Part 7 (2/2)
Josh had rushed from the room, slamming the door on his way out. When he hadn't returned after fifteen minutes, Carrie had gone back to her dorm. That had been hours ago. He hadn't called.
Now, with another half-hour of study facing her, Carrie couldn't see that anything positive had been accomplished. She was insecure about Josh's feelings for her, guilty about spring break, and even a little guilty about her pa.s.sionate response to Josh, considering she was seeing Billy in less than a week. To top it off, she probably wasn't going to ace this test the next day.
Finis.h.i.+ng her candy bar, she reached into the drawer for another. At least she no longer had to worry about her eating habits adding unwanted pounds to her figure.
She knew what to do about that.
Over breakfast in the quaint tearoom, Sam promised herself she'd have a talk with Emma.
After all, she was not the type of babe who beat around the bush. If Emma was drinking too much, then they should talk about it. That's what real friends were for.
But Emma got there first.
”Listen, Sam, I think you'll be happy to know I've turned over a new leaf, so to speak,” Emma said as she pushed her serrated spoon into a section of grapefruit. ”You were right when you said my family's driving me crazy, and I want you to know I'm finished with all that.”
”Emma, it's not just your family, it's, well ...”
”I know. I'm taking my share of blame here and now. I've been so self-absorbed lately! I'm sure I can't be much fun to be around.”
”No, no,” Sam protested. Somehow the conver- sation was getting away from Emma's drinking, which Sam had been working up the courage to ask her about.
”You know I really admire you, Sam,” Emma continued.
”Me?” Sam squeaked.
”You!” Emma affirmed. ”You aren't afraid to get out there and take chances! You have an idea of what you want, and you go after it.”
”Well, I try to,” Sam began. ”I mean-”
”Take your job, for instance,” Emma continued earnestly. ”Dancing at Disney World. How many girls do you think dream of that? And you're doing it!”
”I, uh . . .” Sam stammered.
”I want to be more daring, like you are,” Emma said.
Okay, Sam, here's your chance, she said to herself. Just open your mouth and tell Emma the truth. But somehow her mouth wouldn't open.
She just kept stirring extra sugar into her coffee.
”I feel like I've never done anything really adventurous in my whole life,” Emma continued.
”But you've been all over the world!” said Sam.
”Yes, I have. With my nannies and my chauf- feurs, in my family's private jet, with a wall of money and influential people s.h.i.+elding me from making any decisions on my own.”
”You made your own decision to be an au pair last summer,” countered Sam, ”and your family didn't get you that job. You jumped right in and snagged it yourself.”
”But look at the kind of job it was, Sam. In a beautiful place full of wealthy people, enjoying a wonderful, secure position with Jeff and Jane Hewitt, the world's most loving family. Where's the adventure in that? It was more like I traded one kind of palace for another.”
”Your sailing abilities saved our b.u.t.ts last Christmas,” Sam reminded her.
”That was an accident. I'm talking about the courage to make a plan. I'll bet you've already decided on your next step after Disney World.”
Tell her! Tell her! the voice screamed inside of Sam. It looked like time for both of them to own up to things. Unfortunately, Sam was enjoying Emma's admiration of her too much to confess the truth. She just couldn't bear the thought of how Emma would look at her after she knew Sam was nothing more than a waitress at a third-rate steak house.
Sam sat up a little straighter and flung her hair back over her shoulders. ”As a matter of fact, I do,” Sam said coolly. ”I'm going to be an actress.”
”See?” Emma said emphatically. ”I keep feeling like I want to step through the looking gla.s.s, and you're already there.”
This was going entirely too far. ”Emma, listen, it's not really like that-” Sam ventured. But before she could continue, she was interrupted.
”Howdy, ladies,” came a familiar voice from above their seats. Looking up, the girls saw Jimmy Peterson, now in street clothes, holding two red roses in his hand.
”Thought I'd drop by to apologize again for last night. I don't make a habit of disturbing the rest of pretty young ladies. Or at least if I do, I try to make it a pleasant experience,” said Jimmy, handing Sam and Emma each a rose.
”Why, thank you,” said Emma.
”That is so thoughtful. I cant believe it,” crooned Sam.
”I'd be happy to show you Savannah if you want to stick around. I mean, I understand you've got to be headin' north an' all. I just thought-”
”Wait a minute,” said Emma, s.h.i.+fting her at- tention from the delicate scent of the rose she held. ”How did you know we were heading north?”
”I'd imagine every cop along 1-95 knows you're headin' north,” Jimmy answered, leaning on the coatrack next to Sam. ”One of my buddies from the station moonlights as security at one of the hotels over on Hilton Head, and he said an alert was issued last night from the governor of South Carolina, too. You must be one special young lady to have every governor on the Eastern seaboard watchin' after you.”
”Thank you, Jimmy,” said Emma, twirling the rose in her fingers. ”You've been kinder than you'll ever know. And thank you for the invita- tion. We really can't stay, though.”
”Think nothin' of it. Y'all come back to Savan- nah one day, hear?”
With a slight tip of his head, Jimmy Peterson turned and made his way from the tearoom. Sam watched Emma, waiting for her response.
Emma studied the petals of the rose in her hands. She was remembering her still-vivid dream of the night before. I'm tired of not being the person I want to be! I'm tired of feeling smoth- ered by my family! she thought. There was absolutely no reason why her father should know her route and keep tabs on exactly where she was every minute of this trip.
”So, Sam,” she said casually, looking up with a mischievous gleam in her eye, ”still want to go to the mountains?”
With the sun s.h.i.+ning warmly into the interior of the Sunbird and the South Carolina pines scenting the spring air, Carrie and Emma glided along the picturesque two-lane road. They'd chosen to stay off the highway for this first leg of their new route north. Pa.s.sing through the countryside and quaint small towns made them feel they were definitely off the beaten path.
”I love this!” Sam yelled into the wind, ”I feel so ... so ... what's the word for this, Emma?”
”Euphoric!” Emma sang out.
”Right, euphoric!” Sam echoed. She threw her arms behind her head and closed her eyes bliss- fully. ”Ah, the lure of the open road! No wonder so many songs and stories are written about this.
It's almost as good as falling madly in love with some incredibly gorgeous guy.”
Just then a billboard featuring a giant ice cream cone dipped in chocolate caught Sam's eye.
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