Eternal Starling (Emblem of Eternity Trilogy) (18 page)

I was relieved to hear he hadn’t been back though. I hoped my parents would be safe. “That’s good, it was probably a coincidence or something,” I lied.

I didn’t think she believed me, but she wanted to, which is what mattered. “Have you eaten lunch yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” I answered.

She smiled and jumped up. “I brought all your favorite foods. What do you want?”

My mom’s life revolved around helping other people. It was one of the things that made me love her, but it also made me feel like I was taking advantage of her. “You don’t have to make me anything, I can get it.”

She frowned. “I never get to cook for you anymore, I’m going to make you lunch.”

I nodded. “Okay, a sandwich is fine, I’m not too hungry.”

She smiled, happy to be my personal chef. “That’s good. We’re having Dutch oven pizzas for dinner.”

I laughed to myself, realizing she probably made the menu for the whole trip based on my favorite foods. She was the best mom. She disappeared into the motor home, re-emerging ten minutes later with a ham and cheese sandwich and my dad. My mom asked about Jasmine, Zach, and my classes as I ate. I was tired after the long trip and curled up in one of the lounge chairs under the motor home awning and fell asleep. I woke up an hour later and stretched my arms and legs. My dad noticed I was up and asked if I wanted to go for a ride with him. I couldn’t wait to get on the four-wheeler and grabbed my helmet and gloves from the motor home. I waved to my mom and yelled, “We’ll be back.”

I walked to the side of the trailer where the black Yamaha Banshee four-wheeler, custom-built yellow dune buggy, and my dad’s red Honda CR-500 motorcycle were resting. I was glad my parents had the extra four-wheeler and dune buggy that I could use when I came on trips with them.

I put my helmet on and started the four-wheeler; my dad did the same, kick-starting his motorcycle. The machines screamed to life. My dad took off and I followed him to the entrance of the riding area of the dunes. We sped quickly over small bumps in the sand that resembled ski jump moguls. The bumps were created when the water level rose in the lake and expanded to the riding area of the dunes. I crouched above my seat as I drove over the bumps so I wouldn’t be thrown from the Banshee as the four-wheeler went up and down over the sand.

We drove toward the west end of the dunes. My dad rode in front of me to find the best routes for the four-wheeler. On a motorcycle, my dad can go anywhere, but the Banshee is wider and harder to navigate over steep and sloping dunes. As I followed him, I couldn’t help but think about how much I enjoy riding with my dad. We don’t have a lot in common, but Mustangs and motorcycles give us something to bond over. After an hour of riding, we stopped at the top of a dune across from Chokecherry Hill, a massive mountain of sand, peaking at over five-hundred feet, the tallest dune at St. Anthony.

At least thirty people were riding on the dune. The dune was so high that the riders resembled bugs scrambling across the sand. Several other riders were stationed at the bottom of the hill, watching people attempt to go up the dune. My dad zoomed to the top of Chokecherry Hill. I followed him a few times before parking at the bottom and watching as he flew past guys half his age to the top.

I took my helmet and gloves off and sat on the Banshee to watch my dad and other guys try to beat each other to the top of the dune. There were a few other girls there, but it was clear they were more interested in flirting than riding. I felt my cell vibrate in my pocket and pulled it out. I had a new text message. I touched the screen to read it.

I didn’t c you b4 u left. I miss u. Emil.

I smiled and thought it was sweet he was thinking of me. I knew my dad would be riding for a while and decided that to keep up with the relationship charade, I should call Emil.

The phone rang three times.

“Evie!” he answered, sounding a little surprised. “How are you?”

“Good,” I said. The sound of the motorcycle and dune buggy engines almost drowning out my voice.

“Where are you?” he asked. “I can’t hear you very well.”

“Sorry, I’m at the sand dunes,” I shouted back. Making a phone call right next to the busiest dune in the park probably wasn’t the best idea, but it gave me the chance to reassure him about our relationship.

“What? Where?” Emil asked again.

“The St. Anthony sand dunes in Idaho.” The noise died down a bit as one of the louder four-wheelers left the area and zoomed up Chokecherry.

“Oh, how are things? Have you been there long?” he asked.

“I got here a few hours ago. I’m out riding with my dad.”

“That sounds fun,” he seemed like he was trying to be enthusiastic. “So you’ll be there a few more days?”

“Yeah, until Sunday” I answered. “I got your text. How are things in Gunnison?”

“Same as usual,” he said. “It would be better if you were here.”

I smiled in spite of myself. He was really trying to make sure I knew he cared about me. “I won’t be gone long,” I promised, trying to say it in a way that would indicate I missed him too.

There was a lull in the conversation as a few of the four-wheelers sitting next to me roared to life and I could barely hear anything. “It’s pretty noisy, I should go,” I said.

He said something I couldn’t decipher because of the noise, so instead I yelled, “I’ll see you soon! Bye.” And ended the call.

I watched my dad fly up the mountain and jump. It was fun to see all the younger guys with newer motorcycles nervous to take the jumps my dad was making. They were more reckless, but it seemed experience was winning out over stupidity. When my dad finished riding, we left to go back to camp.

We got to the motor home at about four in the afternoon. I pulled up next to the trailer and took off my helmet and gloves. I heard my mom talking; it sounded like she was on the phone. I walked around to the front of the motor home and noticed someone sitting under the awning with her, their back toward me. My mom looked up at me, anxious. I wrinkled my brow wondering what the problem was. It was probably someone visiting from a neighboring camp.

“Evie! You’re back!” she said with marked enthusiasm. “You have a visitor.” Her eyebrows went up, making a sharp crease in her forehead as she inclined her head toward the person in the chair across from her.

I should have recognized him before I even saw his face, but the large camping chair obstructed my view. He turned slightly, the sun glinting off his dark hair, emerald eyes glittering. I was furious.

“Hi, Evie,” he said, trying to be charming as he flashed a broad grin. I had no doubt that charm was the only reason my mom had allowed him to stay at camp once she found out who he was. As far as my parents knew, Alex hadn’t been in my life since we broke up.

My voice was low and angry, my eyes squinted into a furious line. Through my teeth I asked, “Alex, What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”

His mouth curved in a knowing smile as he recognized my tone. “I had a friend driving this way and remembered you told me you’d be camping at St. Anthony and I should stop by to see you and meet your parents.”

I had to bite my tongue not to yell out, “Liar!” and a few other choice words. I continued to glower at him, an expression that was not lost on my mom. “Fine. This is my mom, Karen.” My dad walked around the corner as if on cue, still in his intimidating black leather pants, heavy black boots, and a red Thor riding shirt. He was carrying his red and black helmet. “And my dad, Denys.” My dad assessed us, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Dad, this is Alex Night.” At the mention of Alex’s name, my dad’s face settled into hard lines. Alex stood and reached out his hand toward my dad. “It’s nice to finally meet you, sir.”

My dad shook Alex’s hand with a tight grip, but Alex didn’t flinch. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” my dad said, his voice guarded.

“Likewise,” Alex smiled. “Evie has the most popular car in Gunnison because of your help.” I knew Alex well enough to know that wasn’t a compliment, but it made my dad’s mood lighten a bit, and he released Alex’s hand.

“Did Evie invite you here?” my dad asked.

“Yeah,” Alex lied. “She mentioned where she was going and said I should come by if I had time.”

My dad’s expression held the same concern my mom had shown when I first arrived back at camp. He addressed Alex again. “You can stay, but only if Evie wants you here.”

I sighed. “It’s fine, Dad. Thanks.”

I could take care of myself, but knew my parents were aware of exactly who Alex was and what he had put me through. They were trying to protect me, but if I wanted Alex to stay, they would respect my decision and try to get to know him. That didn’t make the atmosphere any less awkward though. My dad watched us with a disapproving look and my mom tried to make conversation. “Have you been riding before, Alex?”

“Not at these dunes,” Alex answered.

“But you know how to ride?” my dad asked.

“Yeah,” he said, “I have some experience.” He smiled, turned, and
winked
at me! My mouth fell open at his blatant disregard for my anger.

“You could take a ride with Evie,” my mom suggested. My dad shot her a warning look. My mom noticed and added, “If Evie wants to, I mean.” I’m sure she was thinking a ride would be a good way for Alex and me to be alone and talk.

Alex grinned. “I’d like that. It would be nice to explore a little. I noticed a sign that said Egin Lakes and people driving by in swimsuits.”

“The lake isn’t far from camp,” my mom piped up.

I nodded, still hostile. “That’s right, Alex, do you want to jump in it? I can show you where the deepest spot is, I can even drag you there behind the four-wheeler.”

Alex gave me his trademark sarcastic smile, my mom looked at me reproachfully, and my dad grinned, amused. “I know you’re an expert at finding the deepest part of the water,” Alex taunted. “I bet a lot of people like to drive their four-wheelers through the lake.”

I knew where he was going with this and gave him a warning look. I hadn’t explained my mountain lake buoy experience to my parents.

“Is that where you got the idea from?” Alex asked.

“What idea?” my dad wondered, still suspicious of Alex.

“Evie didn’t tell you about our adventure at the lake?” Alex asked, acting confused. My parents didn’t hold back their interest. “We went riding in the mountains one afternoon in June. Evie drove out in the middle of a lake, but the water was higher than she anticipated. The engine died and she got stuck.”

My dad, the traitor, started to laugh. I glared at him. “Dad!”

“What?” he said innocently. “You should’ve learned your lesson the first time you did it.”

“The first time?” Alex asked, interested. The day in the mountains, I had mentioned to Alex that it wasn’t the first time I’d been stuck in a lake. He was just using the story as a way to bond with my parents.

My dad smiled. “Yeah, Evie got stuck in the middle of the lake here a few years ago. She didn’t want to get her shoes wet, or deal with the bugs in the water, so she sat there, feet up on the seat, waiting for help.”

Now Alex and my mom were laughing too. I was embarrassed and aggravated. “Ha ha ha. I drove through that same spot a couple of weeks earlier without a problem. I didn’t know the water level would change so much; at least when it happened in the mountains, I knew how to fix it.”

“I bet that mountain lake was cold when you had to get off and push the four-wheeler back to shore,” my dad teased.

I spoke before Alex could. “I didn’t have to push the four-wheeler.” My dad’s eyebrows shot up in curiosity. “Alex didn’t follow me into the water because he thought it was too deep. He had a rope and tied it on my four-wheeler. He pulled me back in when the engine died.” My dad was impressed, making me even more bothered. “He’s a real hero,” I said, sarcastically. “My shoes were totally safe this time.”

“Good thing you were there, Alex,” my dad said. “Who knows how long she would have been in the middle of the lake if she’d been alone.”

I shot my dad a look that could have killed, but having received the look hundreds of times over eighteen years, he had grown immune to it. I turned to Alex. “Want to take that ride now?” I walked into the motor home to grab the dune buggy keys.

My dad gave Alex a cautious glance. “She’s not someone you want to make mad,” I heard him tell Alex as I came down the steps.

“I’ve learned that lesson too.” Alex grinned and followed me.

Once we were on the other side of the motor home and alone, I asked in a hushed voice, “Where’s your car and when are you leaving?”

His eyes glittered. “I told you, Evie, I had a friend drop me off. I’m not leaving. Your mom invited me to stay and use the spare tent.”

Holy treason! I mumbled a string of profanities under my breath. My mother and her ludicrous manners. She always insisted on bringing the tent in case anyone showed up and needed to borrow it. Her vigilance had finally paid off.

“I hope you get eaten by a snake,” I sneered.

His smile lingered and he shrugged. “I don’t have a problem with snakes.”

I threw a jacket at him, hitting him in the stomach. “How long were you talking to my mom?” If she’d offered him a place to stay, he must have been there a while.