Mountain Laurel (14 page)

Before they'd even found a spot to stop and watch, Michael called to a street vendor and bought a large bag of pink cotton candy. Ripping the plastic, he offered some to Laurel.

"When I was little," Ginny said, "Laurel would never let me eat that stuff. She told me it would rot my teeth."

"But what's a parade without cotton candy?" Michael pulled a tiny piece of the pink fluff from the bag and held it to Laurel's lips.

She opened her mouth, and in an intimate gesture, he placed the candy on her tongue. It melted on contact and Laurel swallowed.

"Tell yourself that it's good for you," Michael said, nudging her along the walkway. "This stuff is chock- full of vitamins, you know."

Laurel pursed her lips and shook her head as she reached for another taste. Laughing was so easy when she was with him.

They found a four-foot-high brick wall and decided to watch the parade from there. Michael's hands closed around her waist as he helped her onto it. Eric did the same for Ginny.

Michael hiked himself up beside Laurel, his thigh pressed tightly against hers. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she felt warm and cozy. He was busy nuzzling her cheek with his nose when Eric pulled his attention away with something he said.

Laurel filled her lungs with crisp air and thought about how good it felt to be out in the crowd. She saw people every day when she was working in the shop back home,
lots
of people. But that was different. Customers expected to be waited on. Here she was just one of the spectators and could enjoy what was happening around her like everyone else.

She released a pent-up breath and her shoulders relaxed. It was wonderful to be away from the drudgery of working in the shop. The thought came from nowhere and stiffened her spine with guilt.

I love my work
. But the thought came with too much hesitation for her to ignore. The shrill whistle of the band marshal had her shoving the disturbing thought aside. She'd analyze it tomorrow; tonight she had a parade to enjoy. Snuggling against Michael, she let the excitement wash over her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a parade.

Laurel never knew fire equipment came in so many different colors. The usual red and white didn't surprise her, but yellow, pale green and light blue?

"It seems endless," Ginny commented.

"Fire stations from four states participate in this parade." Michael reached for Laurel's hand, covering her cold fingers with his warm palm. "Let me get you some cocoa."

"I'd love some."

Michael and Eric hopped off the wall and went for the hot drinks. Laurel looked over at Ginny, whose teeth had begun to chatter.

"I hate to say I told you so."

"Then don't," Ginny snapped.

"Do you want to leave?"

"Maybe in a few minutes." Ginny's shoulders started to shiver.

"Do you want my coat?"

"No," Ginny said brusquely. "It'll make me look fat."

Laurel stared in disbelief. "I don't believe you!"

"Sometimes you have to give up comfort to look good."

Opening her mouth to tell Ginny just how stupid that sounded, Laurel shut it again as Michael and Eric returned.

She wrapped her hands around the white foam cup Michael offered her, its heat seeping into her chilled fingers. Smiling her thanks, she lifted the cup to sniff the chocolaty steam.

"It's delicious," she said after taking a sip. "Michael, we're going to have to go soon."

He nodded. "Ginny's doing a good imitation of an ice cube."

With all four cups of cocoa empty, Laurel suggested once again that they be on their way.

Getting through the crowd was not easy, and it took several minutes before they reached Laurel's car. Once there, Ginny planted herself in front of the driver's door.

"Give me the keys, Laurel," Ginny demanded. "I want to drive."

Laurel handed them over without argument, realizing her sister must be anxious to get the hottest blast from the heater.

"Thanks!" Slipping into the car, Ginny started the engine and flipped on the heater's fan. "I have a surprise for you," she said over the noise, looking at Laurel in the rear-view mirror.

"What?" Laurel's breath condensed to lacy vapor in the darkness.

"You'll see."

Frowning at her sister's teasing tone, Laurel looked over at Michael only to see him shrug. She folded her arms across her chest, her frown still in place.

Michael pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Would you relax?" he whispered against her hair. "It's not three against one here. I'm on your side, remember? And there's no surprise that you and I can't handle."

He was right. She was overreacting. A smile curved her lips and she leaned back against him. His arms nestled under her breasts and she rested her head on his shoulder. They were content to sit quietly, listening to the muffled voices in the front seat.

Ginny snapped the radio on, filling the interior of the car with a slow, bluesy rhythm. Laurel closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her.

Engulfed in Michael's warmth, Laurel felt every muscle in her body relax. The heady scent of his aftershave combined with the warm leather aroma of his jacket seemed to intoxicate her. She felt the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. A dull ache slowly gathered inside her and she opened her eyes, looking up at Michael's jaw. Suppressing the strong desire to reach up and kiss it was easier than controlling the languorous smile that played on her lips.

She was so content in Michael's snug embrace that she was barely aware of just when the car stopped and the purring engine died. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ginny slide across the seat toward Eric. Startled, Laurel jerked out of Michael's embrace to sit stiffly on the edge of her seat.

She was astonished that she hadn't even noticed when Ginny had turned off the main road. The car was parked on a narrow dirt trail. The headlights were off, and the parking lights threw a dim glow over the trees. Twisting around to look at Michael, she was further aggravated by his cocked eyebrow and the stupid grin planted firmly on his mouth.

"Ginny, may I speak to you?" This was no question; it was a command. Laurel slid toward the door, opening it as she spoke.

A sound of protest came from Ginny, but Laurel cut it off immediately.

"Now."

Ginny shuffled out of the car and shut the door. She stood with arms crossed, irritation plain in her stance.

"What are you doing?" Laurel hissed.

"What do you mean?" Confusion was plain on Ginny's brow.

"I mean,
what are you doing
?" Laurel planted a fist on her hip, anger increasing the volume of her words.

Ginny leaned against the car, her eyes narrowing with annoyance. "Do I have to spell it out for you?"

"There are four of us."

"So?"

"Ginny, you can't expect me to sit in there and watch you and Eric neck."

"I don't expect you to watch. I expect you and Michael to entertain yourselves!"

They stood glaring at each other for several moments.

"You are such a prude, Laurel."

But Laurel didn't budge.

"Ten minutes, Laurel. Can you survive ten minutes?" Ginny pulled at the door handle and slipped into the car.

The silent forest pressed in on her from both sides of the narrow dirt road. Laurel still stood there, unable to move. Fury made her jaw tense. She wasn't a randy teen, and the idea of fumbling around in the back seat did not appeal to her whatsoever. She was sure she would enjoy kissing Michael, being kissed by him. But that wasn't the point. This situation was too much. Wrestling in the back seat was above and beyond the call of duty.

The problem was solved as Michael stepped out of the car and came around it to face her. The suggestive smirk he'd given her earlier was gone, replaced by a look of soft understanding.

"You still think we can handle any surprise?" she asked, her voice low, unsure.

He nodded once.

She glanced past him into the darkness. "I can't believe this."

"What? That we can handle this? Or—" he covered her wrist with his big, warm hand "—that teenagers go parking?"

His teasing question didn't lift her mood. He pulled her away from the car, walking several feet to a towering pine.

"I must have missed something along the way. I mean, Ginny's doing things I never even thought about."

His eyebrows lifted. "You never went parking?" he quipped.

"Michael, I'm serious." Leaning against the rough bark of the tall pine, she slowly rolled a large brown cone under her foot as she continued. "Who had time for that? Not me. Up at six to fix breakfast, take care of Mom, open the shop, wait on customers—then, you know, closing time is dinnertime, and when that mess is over, Mom needs me again. Then Ginny—school, homework, drama club, dance lessons. God, it's endless."

Kicking the pinecone away from her, she looked up at Michael. "It sounds like I'm complaining. I'm not. I'm just wondering how in heaven's name I can help a normal teenager grow up when I was never a normal teenager myself."

"Look," he said. He knew she wasn't looking for an answer, that what she needed was some support, someone to tell her it was going to be all right. "You'll get through this. And it'll all pass."

"Promise?" The word dripped with skepticism.

"It may take four or five years..."

She groaned.

"Maybe longer."

She laughed. "You're supposed to be making me feel better."

"Well, some things you can never feel better about, and adolescence is one of them." He took a step closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Speaking of adolescents, there are two of them looking this way."

He leaned against her and gently kissed her lips. "Let's say I tutor you on the fine art of parking."

"Here?"

"Uh-uh." He bent his head and kissed the curve of her neck.

She swallowed, giddiness gathering in her chest. "But we're not in a car."

"We're close enough."

His breathy words against her ear didn't tickle this time. Instead they sent a delicious tingle all through her. His tiny nibbling kisses made her sigh. Kissing his way up her throat and along her jaw, he pressed his warm lips against hers. She felt woozy and weak, and she longed to wrap her arms around him.

He lifted his head when Ginny started the car and revved the engine.

Releasing a forceful breath, he caught it midway with a grin. "Looks like your lesson's going to have to wait." He gave her a light kiss and, taking her hand, led the way to the car.

Disappointment descended on her. She would have loved to further her education.

~ ~ ~

"Well, what am I supposed to do while you're gone?" Ginny complained.

"I don't know. Call Eric. Or Sharon." Laurel pulled the brush through her hair.

"Can I go with you? I'll call Eric and we could all go together, like our last double date."

"No, Gin." The last thing Laurel wanted was another date with her sister. Playacting was a nerve-racking business. What she wanted, what she
needed
, was a nice, quiet, uncomplicated evening. "Michael's working. You can't invite yourself along. You probably wouldn't enjoy yourself anyway. We'll be sitting around a fire with strangers, roasting marshmallows and telling stories."

Ginny pouted. "You've been out with Michael three nights in a row. How late will you be?"

"I don't know." Laurel laughed at the question. "Why are you giving me the third degree?"

"I'm not." Ginny's chin jutted out. "It just doesn't look good, that's all."

"Doesn't look good?" Laurel couldn't believe her ears.