looking out for .â When he gave her a still-confused look, she pointed down the road they had just traveled. âFrom up here,â she said, âyou can see for over a mile behind you. You can look out for your parents, your school principal, your next-door neighbors, your pastor, or anybody else who might catch you foolinâ around.â
Dirk looked over his shoulder, down the road, and at the dark pine forest around them, then at the cliff ahead. At the bottom of the ninety-degree embankment lay a quiet lake. âI guess the waterâs kinda nice,â he said grudgingly. âYou know, with moonlight shining on it and all that stuff.â
Thatâs my guy , Savannah thought. Always the romantic.
âItâs probably got frogs in it, though,â he added. âSnakes, alligators, shit like that.â
She sighed. âYouâre kinda killinâ the mood here, boy.â
âSorry.â He paused, thinking. âThe trees smell good.â
âMuch better.â
He unfastened his seat belt, reached over, and released hers. âI was kinda surprised you still wanted to come up here after that whole Jeanette rigmarole back at the school.â
âAll the more reason to make the trip,â she replied.
He gave her a long questioning look. âJust soâs I know, did we come up here to celebrate or for me to comfort you?â
âWell, we donât exactly have to break out the sparklers and party hats, but Iâm feeling pretty fine. Iâve been itching to smack ole Jeanette upside the head for almost as long as I can remember. Since kindergarten, at least, when she started making fun of my bologna and mayonnaise sandwiches.â
âI love bologna and mayonnaise sandwiches.â
âEvery day? Every single day of your childhood? And nothing else, not even an apple or a banana?â
âOkay. Point taken.â
âAnyway, it was a long time coming. I do feel kinda guilty for hitting her instead of just telling her off. Everybody knows youâre not supposed to lay hands on another person in violence, no matter what the provocation.â
âMustâve been some pretty nasty provocation.â
âIt was. Thatâs why Iâm not going to go mope around, hanging my head, staring at the floor, wringing my hands with shame.â
âYouâll find a way to handle all that guilt?â he asked with a grin.
ââTis a hardship, but Iâll bear up. Iâm nothing if not resilient.â
He pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss. âI hate to admit it, but I was proud of you,â he whispered against her cheek. âI was worried my wife was going to spend the next five or so years in jail, and Iâd have to do my husbandly duty to her between iron bars. But I was proud of you.â
She laughed and returned the kiss. âWhy, thank you, kind sir. Howâs about we climb into that backseat and you can show me just exactly how proud you really are?â
âMighty proud, Miss Savannah,â he said, faking her Southern accent. His hands began to wander. His lips, too. âPowerful proud. And growing prouder by the moment.â
Â
âIs it just me,â Savannah asked as she handed Dirk his briefs and continued the search for her panties on the rear floorboard, âor didnât backseats of cars used to be bigger?â
As he wriggled into his underwear, he accidentally poked her in the eye with his elbow. âOops. Sorry. I think itâs sorta like airline seats. Weâve gotten a little bigger, and theyâve gotten a whole lot smaller.â
Savannah had donned her bra and was situating the âgirlsâ in their individual cups when she heard something.
A splash.
A big splash.
She was pretty sure the sound was from the lake below.
âDid you hear that?â she said, sitting up and straining to see over the front seat and the carâs hood to the
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes