.
Finally, on the way home, Logan waved as he turned off, and Sarai was left wondering where in the hell Leif was taking her.
To her surprise, he was driving out of town, and not long after, made his way to a lake, designated as Silver Lake by the large sign. Pulling into the parking lot, he killed the engine and they removed the helmets.
“What are we doing here?” she asked, standing up from the bike. He followed suit.
“I want you see something. And this way, we can talk without half the school listening.”
“That’s a relief,” she admitted, following him as he walked to the edge of the rail.
“My family has a couple boats we take out on the lake during the summer. We’re big on outdoor stuff, skis, water skis, camping.”
“Sounds fun,” she said wistfully.
Taking her helmet from her he set the both on the ground and took her hands in his. They were cold, he realized, and raised them to her lips.
“I’ve only known you a week. But I really like you. And you’re someone I could get to care about very easily. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true. And I know you’re keeping stuff from me. But I’m not judgmental,” he tugged the curl against her forehead that the breeze was causing to dance, “and even if you have three crack babies stashed away somewhere, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m not really interested in the past. The present is where my head is.”
“It’s not that simple, Leif,” her eyes stared out over the water.
“Do you have a crack baby somewhere?” he asked in amusement, hoping to get her to smile.
“No,” she laughed.
“Are you wanted for murder?”
“Of course not.”
“Drug running?”
“No!” she was smiling when she turned to him, but her smile faded as she took her hand from him and touched his face. “There are things I can’t discuss, can’t talk to you about, and if you really want to be with me, you need to be ok with that, eve if we’re just friends. And if you’re not, I totally understand. But whatever happens, I really do hope we can stay friends, because you’re a wonderful guy,” she stared into his blue eyes. Such a vivid blue, she thought, and he was just a couple inches taller than her, the perfect height.
Leif pressed his lips together for a moment, then smiled, unaware he just sent her heartbeat into overdrive.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked.
Sarai laughed. “Yes, you can.”
Cupping her face with his free hand, he pressed his lips against her gentle, almost losing his balance as fire swept through him, and he pulled her up against him.
Heat raced through Sarai the instant their lips touched and something in her roared as he moved her against him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let the feeling run through her as his hand kept her close, pressed against the small of her back, and the other buried in her thick hair.
“Good God,” he groaned, when they finally yanked apart.
Stunned by the feelings swirling inside of her, she stepped backwards, eyes glazed. Leif smiled, then chuckled, then laughed. Giggling, Sarai leaned against the railing.
Leif tried to find the right words as he held out his hand. Smiling at him, she let him pull her into his arms. “Let’s do that again, unless you really just want to be friends.”
“Kiss me again and I’ll let you know,” she whispered as he lowered his head to hers.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
Author’s Notes
- A huge yee-haa to the fabulous and lovely Ronda, for editing!
- Word Count, 1,797
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