"I have the perfect idea for the float," Luke told me as he came from his office in the back of the bar. He sat down on one of the bar stools and placed a drawing on the bar. "What do you think?"
The float was extremely simple, which I immediately liked. Instead of some large trailer being pulled, he had drawn my father's truck, but it was no longer just the dark blue. It had an incredible design painted on it that used the existing dark blue with red and white to make an abstract design that looked patriotic. In the back of the truck, toward the window, was an arch that said Thank you at the top.
"It's washable paint. I realized the other day, when I left your house, that I didn't want you to have to do extra work for me to get a float that is to celebrate Memorial Day. So, when Will offered to paint the truck, I thought it was perfect."
"It's... it's incredible," I admitted. Even if I didn't like the guy, skill was skill.
"The only problem is that I would need your truck for a while. I mean, obviously I'd let you use my car so you aren't vehicle-less."
"You can take my truck, but I don't need your car. It's fine."
"But you need a vehicle–"
"Luke, don't worry about it." I pulled my keys out of my pocket, took off the truck key, and placed it on top of the drawing.
He smiled and put the key in his pocket.
"Make sure he doesn't mess it up."
He nodded in agreement then grabbed his drawing and left the bar. I could hear my truck start and smiled slightly–the distant rumble reminded me of my father.
After work, I headed to a used car dealership to look for a car. I didn't want to drive my father's truck everywhere and put a ton of miles on it anyway. So, it being gone seemed like the perfect time to find a cheap car.
As I browsed the rows of used vehicles, my eyes fell on a tan, two-door Ford Escort that was absolutely perfect. I grinned and glanced into the window at the tan cloth seats that were slightly stained, but not too terribly.
"Can I help you?" A man called out from the other side of the car where the building was.
"I want this car."
The salesman grinned. "It's a '95, but the engine was rebuilt in 2010 and the transmission was replaced two years ago. It's been kept up very well by the owner and our mechanics have given it a tune up."
"Well, let's get the paperwork then. I'll be paying in cash."
He looked at me in surprise, but then quickly nodded and gestured for me to follow. A couple hours later I drove home in my new, old car.
"Where's your truck?" Emily called from her yard when I got home.
I crossed the grass and looked back at my car. "Luke is using my truck for the Memorial Day parade, and I needed something to drive anyone so I'm not putting a ton of miles on my dad's truck."
"Yeah, he told me about your truck–it sounds like it's going to be awesome."
"It looked like a pretty awesome design. I'll be interested to see how it turns out."
"It was nice of you to let them borrow it."
I shrugged. "It's not a big deal."
When I looked back at Emily I noticed there was a red convertible in her driveway. "Company?"
"Yeah, my parents are visiting for the month."
"A whole month?"
She laughed. "They only get to visit once a year, so they stay a month and usually rotate what major holiday month—but this year they could only make it at this time.
"Oh, right. You said your dad is stationed in Japan."
She smiled and nodded. "Would you like to meet them?"
Before I could even stop myself, I recoiled at the thought. The moment her face changed to a confused-offended look, I wanted to kick myself. I rubbed the back of my neck in discomfort. "I'm sure they're great, I'm just not... it's just that...." I sighed and shrugged, unsure of how to defend my reaction.
She looked at me for a long moment before finally saying, "I get it." She smiled and grabbed a bag from her car. "Catch you later?"
I nodded. It wasn't until I watched her shut the door to her house that I realized I had been watching her. Suddenly feeling awkward, I turned and went inside my own house where I should have been this whole time.
Sitting down on the couch with my whisky in hand, I began my routine of drinking the mental and physical pain. A third of the way into my drink, the sound of shouting caught my attention. I muted the TV and waited.
"No, Brett!"
It was Emily. I immediately jumped up and went to the window. She stood by her boyfriend's car with her hands on her hips giving her boyfriend a scolding look.
"They're in bed. Why does it matter if you leave for a little while?"
"Because they might need me! But the more important reason is because I don't want to go anywhere with you. You're an asshole!"
"Because I don't want to see your parents?"
"They were really looking forward to it!"
He rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the passenger side of his car. She jerked away and shook her head.
"I'm serious, I'm not going. Good night." She turned to walk inside, but he grabbed her wrist once again and jerked her back toward him.
"Will you stop acting like such a brat? You're making way bigger of a deal out of it than it is."
Seeing him grab her instantly had my blood boiling. I stormed out of the house and marched up to Brett, removing his hand from her wrist as calmly as I could.
"You good, Emily?"
Her shoulders straightened and she lifted her chin slightly as she looked at Brett. "I'm fine, Taylor. Thank you. Brett, just go home. We will talk later, okay?"
He looked at her, then at me. His eyes narrowed the moment they met with mine, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he got back into his car and pulled out of the driveway. As soon as he was out of sight, her shoulders dropped.
"What an asshole," she mumbled before turning to me.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded. "You're probably thinking, 'why the hell is she with that dude.'"
"Kinda."
She laughed humorlessly. "I ask myself that too sometimes. But... he isn't always like that. He just gets in these... moods. I don't know." She shrugged. "Thanks for checking on me."
I gave her a nod. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Taylor." She smiled and headed back to the house, but she turned back to me when she got to the door. "I'm going to go for a run... do you want to join?"
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Isn't it almost midnight?"
"Didn't we meet running at three in the morning?"
I gave her a crooked smile. "You have a point. I'll get my shoes."
~*~
On the way down the sidewalk, she suddenly veered from the sidewalk and headed into the neighborhood playground, sitting down on a swing with a grin.
"Do you ever like to swing?" She pushed off the ground and began moving.
"I haven't done that in a long time."
I walked around the other side and stood behind her, giving her a push when she swung back toward me. She giggled and I couldn't help but smile. When after a moment she let out a drawn out sigh, I furrowed my eyebrows and stopped the swing, turning her toward me.
"What?"
"Brett wants me to move in with him."
I instantly hated that idea–he was an ass. "Are you going to?"
She shrugged. "I like the way my life is right now."
"Sounds like a no to me." I inwardly smirked at Brett.
"But we've been dating for five years now... at some point things need to start moving forward, right?"
Holding in the sigh, I shrugged. "I don't think I'm someone you should get relationship advice from." I let go of the swing and it turned her back the other way.
"What was your longest relationship?"
"I don't do relationships." I walked to the swing beside hers and sat down. "My last girlfriend was in high school."
"So, you're a one night stand kind of man."
I gave her a half smile and shrugged guiltily. "Makes things a lot simpler."
"Yeah, I guess it would. Just seems like it would be lonely."
"I'm sure some people would find it lonely."
"But not you?"
"I'm okay being alone and just staying in my own company." Which was only half true. I was okay with being alone, but I hated my own miserable company.
"Well, I guess I'm the same way. I mean... I'm not a huge people person. I enjoy being a homebody."
It went silent for a moment. "Did you want to go for that run?"
She gave me a small smile and nodded her head, but she looked distracted.
"Look, I might not be able to give you relationship advice, but what I can tell you is that when it comes to life–if you find yourself in a place where you are actually happy with how things are going–it's probably not worth messing that up. It's hard to get to that place."
This time she gave me a real smile. "Would you be interested in going for a hike tomorrow? I'm off work and my parents have plans in the morning. I was thinking about going up to Eden Falls."
My mind went to Luke. I hadn't done anything like that since we were kids. It had always been such a blast. Instead of taking the trail, we would sneak off the path and go to one of our favorite areas–a small pool of water with a mini waterfall. We would stay there for hours swimming, eating, and just hanging out.
I smiled. It wouldn't be the same, but maybe it could still be fun.