A Needful Heart (17 page)

Reaching up, he flipped the sun visor down
and motioned to the mirror. “Your make-up’s messed up a bit.”

Gina peered into the mirror and wiped the
blemish away, then beamed at him. “Thank you for telling me. I’d
have felt foolish finding that later.”

“You’d have still been beautiful.” The words
were instinctive and heartfelt, but he felt exposed saying
them.

Gina smiled, though, and seemed to come to a
decision. She unfastening her seatbelt, tossed her purse on the
floor and shifted to sit beside him. Matt dropped his arm down
around her shoulders and snugged her closer.

“My arm’s not too heavy, is it?”

She shook her head and fastened the middle
seatbelt across her hips.

“I wanted to do this earlier, but I didn’t
want to crowd you.”

Matt appreciated her consideration. She
really was trying not to push him too fast. What they were doing
was not too much though. He didn’t feel overwhelmed. Actually, if
anything, he felt more addicted to her and wanted more closeness.
“You’re not crowding me.”

“Well, if I ever do, just tell me to back off
and I will, okay?”

He nodded, appreciating her words. “So, where
am I going?”

“Yellow Springs. It’s about a half hour east
of Dayton.”

“Is that where you grew up?”

Gina nodded her head against his chest. “All
my life. It’s a nice little college town, not too big but decent
sized. Columbus and Dayton are within driving distance, and it’s
actually become a bit of a tourist spot in the past few years.
Trendy little shops downtown and stuff.”

“Sounds nice. You didn’t go to school there,
though, right?”

“Right. I wanted to get away from my family
so I headed west for school. Indiana State.”

Matt couldn’t blame her for wanting to get
away. If he could have gotten away from Rick sooner he would
have.

They talked about inconsequential things all
the way to Ohio, and it was one of the most relaxed times he had
ever spent in an enclosed space with anybody. As the highway signs
began to tick down the miles, though, his anxiety ratcheted up. He
had no idea who these people were or what they would think about
their daughter dating a tattooed reject. Gina seemed to think they
would accept him with open arms, but he knew otherwise. They would
look at him with suspicion, lightly concealed by civility.

Half an hour later, he guided the truck onto
a gravel driveway and pulled up to a two-story house set back
against picturesque woods. Cars lined the gravel and Gina motioned
for him to pull into the yard. “It’s fine. We do it all the
time.”

Matt gritted his teeth and had visions of
Gina’s insurance salesman father chasing him with a shotgun, but he
parked where she directed.

Gina was overwhelmed by people almost
immediately. She kissed everybody, and they were all kissing and
hugging her in return. It was one of the craziest things Matt had
ever seen, all the open affection. A little scary actually. They
all clucked over her cast, and he felt a flash of guilt.

A hand was shoved at him, and he shook
automatically. A tall, lean man with Gina’s broad smiled shifted
around a woman. “You must be Matt. We’re so pleased to meet you.
I’m Eric, Gina’s dad.”

To say he was surprised was an
understatement. Matt had expected a short little man with glasses.
Eric Carruthers was none of that. Tall and spare with a trustworthy
face, he exuded a laid-back confidence that inferred he could
handle anything.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you
don’t mind I parked in your yard.”

Eric waved his words away. “No worries. We
park there all the time. How was the drive?”

“Fine, fine.” Matt looked for Gina’s curls,
and he spotted her crossing the drive to wrap her arms around an
older woman with identical curls. Eric motioned for him to follow
and they crossed to meet them.

Gina turned when he got close enough and held
her hand out to him. Matt felt his throat tighten as she tugged him
to stand in front of the older woman. “Mom, I would like you to
meet Matt Calvin. Matt, my mom, Linda.”

It was obvious Gina got her kinky hair from
her mother, and her bright blue eyes. Mrs. Carruthers glanced down
the length of him, and he knew she was cataloging his faults. Her
eyes snagged on his tattoo and paused for the briefest millisecond,
but he had seen the cringe. In spite of the look, though, she
smiled brightly at him. “Matt, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank
you so much for driving Gina all the way out here.”

“It was no problem, Mrs. Carruthers.”

“Call me Linda, please.”

Matt tipped his head in agreement, but he
didn’t know if she really meant the offer or not. Her eyes were a
little cool. He looked down at Gina. “I’ll go get the bags. Why
don’t you head up with your mom?”

Gina smiled brightly and leaned up for a
quick kiss. Matt had no choice but to meet her partway. The move
looked as if she’d done it many times before, though he knew
otherwise. “Thanks, Matt. Just set them inside the back door. We’ll
meet you in the back yard.”

He nodded once and turned for the truck. Gina
and her mother locked arms and started up the driveway. Eric
followed him to the truck, and Matt had a feeling the man had
questions.

“So, Matt, did you have problems on the
interstate or anything?”

He shook his head and leaned in to the back
seat to pull out the duffle bags, the pasta salad and the brightly
colored gift bag. A jolt of excitement went through him as he
stuffed the bright pink envelope inside the bag. Gina had offered
to put his name on the card in case he didn’t have a gift, but Matt
had surprised her by producing a cardboard box. Inside a nest of
newspaper was a jewelry chest he had made several months ago. It
was intricately carved and much smaller than what he normally
built, but beautiful all the same. Gina’s eyes had sparkled when
she saw the box and told him it would be perfect for Charli. It was
in the bottom of the gift bag, and his name was also on the card.
Matt had felt like a part of a couple as he watched Gina sign his
name in the truck.

Kicking the door shut with his foot, he
started up the driveway in the direction Gina had gone. Eric
offered to take one of the bags, but Matt shook his head. “Nah, I’m
good.”

Eric led him to the back of the house, and
Matt had to stop and stare. Colored streamers hung from the trees
and bushes, and there were several decorated picnic tables
scattered across the lawn. “I know,” the older man laughed, “it’s a
lot. But she’s our youngest child and we wanted to make her last
birthday at home memorable.”

“Why is it her last birthday at home?” Matt
asked, curious.

“Well,” Eric sighed, “next year she’ll be at
college. Did Gina tell you about Charli? She’s an extremely
intelligent young woman, and she graduates high school next June.
She goes directly to college in the fall, assuming she settles on
one.”

Matt was genuinely impressed. He had dropped
out of high school at sixteen. Later, he’d gone back for his GED,
but he regretted dropping out of school in the first place. College
had been an unattainable dream, then. Now, he took the occasional
business course at the community college at night if he thought he
needed to know something.

There were two long banquet tables on a brick
patio at the back door. He set Gina’s pasta bowl on the table and
Charli’s gift bag on another, then set their clothing bags inside
the back door Eric directed him to. He shut the door and looked
across the yard for Gina, but he didn’t see her.

Eric led him to a group of lawn chairs
grouped around an obviously well-used brick fire pit. Matt eyed the
canvas chairs dubiously and chose a sturdier looking one to lower
himself into. It held and he released his breath. He hated these
things. He’d take a wooden chair any day.

Eric offered him a drink from an ice chest,
and Matt accepted a bottle of water. Questions were coming, so he
might as well have something ready when he needed it. He tried to
appear relaxed, though his eyes scanned for Gina. He tugged the
bill of his cap down.

Popping the top on his can, Eric motioned to
the mess behind him. “If you have kids, you’ll do this, too, don’t
worry.”

Matt didn’t think he’d ever have kids, so he
thought it was kind of a moot point, but he made some kind of noise
in agreement.

“Do you have kids, Matt?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“How long have you been dating my
daughter?”

He smiled slightly. “Just a few days.”

Gina’s dad actually looked relieved at the
information. Matt tried not to feel aggravated.

“And you’re a carpenter, right?”

“Yes.”

Eric launched into a fairly one-sided
conversation about the attributes of each type of wood he used, and
Matt promised he’d check out his workshop before he left.

A hand rested on his right shoulder, and he
looked up at a smiling Gina. Her eyes widened theatrically, and
Matt thought she was trying to tell him she was sorry for leaving
him. Reaching up, he held her hand in his own and tugged a second
chair close. Gina settled into it and didn’t seem in a hurry to
remove her hand. Actually, he thought it tightened.

Gina’s dad was watching them carefully.

“So, Daddy, what kind of car did you get
Charli?”

Eric smiled and rubbed his hands together.
“Well, I debated on several things, but finally settled on a
sedan.”

Matt watched the interplay between father and
daughter and found it fascinating. There was no animosity
whatsoever, and Eric was genuinely interested in Gina’s life. And
vice versa. Gina seemed to know about every project he was working
on.

“How did you break your wrist? You never did
say.”

Gina smiled and glanced at Matt. His clamped
his mouth shut, and a hollow feeling settled in his stomach.

“Well, I ran into Matt in the office.
Literally. And bounced off of him.”

Sharp eyes looked to Matt. “Really?”

He nodded, though it pained him. “I tried to
grab her, but she was already beyond my reach.”

“Gina.” Eric shook his head at her. “You’re
such a klutz. You have to be more careful, Pumpkin.”

“I know, Dad,” Gina sighed. “I was reading a
chart and had my head down. It was like running into a brick wall,
too.”

She smiled when she said it though and
tightened her hand on his. “I think it was the best thing that’s
happened to me in a long time.”

Matt glanced at her earnest expression. There
was no freakin’ way she could believe that.

Gina didn’t like the caged look in Matt’s
eyes. His ball cap shielded his face, but she could feel the
tenseness in his hand as it clutched hers. Her dad was not very
subtle. If he wanted to know something, he asked. Time for a change
of direction.

“So how have you been feeling, Dad? Any more
of those dizzy spells?”

Disgust curled her father’s lips. “No more
dizzy spells. Those doctors may have finally gotten something right
with that new medication they put me on.”

They talked of inconsequential things after
that. When the topic veered too close to Matt, she tried to steer
them in another direction. It helped when Charli came out of the
house.

At sixteen, she carried herself as if she had
seen everything. Her sleek, dark-blond hair was knotted haphazardly
on top of her head, and her regular glasses were replaced by a pair
of bright red frames. Even though it was a special day, she had her
standard jeans and t-shirt on, but she was still damn cute.

Gina stood up from her chair and Charli
squealed when she saw her. “Mom said you were here, but I didn’t
see your car.” She wrapped her arms around Gina’s waist and
squeezed.

Gina was just as glad to see her little
sister and held her tight. It had been several months since they’d
been able to get together. Charli was one of the few people in her
life who didn’t dote over her as if she were sick all the time. She
was born a few years after Gina had kicked the illness and had no
memory of all the fuss and worry. Mary Beth, their older sister,
was constantly mothering Gina, because she
did
remember.

She pulled back and motioned to Matt.
“Charli, this is my friend Matt. He drove me today.”

Charli’s hazel eyes widened as Matt stood
from the chair, but she shook his hand like it was no big deal.
“Hi, Matt.”

“Charli. Happy birthday.”

“Cool tat.” Charli beamed and turned back to
Gina. “You’ve been busy,” she murmured.

Embarrassment warmed her face. She and Charli
spoke all the time, but she hadn’t felt comfortable telling her
about Matt. As mature as the girl seemed, she was still only
sixteen, and certain things were beyond her scope of knowledge. At
least Gina hoped they were. She didn’t want to think of her little
sister doing the nasty.

A group of girls gathered behind Charli, and
they tugged her away, giggling.

Relatives and friends started to filter in,
and Gina was busy greeting people she hadn’t seen in a long time.
She tried to keep Matt company, but it wasn’t possible all the
time. Surprisingly, though, he seemed to fit in fairly well. He
played football with some of her younger male cousins and helped
her dad carry firewood for the fire pit. At one point she even saw
him transferring food out to the banquet table for her mother.
Everything was good until the final guest came around the
corner.

Gina knew before he was even introduced that
this was the infamous doctor her mother had tried to set her up
with. He was definitely good-looking--blond haired and blue-eyed--
but way too aware of his looks. Gucci loafers sank into the grass,
and his knife-sharp khakis looked out of place amongst the jeans
everybody else was wearing. He was carrying a brightly tissued gift
bag and a container of store-bought baked beans. Why hadn’t Mom
uninvited him? She glared at her mother as she rose to greet
him.