thrillerSparksLast Song 11 страница

“Maybe she thinks you’re ugly.”glared at him before forcing out a fake laugh. “Ha-ha! That is so funny. You should really try booking yourself on Letterman.” His glare remained fixed on Will.

“I’m just saying.”

“Well, don’t, okay? And what is it with you and…”

“Ronnie?”

“Yeah. What was that about? Yesterday, you spent your whole day off with her, and then she shows up this morning and you kiss her? Are you, like… serious about her or something?”remained silent.shook his head as he raised a finger, emphasizing his point. “See, here’s the thing. The last thing you need is to get serious with a girl. You need to concentrate on what’s important. You’ve got a full-time job, you volunteer trying to save the dolphins or whales or turtles or whatever, and you know how much we have to practice to get ready for the tournament. You don’t have enough time as it is!”said nothing, but he could see Scott growing more panicked with every passing second.

“Ah, come on, man! Don’t do this to me. What on earth do you see in her?”said nothing.

“No, no, no,” Scott repeated like a mantra. “I knew this was going to happen. That’s why I told you to go out with Ashley! So you wouldn’t get serious again. You know what’s going to happen. You’re going to turn into a hermit. You’re going to blow off your friends so you can hang out with her. Trust me, the last thing you need is to get serious with…”

“Ronnie,” Will filled in.

“Whatever,” Scott snapped. “You’re missing the point.”smiled. “Did you ever realize you have more opinions about my life than your own life?”

“That’s because I don’t mess things up like you do.”gave an involuntary twitch, flashing back to the night of the fire and wondering if Scott was really so clueless.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Will said, but he realized that Scott wasn’t listening. Instead, his gaze was focused over Will’s shoulder, on a spot down the beach.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Scott mumbled.turned around and saw Ronnie approaching. In jeans and a dark T-shirt, of course, looking as out of place as a crocodile in Antarctica. A huge grin spread over his face.started toward her, drinking in the sight of her, wondering again what she was thinking. He loved the fact that he couldn’t completely figure her out.

“Hey,” he said, reaching for her.stopped, just out of reach. Her expression was serious. “Don’t kiss me. Just listen, okay?”beside him in the truck, Ronnie remained as enigmatic as ever. She stared out the window, smiling faintly, seemingly content to watch the scenery.brought her hands together in her lap. “I want you to know my dad won’t care that you’re wearing shorts and a tank top.”

“It’s only going to take a few minutes.”

“But it’s supposed to be a casual dinner.”

“I’m hot and sweaty. I’m not going to come to your house for dinner with your dad dressed like a bum.”

“But I just said he won’t care.”

“I care, though. Unlike some people, I like to make a good impression.”bristled. “Are you saying I don’t?”

“Of course not. For instance, everyone I know loves to meet people with purple hair.”she knew he was teasing, her eyes widened and then narrowed suddenly. “You don’t seem to have a problem with it.”

“Yes, but that’s because I’m special.”crossed her arms and stared at him. “Are you going to be like this all night?”

“Like what?”

“Like someone with no shot of ever, ever kissing me again?”laughed and turned toward her. “I apologize. I didn’t mean it. And actually, I like the purple streaks. It’s… who you are.”

“Yeah, well, you’ll just have to learn to be more careful with what you say next time.” As she spoke, she opened his glove compartment and began sifting through it.

“What are you doing?”

“Just looking. Why? Are you hiding something?”

“Feel free to sort through all of it. And while you’re at it, maybe you could straighten it up a bit.”pulled out a bullet and held it up so he could see. “I suppose this is what you use to kill ducks, right?”

“No, that’s for deer. It’s too big for a duck. The duck would be shredded to pieces if I shot it with that.”

“You have serious problems, you know.”

“So I’ve heard.”giggled before settling into silence. They were on the intracoastal side of the island, and between the ever-growing sprawl of houses, the sun was glinting off the water. She closed the glove compartment and lowered the visor. Noticing a photograph of a lovely blonde, she pulled it out and examined it.

“She’s pretty,” Ronnie commented.

“Yeah, she is.”

“Ten bucks says you posted this on your Facebook page.”

“You lose. That’s my sister.”watched as her gaze flickered from the photo to his wrist, eyeing the macramé wristband.

“What’s with the matching bracelets?” she asked.

“My sister and I make them.”

“To support a worthy cause, no doubt.”

“No,” he said, and when he said nothing else, he was impressed that she seemed to intuit that he didn’t want to say anything more. Instead, she carefully tucked the photo back in place and lifted the visor again.

“How far away do you live?” Ronnie asked.

“We’re almost there,” Will assured her.

“If I’d known it was this far away, I would have walked home. Since we’re heading farther and farther away from my house, I mean.”

“But you would have missed my scintillating conversation.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“Do you plan on insulting me some more?” He glanced at her. “I just need to know whether or not to turn up the music so I don’t have to hear it.”

“You know you shouldn’t have kissed me earlier. It wasn’t exactly romantic,” Ronnie shot back.

“I thought it was very romantic.”

“We were in a garage, you had grease on your hands, and your buddy was gawking.”

“A perfect setting,” he said.he slowed the car, he flipped down his visor. Then, after making a turn, he came to a stop as he pressed the remote. Two wrought-iron gates slowly slid open, and the truck rolled forward again. Excited at the prospect of having dinner with Ronnie’s family later that evening, Will didn’t seem to notice that Ronnie had gone quiet.

Ronnie, she thought, this was ridiculous. Not just the grounds with the sculptured rose gardens and hedges and marble statues, or the massive Georgian mansion supported by elegant columns, or even the overpriced exotic cars that were being waxed by hand in an area reserved for such things-but all of it.wasn’t just ridiculous. It was beyond ridiculous., she knew there were rich people in New York with twenty-three-room apartments on Park Avenue and houses in the Hamptons, but it wasn’t as if she’d ever spent time with those people or been invited to those homes. The closest she’d ever come to seeing a place like this was in magazines, and even then, most of those had been flyover shots taken by paparazzi.here she was, wearing a T-shirt and torn jeans. Nice. At the very least, he could have warned her.continued to stare at the house as the truck zipped up the drive, turning in to the roundabout in front of the house. He came to a stop directly in front of the entrance. She turned to him and was about to ask whether he actually lived here, then realized it was a stupid question. Obviously he lived here. By then, he was already getting out of the truck.suit, she opened her door and stepped outside. The two men washing the cars glanced at her before quickly going back to work.

“Like I said, I’m just going to rinse off. It won’t take long.”

“Fine,” she said. Really, there wasn’t anything else she could think to say. It was the largest house she’d ever seen in her life.followed him up the steps that led to the porch and paused briefly at the door, just long enough to see a small brass plaque posted near the door that read, “The Blakelees.”in Blakelee Brakes. As in the national automotive chain. As in Will’s dad didn’t simply own an individual franchise but had probably started the entire business.was still trying to process that simple fact as Will pushed open the door and led her into a massive foyer centerpieced by a grand staircase. A dark-paneled library beckoned on her right, while some kind of music room opened to the left. Directly ahead lay a huge, sun-filled open room, and beyond that, she saw the sparkling waters of the Intracoastal Waterway.

“You didn’t tell me your last name was Blakelee,” Ronnie mumbled.

“You didn’t ask.” He gave an indifferent shrug. “Come on in.”led her past the staircase toward the great room. At the back of the house, she saw a massive covered veranda; near the water, she caught sight of what could only be described as a midsize yacht parked at the dock., she admitted it. She felt out of place here, and the fact that everyone probably felt out of place the first time they came here was no consolation. She might as well have landed on Mars.

“Can I get you something to drink while I get ready?”

“Um, no, I’m okay. Thanks,” she said, trying not to gawk at her surroundings.

“You want me to show you around first?”

“I’m fine.”ahead and off to the side, she heard a voice calling out.

“Will? Did I hear you come in?”turned to see an attractive woman in her early fifties, wearing an expensive linen pantsuit and holding a wedding magazine, step into view.

“Hey, Mom,” he said. He tossed his truck keys into a bowl perched on the entry table, right next to the vase of fresh-cut lilies. “I brought someone over. This is Ronnie. And this is my mom, Susan.”

“Oh. Hello, Ronnie,” Susan said coolly.Susan tried to hide it, Ronnie could tell she wasn’t pleased about having been surprised by Will’s unexpected guest. Her displeasure, Ronnie couldn’t help but think, had less to do with the unexpected part than the guest part. Namely, her. if Ronnie noticed the tension, Will obviously didn’t. Maybe, Ronnie thought, it was a woman thing to be able to sense things like that, because Will went on chatting with his mom with casual ease.

“Is Dad around?” he asked.

“I believe he’s in his office.”

“Before I go, I need to talk to him.”shifted the magazine from one hand to the other. “You’re leaving?”

“I’m having dinner with Ronnie’s family tonight.”

“Oh,” she said. “That’s wonderful.”

“You’ll like this. Ronnie’s a vegetarian.”

“Oh,” Susan said again, turning to scrutinize Ronnie. “Is that right?”felt as if she were shrinking. “Yes.”

“Interesting,” Susan said. While Ronnie could see that it was anything but interesting to Susan, Will remained oblivious.

“Okay, so I’m just going to pop upstairs for a few minutes. I’ll be right back.”Ronnie felt like telling him to hurry, she didn’t. “Okay,” she offered instead.a couple of long, loping steps, he was heading up the stairs, leaving Ronnie and Susan facing each other. In the ensuing silence, Ronnie was acutely conscious of the fact that as little as they had in common, they were united in their unhappiness at being left alone with each other.felt like strangling Will. The least he could have done was warn her.

“So,” Susan said, forcing a smile. She looked almost plastic. “You’re the one with the turtle nest behind your house?”

“That’s me.”nodded. She’d obviously run out of things to say, so Ronnie struggled to fill the silence. She motioned toward the foyer. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you.”that, Ronnie was at a loss for words, and for a long moment, they faced each other awkwardly. She had no idea what would have happened if the two of them had remained alone. But thankfully they were joined by a man in his fifties or early sixties, dressed casually in Dockers and a polo.

“I thought I heard someone come in,” he said, walking toward them. His demeanor was friendly, almost jocular, as he approached. “I’m Tom, aka Will’s dad, and you’re Ronnie, right?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she responded.

“I’m glad I finally have a chance to meet the girl he’s been talking about.”cleared her throat. “Will is going to be joining Ronnie and her family for dinner.”turned toward Ronnie. “I hope you don’t make anything fancy. The kid lives on pepperoni pizza and burgers.”

“Ronnie is a vegetarian,” Susan added. Ronnie couldn’t help noticing that Susan said it in the same way another person might have said she was a terrorist. Or maybe not. Ronnie couldn’t exactly tell. Will really, really should have warned her about what to expect, so she could have at least been prepared. But Tom, like Will, didn’t seem to notice.

“No kidding? That’s great. At least he’ll eat healthy for a change.” He paused. “I know you’re waiting for Will, but do you have a few minutes? I want to show you something.”

“I’m sure she’s not interested in your airplane, Tom,” Susan protested.

“I don’t know. Maybe she is,” he said. Turning to Ronnie, he asked, “Do you like airplanes?”course, she thought, why wouldn’t the family have an airplane? Let’s just add that to the equation. This whole mess was Will’s fault. She was going to kill him as soon as she got out of here. But what choice did she have?

“Yeah,” she said. “Of course I like airplanes.”supposed she had an image in mind-a Learjet or Gulfstream parked in a personal hangar on the far side of the property-but it was a fuzzy image, since the only private jets she’d ever seen were in photographs. Still, this wasn’t what she’d expected at all: the sight of someone older than her father flying a remote-control toy airplane and concentrating on the controls.plane whined as it skirted over the trees, swooping low over the Intracoastal Waterway.

“I’ve always wanted one of these things, and I finally broke down and got one. Actually, this is the second one. The first one accidentally ended up in the water.”

“That’s too bad,” Ronnie sympathized.

“Yeah, but it taught me that I should probably read all the directions next time.”

“Did you crash it?”

“No, it ran out of gas.” He glanced at her. “Do you want to try?”

“I’d better not,” Ronnie demurred. “I’m not good at things like that.”

“It’s not too hard,” Tom assured her. “This is one of the beginner planes. It’s supposed to be idiot-proof. Of course, the last one was, too, so what does that tell you?”

“That maybe you should have read the directions?”

“Right,” he said. There was something about the way he said it that made him sound just like Will.

“Did you and Susan talk about the wedding?” he asked.shook her head. “No. Will mentioned something about it, though.”

“I had to spend two hours today at the florist’s looking at flower arrangements. Have you ever spent two hours looking at flower arrangements?”

“No.”

“Consider yourself lucky.”giggled, relieved to be out here with him. Just then Will came up behind her, freshly showered and dressed neatly in a polo shirt and shorts. Both name brand, but she supposed she should have expected that.

“You’ll have to forgive my dad. He sometimes forgets he’s an adult,” Will quipped.

“At least I’m honest. And I didn’t see you racing home to help.”

“I had a volleyball game.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that was the reason. And I gotta tell you, Ronnie here is a whole lot prettier than you let on.”Ronnie smiled with pleasure, Will cringed. “Dad…”

“It’s true,” Tom added quickly. “Don’t be embarrassed.” After making sure the plane was flying straight again, he glanced at Ronnie. “He gets embarrassed a lot. He used to be the shyest kid in the world. He couldn’t even sit near a pretty girl without his cheeks turning bright red.”, meanwhile, was shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re saying this, Dad. Right in front of her.”

“What’s the problem?” Tom looked at Ronnie. “Does that bother you?”

“Not at all.”

“See?” He tapped Will’s chest, as if he’d proved his point. “She doesn’t care.”

“Thanks for that.” He grimaced.

“What are dads for? Hey, you want to give this thing a whirl?”

“I really can’t. I’m supposed to bring Ronnie home so we can have dinner.”

“Listen to me. Even if they serve you eggplant on rutabaga with tofu, I want you to eat what they put in front of you and then make sure you compliment them on the meal,” Tom admonished.

“It’ll be probably just be pasta,” Ronnie said, grinning.

“Really?” Tom seemed disappointed. “He’ll eat that.”

“What? You don’t want me to eat?”

“It’s always good to experience new things. How’d it go at the shop today?”

“That’s what I needed to talk to you about. Jay said there’s a problem with the computer or the software-everything keeps double printing.”

“Just at the flagship or everywhere?”

“I don’t know.”sighed. “I suppose I’d better check it out, then. Assuming, of course, I can land this thing. And you two have a good time, okay?”few minutes later, after getting into the truck, Will jingled his keys before starting his engine.

“Sorry about all that. My dad sometimes says the craziest things.”

“Don’t be sorry. I like him.”

“And I wasn’t that shy, by the way. My cheeks never turned bright red.”

“Of course they didn’t.”

“I’m serious. I was always smooth.”

“I’m sure you were,” she said, reaching over to pat his knee. “But listen. About tonight. My family has this weird tradition.”

“You’re lying!” Will shouted. “You’ve been lying all night and I’m sick and tired of it.”

“Don’t even go there!” Ronnie shouted back. “You’re the one who’s lying!”dishes from dinner had long ago been cleared-Dad had served spaghetti and marinara sauce, as predicted, with Will making sure to clean his plate-and they were now sitting at the kitchen table holding playing cards to their foreheads in a game of liar’s poker. Will was holding an eight of hearts, Steve a three of hearts, and Jonah a nine of spades. Piles of change were stacked in front of each of them, and the pot in the middle overflowed with nickels and dimes.

“You’re both lying,” Jonah added. “Neither of you knows how to tell the truth.”offered Jonah his game face and reached into his pile of change. “A quarter says you don’t know what you’re talking about.”dad started shaking his head. “Bad move, young man. It’s over. I’m going to have to raise you fifty cents.”

“I’ll see that!” Ronnie cried. Both Jonah and Will immediately followed suit.paused, all of them eying one another before slapping their cards down on the table. Ronnie, seeing that she’d been holding an eight, surmised that they’d all lost to Jonah. Again.

“You’re all liars!” he said. His winnings, she noticed, were twice as much as anyone else’s, and as she watched her brother drag the change pile toward him, she observed that at least to this point, the evening had gone pretty well. She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d brought Will over, since it was the first time she’d ever brought a boy to meet her father. Would he try to give them space by hiding out in the kitchen? Would he try to become buddies with Will? Would he do or say something that embarrassed her? On the drive to her house, she’d already begun thinking of escape plans she could use as soon as they finished dinner.soon as they stepped inside, however, she had a good feeling. For starters, the house was picked up, Jonah was obviously under orders not to cling to their sides or question Will like a prosecutor, and her dad met Will with a simple handshake and an easygoing, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Will was on his best behavior, of course, answering questions with “Yes, sir” and “No, sir,” which struck her as endearing in a southern kind of way. The dinner conversation was easy; her dad asked some questions about the work Will did at the garage and at the aquarium, and Jonah went so far as to put his napkin in his lap. Best of all, her father didn’t say anything embarrassing, and though he brought up the fact that he used to teach at Juilliard, he didn’t volunteer that he’d been her teacher or that she’d once played at Carnegie Hall or that they’d written songs together, nor had he mentioned the fact that until a few days ago, he and Ronnie had been completely estranged. When Jonah asked for cookies after he’d finished, both Ronnie and her dad burst out laughing, making Will wonder what was so funny. Together, the four of them pitched in to clean up the table, and when Jonah suggested that they play liar’s poker, Will had agreed enthusiastically.for Will, he was just the kind of guy her mom wanted Ronnie to date: polite, respectful, intelligent, and best of all, sans tattoos… It might have been nice to have her mom there, if only to assure her that her daughter hadn’t gone completely off the deep end. On the other hand, her mom probably would have been so excited about the whole thing that she would have either tried to adopt Will on the spot or gushed to Ronnie a million times after he was gone about what a nice young man he was, which only would have made Ronnie want to end the whole thing before her mom got too carried away. Her dad would do none of those things-he seemed to trust Ronnie’s judgment and was content to let her make her own decisions without inserting his own opinions.was really weird, considering he was only just starting to get to know her again, and also kind of sad at the same time, because she was beginning to think she’d made a big mistake by avoiding him for the past three years. It might have been nice to talk to him when her mom was driving her crazy.in all, she was glad she’d invited Will over. It certainly was easier for him to meet her dad than it had been for Ronnie to meet Susan. The woman scared the living daylights out of her. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but she was definitely intimidated. The woman had made it abundantly clear that she either didn’t like Ronnie or didn’t like the fact that her son liked Ronnie., she wouldn’t have cared what someone’s parent thought of her, and she wouldn’t have given a second thought to the way she’d been dressed. She was who she was, after all… This was the first time in what seemed like forever that she’d felt she didn’t measure up, and it had bothered her far more than she’d thought it would.darkness fell and the game of liar’s poker began to wind down, she sensed Will watching her. She returned his gaze with a smile.

“I’m almost out,” he announced, fingering his pile of change.

“I know. I am, too.”glanced toward the window. “Do you think it would be okay if we went for a walk?”time, she knew with certainty that he was asking because he wanted to spend some time alone with her-because he cared about her, even if he was unsure whether she felt the same way.met his eyes directly. “I’d love to go for a walk.”

Willbeach stretched for miles, separated from Wilmington by the bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. It had changed, of course, since Will was a kid-growing more congested in the summers, small bungalows like the one where Ronnie was living replaced by imposing oceanfront mansions-but he still loved the ocean at night. When he was young, he used to ride his bike over to the beach, in the hope of seeing something interesting, and he was almost never disappointed. He’d seen large sharks washed up on the beach, sand castles so intricate they could have won any national competition, and once he’d even spotted a whale, not fifty yards from shore, rolling in the water just beyond the surf., the place was deserted, and as he and Ronnie strolled barefoot through the breaking surf, he was struck by the thought that this was the girl with whom he’d like to face the future.knew he was too young for such thoughts and was under no illusion that he was even considering marriage, but somehow he felt that if he met Ronnie ten years from now, she might be the one. He knew Scott wouldn’t understand the concept-Scott seemed unable to imagine a future that stretched past the upcoming weekend-but then Scott wasn’t so different from most of his peers. It was as if their minds ran on separate tracks: He wasn’t into one-night stands, he wasn’t into scoring to see if he could, he wasn’t into acting just charming enough to get what he wanted before cutting someone loose in favor of someone new and attractive. He just wasn’t like that. He would never be like that. When he met a girl, the first question he asked himself wasn’t whether she was good for a few dates; it was whether she was the kind of girl he could imagine spending time with over the long haul.supposed that had partly to do with his parents. They’d been married for thirty years, started out struggling as many couples did, and over the years had built the business and raised a family. Through it all, they had loved each other well, celebrating their successes and supporting each other during tragedy. Neither of them was perfect, but he’d grown up certain that they were a team, and eventually, he’d absorbed that lesson.was easy to think that he’d spent two years with Ashley because she was beautiful and rich, and though he’d be lying if he said that her beauty was irrelevant, it was less important than the things he thought he saw in her. She’d listened to him just as he’d listened to her, he’d believed he could tell her anything, and vice versa. But over time, he’d felt increasingly disappointed in her, especially when she’d tearfully admitted that she’d made out at a party with some guy from the local college. Things were never the same after that. Not because he worried that she’d do something like that again-everyone made mistakes, and it had only been a kiss-but somehow the incident helped crystallize his thoughts about what he wanted from the people he was closest to. He began to notice the way she treated other people, and he wasn’t sure he liked what he saw. Her ceaseless gossiping-once something he considered harmless-began to annoy him, as did the long waits she made him endure while she readied herself to go out at night. He felt bad about eventually breaking up with her but consoled himself with the fact that he’d only been fifteen when he first started dating her, and she was the first girlfriend he’d ever had. In the end, he felt he had no other choice. He knew who he was and what was important to him, and he didn’t see any of that reflected in Ashley. He figured it was better just to end the relationship before things got any harder.sister, Megan, was like him that way. Beautiful and smart, she’d intimidated most of the boys she’d ever dated. For a long time, she had flitted from one guy to the next, but not out of vanity or flightiness. When he’d asked why she seemed unable to settle down, her answer had been straightforward: “There are guys who grow up thinking they’ll settle down some distant time in the future, and there are guys who are ready for marriage as soon as they meet the right person. The former bore me, mainly because they’re pathetic; and the latter, quite frankly, are hard to find. But it’s the serious ones I’m interested in, and it takes time to find a guy like that whom I’m equally interested in. I mean, if the relationship can’t survive the long term, why on earth would it be worth my time and energy for the short term?”. He smiled, thinking about her. She lived her life by her own rules. She had driven Mom crazy during the last six years with her attitude, of course, since she’d quickly eliminated pretty much every guy in town who hailed from the kind of family of which his mother approved. But he had to admit, he thought Megan had gotten it right, and thankfully, she’d been able to meet a guy in New York who satisfied all her criteria.a strange way, Ronnie reminded him of Megan. She was an oddball, a freethinker, and stubbornly independent, too. On the surface, she was unlike anyone he could ever imagine finding attractive, but… her dad was great, her brother was a hoot, and she was just about as smart and caring as anyone he’d ever met. Who else would camp out all night to protect a turtle nest? Who else would stop a fight to help a little kid? Who else read Tolstoy in her spare time?who else, at least in this town, would fall for Will before knowing anything about his family?, he had to admit, was important to him, too, as much as he wished it weren’t. He loved his dad and his family name, and he was proud of the business his dad had built. He appreciated the advantages that his life had brought him, but… he wanted to be his own person, too. He wanted people to know him first as Will, not Will Blakelee, and there wasn’t another person in the world he could talk to about it, other than his sister. It wasn’t as if he lived in Los Angeles, where celebrity kids could be found in every school, or was at a place like Andover, where practically everyone knew someone who came from a famous family. It wasn’t so easy in a place like this, where everyone knew everybody, and as he’d grown older, he’d grown somewhat cautious about his friendships. He was willing to talk to almost anyone, but he’d learned to put up an invisible wall, at least until he was certain his family had nothing to do with the new acquaintance or was the reason a girl seemed to be interested in him. And if he hadn’t known for certain that Ronnie knew nothing about his family, he’d been convinced when he’d pulled up in front of his house.

“What are you thinking about?” he heard her ask. A light breeze rippled through her hair, and she tried in vain to collect the strands into a loose ponytail. “You’ve been kind of quiet.”

“I was thinking about how much I enjoyed coming over.”

Дата добавления: 2015-11-05