“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I fumbled.
“Uh-huh. You’re a terrible liar.”
“Why is everyone so hung up on my love life? Why can’t you concentrate on your own?” I huffed.
“Oh, I do—a lot,” she said with a grin.
After coming home, I’d quickly figured out that my best friend had adopted a very casual definition of relationship. She’d said she hadn’t found the right one yet, and she really had no interest in ever doing so, but she loved taste-testing and sampling the variety. She would do this often. The few weeks I’d lived with her, I’d done so with headphones and a pillow over my head. Her samplings would get pretty loud.
“We’re just friends,” I said adamantly.
“Right. About that—I thought he hated you.”
I thought back on the last several weeks with Garrett since I’d arrived back in Richmond. It had been a constant roller coaster of hot and cold. I had no idea what was going on.
“He did. Maybe he still does. I don’t know. But we’re trying to be friends.”
“Friends. Right,” she said with sarcasm.
I threw a pair of boy shorts at her, and she ducked and screamed.
“Come on, would you help me? He’s going to be here in a few minutes, and I’m not done yet!”
Her butt shifted into gear finally, and we managed to have everything packed right as the doorbell chimed, announcing Garrett’s arrival.
“I’ll go get it!” she sang. She hopped down the stairs toward the door with Sam following behind her.
I rolled my eyes as I lugged my suitcase behind me.
By the time I reached the foyer, Liv was already rattling off questions faster than Garrett could comprehend them.
“Where are you guys going? Where are you staying? Have you booked tickets to the Statue of Liberty? I hear it’s hard to get tickets. Have you thought about restaurants?”
His eyes were starting to bug out of his head, and he nervously tugged at the back of his head as he looked around the room for sanctuary. “Oh, look! There’s Mia! Looks like we’ve got to go! Don’t want to miss our flight!” he said in one quick breath.
I giggled a bit under my breath.
“Hmm…okay. Well, you two have fun,” Liv said, giving me a quick wink.
I avoided rolling my eyes, and instead, I gave her directions for Sam, pointing to the bag of food, his leash, and his toys that I’d laid out next to the door.
“Okay, okay, Mom. I’ve got it. Come on, Sammy Boy!”
Sam came wagging his tail, and she hooked him on the leash. Garrett helped her by lugging all of Sam’s stuff out the door and into the car. A few weeks ago, I would have never known dogs required so much stuff. Within a few short minutes, he was back, and we were alone.
Garrett gave me an appreciative once-over and commented, “Nice dress.”
I’d decided to forgo my normal summer ensembles of shorts and a tank top, and I’d gone for something a bit nicer since we were headed for New York City. I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. So, I’d put on a flowery sundress that came about mid-thigh and accented my slim waist. I grabbed a sweater on my way out and threw it over my arm. Airplanes were notoriously cold, and my internal thermostat was permanently broken. I was always freezing.
“Thanks,” I answered shyly.
“You ready?” he asked.
I quickly nodded. Without asking, he grabbed my suitcase, and we made our way out the front door. I locked up as he packed the car, and we both hopped in at the same time.
I smoothed out the wrinkles in my dress and crossed my ankles nervously. I didn’t know why, but every time we had been together in a car, his presence seemed to multiply. His scent filled the small space, and I felt like I was drowning in his woodsy, masculine essence.
“I have to go directly to a client’s office before they close. I’ll drop you off at the hotel and check us in first, if that’s all right?”
“Yes, that’s great!” I said with a little too much enthusiasm. Calm down, Mia.
He chuckled quietly. “Okay.”
We drove in silence during the short distance to the airport, and then we checked in without much fuss. I bit the inside of my cheek when the woman at the front counter recognized Garrett from his many business flights. She flirted with his mercilessly, and she didn’t give me the time of day until I had to hand over my ID. She gave it a passive glance and then handed it back before she continued her deep conversation with Garrett. He was polite and smiled, but I could see the loner in him was uncomfortable from all the attention.
“Nice to see you, too…” he started to say.
He looked at me in a panic. He didn’t know her name.
Darla, I mouthed, catching her name tag out peeking out from under the lapel of her jacket.
“Darla!” he said quickly.
She gave a huge wave, and we exited in a hurry.
“Oh my Gawd, Mr. Finnegan, it’s so good to see you again,” I mocked, adding extra Southern sugar to my voice to mimic Darla’s sweet drawl.
“Shut up,” he said.
“She likes you.”
“I didn’t notice.”
“Not your type?” I joked.
“No.”
“No? So, what is your type, Garrett?” I asked as we passed through security.
What the hell was I doing? I didn’t want to know his type.
He stopped dead, right in the middle of the morning rush of passengers walking in both directions. He turned and gave me a hard stare, one that gave me goose bumps.
“I don’t have one—not anymore.”
~Garrett~
I’d been bringing Mia to this spot for a few months.
It was quiet, and the view was spectacular. The water from the river sparkled under the moonlight, and if we came at the right time, we could watch the fireflies spark and light up the night sky.
I hadn’t planned on it being our go-to make-out spot, but I wasn’t going to complain that it had worked out that way. I’d just turned sixteen, and freedom was now mine in the form of the car my father and I had painstakingly restored over the last year. I used that freedom to my advantage, and right now, I was enjoying that advantage to the fullest.
My hand slid up Mia’s bare leg and slipped under her skirt to grab her shapely ass. She’d been mine for just over a year now. Over three-hundred-and-sixty-five days of this. My buddies had made fun of me for dating the same girl for so long, but they didn’t know. They didn’t have a Mia.