Miles From Home (5 page)

“You’re not asking me, Sam. I offered. And if I thought it would be a problem I wouldn’t have even said anything about it. Besides, it’s on my way so you don’t have much of an argument, now do you?” I take another drink of my coffee and finish my donut as a smile slowly creeps across his face.

“Okay, I can see your point. But I won’t go if you don’t let me help pay on the room and gas.”

I nod and turn my head so he doesn’t see the wide grin on my face while I move to the other side of my bed to grab my phone. “That’s fine, I’ll let you.” I walk towards the front door, anxious to get outside so I can catch my breath. “I have a couple of phone calls I need to return so I’m going to step outside, okay?” He nods as I step out onto the cottage’s porch. I turn my phone on and sit in one of the large wooden rocking chairs. I have four missed calls. The first one is from my dad; he left a voicemail, but I’m not ready to hear what he has to say so I skip it. I’ll deal with that one last. The second and third are from my best friend Sydney and the fourth call is from my Aunt Virginia. I listen to Sydney’s voicemail first, since I’m sure she’s freaking out right now. Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she called the state troopers to look for me.

“Hey girl, what’s going on? I haven’t heard from you since you left this morning and I wanted to make sure you’re okay. How’s your trip going? Call me back and Let me know where you are. Love ya.”

I listen to her second voicemail; it’s from late last night.

“Maggie Dawn Taylor! Where are you? I’ve called you and texted you a million times and you never responded. Are you okay? Your dad has been calling me; I don’t know what to tell him. If I don’t hear back from you soon I’m calling the state trooper! Call me, please, I’m worried about you.”

I laugh and shake my head as I dial Sydney’s number. She picks up on the first ring. “Maggie, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Syd, calm down.” I let out a chuckle.

“Don’t you tell me to calm down! I’ve been worried sick. Where are you and why haven’t you responded to my calls and texts?”

“I’m sorry, Sydney. My phone has been dead so I had no idea you were trying to reach me. I’m in a small town in Missouri . . . Hermann, Missouri.”

I hear her let out a loud breath. “Why are you in Missouri? You were supposed to be in New York City by now.”

I roll my eyes as she continues to give me the third degree. “My car broke down around 1:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. I got some help and I had to get to the closest town so it could be fixed.”

“Oh no, that really sucks, but at least you’re safe,” Sydney says, sounding relieved.

“But, unfortunately, the part I need won’t be here until Monday, so I’m stuck here until then. It’s all good, Syd, so no worries.”

“Oh, thank God!” Sydney lets out a huge sigh. “So what are you doing while you’re stuck in Missouri? Are you okay with being there alone?” I consider telling her I’m not exactly alone, but I quickly decide against it. If I tell her about Sam she will freak out, thinking he’s a rapist or something and I can’t take a chance on her telling my dad . . . no, I’m just not going to tell her.

“I’m fine, Syd. I’m just hanging out here in my room. Really, I’m fine. Listen, I have to go. I need to call my aunt before she freaks out too. I’ll call you tomorrow . . . oh, and don’t tell my dad anything; I plan on calling him soon.” I squeeze my eyes closed tightly, praying that she says she won’t call him.

“Okay, but he sounded really upset and . . . worried. I told him I haven’t seen or spoken to you in a couple of days; you know he doesn’t believe that. I’m not sure how long I can keep it up, Maggie, so please call him soon,” she pleads.

“I promise I will, Syd. I’ll talk to you soon. Oh . . . and thank you for covering for me.” We hang up.

The next call I make is to my Aunt Virginia, my mother’s older sister. She’s always been like a second mother to me. Every summer, when I was young, I would spend a month at her house on Willow Lake in Savannah, Georgia. She never married or had any children, so she always treated me as if I was the daughter she never had. She’s the one that pushed me to accept the spot at Barnard College. And though she and my dad never really saw eye to eye, they always got along. And even though she is two years older than my mom, they were as close as sisters could be.

When she answers on the second ring, I smile. Hearing her voice is as close as I will ever get to hearing my mom’s voice again; they have always sounded just alike. “Hello, sweetie,” she says when she answers. “How’s your trip coming along? Are you doing okay?”

“Hi, Aunt Virginia. Sorry I missed your call but my phone died sometime yesterday evening and it was charging overnight.” I hear a small laugh. She’s a bit old-school and it took her forever to finally get a cell phone. “Things are good. I had a little bit of car trouble, but it’s all good now. How are things there?” I ask.

“Oh, Lord, Maggie, I hate the thought of you traveling so far alone.” I can hear the concern in her voice.

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine.” I hate not telling her I’m stuck in Missouri until Monday, but she’ll only worry if she knew.

”Well, it’s been raining for the last two days so I’ve gotten a lot of reading done. And I’m making a big pot of chicken soup, your favorite. Where are you exactly?” she asks.

I take a deep breath. “I’m in Missouri, Aunt Virginia. I stopped here to have my car looked at. It’s been fixed, so I’ll be on the road this afternoon. I’ll call you later tonight and check in.” I hold my breath, hoping she can’t tell I’m lying.

“Okay, sweetie. Drive safe and I’ll talk to you soon. I love you, Maggie.”

“I love you too. Bye.” I hang up.

I look down at my phone while I consider calling my dad, but I quickly decide that now is not the time. I just don’t think I can handle it right now. Sam smiles as I step back inside

“Is everything okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, I just had to call my friend Sydney and my Aunt Virginia before one of them sent the FBI out to find me.”

“Oh, okay. They do know I’ll be riding with you, don’t they?” I nod my head slowly.

“Oh, sure, they’re fine with it. They trust me. They know I wouldn’t make a decision that would put my life in danger,” I say, walking over and sitting in the leather chair. I lean back and exhale; damage control done. I suddenly feel like a teenager who just got away with sneaking out of her room without getting caught and I smile.

“Hey, I wonder if the auto repair shop is open now so we can go get our stuff. I could really use a shower and a toothbrush.”

Sam grins and jumps up. “Me too. Come on, let’s go see.”

As we walk through town, evidence from last night’s festivities is scattered throughout the park. There are several people picking up discarded cups and placing chairs around a makeshift stage.

“Looks as though they’re getting ready for round two,” I say.

Sam points to a large banner. “It starts up again at 10:00 this morning. I’m not sure wine is what we need this early, but it looks like they may have live music tonight.” He looks at me, raising his eyebrows. “Feel like venturing back out tonight?”

“I’m game if you are.” Sam holds his hand out. I take it and we cross the street to Murphy’s. I’m relieved when I see the “open” sign flashing in the window, and I can feel the tension roll off of me when I spot my car. I feel almost giddy knowing I’m going to get a shower soon. Sam’s in for a treat, he’s never seen the cleaned-up version of Maggie. Sam waves at Doug, the owner, and points towards my car. “Just grabbing our bags. You were closed when we came back yesterday afternoon.”

Doug laughs as he walks towards us. “Yep, I always close early on Friday. Sorry I didn’t mention that.”

I open my car door and grab my pink overnight bag. Yes, pink. I’m sure Sam will say something when he sees what color it is. It’s really all I need; it has all my toiletries and extra clothes. I feel a sense of relief now that I have them and I can’t wait to climb into a nice hot shower.

Sam pops the trunk and goes around to get his backpack and guitar case. I give Doug my cell phone number and we say goodbye, heading out with our stuff. I knew it wouldn’t take Sam long to tease me about my pink overnight bag. “Hmm, is that bag pink?”

I give him a look and shake my head. “Yes, it is,” I say. We walk towards the cottage, both of us smiling.

Once we make it back to the room, Sam offers me the bathroom first. “You can go ahead and use the shower. I think I’ll go look for a grocery store and get a few snacks and drinks. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you?”

“I would love a big bottle of water. Other than that, I’m good.” I dig through my purse to get some change for him.

Sam holds up his hand as I try to hand him some money. “Maggie, I got this. Put your money back.”

I smile and say, “Thank you.” And as soon as Sam leaves I run for the bathroom. I dump everything out onto the counter and grab a towel. As the shower heats up, I shed the clothes I’ve had on for more than twenty-four hours, step into the steam, and close my eyes as the hot water slides down my body.

Just as I step out into the cool air, I hear Sam through the door. “Did you enjoy your shower, Maggie?”

“Yes, I’m just finishing up. I’ll be out in a second.” I suddenly feel tingling through my body, knowing Sam’s just on the other side of that door.

“No hurry, I’m just going to put these things I got at the grocery store away. I was just checking on you.”

That comment makes me smile; it’s been a long time since a guy has “checked” on me.
Watch it, Maggie. Don’t get attached.
I take one final look in the mirror after pulling on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. I slip my flip-flops on and take a deep breath while I open the door.

Sam is sitting down, holding his guitar. When he sees me standing and staring at him, he blushes and sets the guitar down beside the chair.

I wave my hand towards the bathroom. “It’s all yours, Sam,” I say, as he walks slowly towards me. “I left you a clean towel and washcloth and if you need shampoo or anything, you can use mine.” I move slightly to the side as he passes by. He lightly brushes my hand with his as he turns, smiling.

“I have everything I need.” He closes the door, leaving me with weak knees and out of breath.

As I lean against the wall trying to catch my breath, I hear the shower curtain close and my lips curl into a grin. Picturing Sam standing under the water as it flows over his naked body is more than I can take at this moment so I quickly shake the thought from my mind. I walk towards the sack he left on the table and grab the bottle of water, taking a huge drink. It’s exactly what I needed to cool off. As I look through the bag, I inspect each item, sitting them on the table; chips, Hersey’s kisses, and a few energy bars. I pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth while I slowly walk over to my bed. When I look through my purse, I find my lip gloss and run the tip of it over my lips, rubbing them together as I lean back on my pillow and close my eyes.

“Hey, Maggie.”

Sam is leaning over me. I sit up quickly and run my hands over my face. “I must have dozed off, that shower really relaxed me.”

“If you’re tired we can hang out here for a while,” Sam says, sitting in the leather chair. I watch him as he picks up his guitar and starts to play a few chords. I notice the way he holds the instrument and strokes each string with his fingers; it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.

I find it hard to pull my eyes away from his hands. “It’s up to you. But I don’t mind sitting here for a while. I’d love to hear you play something,” I say, moving up closer to the headboard.

“Is there anything in particular you want to hear? I can play just about anything,” Sam says, lightly picking each string.

“Surprise me.” I lean against my pillow and close my eyes when Sam starts playing his guitar. He begins to sing very quietly at first, and I can barely hear the words but I know this song well. It’s by Rascal Flats, and called
I Melt.
Although I’m not a huge fan of country music, no one grows up in Texas without learning to love few of the songs, and this just happens to be one of my favorites.

I melt every time you look at me that way

It never fails, anytime, any place

This burn in me is the coolest thing I’ve ever felt

I melt

The next thing I know, Sam is putting a blanket over me. I can feel him lean down and whisper in my ear. “Get some sleep, Maggie.”

I start to relax even more and drift off to sleep. I have dreams of Sam playing his guitar and of me kissing him.

When I wake up I can see through the window that the sun is beginning to set. I see Sam, still sitting in the leather chair and playing his guitar, softly. I sit up slowly as Sam looks up at me and smiles.

“Oh wow, how long have I been asleep?” I stretch my arms over my head.

“Quite a while. You were tired. I guess we were both pretty tired. I even slept a couple of hours too.” He stands and walks over to the small table and grabs a Twinkie. I watch him while he slowly unwraps it and takes a bite. He stares into my eyes as he eats it and my heart quickens before I can look away.

“I love these things. They remind me of when I was little.” He takes another bite and grins.

“Are you hungry?” he asks, but I can’t pull my eyes away from his mouth long enough to answer him. When I finally do, I suddenly feel a flush spread across my face and I turn away.

“Yes, I’m starving,” I say, leaning over to check my phone, trying anything to distract my mind.

“Should we go get something to eat at the diner?” he asks, opening another Twinkie.

“Yes,” I reply. I begin walking towards the bathroom. “Just let me brush my hair and I’ll be right out.”

I close the bathroom door and look at myself in the mirror. I brush my teeth and my hair and apply a small amount of makeup. When I come out of the bathroom, Sam is waiting by the front door. He’s wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a tan button-down long-sleeved shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled halfway up and a pair of Nike tennis shoes. He definitely has my undivided attention. As we walk towards the diner, I see that the festival goers are at it in full force. The park is filling up with tourists that are ready to have a good time. I look at my watch and see it’s a little after seven o’clock and I suddenly remember I need to call Sydney and my Aunt Virginia as soon as I can to check in with them.