“Sure. Sounds fun. When do we need to leave?”
“Thirty minutes?”
“Ever heard of advance notice, Levi?” She sighs dramatically, and I chuckle. “I’ll be ready.”
“Oh, do you have a pair of skates?”
“Yes,” she trails.
“Bring them.”
“Why?”
“I’ll see soon, Smarty,” I smile and hang up when she huffs a ‘fine.’
I don’t know what makes me more nervous. Going home or taking Presley with me. Both are unnerving. Somehow, along this twisted path, this girl has overtaken me. She has wound herself around my every bone, purified my dark, tainted blood, and captured my heart, holding it forever captive.
We’re almost to our first destination, the pond, and I glance over at her. She slid her seat back far enough so she could prop her feet on my dash.
“Are you freaking out about having my shoes up here?” she asks and I laugh, relaxing.
“No. I can always clean it, Smarty.”
“Never would have pegged you for a neat freak, Levi,” Presley smiles at me.
I chuckle and focus on the road, slowing to turn down a dirt path.
“Where are we?” she inquires, dropping her feet to the floor to sit up and look around.
I don’t answer and within minutes, we’re parked in front of the pond. “C’mon,” I tell her getting out. She meets me in front of my car, and I take her hand to walk down to the edge.
“Please tell me that you didn’t want me to skate on that?” she asks incredulously.
“That was the plan,” I begin, but I already know it won’t happen. “It’s not thick enough, though. Usually, it is, but I guess the weather hasn’t been cold enough yet.”
Presley lets a whoosh slip from her lips. “Maybe next time.”
“Scared of that too?” I smirk.
“Nope. Not scared of a little frozen water.”
I laugh and she slaps my arm playfully.
“Where are we anyway?” she asks.
“This is my dad’s land. He comes here to fish and hunt. Tries to anyway. I don’t know how successful he is.”
We turn at the sound of a rumbling engine and my heart races. I thought I had at least an hour before Presley met my dad, but it’s happening sooner than I thought.
“Who’s that?”
“My dad,” I answer, tugging her to where he is parked beside my vehicle. We reach him just as he has gotten out.
“Levi, what are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” I tell him as we hug.
“Just checking up on things here. Who’s this pretty lady?” Dad grins a smile identical to my own.