it. Maybe that was why I didn't really argue all that much about you going to Austin. I think I wanted some space to see what it was between us, if it was between every guy and girl, or just us."
"Just us," I muttered, but I didn't want to get all maudlin about it so went back to safer ground: anger. "So Rhonda and her little friend set you up?"
"I think Rhonda wanted to get back at you more than she wanted to be with me, although she was perfectly willing to show me her charms. I always felt sorry for her."
My hackles went up instantly. He felt sorry for her? If I saw the woman right this minute, I knew I'd still feel like strangling her, but only after I'd clawed her lying little tongue out of her lying fat mouth.
"She had a rough time," Jerry continued, thankfully unaware of the evil ideas running through my head. "Family life wasn't so good for her, you know, probably worse than any of us could have guessed. And besides all that, she was just trying to find her way, like we all were. She just took a real hard path."
That right there is exactly why I loved--and was often severely annoyed by--Jerry Don Parker. Even as a kid, he could always look beyond the incident to the person, the life shaped by other things, and, well, he just saw things differently. Me, I didn't give a shit about her family sob stories. I just wanted to beat the little twit to a bloody pulp for trying to steal my boyfriend. I probably would have too, if not for Jerry. Looking back, the whole thing was almost funny--almost.
But he was right. We were just kids. I smiled, a lazy one-beer-induced grin. "I'm not sure, but I think I'm older and wiser now."
He smiled. "Does that mean you won't hang out the window on the way home and yell obscenities at any female I've ever spoken to?"
I laughed, but it was a little forced as visions of drooling little high school girls romped and squealed in my brain. "Find me one, and let's give it a try."
He chuckled. "Maybe next time, when I'm not in uniform, and you're not exhausted from driving all night plus dealing with your mother all day."
"Okay, fine, spoil all my fun." I reached for my wallet to pay the check, but Jerry stopped me, his big tanned hand resting on mine. "It's already taken care of, Jolene."
The touch of his skin against mine was about as sharp a sensation as I could experience at the moment. Words weren't forming quickly either. "Thank you, but next time it's my treat."
He just smiled and stood, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the car. He opened the car door for me and I had the good sense not to object.
Jerry has always been a gentleman--a tall, handsome, old-fashioned gentleman. Only he wasn't a relic of the past, more a blending of Old West marshal and New Age thinker, although I doubted he'd offer the same description of himself. Regular guy would be his words.
He started the car, then turned to me and grinned. "They've put up mercury vapor floodlights at all our old oil field parking spots."
"So where does the latest crop of lusty teenagers hang out?"
"There's a nice spot down by the creek. Willow bushes hide a car pretty good."
The image was instant and I couldn't help but remember my own times--with Jerry--in a car in the dark. "I hope you're not too hard on the kids."
He laughed. "I have to admit I've had a little fun scaring them every now and then. Making the rounds on the back roads always reminds me of you."
"Yeah, like you never went parking with anyone else."
"Never." He grinned. "At least never where I went with you."
Thinking about Jerry Don Parker doing anything with any female other than me only served to turn me into a sniping jealous beast, and I'd done enough of that for one night. I glanced at the dash just as the red LED lights flashed to one minute after 11, my old curfew. "Oops, guess I'm late again."
"Then I suppose we should make the most of it." He touched his fingers to my chin and leaned forward, brushing his lips against
"Just us," I muttered, but I didn't want to get all maudlin about it so went back to safer ground: anger. "So Rhonda and her little friend set you up?"
"I think Rhonda wanted to get back at you more than she wanted to be with me, although she was perfectly willing to show me her charms. I always felt sorry for her."
My hackles went up instantly. He felt sorry for her? If I saw the woman right this minute, I knew I'd still feel like strangling her, but only after I'd clawed her lying little tongue out of her lying fat mouth.
"She had a rough time," Jerry continued, thankfully unaware of the evil ideas running through my head. "Family life wasn't so good for her, you know, probably worse than any of us could have guessed. And besides all that, she was just trying to find her way, like we all were. She just took a real hard path."
That right there is exactly why I loved--and was often severely annoyed by--Jerry Don Parker. Even as a kid, he could always look beyond the incident to the person, the life shaped by other things, and, well, he just saw things differently. Me, I didn't give a shit about her family sob stories. I just wanted to beat the little twit to a bloody pulp for trying to steal my boyfriend. I probably would have too, if not for Jerry. Looking back, the whole thing was almost funny--almost.
But he was right. We were just kids. I smiled, a lazy one-beer-induced grin. "I'm not sure, but I think I'm older and wiser now."
He smiled. "Does that mean you won't hang out the window on the way home and yell obscenities at any female I've ever spoken to?"
I laughed, but it was a little forced as visions of drooling little high school girls romped and squealed in my brain. "Find me one, and let's give it a try."
He chuckled. "Maybe next time, when I'm not in uniform, and you're not exhausted from driving all night plus dealing with your mother all day."
"Okay, fine, spoil all my fun." I reached for my wallet to pay the check, but Jerry stopped me, his big tanned hand resting on mine. "It's already taken care of, Jolene."
The touch of his skin against mine was about as sharp a sensation as I could experience at the moment. Words weren't forming quickly either. "Thank you, but next time it's my treat."
He just smiled and stood, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and guided me to the car. He opened the car door for me and I had the good sense not to object.
Jerry has always been a gentleman--a tall, handsome, old-fashioned gentleman. Only he wasn't a relic of the past, more a blending of Old West marshal and New Age thinker, although I doubted he'd offer the same description of himself. Regular guy would be his words.
He started the car, then turned to me and grinned. "They've put up mercury vapor floodlights at all our old oil field parking spots."
"So where does the latest crop of lusty teenagers hang out?"
"There's a nice spot down by the creek. Willow bushes hide a car pretty good."
The image was instant and I couldn't help but remember my own times--with Jerry--in a car in the dark. "I hope you're not too hard on the kids."
He laughed. "I have to admit I've had a little fun scaring them every now and then. Making the rounds on the back roads always reminds me of you."
"Yeah, like you never went parking with anyone else."
"Never." He grinned. "At least never where I went with you."
Thinking about Jerry Don Parker doing anything with any female other than me only served to turn me into a sniping jealous beast, and I'd done enough of that for one night. I glanced at the dash just as the red LED lights flashed to one minute after 11, my old curfew. "Oops, guess I'm late again."
"Then I suppose we should make the most of it." He touched his fingers to my chin and leaned forward, brushing his lips against
Similar Books
