Wild Ride (12 page)

He seemed to be eating at her mouth as though hungry for affection… no
starved
.  Her entire body responded to his nearness and the wild passion in his kiss.  As quickly as the kiss had started he ended it.

“You’re not meant for
me,
” he finally whispered against her neck. “This can’t happen.”

With that he got up and grabbing his backpack and the sketchbook
, his quick long-legged strides carried him out of her room and down the stairs.  She sat there stunned by his response to her words and her body’s reaction to his unspoken ones. 

She could only listen as the garage door opened followed by her car pulling into the garage.  The garage door closed followed shortly by the front door and the lock clicking in place.  Then she heard his bike start and he was gone.

She tried to enjoy her visit with Grandpa Patterson the following day but her heart just wasn’t in it.  She needed an answer… from Chuck.  Why wasn’t she meant for him and what exactly did he mean by that? 

She’d fallen asleep with those words in her head
. Her mother, being as perceptive as she was, didn’t ask her what was wrong on Monday.  Chuck had spent the evening trying to avoid her but at the same time encouraging Matt and Ben to spend time with her...playing board games.

By Wednesday she was angry over the whole situation and his obvious attempts to ensure they were never alone together…
to avoid her. 

After Chuck had left that evening she lay there wondering how to fix things between them.  As much as she wanted the Chuck from before her discovery of the sketches…
those images still filtered through her mind along with his response to her discovery.

Her cell phone rang and looking at the
screen it displayed Dana was calling. 
Shit.
  She’d completely forgotten about the dance lessons they were going to be starting the following week. 

“Hey
, Dana,” she answered, attempting to sound chipper and friendly.

“Hey…
I hope I didn’t call too late but I had to wait for the kids to be in bed and Tommy to be distracted.  Are we still on for next Tuesday morning?” Dana asked.

“Yea…
sure… nine thirty in the morning, right?” she asked.

“Yes
, that works well for me,” Dana said. “It was great meeting you on Saturday and I hope Dickie’s attempts to mess with Chuck didn’t cause any problems.  He seemed a little out of sorts when he left and Lilly said he’s been pretty out of it at the shop.”

“I…
I don’t really know.  He hasn’t really talked to me much since Saturday,” she said. 
Not since discovering his sketches of her.

“Well I hope he snaps out of it before this weekend.  By the way, Lilly said if I talked to you to give you her number because she had some questions for you
,” Dana said.

“Oh
, ok.  Do you think it’s safe to call now?” she asked.

“I would guess so...
I know Tommy was just over there working on the best route to take to the Bama Bike Fest this weekend,” Dana said.

After Dana gave her Lilly’s number she called and a man answered.

“Is Lilly there?” she asked hesitantly.

“She’s in bed…who
’s this?” he asked.

“This is Meredith…
Dana said she wanted me to call her…” she said. “I’m sorry it’s so late, Dana thought she might still be up.  I can try another time.”

“This is Bobby.  She told me she worked with you on the books for the shop and she wanted to know if you’d be interested in helping out a couple of days a week at the
garage,” he said.

“Oh…
well I’d have to think about it,” she said.

“Did Chuck tell you about the Bama Bike Fest this weekend?”
he asked.

“Umm…
no… he hasn’t talked to me very much this week,” she said.

“We leave on Friday evening and will be back
late on Sunday night.  I think Lilly was going to see if you could go and help her out in the booth.  Dana can’t because of the baby but Gretchen’s going… and with the show… it might be a bit much for her and I don’t want her too worn out,” he said. “It would give you an idea of what the job entails.”

“I don’t know…”
she said.

“Think about it and I’ll tell Lilly you called
,” he said. “Just to be sure Chuck doesn’t catch any shit from the judge… I’m the one who invited you, ok?”

“Oh…
sure… yea he wouldn’t care anyway or even know…” she stammered.

After hanging up she thought about the awkward conversation she’d had with Bobby.  Why would he think that Grandpa Patterson would do something to Chuck if she got a job at the shop or went to a motorcycle show in Alabama?  It didn’t make any sense.

Her doctor had given her a crutch to use in order to learn balance and to help her get used to being mobile again while they waited for her prosthetic.  She managed to finish getting ready for bed without using her chair. 

After showering the following morning and getting dressed
, her phone rang so using the crutch she made her way over to her bed and sat down.  Picking up her cell phone she didn’t recognize the number.

“Hi
, Meredith, this is Lilly.  Sorry I missed your call last night. I was so tired I think I was out by nine,” Lilly laughed. “Bobby said he talked to you a little bit about maybe working at the shop part-time?”

“Yea and he said something about going to the Bama Bike Fest this weekend?”
she said as her mother entered her room with a laundry basket.

“He did?” Lilly asked.  After a few seconds she heard a sigh “What did he say exactly?”

“I don’t have to go… in fact I’m not sure I can…” she said looking at her mother who’d stopped when she realized she was on the phone.

“No!  It’s not that…
it’s just that… remember I told you that Chuck saved my life?” Lilly asked.

“Yea…”
she prompted.

“Well
, there is a trial that I have to testify in next month and he’s absolutely going bonkers thinking something will happen to me and doesn’t want me alone…” Lilly said. “I’d love it if you could go so I’m not the only girl… but I don’t need a babysitter so if you have other plans or just don’t want to go… don’t feel obligated.”

“Well I’ve been using a crutch for a couple of days now and I can get around fairly well but I think I might just end up being more in the way than anything…”
she said.

Lilly laughed
, “I seriously doubt that… you could sit at the checkout table and take down information about merchandise while I take care of those interested in having work done on their bikes.  But mostly it would keep me from being bored during slow times and give me an extra set of eyes on Gretchen.”

“Doesn’t she start school next week?  I know my brother
, Ben, does…” she said.

“Yes, but keeping Gretchen from a show would be the equivalent of grounding her for life
,” Lilly said. “So… are you up for a little road trip?”

“Where would we be staying?”
she asked, watching Carla’s face for a reaction.  Her mother almost seemed pleased as she began putting her clothes away.

“Since we only stay for two nights we will get a hotel.  When I reserved the rooms I got four because at the time we thought Dana would go but Melody’s been having some problems and she and Tommy thought it best for her to stay home
,” Lilly said.

“If you’r
e sure I won’t be in the way…” she said.

“Not at all, the booth stays busy so an extra set of hands is always welcome…
as is the company of a friend,” Lilly said.

“It sounds like fun
. So as long as you’re sure about this I’d like to go.  Should I meet you at the shop on Friday then?” she asked.

“I’ll come pick you up around three o’clock Friday afternoon so you don’t have to leave your car here all weekend
,” Lilly said.

“Ok…see you then
,” she said.

After hanging up she looked at
Carla. “Mom, just leave the basket, I’ll put my clothes away.”

Her mother looked startled but then put the shirt she was holding back in the basket and set it on the chair by her vanity
. “Ok then.  You have plans this weekend?”

“Yes…
and I may have a part time job!” she said with a smile.

“No kidding?”
Carla smiled back.

Her mother sat on her bed while she used her crutch and put away the clothes from the basket
.   She explained about the shop and about having met Lilly and Dana as she worked.

“You’ll get to meet them on Tuesday…they are coming over for dance lessons
,” she finished.

“Dance lessons?”
Carla asked.

“Yea, I can’t show them but I can instruct them
,” she said with a smile.

“That sounds like fun.  I can’t wait to meet them
,” she said taking the empty basket.  She headed for the door and then stopped.  “Meredith… did something happen between you and Chuck this past weekend while we were gone?”

No…
unfortunately.
  Her mother looked worried and unsure.  Sighing heavily she said, “I like him, Mom.”

“We all do honey…
he’s a great guy in spite of… his appearance,” Carla said.

“No…
I mean… I like him, you know… like
that
.” she said, sitting down on her bed.

“Does he like you that way?”
her mother asked.

“I think he does but he says that I’m not meant for him…
what does that mean?” she asked.

S
etting down the basket she came back into the room and sat down next to her, “I don’t know… did you ask him?”

“No…
he just left… and wouldn’t talk to me about it other than to say I’m not meant for him,” she said.

“Is that why he’s been avoiding you all week?”
Carla asked.

“Yes…
and he’ll be at this Bike Fest and as fun as it sounds… I’m worried it will be awkward because Chuck keeps avoiding me and makes it a point to not be alone with me... not to talk to me about it,” she said.

“I’m guessing that Chuck may not want to get involved because if something goes wrong…
there are no other options for him other than jail time.  Maybe he’s afraid if things don’t work out… it would be even more awkward for him around here,” her mother said.

“You think so?”
she asked.

“I know that’s how I would feel if I were him
,” Carla said.

“So why aren’t you telling me he’s all wrong for me and that he’s a loser or a thug?”
she asked.

“Josh was your
father’s
idea… money, privilege, and a respectable place in the community.  Somehow I think if your father had been here after the accident and seen the way he tucked tail and ran at the first sign of a storm… he’d have labeled Josh the loser,” Carla said.

“Chuck normally seems to meet trouble head on…
doesn’t run away from it.  He’s not afraid to push your buttons and you can’t win on your looks alone with him.  He challenges you and
I
think that’s a better idea,” her mother finished.

“So you don’t mind me going off to parts unknown with people I barely know and a local gang leader?”
she laughed.

“The boys are going to spend the night at Grandpa Patterson’s tomorrow…
last time before school starts up,” Carla said. “I think this weekend is exactly what you need… just be smart and safe.  I won’t say I’m not scared to death that within a week and a half you’re not only up and at it but traipsing around the countryside as well, but I’d rather it be that then locking yourself away from the world… from your life.”

“Speaking of which…
once I get my prosthetic and learn to use it well enough… I want to go back and finish my degree.  I’m so close… I can do this Mom.  I really do have Dad’s passion for numbers and money… and I’m good at it.  Looking at the information on their motorcycle business I knew exactly what they needed to grow financially,” she said.

“I think that’s a great idea…
maybe you could challenge Chuck to get a higher education.  He helps you… you help him.  It’s been known to work…” her mother smiled.

“Thanks
, Mom,” she said, hugging Carla.

“Talk to Chuck about how you feel.  Sometimes people avoid things that make them uncomfortable
,” Carla said with a pointed look.

She spent the rest of the afternoon and evening packing
for the weekend and checking the local colleges for the remaining classes she needed to complete her degree.  After writing down all the information on how to enroll and transfer her credits and sending out various emails, she was startled to hear her mother talking to Chuck.