Chapter Seventeen

Luke

I was totally zoned out, pretending to listen to Trevor and Colton tell a story about some wild party they went to. I did not want to be here. I did not want to be listening to this bullshit.

I’d felt like a creeper, hanging out in Meg’s room without her there. I’d been pissed when Jaclyn had been in mine. I knew it had to be even worse for Meg. But once I walked in, I couldn’t leave. I knew there was a story there—especially when I saw the drawing with the angel’s wings—but I’d needed to hear the words from Meg.

A hand squeezed my elbow, long fingernails gently digging in.

I turned around with a scowl, expecting Jaclyn.

“Hey,” Julia said. “Can I borrow you for a minute?”

“Yeah,” I glanced at Adam who gave us a quizzical look. I didn’t care. I wanted to get out of there. “What’s up?”

“Just come on.”

I followed her as she zigzagged through the crowd. She probably needed help moving a table or something. We walked toward the front of the house. When we turned the corner, the last thing I expected to see was Meg pacing in front of the garage.

“Someone wanted to talk to you,” Julia said.

Meg twisted around at the sound of her voice. Julia gave her one of those finger-wiggle waves, squeezed my shoulder, and left.

“I was hoping you’d look happier to see me.”

I closed the distance between us slowly. After I left her house earlier, I wasn’t sure she was ever going to want to talk to me again. I wrapped my arms around her, squeezing her into a hug. Her arms went around my waist, and she held on tight.

I pressed a kiss to her temple before I let her go.

“I’m happy,” I assured her. “I’m just surprised.”

“I thought I wanted to be alone. But I really don’t. Is it okay that I’m here? I promise I won’t be a downer.” She motioned down the street. “Kylie gave me a ride. The weather looked questionable. I’m supposed to text her if I’m staying.”

“Yes, stay.” That would explain why I didn’t hear her drive up. My ears had become weirdly attuned to the Rebel. It always grabbed my attention, even when I wasn’t expecting it.

She sent her text and slid her phone into her pocket.

“Are you okay?”

She winced. “I’d be better if you didn’t treat me like something was wrong.”

“Done. I do have one question.”

She grimaced. “Luke, I really don’t want to talk about Sydney.”

“It’s not about Sydney.”

“Then what?”

“Megyn?” I lifted my eyebrows. “I had no idea your name was Megyn.”

Apparently there was a helluva lot about Meg I didn’t know.

“Oh.”

“I like Meg. It suits you better.”

“Thanks. I think.”

“It was a compliment. ‘Meg’ sounds like a no-nonsense kind of name.”

“And I’m a no-nonsense kind of girl.”

“Exactly. It’s one of the things I like best about you.”

She wrapped her arms around her waist and glanced around. No one was on this side of the house but a lot of noise was coming from the backyard.

“Why didn’t you just come and find me?”

“I was going to, but I saw Julia first. I wasn’t sure if you still wanted me here. I didn’t want to cause a scene so…”

“Got it. Ready to go face everyone?”

She nodded. I slung my arm around her shoulder.

“You didn’t tell anyone, did you?” she asked. “There’s a reason I keep it to myself. I hate the way people look at me when they find out.”

“I haven’t said a word. That’s your secret to tell.”

We rounded the corner and bounced to a halt when we found ourselves face to face with Jaclyn.

“And what secret would that be?” Jaclyn demanded.

“The secret way she manages to drive me crazy.” I tugged Meg a little closer. She did not need to deal with this today of all days.

Her lip curled. “Yeah. I can imagine. Is that why you’re slumming it?”

“I’d watch your mouth if I were you, Jac.”

“You’re the one who needs to watch it, Luke. Your parents aren’t real happy with you right now.”

“And how happy would George be if he knew why we really broke up?” I asked. “The bigger question is what would your extremely devout Catholic mother think?”

“You are such an ass,” she hissed.

“I’m the ass? I let you walk all over me.” I jabbed a finger her way. “Stay the hell away from me. Stay the hell away from my girl. Maybe then I won’t fill your parents in on what kind of person you really are. The best thing you ever did for me was cheat on me. It was the wake-up call I needed.”

I sidestepped her, pulling Meg along with me.

I bypassed the tent that was set up as a precaution against rain. I needed a minute to pull myself together and thought maybe Meg could use one, too.

We took a seat on a bench in the garden.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know this is a rough day for you. I shouldn’t have gotten into it with her. I should’ve walked away.”

“You really liked her.” Meg studied me with a look that was quizzical but not judgmental.

“That’s what you got out of the argument?”

“I heard it in your voice when you were arguing with your mom at the restaurant, too.”

“We were together a little over a year. I’ve known her since we were kids. Funny how I didn’t really know her at all. She played me. She was playing me the entire time.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I know you don’t pay a lot of attention to my friends, but she and Julia used to be BFFs, or whatever. She’d been messing around on me for a long time. Maybe even the whole time.” I’d never actually confessed this to anyone. “Julia finally told me about it. She’d known for awhile. I think because she was with Adam, she was having a hard time keeping it to herself. Knowing her friend was cheating on her boyfriend’s best friend? And keeping it from him? Anyhow. She eventually came to me. I didn’t believe her. She told me where I could find Jaclyn. And. Yeah. I found her all right.”

“I’m really sorry.”

She slipped her fingers around mine.

It made me feel like crap. She shouldn’t be trying to make me feel better, not today.

“Like I said, at least now I know.” I forced my tone to be light. “When I caught her, she freaked out. She begged me to take her back. For awhile I even considered it. I was such an idiot. You know what’s even more messed up?”

“What?”

“Julia told me the reason Jaclyn was chasing me so hard. Her dad wants us together. How twisted is that? He got it into his head that Dad’s going to make him partner. Dad’s current partner, Frank Holbrook, is retiring soon. Mr. Winters wants to buy out his share of the firm, but there’s already an agreement that Dad is buying him out. By next year the firm will be Prescott and Prescott.” Unless Gabe truly defected, but that was Dad’s problem to figure out. “With our families’ history, I guess he thought if Jaclyn and I were together, he’d have a better shot.”

“She still wants you back?”

“A few months ago she was laying it on thick. Saying she missed me, promising she wouldn’t mess up again. Putting her off was exhausting. And then that night, I was out for a run, trying to clear my head and get some perspective on the situation…”

“You caught me—”

“I was feeling so desperate,” I finished. “I wanted Jaclyn off my back. I knew the only way to do that was to make her think there wasn’t a chance. My head wasn’t in the right place to date someone for real.”

“Hey. Prescott. Get your ass over here,” Adam bellowed. “We’re going to have a team meeting.”

I motioned to Adam to let him know I heard.

“I better get over there.” I stood and waited for her to follow, disappointed that we were being dragged away.

…

I stared up at the dark window, mentally berating myself because I was about to do something stupid. And totally lame.

I hit Meg’s number on my speed dial. Maybe she shut her phone off at night. Or silenced it. Or maybe not, I realized when she answered on the third ring.

“Luke?” She sounded groggy. Not a surprise.

“Hey, Nutmeg.”

“Do you know how late it is? Why are you calling?” Her voice was soft and sleepy. She sounded content all curled up in her bed.

“I know exactly how late it is. I’m calling because throwing a rock at your window seems like kind of a cliché.”

Her next words were sharp, as if she’d snapped herself awake. “My window?”

“Also, it sounds questionable. With an arm like mine,” I joked, “I was afraid I’d bust the glass.”

Three seconds later her curtain was shoved aside.

I waved.

She waved back.

“Come outside?” I urged.

The curtain fell, and she disconnected. I stood there looking up. Had she hung up on me because she thought I was crazy? Maybe I was crazy.

The front door swung open and she slipped through it. She was wearing yoga pants and a black hoodie. Her hair was twisted into a sloppy, sexy mess on top of her head. A few strands fluttered around her face.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she replied.

The sound of a vehicle cruising down a side street melded with the sounds of crickets chirping in the distance. We stared at each other a moment, neither of us seeming to know what to say.

“Why are you here?” she finally asked.

“I wanted to see you.”

“You spent all evening with me.”

“I know. Didn’t seem like long enough. I ended up stuck in a team meeting. You had to hang out with Julia. I feel like I didn’t really get to see you at all.”

Amusement lit up her eyes. “Are we just going to stand here on my sidewalk?”

“Wanna go for a drive?”

She nodded, and we hurried down the block to where I parked.

I had no idea where I was going as we skirted the edge of town.

“Slow down. Slow down.” Meg slapped her hand against the dashboard.

“What? Why?”

“Please.”

I did better than slow down. I pulled over to the side of the road.

She leaned forward, craning her neck so she could look skyward. Laurel’s water tower was probably a hundred feet in the air. It was stark white and stood out against the starlit sky.

“Are you checking out the water tower? It’s not new. It’s been here, like, forever,” I said.

“I know. I’ve never noticed it before.” Her eyes were sparkling. Excited energy radiated from her.

“No.”

“What?” she shot back.

“Meg, you can’t really be considering painting the tower.” I tried to sound reasonable. “How much painting have you done since the high school?”

“None,” she said, all wide-eyed innocence. “I’ve been good. Really good. But this would be perfect. It’s ideal.”

“It’s illegal.”

“There is that,” she cautiously agreed.

“We’re talking not only vandalism, but trespassing. It’s fenced in. There’s barbed wire topping the fence.” That should be a deterrent, shouldn’t it?

This was not what I had in mind when I asked if she wanted to go for a drive.

“I don’t plan on climbing over. There’s a gate. That little piece of linked chain just needs to be cut and the door will open right up. It’s nothing that a little old bolt cutter can’t contend with.”

How could she sound so reasonable when she was so obviously edging on insane?

“It’s not happening.” That was an order.

She said nothing.

“It’s not only illegal. It’s dangerous.” I suddenly felt as if I were the rational guy trying to talk a jumper off a ledge. Only I wasn’t doing a very good job, judging by her twitchy excitement level.

She leaned back against the seat and made a vague motion with her hand. “You’re right. It’s a dumb idea. Let’s get out of here.”

I studied her, noting the way her hands were clenched tightly in her lap. Her feet had the smallest bit of bounce to them. Her bottom lip was clamped firmly between her teeth.

“You’re a terrible liar,” I accused. “You’re going to paint the tower the first chance you get.”

“You should come with me,” she said excitedly. “The ladder starts…what…eight feet up? We come up with a makeshift ladder that reaches the real one. It’s easy-peasy. It’s like this tower is asking to be climbed.”

“If anyone is asking for anything, it’s you.” I shook my head. “What you’re asking for is your very own arrest record.”

“Okay,” she shrugged. “Don’t come. It’s better that way.”

“You’re really going to do this? What if you fall to your death?” Had that thought crossed her mind? “No one would find your body until morning.”

“I won’t fall.” She sounded so sure. “People climb water towers all the time.”

“You know this?”

“I’m guessing.”

“Well it’s a horrible idea.”

She grabbed my hand. The excitement in her tone had faded to a desperate plea. “I need this.”

Something in me shifted.

“Why the tower? There’s got to be a nice brick building in town. Another overpass? A parking lot?”

“I want that.” She pointed out the windshield. “It’s the first thing people see when they come into town. It’s the closest I can get to the sky.”

To Heaven. That’s what she really meant.

“I’m basically going up a ladder. What’s more natural than climbing a ladder?” She sounded so reasonable. “That’s what they’re made for.”

I rarely admitted defeat but realized I was not going to win this argument. Meg’s stubbornness would not be taken out by my common sense. The anniversary of her sister’s death was probably the worst possible day to have to talk her out of this.

“When are you doing this?”

“I have no idea. It’s not like I’ve formed a plan yet.”

I pulled back onto the road. “Promise me one thing.”

“Maybe.” The girl knew better than to promise at random.

“Let me know before you go through with it.”

“That,” she said, “I can do.”