“Hey, I didn’t know you could take a car on your mission! Where did you go? I hope I get the same mission. Maybe I’ll take a Corvette!”
She smiled and opened her eyes. “You can’t take a car on your mission. I just meant that the Taco Rocket and its accompanying rebel streak help me make it through some of the struggles. At first Portugal felt like another planet. It’s silly, but that car makes me feel like I can deal with stuff better for some reason.”
Luke looked over at her. “Maybe you’d better keep the car. Or get another one that makes you feel just as capable. What is it about the Taco Rocket that makes you feel stronger?”
She gave him a sheepish smile, closed her eyes again, leaned her head back and admitted, “That my parents hated it. They wanted me in a respectable, new, little Mercedes sedan. It was the first battle I ever won. I think it’s still the only battle I’ve ever won.”
Luke said, “Dang, now you’re making me feel guilty for wanting to replace your junker car. We’re all going back to Connecticut for some retirement reception for Fo’s dad. Are we going to get to meet your parents?”
Without opening her eyes she said, “I don’t even know for sure that I’m going to go. I know that sounds so uncaring, but I’m not sure I’m up to dealing with them right now. Plus, you’re forgetting Elroy. I have to deal with him as well. As wimpy as I am about standing up to them, I’m likely to be engaged against my will before I get back here.”
Luke chuckled. “I’m having a hard time picturing you so easily manipulated. Are you sure you’re not embellishing here? You could just elbow him like you do Chase and he’d get the message, don’t you think?”
Charlie tried to turn and ease the pound in her shoulder. “Like Chase has gotten the message. Plus, Elroy’s an attorney. I’d probably end up being sued and engaged.” She opened her eyes as they rumbled across the bridge and sighed gratefully when Luke pulled straight to her house first thing, then got out to help her out.
On her porch he was surprised when she had to dig a key out of her purse to get in. “Wow. I think this is the first time in my life that someone around here has locked a door.”
“Sorry. I guess it’s the big city girl in me. Give me a second to take something and I’ll come up and put the groceries away and start getting dinner.”
For once, the administrator came out in him toward her. “No, you won’t. Take something and put some ice on your shoulder and go lie down. We can handle the groceries and dinner. I’ll even send you a plate. Just get a handle on the pain and relax. Honestly, you shouldn’t be back at all yet.”
She looked up at him and then turned to go into her kitchen and take the pill bottle out of the cupboard. “Don’t be so bossy. I’m too sore to argue.”
“So don’t argue. And I am your boss theoretically. So mind me. Go to bed. I’ll send Fo up to check on you.”
She laughed at the dichotomy between his stern words and his gentle voice. “You can’t make me believe you’re anything but a softy, so give it up. But I’ll be good anyway. Gratefully. Thanks for bringing me home. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be more up to things.”
As he shut the door behind him she stared at it for a moment. He was incredibly sexy when he was bossy. She took the pill, got the recommended ice and went into her bedroom to change and lie down. While she waited for the painkiller to kick in she thought about their conversation. It probably was time to get a new car, but she didn’t have to tell her parents about it just yet. And she couldn’t not go to Fo’s dad’s big to-do back east. It would be rude and cowardly anyway.
When she finally felt the blessed relief, she gratefully let herself drift off to sleep, enjoying that dreamy, almost happy distance from reality. Luke was really adorable. She should be more careful about how she was feeling about him.
****
Luke must have taken her seriously about how her willingness to drive a different car would fade the next day, because when Fo came to check on her when he got home from work, she was stunned when he asked whose new SUV was out in front of her house. She dragged herself to the door and wondered if she’d taken too many pills and was hallucinating. There was a shiny, pewter GMC Yukon with new stickers in the window parked beside the rusting Taco Rocket in the gravel parking.
She went out and walked all the way around it with Fo at her heels, and finally, she whispered, “He didn’t really.”
“Who didn’t really what?” Fo was mystified at what was going on.
She sighed and went back into the house and collapsed onto the couch. “Your cousin, the lunatic. That’s who. For thirty seconds I admitted that I ought to get a more dependable car and he has that thing brought in. I should never have discussed cars when I was so sore. Now look what he did! How am I ever going to resist that?” She looked up at him and almost felt weepy again. “How wealthy are these guys? He had to have simply called and ordered it. There’s no way he even had time to have gone and gotten it.”
Fo laughed. “That’s yours? Wow, you must have been sore!” He laughed again, shaking his head. “You may have finally met your match, Charlie. Which is a good thing. Now I won’t have to worry about you every single time you go anywhere. Quit acting so pitifully woeful. That’s a gorgeous vehicle! Let’s go out and look at it. C’mon.”
She shook her head. “No. In the first place, I’m too tired and in the second, I should make him return it. Who calls and orders something like that? What? Did he think he was calling Dominos? Oh, it almost makes me mad, except he’s so dang sweet about everything.” She hid her face with a pillow and this time she did start to bawl.
Fo looked at her warily, then sat down next to her on the couch and asked hesitantly, “Charlie?”
He sounded so worried that she looked up at him and smiled through her tears. “What?
“You’re kind of freakin’ out on me here. What’s going on? Why did Luke buy you a truck and why are you crying over it?”
She wiped at her eyes frustratedly. “Oh, I don’t know on either count. The Taco Rocket quit again and Luke hauled Tuckett and me home, and I hadn’t had enough pain medicine because I was driving, and I admitted that I should get something more dependable, and he asked if I’d be offended if he bought something safer for me to drive for the summer.” She finally wound down and took a deep breath.
“And what did you tell him?”
She groaned. “That he could buy me a Porsche if he wanted to today, but tomorrow I’d be perfectly happy with the Taco Rocket again. What I meant was just that I was having a weaker moment, and tomorrow I’d be fine. I never dreamed he’d buy me a new SUV. I mean it’s not mine. He said it was for me to drive this summer on ranch errands, but still. Now what do I do?” She fairly wailed the last.
Gently, Fo asked, “Since you’re already bawling, can I be mean and say that, truthfully, if Tuckett was my son, I wouldn’t want him riding in your car, no matter how much I trusted your driving skills. Heck, I hate it when you drive it at all, but I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I just try to always make sure I know where you’re headed in case I have to come rescue you. That being said, they probably only want their children to be driven as safely as possible. Take the Yukon graciously for the kids’ sake. At the end of the summer you can always drive away from here in the Taco Rocket with your pride intact.” He ended with a grin and she had to smile back.
“You were right. That was mean. And do you truly think I’ll be able to face that rusty Honda after driving in relative luxury for more than a month? The Taco Rocket’s days are probably numbered.”
Fo grinned. “Honestly, I hope you never end up driving away from here. I think you should marry Luke and live happily ever after right here in Montana, but I would never dare actually tell you that. So…”
She looked at him wide eyed. “Fo! You’re crazy! You have love on the brain. Luke thinks I’m as much of one of the guys as you do, and I’m headed back to Utah to school. Can you even imagine the tough old bird if I announced I was staying in Montana?”
“How do you know Luke thinks of you as one of the guys? He must think something good about you. He just bought you a truck! And what do you think about him? Isn’t that the real issue here? Law school doesn’t even matter to you.”
She looked up at him and leaned her head back against the couch again with a sigh. “I’m not even going to answer that on the grounds it might incriminate me. I should never have come here. Why didn’t you tell me your cousin was gorgeous and sweet and smart and… and everything. I liked him even before he was unengaged. I felt terrible.”
He laughed and put his arm around her and pulled her to lean against him. “What. It’s not so bad. I think the world of him. What’s wrong with Luke?”
“Nothing. Except he’s a Montana rancher. Apparently a rich Montana rancher and I’m a Connecticut law student. And you know staying here isn’t an option. My parents would send in the FBI if I even considered it. Not to mention the fact that Luke doesn’t know I exist, except that he needs to rescue me regularly.”
“Oh, quit whining. You’re positively sniveling. Listen to you. What’s wrong with a rich Montana rancher? You just said he was gorgeous and sweet and smart. And I think quite a bit of him frankly. I think he’s perfect for you. He could deal with you and keep on ticking. If you know what I mean.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “No. I don’t know what you mean. Explain yourself Forest Eldridge. What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing. That’s the problem. Can you imagine a regular Joe mediocre attorney trying to keep up with you? He’d be intimidated in seconds. You need someone that can keep up with both how competent you are, and can match your strength. That makes it a lot harder. There’s not one man in ten million that could do it. Luke could.”
“Strength.” She gave another big sigh. “I’m so strong that I can’t even
not
go to law school. That’s pretty strong isn’t it?” She put her feet down off the coffee table. “I guess I’d better get up and make my plane reservations to go back east. As much as I’d like to stay here, I know I need to go. Do you know when everyone else is flying out? I’ll try to get on the same plane.”
“Richard bought your ticket days ago with the rest of ours. I told him you’d worry about it and finally decide you had to go and he bought it so you’re all set.”
“I guess you do know me. How many days are we staying there?”
“Two or three. I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask them. I told Richard to get you a hotel room too so you could use the excuse that they need help with the kids. That way you won’t be so toasted by the all powerful by the time we leave again.”
“Thank you, but isn’t that overkill or petty or something? I ought to be able to spend time with my own parents. You’d think I was three.”
He looked at her steadily. “Charlie, it isn’t that you can’t handle spending time with your parents. You can handle it fine. You just don’t enjoy it. And honestly, they would rather be doing their own thing too, don’t you think? It’s simply more pleasant this way. It’s not ideal, but I truly believe they are to blame. You try; they just never stop to consider your wants or needs. You have good parents, Chuck. Only they’re frankly more interested in their careers and appearances than in happy, healthy relationships with their kids.”
She shook her head. “No, it has to be my fault as well, Fo. They get along fine with everyone else. Well, almost everyone else.”
“No, Charlie, they don’t. The only ones they get along that great with are the ones that also focus on career and appearances. The eternities aren’t necessarily a priority there. I mean they’re good people, don’t get me wrong. But the prophets don’t say get a powerful career and put your kids in daycare.”
She gave him tired smile. “When you put it that way it reminds me that it’s okay to disobey your parents to follow the Brethren.”
He patted her hand. “You’re an incredibly smart and strong woman, Charlie. And you have your head on straight. Trust your own judgment on the important stuff. You and I both know your priorities are much more in line with what the Savior wanted than your parents’ are. What you need to do, Charlie, is stop feeling guilty for growing up and growing away. Quit apologizing for making good choices. Yes, I think it’s good not to fight with them about it, but that only makes it even more okay to separate yourself some. Stay at the hotel and don’t feel guilty about it. We’ll go to lunch with your parents and have dinner. And we’ll dress up and play the appearances game a couple of times for them, but we’re not going to be bullied or feel guilty for you making your own decisions.”
His pep talk made her laugh. “You’re so good for me. I needed to hear that. Could you tell me that same thing on the flight over?”
“Sure. But it’s gonna cost you. Have you already eaten?”
She shook her head. “No, and I’m starving. I haven’t had anything since lunch. Speaking of lunch, how did Dr. Nichols know me? Did he say?”
Fo grinned at her. “Luke said he didn’t think you remembered, but I thought he was kidding. You really don’t remember?”
Hesitantly, she admitted, “No, and it worries me. Luke teased me about making a pass at him when I was on morphine, but I don’t even remember him. I’ve always reacted strongly to drugs. Usually, I only have to have like half a dose, but that night I was tired and upset as well, and they must have given me a whopper dose. I hope I didn’t do something questionable.”
He thought this whole thing was funny. “That’s something else we’ll have to ask Luke about. In the mean time, Dr. Nichols definitely wants to get better acquainted with you.” He laughed and she grimaced. It made him laugh again and say, “He’s not so bad. He’s not a member, but maybe you could convert him.”
They both looked up at a knock on her door. Luke pushed open the screen door and poked his head inside. “Anybody home?”
Charlie answered, trying to ignore Fo’s grin, “We’re home. Come on in.”
Luke walked in carrying a plate covered with tin foil. “Sorry, Fo. I didn’t realize you were here or I’d have brought two plates. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet. I’ll go find something in a minute. We were just talking about you. We have some questions for you. Well, Charlie does. Did you really buy her some wheels?”