Far From Home (7 page)

“Just my senior year.  I transferred from Boston.”

“Boston?” I hadn’t seen the look of surprise that was on Matt’s face in so long.  It took me back to when I first moved to Carver when I seemed to get that look from everyone when they learned where I was from. “You’re pretty far from home.”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “Carver’s home now.”

He looked at me quizzically.  Matt definitely didn’t need to know the story behind my conclusion. 

“We just got an online order,” he said a few moments later. “Wanna fill it?”

I nodded and walked over to the computer.  It was an order for a dozen red roses.  At least it was a flower I already knew. 

Chapter Seven

After a week, I came to the conclusion working at the flower shop wasn’t a hard job and I found myself enjoying it.  Jill and Matt were easy to work with too.  I loved the smell of the shop and arranging the flowers proved to be a creative outlet I never knew I had.  I made deliveries on occasion too and as corny as it sounds, the smile on people’s faces when they saw the flowers, brightened my day.  It was impossible to leave work in a bad mood when I was surrounded by beauty and making people happy all day.  Jesse seemed to notice my pleasant mood as well.

“You should’ve started working at the flower shop a long time ago,” he pointed out as we drove towards the movie theater. 

“Why’s that?”  I turned by body so I was facing him. 

We’d both been working all week and were finally getting a chance to spend some quality time together.  We’d made sure to see each other every day, but it wasn’t for very long.  We were both beat by the end of the day and had to get up early in the mornings, so we both thought it wiser to make our nights early ones.  Tonight was different though.  We were catching a movie and then heading back to his house until I had to be home for curfew.  His dad was away on a hunting trip and we were both anxious to have the house to ourselves.  I blushed just thinking about it.  I tried to focus back on the conversation, but he made it nearly impossible to think straight when he always smelled and looked so good.  And whenever he’d smile at me in that way that told me he wanted me as badly as I wanted him, I was a goner.  He could’ve told me to jump off a bridge and I probably would have. 

“You just seem happier,” he said, drawing me back from my straying thoughts. 

“Was I not happy before?” He took my hand and kissed the back of it, before resting our entwined fingers in his lap as he continued to drive. 

“I adore 99.9% of you, Riley.  I love every little thing about that 99.9%, but there’s that little tiny bit…the bit that reads way too much into everything that drives me absolutely insane.” He was smiling, so I knew he wasn’t being mean.  Jesse was never mean to me. “And before you go reading into that statement,” Jesse continued, looking over to me with a playful grin. “Even though there’s a tenth of a percent of you that drives me nuts, I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

“Good save,” I said and scooted myself into the middle of the bench seat, resting my head on his shoulder as he drove. “And just so you know, I adore the entire package that is you.  All one hundred percent.  There’s not a thing about you that drives me insane.”

He started laughing before he spoke again.

“Well, you obviously don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“Then let me continue to live in my world of delusions because as far as I can see, you’re perfect.”

He just shook his head and put his arm around me before turning into the parking lot of the theater. 

****

The movie was good, but I was more excited to get back to Jesse’s place.  Ever since that first night at the pond, I now completely understood about raging hormones.  It was as if sometimes I was in no control of my own body.  It didn’t help the fact that my boyfriend was an absolute hunk.  Perhaps if he was even a little bit ugly, it wouldn’t have been as hard.  I was glad my mom had basically forced me to get on birth control once she realized Jesse and I were serious.  I’d insisted I didn’t need it, but she didn’t want to take any chances and I now realized my mom was much wiser than I gave her credit for. 

When we got to Jesse’s I wasn’t interested in any formalities as he shut the door to the empty house behind us.  We had the entire place to ourselves.  There was no way anyone would be interrupting us, so when Jesse put his keys down on the table by the front door, I grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and pulled him into his bedroom.  Before he could say anything, I reached down to the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.  He tried to look shocked, but I knew he was enjoying it as much as I was. 

“I think you’ve got the wrong idea.  I’m not that kind of guy.”

“You’re exactly that kind of guy and you know this is all you’ve been able to think about since you picked me up tonight.”

I took his hand and pushed him playfully onto his bed and he lay there with nothing on but his jeans.

“I don’t think it’s very fair that you’re still fully clothed,” he grinned wryly, propping himself up on his elbows. 

“Then do something about it,” I teased and he bolted up, pulling me on top of him as he began fiddling with the buttons on my shirt until it hung open. “Now, that’s better.”

His lips found mine then and they moved slow and tenderly, as if he wanted to savor everything about the moment.  It wasn’t rushed and urgent and as much as I wanted to speed things up and get to the good part, I found myself slowing down too, focusing on the movements of his body when I touched him in the just the right spot, the taste of his tongue as it met mine, and the slow moans that escaped from Jesse every so often.  I tried to stay with the calm, easy way Jesse was leading us, but I didn’t last long.  As his mouth continued moving slowly and deliberately while his hands explored my body, I felt myself twisting and turning beneath him, hoping my movements would encourage him to follow, but he didn’t.  He laughed quietly, biting my lip playfully before whispering as his lips still dangled over mine.

“You have never been hotter than you are right now,” he began as my body continued its eager motions. “Knowing how badly you want it and knowing I can take all the time I want, just so I can continue to watch you like this.”

“You’re mean,” I whimpered breathlessly. “Please, Jesse.”

“Just be patient.” He kissed the tip of my nose and then sat above me, straddling me at the waist and staring down at me.  The corners of his lips were curled up into a slight smile and the way his eyes pierced mine was almost more than I could take. 

His fingertip met the skin of my sternum and he traced down slowly, causing each muscle to twitch at his delicate touch until it stopped at the top of my jeans.  I started breathing harder in anticipation and Jesse immediately noticed.

“You really must learn some patience, Miss Regas,” he said softly with a seductive grin and then he undid the button and slowly pulled down the zipper.  I knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer, no matter how cool and collected he was trying to play it.  His grin vanished then and the playful look from a moment before transformed to serious urgency as he began to tug at my jeans.

Just then, the loud bellows of Rocky and Jasper cut through the quiet and we both stopped and looked towards the door. 

“Just ignore them,” he said a moment later, turning his attention back to me, but then the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house.  We both froze again and looked at each other.  No one ever came to Jesse’s unexpectedly.  He lived too far out in the sticks for surprise visitors.  The doorbell rang again and Jesse eased himself off of me.

“What the hell?” he mumbled, finding his shirt from the floor and slipping it on.  I pulled my pants back on and began fastening the buttons of my blouse again.  He looked at me curiously and then motioned towards the door. “I’m gonna go see what’s going on.  Wait here.”

I nodded, but when Jesse left the room, I followed and stood against the doorframe as he approached the front door.  He opened it and I waited. 

“Hello,” a deep voice began.  I had no idea who it could be.  No one came to Jesse’s without an invitation, let alone at 10:30 at night. “I’m Officer Delgado and this Officer Miller.  We’re with the Kansas Highway Patrol.  Are you Jesse Baylor, the son of Darryl Baylor?”

“Yes.  What’s going on?” With those words, I immediately walked over to Jesse, resting my hand on his back when I reached him.  I looked out and saw two men in full police uniforms standing at the doorstep.  Behind them was a middle-aged woman, who looked serious and nervous. My heart started to pound as I realized something had to be terribly wrong.

“Can we come in?” Officer Delgado said and I could tell he was being careful with his words and tone.

“Not till you tell me what’s going on?” Jesse didn’t yell, but his tone was stern.

I watched the body language of the two police officers and the woman.  They all looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“I’m afraid we have some bad news, Jesse,” Officer Delgado began and I felt his hand squeeze mine so hard, I was afraid it would crush. “Your father and uncle have been in a car accident…”

“What?” Jesse interrupted softly.

“Your father and your uncle, Glenn Baylor, were in a car accident early this evening on Route 19.  Your uncle is alright, but I’m sorry to inform you your father died in the accident.”

I felt my stomach turn and my body froze.  The words echoed in my ears and my eyes burned.  I couldn’t have heard the officers correctly, but I knew I had when Jesse stumbled back into me before bracing himself in the doorway with his hand.  He turned his head to look at me.  His eyes locked with mine and his mouth moved slightly as if he was trying to say something.  It was as if his voice was paralyzed and he reached for me.  When the woman stepped forward and started talking, he had a firm grip on my hand and I didn’t think he had any intention of letting go. 

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Jesse,” the woman began.  Her voice was kind, but I knew this was her job.  She was trained to tell people their family members were dead.  It was all a script. “My name is Mary Martel.  I’m a social worker with the police department.  I’m here to help you deal with this difficult situation.  May I come in?”

Jesse looked to me for guidance again, but I didn’t know what to do so I just nodded.  Jesse looked back at Ms. Martel and nodded.  They followed us into the living room.  Jesse and I sat down on the loveseat and they sat on the couch.  The silence was deafening and Jesse sat comatosely next to me.  I looked at him discreetly and I was surprised to see he wasn’t crying. 

“Right now, your father is at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, but you need to arrange for his body to be transported to the local funeral home here in Carver,” Ms. Martel started talking and then paused as she handed Jesse some pamphlets.  His eyes darted down at the papers and then back up to Ms. Martel.  “I know this is hard, Jesse.”

I could sense Jesse starting to tremble next to me.  Reaching over, I took his hand in mine and began stroking the top of it with my thumb while I rubbed his back with my free hand, trying to calm him or at least remind him that I was there. 

“The pamphlets are in case you need any help after the funeral has taken place.  Many times family members are in such shock, they are able to function throughout the preparation and funeral, but when everything is over, they need help with their grief.  I know it’s a lot to think about right now, but please, hold on to them and contact someone should you need anything.”

The room grew increasingly silent and I could feel Jesse tensing up again.  I continued stroking his back, but I didn’t think it was working. 

“Thank you,” he mumbled softly.

“Do you have any family to help you?” Ms. Martel asked as she looked over to Jesse, who continued to stare back at her with an icy glare. “What about your mother?  Grandparents?”

“I haven’t seen my mother since I was two and my grandparents are dead.  My Uncle Glenn is all I have.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Ms. Martel replied.

“What about Glenn?” I finally chimed in.  Jesse needed some good news and I prayed his uncle would be alright.

“Glenn is going to be okay,” Officer Delgado answered. “He’s at Wesley as well.”

“Can we take you up to the hospital?” Ms. Martel asked and Jesse shook his head.

“No,” he answered softly.

“Is there anyone you’d like us to contact for you?” she continued.

“No,” he answered flatly again.

The room grew quiet again and then Jesse looked at me for a second before turning back to the three strangers who were sitting in his living room. 

“You can go now,” he said abruptly.

“We still have so much to talk about, Jesse,” Ms. Martel responded.

“We don’t need to talk about anything else,” Jesse continued and I could tell he was trying to maintain control of his voice.

“Please, Jesse.  I’m here to help,” Ms. Martel pleaded softly until Jesse cut her off.

“Unless you can bring my dad back, I don’t need your help.  Please leave.” His voice was deep and serious and I saw Ms. Martel shift uncomfortably in her seat.  The two officers stood up a moment later, eventually followed by the social worker. 

Jesse was staring down at the carpet as they started filing towards the front door. The officers left without looking back, wanting to leave just as badly as Jesse wanted them to, but Ms. Martel looked back as if she wanted to say something else, but didn’t and she followed the officers outside. 

When the door closed, it echoed loudly, and I’d never felt more alone than I did at that moment.  Jesse was right next to me, but I knew he was really a million miles away.  I didn’t know what to say and I glanced out of the corner of my eye at him.  I saw a tear roll down his cheek and I watched as it splashed onto the floor.

“I’m so sorry,” I finally said, my voice cracking.  I wrapped him in my arms and he started to tremble.  Softly at first, but then it transformed into an all-out uncontrollable sob.  As he shook, it was as if he was trying to purge himself of something.  He rocked in my arms and my blouse was soaked within seconds.