A Healing Heart (5 page)

“
When Lacey was eighteen months old, my mom packed up all her stuff and left. It ripped my dad apart. Part of him died that day. He’s never really been the same since. Now, he mostly keeps his distance, working all the time. We always have what we need——food, clothes, baby-sitters for Lacey——but the one thing Lacey needs the most, the love of both of her parents, she won’t ever have. I try to make up for that the best I can. Lacey is so shy, so afraid of new people, new environments. We never stay very long in one place. As soon as she starts feeling comfortable, we end up leaving again. I’ve begged my dad for us to stay in one place, but I think, in some ways, it’s his way of coping, of running away from everything.”

“
Wow, you had to grow up quick. Taking care of Lacey and all. Not much of a chance for you to have a childhood either.”

“
I’m the lucky one. At least I had a mostly normal childhood. We stayed in one place during those years, I had my friends, did normal boy things. Lacey hasn’t had that. She deserves that.”

I looked at him and saw the strength, the unbending loyalty to his little sister. He seemed years older than just a senior in high school. The carefree abandon that most teenagers had was not present; it had been stripped from him years ago with the burden of taking care of his sister, and yet it didn’t seem as though he resented it. There was a sensitive side to him I would never have imagined existed, and it pulled at my heartstrings. For the first time since the accident, I realized that I was not the only one that had to live through pain and heartache. It had blinded me for so long, but it felt like that blindfold had finally fallen from my eyes, and in front of me was a hope that life could be happy again.

“
Thanks for sharing,” I told him.

“
My past has been a cakewalk compared to what you’ve endured. You are stronger than I think you realize.”

I highly doubted that, but decided to remain quiet, smiled and left it at that. We sat there chatting about the kids as they played, and before too long, it was time for me to get Riley home. I wished I could lengthen the afternoon. It was nice to sit and talk with Collin, and it was amazing how at ease I felt with him. Like we had known each other for years. I’d never felt that way with someone before.

“
I’ve got to get Riley back home.”

“
Already? Time really flies when you’re having fun, huh?”

“
Yeah, it does.” I turned away and found Riley on a swing with Lacey pushing him. “Riley! We’ve got to get going.”

“
NO! Pwaying with Wacey!”

I smiled. I knew that was going to be his answer before he even responded. It was going to be difficult to get him back to the car. “Come on. Your mom’s going to be home soon, and it’s time for your nap. We’ll come back again, I promise.”

Lacey stopped pushing Riley, and he got out, not happy. His head hung down, his little mouth in a pout. “I wanna stay!”

Collin stepped in this time. “Hey, buddy, we’ve got to get going anyway. How about another day?”

Riley looked up at Collin, a bit unsure, but I could see him wavering.

“
Promise?” he pleaded, then bit his lower lip. I was beginning to think he was right on the verge of a meltdown.

“
I promise.”

“’
Kay.” With that, Riley grabbed Lacey’s hand, while Collin and I followed them to the parking lot.

“
So, I can pick you up at five tonight, and we can go to dinner,” Collin stated as we got to the cars.

“
Oh, really? Pretty sure of yourself, huh? Not even going to ask me to go?”

Grinning, his eyes piercing into mine, Collin replied, “No, I know you’ll say yes.”

I had to laugh at that; he was right. I’d been dreading having to say goodbye, and now I knew I’d see him again in just a few short hours.

“
Okay, five sounds fine.” I gave him my aunt and uncle’s address, buckled Riley into his car seat, and drove out of the parking lot, waving to Collin as we pulled out. He smiled in return. The next few hours were going to feel like a lifetime, and I needed to find something to wear!

* * *

I stood in front of my closet, tossing one item of clothing after another on the bed. I could find nothing that I wanted to wear tonight, the clock was ticking slowly away, and I was running out of time. Finally, I settled on a green sweater, my favorite pair of jeans, and a pair of boots.

Returning to my bathroom, the mirror was still steamy from the quick shower I had just taken. I wiped it with my towel so that I could see again. Brushing my wet, tangled hair, I started the long process of blow-drying it. I decided to use my flatiron and pulled pieces of my hair back into a small clip, leaving small wisps of bangs in the front. Carefully, I applied my makeup and sprayed my hair in an attempt to keep it in place. I dabbed my favorite perfume at my wrists and neck. After taking one last look in the mirror, I went back to my room and grabbed the jewelry I had laid out. Glancing at my clock, I realized it was almost five, and Collin would be here soon. As I was sitting on my bed, pulling on my boots, the doorbell rang. He was early.

My aunt was downstairs, and she answered the door. I had given her a quick update when I got home, and I was glad she didn’t hound me with a bunch of questions. She was happy that I was going out and having fun.

I finished tugging on my boots, then grabbed my cell phone and threw it into my purse. As I got to the top of the stairs, I could see Collin was already standing in the entryway talking with my aunt. He was wearing a long-sleeved, blue Henley shirt, with the top buttons open at his throat, and jeans. His hair was slightly spiked with hair gel; he was simply gorgeous. Still in shock that he’d even asked me out, I was nervous and excited at the same time. As I started down the stairs, his eyes turned in my direction, and he smiled.

“
You’re early,” I stated.

“
Only a bit. I was talking with your aunt.”

My aunt had turned to look at me, and I could see the big grin on her face. I may not have gotten a bunch of questions when I told her I was going out, but I was pretty sure I was going to be drilled when I got back.

“
You two have fun, but not too late, it’s a school night.”

Collin stepped back and waited for me to walk out the door. He came up next to me as we walked down the sidewalk to his car. He opened the passenger door and I slid in. As he shut the door, I buckled my seat belt and waited for him to get in. His car was spotless; he must detail it all the time. The smell of his cologne lingered in the car. Breathing in deeply, I savored the scent, light but so masculine. He opened his door and got in, put the key in the ignition, and started the car. The rumble of the exhaust was even louder than I had thought.

“
Is Mexican okay?” he asked as he buckled his seat belt.

“
Sure, I love Mexican.”

“
Great, I know this really good place. It’s kind of a hole in the wall, so don’t be scared, but the food is awesome.”

The butterflies that had been fluttering wildly in my stomach were starting to settle down. We drove off with the music from the radio softly in the background.

“
So, how do you like Riverview?” I asked. It seemed a safe enough topic.

“
It’s okay, probably one of the nicer places we’ve lived. I like that it’s so close to so many different areas. Being able to drive an hour and be at the mountains or the beach is a nice plus. What about you? Do you like it here, or did you like Oregon better?”

“
I miss Oregon a lot, but I like it here. My family lived here when I was younger, up until my brother was born and then we moved up to Oregon. We came back to visit family and spend vacations down here. There’s a lot more to do here for sure. It was hard at first, but I think that was more just trying to adjust to everything that had happened than the place. I think one of my favorite things is the orange blossoms in the spring. The smell is like nothing else, sweet and so clean. So where else have you lived?” I decided it was his turn to answer more questions.

“
Utah, Arizona, Texas, several different cities in California. The longest place we lived was Salt Lake City when I was little, up until Lacey was born.”

“
And where was your favorite?”

“
Here.”

There was no hesitation in his voice as he glanced over at me and smiled, causing me to promptly blush. I hated that I blushed so easily; it was so embarrassing!

“
Okay. So what do you enjoy doing in your free time?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

“Working on cars. I love the sports cars, Camaros, Trans Ams, Mustangs, ‘Vettes. I enjoy doing modifications to them to make them faster.”

“
Well, I guess that explains your car and the fact that it’s in pristine condition.”

“
There’s nothing like driving with total control over the car. The feeling as it moves through turns, the power under the hood. Finding new products that are bigger and better than the previous ones. Taking the time to pull things apart and understand how they work. Being able to fix them when they’re broken.”

Watching him as he drove, I noticed that he was at ease and in total control, so relaxed behind the wheel, the car almost like it was a part of him. I could sense his underlying strength, the need to push boundaries a bit harder, see where his limitations were. After a twenty-minute drive, we ended up in an area I’d never been before. I wasn’t sure I would have ever come here by myself. It was indeed a small little hole in the wall, as he’d said.

He parked the car, and I got out before he could come around to get the door. It was nice to be treated as a lady, but sometimes it felt a little awkward. I was perfectly capable of opening a door by myself.

“
Are you sure your car is going to be here when we get done?”

He chuckled. “Yes, it’ll be fine. I’ve come here a lot. I found it one day driving around with a friend. It really is some of the best Mexican food ever, I promise.”

Inside, we were seated in a small corner booth opposite each other. The hostess left us with our menus and walked away.

“
Anything you get will be good.”

I looked around, a little skeptical. “Okay, I’m trusting you on this one.” There were only a few people seated around us, and the place was mostly empty. We ordered our drinks, and Collin added the nachos plate as an appetizer. For dinner, I decided on the cheese enchiladas, while Collin selected a combo plate with several different items on it.

Our nachos arrived quickly, a bonus of an uncrowded restaurant. Collin handed over a plate, took one for himself, and began pulling chips loaded with melted cheese, beans, and jalape
ñ
os onto his plate. I cautiously took one and tasted it. It was really good, and I was impressed.

“
Wow, okay, that was good,” I told Collin after eating a couple of chips slathered in creamy cheese.

“
Told you,” he said with a big grin. “You doubted me?”

“
Well...not really. Let’s just say I’m surprised.”

“
Wait until your dinner gets here.”

We finished off the nachos——well, Collin mostly finished off the nachos, as I was still battling a nervous stomach. Our dinners arrived, and Collin dug in to his huge plate. I thought there was no way he was going to finish everything. I bit into my enchiladas and was in heaven. They were the best I’d ever had.

“
Okay, you’re right, this is the best Mexican food ever. Thanks for bringing me.”

“
Glad you’re enjoying it. I don’t get over here very often; usually I’m too busy. I have a couple other favorite places I’ll have to introduce you to.”

My heart raced at the thought of going out with him again. “I won’t doubt you again.”

We finished dinner and walked back to the car. Collin again opened the door for me and I got in. After he was behind the wheel, he began driving back toward Riverview. We were taking a different route home. I looked over at Collin, taking in his perfect profile as he drove through the streets. Sensing my glance, he looked over, catching me looking at him, and smiled.

“
I have one other place to show you before I take you home. If you have time.”

“
Sure.” I wasn’t ready for the evening to be over, and anything that prolonged him taking me back home sounded like a great idea.

We got off the freeway, an exit past Riverview, and Collin drove down a side road that wound through the low hillsides surrounding the town. After a few minutes, we came around a corner, and the valley with all its lights appeared. It was beautiful; I’d never been here before and wondered how, after spending the last two years here, I could have missed this peaceful place. There was a big turnout at the top that Collin pulled into and stopped the car. We got out, walked over to a bench, and sat overlooking the lights.

“
This is amazing! I’ve never been up here before.” I turned to him, excited.

“
I found it while I was out exploring one night. I tend to do a lot of driving. It helps me relax and gives me time to think.”

We sat there in the dark, silent, taking in the views. I was curious about what was going through his head, wondered if he was having a good time, if he’d really take me out again as he’d hinted. I was drawn to him in a way I’d never been drawn to anyone before. It was exciting and frightening at the same time.