Little Blackbird (12 page)

A wild trumpet vine hugged the trunk of a pine tree; the vine wrapped its way up from the earth and stretched at least ten feet above their heads. As soon as Kate neared it, buds appeared on the vine and burst open, popping like bang snaps, exposing red-orange blooms.

“Whoa,” Geoffrey said as a trumpet flower cracked open beside his head.

Crocus leaves knifed up through the soil around Geoffrey’s feet like emerald blades before pushing buds up through their center and unfolding purple, white, yellow, and fuchsia flowers.

Kate’s eyes widened.
No, no, no! Go back to sleep! What are you doing?

Geoffrey leaned over and stared at the flowers with a disturbed expression. “What is going on? This is weird, right?”

“Uh, no. It’s normal, but people don’t usually see this when it happens,” Kate lied. She inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to release the frenetic energy that zipped through her, making her feel as though her heart had donned a pair of roller skates and raced around inside.

Geoffrey stepped away from the flowers, and when the trumpet vine reached out a tendril for him, Kate slapped it away.

“Stop,” she whispered through gritted teeth.

Geoffrey stopped walking. “What?”

Kate glared at the vine, and it pulled itself tighter against the tree. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

Geoffrey smiled at her. “I
knew
it was you,” he said.

“What?”

He opened his hand and bright yellow sunflower petals fell from his fingers. “I had the strangest feeling when I was driving up to the park. Mom has her ladies luncheon up at the pavilion, and she left her secretarial something or another at the house. I dropped it off for her, and on the way back down, I pulled into Whitman’s Overlook. I don’t know why, but I kept feeling as though I
needed
to. And what do I see when I look down? A trail of gold winding through the trees. I had to follow it, and the whole time I kept thinking about you.”

Geoffrey stepped closer to her and reached out for her hand. She met his hand halfway, yearning to feel his skin against hers, hoping it would calm her. His fingers and palm were sticky with sweat, but warm and alive. He’d been thinking about her? She stared down at their interlocking fingers and smiled.

“Did you cast a spell on me?” he asked.

When she looked up at him, she could tell he was only teasing her. “I don’t know those sorts of spells. Only the ones to turn you into a toad.”

“I know a few people you could cast that one on.”

“I bet you do,” she said.

He squeezed her hand. “I kept hoping I’d see you,” he said. “And here you are. What are you doing out this way?”

Kate motioned over her shoulder with her thumb. “I like to come here sometimes and think. I have a favorite spot that overlooks the valley.”

“Show me?”

Kate turned and tugged Geoffrey along beside her the few feet to where she’d been sitting. “It’s quiet here. Most people don’t hike through this section because there are no man-made trails. But it’s a nice hike down to the river. Evan and I used to come here all the time. Once you’re down by the river, you’re not likely to run into anyone. It’s like you’re alone in the world.”

“Which means if you were attacked by a bear, no one would know it,” he chuckled.

She shook her head. “You won’t likely see a lot of bears around here. They’re higher up in the mountains. There’s not enough food for them here.”

“Unless they want to eat hikers.”

“Stray hikers with leg braces.”

He pulled her closer to him as though it wasn’t an inappropriate thing to do, and she didn’t push away. Instead, she stared at the checkerboard pattern on his chest. Sapphire and ivory. Pale cerulean shadows were created when the two colors mixed. Instead of calming her, Geoffrey’s nearness intensified her emotions, spiraling out from her stomach, filling every space.

“I missed you,” he said.

She peered up at him. Her hope felt like fireflies in her chest. Sparking, pulsing, glowing. “You did?”

He laughed and slid his hand up her arm. “Of course. Who wouldn’t? I’m glad you left a trail for me.”

“I didn’t leave it for you,” she said, glancing away.
Did I?
In her rush to escape her thoughts of him, she had left a trail as bright as a comet’s tail, leading him straight to her.

“Of course you did,” he said. He lowered his head toward hers. “I want to kiss you again. I can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe that’s why you left the trail for me to follow. Maybe you wanted to be kissed again.”

“Maybe.”

“Can I?”

Would anyone ever say no to that?
Kate nodded.
Please.

As soon as she closed her eyes, he was already there, his lips against hers. The pent up energy inside her ricocheted around like a honeybee trapped in a jar. His arm slipped around her waist, and she pressed one hand onto his chest. His heart struck against her palm. Her breaths shortened, leaving her dizzy and faint. She clutched onto Geoffrey so he could anchor her to the earth, because otherwise the next gust of wind would lift her into the air like a kite.
Who would ever want to escape this?

“G
ET DOWN FROM there,” Kate demanded. “And be quiet. They can probably hear you in the next county. I’d rather people not know we’re up here.”

Geoffrey grinned down at her from his perch on the fat oak branch. His legs dangled, his ankle finally free of the brace, and he leaned his hands over, propping his elbows on his thighs. “Come up here and I’ll shut up.”

Kate fisted her hands on her hips. “I’m not climbing that tree. If the park rangers show up, we’ll be trapped like raccoons.”

Geoffrey groaned. “
God
, will you stop worrying about the rangers and live a little?” He motioned dramatically to her.

“I
live
just fine,” Kate argued. “What if–what if my mama finds out?”

“Cool it, will you? Your mama hasn’t found us out yet. I doubt today is the day. Now, are you coming up here or are you going to be a scaredy-cat?”

Kate exhaled and scanned the area. There was no one in sight, and Kate didn’t hear anything but cardinals and finches in the trees. The summer was disappearing, and when it was gone, it would take Geoffrey with it, leaving Kate with nothing but the fall and its slow death. How could she deny him the time he continued to ask for, especially when she began to live for the moments she spent with him?

She and Geoffrey had been meeting every other day in the park’s forest like a couple of thieves stealing away to play with their loot. They’d picked different locations each time, and every other day, Kate concocted some reason why she needed to be outside for hours at a time. The lies were piling up like garbage, and Kate wondered when she’d suffocate beneath the mess.

Today’s spot was the sacred area that had once belonged to her mama’s Cherokee tribe. Visitors to the area could see fifteen original and reconstructed buildings, as well as the burial ground. The area was designated as hallowed ground by the Cherokee, but it was also a national landmark. Kate doubted the rangers would want kids monkeying around in the trees. Would her mama feel as though they were being disrespectful? They weren’t vandalizing the site, but when Kate had visited the area with her mama, they had always been quiet, not even speaking to each other.

She looked up at him. “I’m always bending the rules with you.”

“Bending, not breaking.”

“If we get caught, I’m blaming you. I’ll tell them you forced me into the tree.”

“Deal.”

Kate climbed the oak in a matter of seconds, and she swung onto the branch beside Geoffrey.

“I wanted you to see this view,” he said, scooting closer to her. Bark tore from the limb and dropped to the forest floor.

Kate’s brow furrowed. “But we can see the same view from the top of the ridge.”

“You’re right. I really wanted you to come up here so I could kiss you.”

She gaped at him.

“What? Have you ever been kissed in a tree?” he asked, grinning at her, tempting her.

Kate shook her head.
I’ve never been kissed anywhere until you.

“Then, I have no choice but to kiss you so you can cross it off your list.”

“I don’t have a list.”

“We could start one.” Geoffrey moved his hand through the air as though he was writing a note. “Number one, kiss Kate in a tree. Check.”

Kate laughed and Geoffrey kissed her.

K
ATE WALKED INTO Bea’s Bakery and smiled as she inhaled the scents of baking sugar cookies and vanilla cake. The display cases were overflowing with chocolate donuts, red velvet cupcakes, crullers, jelly-filled danishes, and chocolate chip cookies. A caramel chocolate cake sat beneath a glass dome.

Mrs. Beatrice O’Brien walked out from the back room. “Good afternoon, Miss Kate.” She wiped her hands on her pink apron. “I was hoping I’d see you this week. Tell your mama thank you for her lavender cookie recipe. It fills the kitchen with such a peaceful smell, and they sure are good. I can barely keep Joe from eating them all as soon as they’re out of the oven.”

Kate nodded. “Yes ma’am. She’ll be glad to hear it. My daddy loves them too.” Kate walked to the first display case, and her eyes widened.

Mrs. Beatrice smiled. “I see you’ve spotted a new creation. Those are the double chocolate chunk brownies. They’re for chocolate lovers and for those who are falling in love and need to calm their nerves. Want to try a piece?”

Kate’s mouth dropped open. “I, uh, well, I–”

Beatrice laughed. “I thought I spotted a dewy-eyed expression on your face.” She opened the display and grabbed out a brownie using a flimsy paper square. “Young love is always so exciting and so distracting. See if a few bites of this won’t help out.”

Kate’s cheeks felt hot, and she couldn’t meet Mrs. Beatrice’s gaze. Kate took the offered sweet and thanked her just before she bit into the brownie. The chocolate melted on her tongue, and she sighed. For a few moments, the knot in her chest loosened. “This is excellent.”

Mrs. Beatrice nodded her head. “I’m glad you like it. Now what can I get you today? Is your daddy needing his usual?”

Kate nodded. “Yes, ma’am. A dozen chocolate chip cookies.” She folded the paper square around the rest of her brownie. If Mrs. Beatrice saw that Kate had strong feelings for someone, then it was only a matter of time before her mama saw it too. Kate knew she’d have to do a better job of hiding her feelings.

She waved goodbye to Mrs. Beatrice as she left the bakery. She saw Dr. Hamilton and Matthias across the street going into the pharmacy. Matthias noticed her, and his lips lifted in one corner like Geoffrey’s did. He nodded at her. She smiled before turning away and heading down the sidewalk.

Seeing the Hamiltons only made Kate miss Geoffrey more. Today was not one of their meeting days, which she knew would mean the hours would drag so slowly she’d nearly come apart inside before she saw him again. How many days had they been seeing each other now? How many days until he was gone? Kate glanced down at her open palm and counted fourteen tiny pen marks. Fourteen days until he was gone. Two weeks. And then what? Kate viewed the last day with Geoffrey as a person who is afraid of heights might view the edge of a cliff. Terrifying and paralyzing.

Kate carried the box of chocolate chip cookies around the corner to the small public garden enclosed by a low wrought iron fence. She sat on a bench beneath an enormous magnolia that had been named the oldest tree in town. Her daddy would be in a meeting for at least half an hour, so she had time to tumble thoughts of Geoffrey through her mind.

Clouds stretched over the sun and the garden shadowed. Would Geoffrey write her from college? Would he drive home to see her on weekends? Her jaw clenched.
Don’t be foolish. You haven’t even met his parents. No one even knows the two of you are together. If you even
are
together.
A chill shivered over Kate’s skin.
Shut up
. Her fingers tingled, and her next inhale filled her lungs will ice.
No
… Kate tossed the cookie box beside her and slid from the bench. As soon as her knees hit the grass, the darkness dropped a sheet over her vision.