My Lucky Days: A Novel (24 page)

One day in February, I walked out the door to my car. It had been a long couple of weeks. I had caught every cold and sore throat floating through the school. The curse of being a new teacher. I wasn’t immune to the suffering yet.

I looked out toward my car as I felt the afternoon sunshine on my face. I stopped walking as my heart beat faster, and then he waved.

Lucky was sitting on the tailgate of his blue truck, wearing his black leather jacket. I dropped my bag in the dirt parking lot as he wrapped me up in his arms. He squeezed me tight against his chest.

Somewhere in the bone-gripping hug, his lips found mine. So soft and warm. I fell into his kiss and I never wanted to let go. But I did since we were still at school.

“What are you doing here?”

“My show got canceled in Jackson. There were some electrical issues. I’m only here for about twenty-four hours. But I wanted to see you. I’ve missed you.”

He was kissing me again. And his hands ran over the back of my dress. The passion and longing were burning inside of me. I wanted to feel him against me all twenty-four hours he was here.

I finally pulled back, glancing around us. Mrs. Frazier, the music teacher, was staring at us curiously before jumping quickly into her car. She always wore her hair in a tight bun with her lips in a permanent frown—I assumed from the pain.

Turning back to Lucky, I took a good look at him. He was different, I think. More confident, maybe. More rugged. My hands cupped his cheeks, rubbing against the permanent layer of scruff.

“Run away with me, Katie.” He grinned.

And I smiled back at him. “Okay.”

“Can you leave your car? I’ll bring you back in the morning.”

“Yeah. Let’s leave it.” I looked over at Mrs. Frazier again. Her Mazda was still in the parking lot. “I think the music teacher is afraid you are abducting me.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” I laughed. “Oh, wait, I think she might actually be writing down your license plate number.”

Lucky opened the door to his old truck, and I climbed in the seat. He went around to the driver’s side, getting behind the wheel. “Well, I guess that means they like you here. She’s worried about your safety.”

“No, not really. She wants to be the busybody who gets to answer the questions when I go missing.” I altered my voice to that high-pitched, nasally sound that always came out of her mouth. “I saw that girl get in this truck with some hoodlum. Long hair. I think he cooks meth.”

Lucky burst out laughing. “So does she think I’m Walter White or Jessie Pinkman?”

“I’m pretty sure she’s never watched
Breaking Bad
.”

“So do you think I look like some meth dealer too?”

“No.” I leaned across the seat, placing a kiss on his lips. “I think you look like the handsome guitar player who is about to be a huge star.”

“Wow. That might be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten from you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Momentary brain lapse from the trauma of being kidnapped.”

He started laughing. “I’ve missed that smile of yours, Katie Darlene Jenson.”

We drove back to Stillwater with his hand holding mine across the seat. We talked and laughed. I think his eyes were more on me than the road. The sun was bright and everything seemed suddenly perfect. Lucky rolled the windows down, letting the cool February breeze flow inside the cab.

I wasn’t much better. Even though the world was beautiful outside today, I kept my eyes on him too. His hair swirled in a wild mess around his face as the truck sped down the road. As he smiled back at me, I felt it inside my heart.

“I’ve really missed you,” I said.

His eyes locked onto mine as he slowed the truck down, pulling onto the grass next to someone’s barbwire fence. He turned the motor off and then scooted toward the middle of the seat.

“Come here.”

“What are you doing?”

His smile took on a hint of mischief. “You know what I’m doing.”

“We can’t. I mean. People drive down this road. Like a lot of people,” I babbled, feeling the adrenaline build up. “Like, me. I drive by here every day.”

My heart was pounding. I looked over my shoulder at the empty road behind us and then back at Lucky. This was crazy. But then he kissed me. I felt his tongue touch my lips. I was melting into the feel of his mouth against mine.

It had been so many weeks since he had kissed me like this. I was getting breathless. His hand was on my knee, rubbing softly against my black tights. And then his fingers went slowly up my thigh and under my dress as his lips moved down my neck. My eyes closed, and I didn’t care if I was on the side of a road or in the middle of a park.

“Okay.” I pulled away. “But give me a second.”

I unzipped my ankle boots. Reaching under my dress, I pulled the tights down my legs followed by my black-lace panties. Lucky watched me with an amused grin while his eyes betrayed the thoughts inside his head.

I gave him a timid smile as the butterflies moved around in my stomach. I saw a car go past us on the road. It was late afternoon. People would be on their way home soon. My heart beat faster.

Lucky unbuckled his belt and then unzipped his jeans. Grabbing my hips, he pulled me across his lap so I was straddling his thighs.

“I want you, Katie.” he whispered. “So much that I need you right now.”

I nodded yes, because I wanted him too.

His lips were on mine and my hands ran over his shoulders and up into his hair. He pushed up with his hips, causing me to gasp as he slid inside of me. I knew we were connected in the most intimate way possible and yet I saw nothing because of our clothes. It felt so secretive and private, despite the deep rush of knowing someone could drive by at any moment.

My fingers dug into his shoulders as he moved us together. Every time he made love to me, I got a little braver with him, a little bolder, and more comfortable with our physical relationship. And right now, being on top of him, I wanted to be the one in control for a change.

Pulling his hands off my butt cheeks, I put his palms down on the seat. “No touching.”

His eyes were heavy with desire. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. And I can’t even touch you?”

“No.” I grinned.

“You don’t play fair.”

“I want to be the one to do this. Will you let me at least try?”

“Okay.” He settled back against the seat with a lazy grin. “Go for it.”

I moved slowly against him, lifting up with my knees and rocking back down. Putting my hands on his chest, I steadied myself so I could go a little faster. I felt his heart beating under my fingers.

“It’s driving you crazy, isn’t it?” I whispered.

His fingers clenched the truck seat. “You are definitely driving me crazy.”

“Like it’s just enough out of your control that you hate it. But you like it too.” My hands ran over his shoulders as I moved quicker against him. A sheen of sweat dusted my face as the cool air blew in the open windows.

“You’re taunting me now.” He sounded breathless.

“Maybe. Like I can feel you breathing. And I can feel your skin. And I can feel you—”

“Sorry, Katie, but I can’t.” Lucky’s arms went around me.

Our hearts beat together and our bodies moved in sync as the world disappeared into a hazy blur. Nothing in my life had ever felt as right as this moment. I collapsed against his chest, feeling him hold us tightly together. He buried his face against my neck. “I’ve missed you . . . so much.”

He held me for a while as our breathing slowly returned to normal. And like the sun outside, reality slipped slowly back into the cab of the truck.

His lips brushed my cheek. “That was the best welcome home I’ve ever gotten. I like this side of you, Ms. Jenson. The teacher has gotten feisty and bossy while I was away.”

I rose up to look at him. “You know I’m only like this with you. Somehow you bring this side out in me.”

“I know,” he whispered, kissing the tip of my nose. “It’s one of the reasons I love you.”

I climbed off his lap, picking my clothes off the floor. He fastened his pants back as I pulled my tights up my legs. A truck drove past us, slowing down.

A man with soft white hair and a beard smiled as he rolled down his window. “Y’all need any help?”

“No, we’re good,” Lucky yelled back. “Just needed to make a phone call.”

“All right then. Y’all take care.” The old man gave a friendly wave.

I held my breath until the brown Ford was half a mile down the road. “
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.
That was—I don’t even know what to think. Three minutes earlier and—”

“He would have seen exactly how much I love you.”

A crimson blush filled my cheeks. “And I might have died at the age of twenty-one from a sudden aneurism.”

“You’re funny.” He laughed as he started the truck. He reached across the seat, taking my hand. “It should always be like this, Katie.”

“What do you mean?”

“When we are together, I want to feel everything with you. Live in the moment and have no regrets. And when I’m back on that shit-hole bus next week, I want to remember how it felt just now and the look in your green eyes when I was inside you.” He smiled softly. “I know this has been hard for you, Katie. But maybe that’s how we need to deal with the in-between times. Give it everything we’ve got on the days we have together.”

As the Oklahoma wind blew through the windows, I felt his sweet words capture my heart. “Don’t forget this world is temporary. So love someone with all you got. Isn’t that the words?”

“Something like that.” Lucky smiled as he pulled out on the road, and then he started singing the song from the night we first met.

Don’t forget this world is temporary,

And each day that ends is one less you see.

Make sure you share a little happiness,

With everyone as you pass by.

And read your Bible each night,

Even if you don’t understand why.

And make sure you love someone,

With everything you got inside.

And if life leads to heartache,

Don’t ever be afraid to cry.

L
ucky left the next day. I cried. This time was harder than the last time at the airport. He held me in his arms, whispering he loved me against my hair. I didn’t want to let go, but I eventually walked away.

As the spring days got longer, the nights felt colder. I always put on a smile, hoping he wouldn’t hear the sadness through the phone. But when I hung up, everything always fell apart.

I cried silent tears.

I hated that he made me cry. But my heart hurt, which sent my emotions in every direction. One minute I was crying and the next, yelling at Peyton for leaving a sink full of dirty dishes. Her eyes had gotten huge. We both knew I wasn’t a person who yelled. But she gave me a hug and then silently put them away in the dishwasher.

I hated this version of myself.

I needed a project.

I needed to stay busy.

So I bought several cans of paint and decided to redecorate our little house. Skylar helped with the colors since she was better at that sort of thing. We spent the first week of March covered in about fifty different shades of gray, which sent Peyton into high-pitched giggles at the ironic aspect of my adventure. That only put ideas in her head. She sat on a paint drop cloth, dramatically reading excerpts from the book instead of helping us finish the living room.

The renovations were a good idea. I was exhausted from teaching school and then after work, I reached another level of physical exertion from sanding baseboards. I usually fell asleep without even trying.

One night, at about two in the morning, I woke to my phone actually ringing and not a text. I pulled myself out of a groggy sleep, seeing his name on the screen.

“Hey,” I mumbled.

“I’m so sorry, Katie. But I had to call you. I couldn’t wait.”

I sat up in bed as my mind fell into jumbled thoughts of accidents and destruction. “What’s wrong?”

“Jack Harlow was at our show tonight.”

“Don’t do that. I thought. Never mind.” My heart was racing.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I was excited and I wanted to tell you.”