“I was going to, but someone stopped and helped me.”
“Damn girl. Well, be careful and I’ll see you in a few.”
I hang up the phone and start my car again. Slowly, I ease back onto the road and drive again. Icy baby blue eyes fill my thoughts and I’m not sure why. Yes, he was gorgeous, but I doubt I ever see him again. At least I had the luxury of watching someone sexy change my tire and not some old nasty man with a plumbers crack.
Fifteen more minutes in and I'm pulling up at Sienna's house in South Lake Charles. It feels so weird to be here after all this time. What I remember has changed immensely. I take a deep breath as I climb out the car. This is it, the real beginning of my summer.
Chapter 3
I’m barely out of the car when Sienna comes running out of her house. Skyping and texting pictures just doesn’t do our friendship justice. Her long red hair is braided and hanging over one shoulder and her legs are like mine, they go on for days. We could almost be twins, except my hair is blonde. Her eyes light up just like mine do and we don’t stop until our arms are wrapped around each other. A tear falls from my eyes and my heart warms, this moment is everything I’ve ever imagined it could be. I’ve missed her more than she could ever realize.
“I can’t believe you’re finally here! I’ve missed you best friend!” She squeals. She squeezes me tighter to where I almost can’t breathe, but that is okay with me.
“I know! It was a long ass drive and I can’t believe I got a flat tire. Oh shit, that reminds me, I have to call my dad real quick.”
“Oh damn, you haven’t called him yet? You better! I’ll ge
t your suitcase out for you.” She jumps up and down still squealing as she runs over to my trunk. I pop it for her as I grab my phone out of my pocket.
Dad is a little uneasy when I tell him a complete stranger changed my tire for me. He threatens to come down here and help me, but I assure him I’m just fine. All I have to do is go buy a new tire. He eases up and tells me to be safe. We tell each other bye and I turn to Sienna. Our eyes reflect the excitement that we know is to come.
“Let’s go inside and get you settled. Do you want to do anything tonight? We can go somewhere or just stay inside, it’s totally up to you. I know you’ve been in a car for ten freaking hours.”
The thought of going out somewhere in town scares me. Mom creeps into my mind. I haven’t seen her in forever so I’m not sure if she would even remember me. Hell, would I remember her?
“I, uh, I’m kind of nervous to go anywhere. I’m not too keen on possibly seeing my mom.” I admit to her.
She looks at me kind of crazy for a minute before finally opening her mouth to speak. “Shay, you didn’t know? Your mom remarried about five years ago and moved to Arizona with her new husband and his kids.”
Husband and kids? Hearing this is like a blow to my gut. Emotions that have been kept locked away threaten to surface but I won’t show them. Mom doesn’t deserve my tears. She didn’t want me or dad, but found someone better and took in his kids? It’s fucked up on more levels than one, but somehow, I am okay. Maybe it’s because Dad has made sure I’ve been okay all along. I make a mental note to tell Dad about this later. This is my summer and I won’t let her get to me. I look at the clock and it’s only about 6:30pm. Now that I know there is no chance in hell of seeing my mom, I look at Sienna and flash her a wicked grin. “Where are we going?”
***
After taking a shower and fixing my hair, I’m now wearing a blue jean skirt and a pink and black chevron printed blouse with sandals. Sienna is dressed in a short black dress with her sandals and we are ready to head out for a night of fun. Because of my tire situation, we climb into her Ford Mustang and we are off. I’m exhausted, but I’m not letting that ruin my summer. I can sleep later.
“Ok, so I’m trying to think of where we can go. There are a few little bars around and those are great, but I want you to have a really good time. Want to dance?”
Sienna is rambling on and on, she is way too excited. It’s so cute. “Yeah, dancing sounds great. Just lead the way, I’m good wherever we end up.”
Sienna pulls up at to a brick building. I look over at her wondering where the hell we are, when she says, “It’s a nightclub Shay. They have Cajun bands that play and it’s pretty fun. I’m not too sure who is playing tonight, but let’s go in and if you aren’t having fun, we can go somewhere else.”
I make sure to grab my ID and my money as I open the car door. The parking lot is packed so it must not be that bad of a place. Sienna refuses to let me pay for my own way in, even after I argue with her. I run up to the bar and buy her first drink for her. I press the cool bottle to my lips and let the liquid slide down my throat. I’m listening to the band play a Cajun song and I’m watching everyone dance. It looks so neat, I wonder if I could remember how while I’m down here.
I’m lost in thought watching the dancing and listening to Sienna talk to the bartender, when a certain sexy voice breaks into my thoughts. “I must be a lucky man, getting to see you twice in the same day. Shayleigh right?”
My eyes shift over to the God. How in the hell did this happen? Never mind that, I'll take this as a sign.
"Lucky huh? Wow I'm surprised you remembered my name Beau." I say taking another sip of my beer. This is my first drink. Drunk is nowhere near an option, but with Beau around, I can't help but feel a little tipsy from his looks alone.
"I never forget the name of a beautiful woman." He says winking those beautiful eyes of his.
"Do you say that to every woman you meet?" I ask wearing a grin on my face. I can play this game.
Before he can respond, the band plays a slow song starts and he smiles that beautiful smile of his. His hand reaches out for mine, that same hand that I shook earlier, except this time it's clean.
I don't even turn to look for Sienna when I place my hand in his. Sparks ignite within me as I let him lead me to the dance floor.
He pulls my body close to his, almost making us one. This feels too perfect. Couples are all over dancing and holding each other tight and yet, I can't really pry my eyes away from Beau. The one minute I look away, I spot Sienna dancing with a guy and when our eyes lock, her smile widens and she winks. All I can do is grin and turn back to Beau.