Bill Fitzhugh - Fender Benders (54 page)

Megan shrugged.
 
“We’ll see.
 
I’m not sure Ken’s
real keen on having me back.
 
What about
you?”
 
She gestured at the U-Haul.
 
“Where’re you going?”
 
She held up a hand.
 
“Wait, don’t tell me.
 
New York?
 
Seems like a good place for a best selling
author.
 
I was thinking about New
York myself.”

Jimmy shook his head.
 
“
Lake
Katherine
.”

“Really?”
 
Megan tried to sound like she thought that
was a good idea.
 
“That would’ve been my
second guess.
 
New York City
or
Madison
County
, top
two choices.”
 
Megan sat down on
the truck’s bumper.
 
“Oh, by the way, you
can add Aaron Copland to your list.”

“My list of what?”

“Of people who might have said ‘writing
about music is like dancing about architecture.’
 
Somebody told me Aaron Copland said it.
 
I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Thanks.”
 
Jimmy
smiled.
 
“Watch your head.”
 
He pulled down the door on the back of the
truck.
 
He hoped Megan wouldn’t start
talking about getting back together.
 
“Well, it was good to see you,” he said.
 
“I need to get on out there and unpack before it gets too late.”
 
He started to walk around toward the front of
the truck.
 
He hoped she wouldn’t say
anything else, that she’d take the hints and not
tempt
him.
 
He didn’t trust himself to do the
right thing.

Megan stepped into his path.
 
“You need some help?”
 
She moved
close.
 
“It just so happens I’m free the
rest of the weekend.”
 
She was inches
away and she smelled as good as she looked.
 
“I could help you unload and then I’ll take you out to dinner.
 
Whaddya say?
 
Maybe we could get ‘em to make us some patio lemonades.”
 
She smiled and looked up into his eyes.

God it was tempting.
 
He could almost taste those sweet bourbon kisses.
 
It would be so easy to say yes.
 
Then he opened his big mouth.
 
“No thanks,” he said.
 
“I can manage.”
 
As soon as he said ‘no’ he had second
thoughts.
 
He wanted to grab the words
before they reached her ears and replace them with
Hell yes!
 
Let’s go get drunk and
christen my new place
.
 
But at the
same time he realized saying ‘no’ gave him a sudden sense of liberation.

Megan’s face sagged.
 
She never imagined things ending like this.
 
It began to sink in when Jimmy walked past
her and climbed into the cab of the truck.
 
She looked up at him sitting behind the wheel.
 
“C’mon, Jimmy.
 
After all we’ve been through?
 
We’re meant to be together.”

He looked down at her, considering her invitation with all
his might.
 
Maybe I should take her up on it.
 
Just for a night.
 
A grudge cut.
 
He thought about it a moment.
 
Nah,
that’s too Eddie
.
 
He closed the door
then reached out to adjust the truck’s big side mirror.

“You know how much I love you,” she said.

Something about the way she said it gave Jimmy pause.
 
Maybe
she means it.
 
Maybe she finally realizes
how I feel.
 
How can I not consider
it?
 
Those are the softest lips I’ve ever
known.

“Jimmy?”

Her voice snapped him back to reality and he knew what he
had to do.
 
He cranked the engine and put
the truck in gear.
 
It inched forward
slightly against the brakes.

Megan suddenly looked like a frightened child, something
Jimmy had never seen in her before.
 
“Wait!”
 
She reached up and put a
hand on his arm.
 
“Don’t go yet.”

He felt sad for her and he touched her hand.
 
“I gotta go,” he said softly.

She looked up anxiously.
 
“Can we talk for a minute?”

Jimmy shook his head then looked down at Megan.
 
“Goodbye’s all we got left to say.”
 
He let his foot off the brake and pulled away
without ever looking in the mirror.
 
As
the truck lurched out of the parking lot, a thought occurred to him.
 
Hey,
now that would be a good song title.