Although he did nothing as blatant as what he’d done after that first touchdown, Trace didn’t stop watching me. He seemed unable to keep his eyes out of the stands. Between plays and from the sidelines when the defense was on the field, I felt his gaze. I felt it all through my body, straight down into my soul.
Nearly three full quarters later, as was our habit before the game was over, Lacey and I began making our way out of the stands. We’d long since discovered that it was the best way to avoid getting trampled.
At the bottom of the bleachers, we stopped to stand at the fence and watch the last play of the game, which we always did before hurrying off to get out of the parking lot before it became a huge undertaking. Traffic was insane after a game.
From our lower position, I couldn’t see Trace, so I let my eyes wander around the stadium. When I saw the haze, I wondered that I hadn’t noticed it before. Or felt it.
Just as had been the case at Brady’s party, it seemed there was a shimmering cloud hovering over the heads of every senior in the stadium. Everyone on the Timberwolves team and every fan that was near my age was covered. At least those on the home side of the field, that is. The fog was curiously absent over anyone on the visitor’s side of the stadium. All adults as well.
“Let’s go to the field house and see if we can catch Brady before he showers. I think Chad Manson is having a party at his dad’s cabin tonight. We should all go.”
“What?” I asked distractedly. I had heard her, but I hadn’t
heard
her.
Lacey grabbed my hand, shaking her head in exasperation. “Come on. I’ll tell you later.”
We made our way to the field house and weaved our way through the crush of bodies there. Lacey managed to signal Brady as he walked by. To her utter delight and my utter frustration, he veered toward her immediately, a pleased smile wreathing his face.
“Are you going to Chad Manson’s lake party?”
“Are you?” Brady countered.
Lacey glanced at me and grinned, looking coyly back to Brady. “We were thinking about it.”
“Why don’t you meet me there then?”
“What time?”
“Eleven?”
“Eleven it is,” Lacey agreed happily.
They stood staring at each other for a few seconds, during which time their desire to kiss was nearly palpable. It was an extremely uncomfortable time for me. I glanced away, rolling my eyes in disgust. My gaze tripped over Trace’s where he stood off to the side of the door, helmet tucked once more under his arm, watching me.
He straightened when our eyes met, as if he were going to approach me. I shook my head. The action was barely perceptible, but I prayed that it was obvious enough to Trace that he would keep his distance. There was no reason to make matters worse between him and Brady.
He frowned, but kept his distance. Thankfully, a few seconds later, Lacey was tugging my arm and guiding me away toward the parking lot. I could feel Trace’s eyes on me as we walked away.
********
Because my best friend is crazy in love with my brother, I found myself sitting in her car along the side of the road. We were parked and hidden by some trees, covertly watching for Brady to arrive at Chad’s party.
“Why can’t we just go in and be waiting for Brady when he gets here?”
“Because, silly, that would make it look like I’m too desperate.”
“I hate to break it to you, Lace, but you are desperate.”
“Yes, but Brady doesn’t need to know that.”
“You realize that Brady’s not Forrest Gump, right? I mean, he’s actually a smart guy. I’d say he already knows.”
“Nah,” she said, shaking her head emphatically. “He’s a guy. He’s obvious by nature. Can’t be helped. It’s the testosterone.”
I giggled. Inwardly, I cringed at both her grammar snafu and her strange take on human biology.
“Whatever you say, Professor.”
“Scarf all you want. It’s the truth. Ask anyone.”
I let the scarf mistake slide, too, figuring it was close enough to scoff that it would take me forever, a dictionary and a piece of paper to explain the difference. Lacey was proof that a good vocabulary did not a smart person make. Unless you were planning to earn a living as an author or an English teacher. In that case, the future wasn’t looking so hot.
“Is that Trace’s truck? Maybe Brady rode with him?” Lacey asked as she looked into her rearview mirror.
“Where?” I said, turning to look out the back glass.
Sure enough, Trace was turning into the dirt drive that led to Chad’s dad’s cabin. I couldn’t see into the dark interior of the truck, but I didn’t need to. I knew Brady wasn’t with him. They were well on their way to falling out no matter how much I tried to prevent it. A girl could only fight fate for so long.
“You stay and watch for Brady. I’m gonna go talk to Trace.”
“So Brady’s not with him? Could you see inside his truck?”
“No, Brady’s not with him.”
With that, I unbuckled my seatbelt and hopped out of Lacey’s car, scurrying along the shoulder of the road toward the dirt drive. I hadn’t walked very far when I came upon Trace’s truck, stopped right in the middle of the lane. Curious yet cautious, I slowly approached the driver’s side window.
“Get in,” he called softly from his open window once I was within ear shot.
“Brady will be here any minute. I can’t leave.”
“Yes, you can. Get in,” he repeated.
“Seriously, Trace, I don’t want to cause any more friction—”
“It’s come with me now or I’ll take my chances and talk to you at the party.”
When faced with those as my two options, leaving with Trace seemed infinitely preferable. Besides, the idea of spending some time alone with him was undeniably appealing.
I rounded the hood and hopped in the passenger side, immediately assailed with the light soapy scent that I associated with Trace. Even though at that moment he was freshly showered, he always smelled that way. Clean. Very clean.
Without a word, Trace shifted into reverse and began backing down the lane. Silently, I prayed that we wouldn’t meet Brady pulling in. That would be the disaster of all disasters.
I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief when we were on the road heading in the opposite direction from which Brady would arrive. I settled more comfortably into my seat and watched Trace’s big, capable hands where they rested lightly on the steering wheel, competently guiding the truck along the two-lane road.
“Where are we going?” I asked after we’d been traveling in silence for nearly ten minutes.
“You’ll see,” he answered enigmatically, not even glancing in my direction.
Two Lakes was a fairly small community, consequently there were very few places that took more than ten minutes to get to, regardless of your starting point. I couldn’t help but wonder if Trace was heading for town limits, something that just wasn’t done.
Unease prickled along my spine as I considered it. The scary part was, I didn’t even know why. I had no idea why no one traveled outside the town limits or why the mere prospect would make me apprehensive.
When the road on which we were bumping along turned to nothing more than a narrow gravel path surrounded by unfamiliar forest, my apprehension upgraded to real fear.
“Trace, we’re not supposed to be out this far.”
At that, he did look at me.
“And why is that?”
My mouth worked open and closed a couple times like a fish’s might, but no words came out. I had nothing to say, no logical reason or explanation.
“Don’t worry. You’ll like where I’m taking you.”
What small amount of illumination the moon had shed on the landscape was completely drowned out by the increasingly dense vegetation. The further Trace drove us into the woods, the brighter the lights of his dashboard seemed inside the inky blackness. They cast an eerie glow on his face that made me shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asked, a concerned frown marring his smooth brow.
“No.”
Trace looked at me—really looked at me—and his expression softened, his lips curving ever so slightly at the corners.
“Don’t be afraid, Peyton. I would never let anything happen to you.”
Anyone could’ve said those words and they’d have sounded empty, as no one could ensure without question the safety of another person. But for some reason, I felt the certainty of Trace’s promise, the safety and security of it, all the way down to my bones. He truly meant what he said. And I believed him.
“I know.”
As suddenly as the forest had seemed to erupt around us, it thinned and then completely disappeared, leaving me staring into a beautifully lush meadow drenched in rich, silver moonlight. Trace pulled off the rustic road and drove across the grass to the edge of the river that fed one of the two lakes that gave Two Lakes its name. He slowed to a stop and shifted into park before cutting the engine.
“Come on,” he said as he got out of the truck.
I unbuckled my seatbelt and climbed down, my feet sinking pleasantly into the soft cushion of thick grass. A delicate floral scent wafted up to my nose and I looked down. In the faint light, I could make out some kind of tiny flower that was growing amongst the grass. As I crushed the petals beneath my feet, they released their heavenly aroma into the air, saturating it. I’d never smelled anything like it.
“Smell good, don’t they?” Trace asked, his teeth flashing white in the low light. He reached back and grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
I let him lead me away from the truck, further out into the meadow. The feel of Trace’s fingers wrapped around mine, the sound of rushing water, the sweet smell arising from the lush ground—it was all an intoxicating blend that overwhelmed my senses. When Trace pulled me to a stop at what appeared to be roughly the center of the meadow, I smiled contentedly up into his handsome face.
“Feel that?” he asked.
“What?” I inquired, not certain to what he was referring.
“That buzz in the air. Can you feel it?”
I reached out with every nerve to feel something out of the ordinary, but, alas, I felt nothing more than the myriad emotions I always felt in Trace’s presence.
“No.”
“You will,” he said with a confident smile. “Are you ready?”
My heart leapt with excitement and I felt suddenly breathless. “Ready for what?”
“Ready for this,” he said, pulling me toward him.
CHAPTER TEN
It was as though a veil I’d been born with and worn every day of my entire life had been lifted. All of a sudden, I could hear the intensity of true silence. All of a sudden, I could see stars in what had always been a blank dark blue sky. All of a sudden, I could smell so much more than the crushed flowers at my feet. All of a sudden, I could taste the salty tang that permeated the ambient air. All of a sudden, I could feel…everything.
I don’t know how long I stood quietly, mouth agape, staring at the world around me before Trace spoke.
“You can feel it, too, can’t you?”