Chapter 14

14

G wen hardly noticed the tidy streets and neatly landscaped homes they passed on the way to her aunt and uncle's. Her thoughts reeled with the effects of Will's kiss. No, not his kiss. Their kiss. Because she'd definitely participated. In a public parking lot. Her cheeks still burned at the thought.

Why be surprised? Guys were physical, and boy, Will sure didn't shy away from bodily contact. He'd been special ops. Even though Will had tried to tell her the job was mostly mental, he obviously had needed to be very fit physically .

She peeked at him from under her eyelashes. Was there something more than a display of desire here? Had he been trying to shake her out of her moodiness?

Because she'd sure been terrible company. Seeing the train trestle after so many years of blocking the memories had sent her mind whirling back to the time of the accident.

She studied Will's strong hand resting on gear shift knob. He gazed at the road ahead, not speaking. That wasn't unusual, but most of the time they were so attuned they knew each other's thoughts. Right now, she had no idea what he was thinking, and he wasn't glancing over at her the way he often did when driving. A strange tension floated between them. This was her fault, but she didn't know how to close the gap.

They continued to ride in silence. Will parked at the curb and came around to help her down.

Uncle Tim exclaimed over his present and hugged her close. "You're my best niece."

He held up the fishing fly she'd bought from a guy in Vermont who made them and sold them on the internet. "How did you know just what I wanted?"

"A little bird told me." Namely Aunt Kathy who had seen him pouring over the guy's website.

"I saved you both a plate," Aunt Kathy tugged her toward the kitchen. "You, too, Will. Let me just heat them up."

Her uncle told Will to come back to watch a football game with him.

"We could have served ourselves," Gwen said, once Will took his plate into the front room. Every time she stopped over, even if for only five minutes, her aunt would force-feed her. Now she treated Will the same way.

"Do you want to eat in the dining room?" Aunt Kathy asked as she opened the microwave to heat Gwen's supper, which wasn't merely a plate, but a feast. As usual for her uncle's birthday, her aunt had made turkey pot pies.

"Let's sit in the kitchen." Gwen said. The kitchen would be a bit more private.

"Leslie and Brian just left." When the oven shut off, her aunt removed the wrapper. After setting dinner in front of Gwen, she filled a mug from the warming coffee carafe. "She's been a nervous wreck getting all the details organized for the wedding. I offered to help, but she wants to handle the preparations herself so everything is perfect."

"Sounds like a nervous wreck all right." Gwen poked a hole in the pie crust and inhaled the mouthwatering scent. "You're the one I want to talk to. It's about my parents' accident." She raised her brows and forked up a bite of hot turkey and carrot. "I didn't really ask you much at the time it happened."

"Understandable." Her aunt patted her arm. "No one can know exactly what happened in their car, but what do you want to know?"

"After I came to live with you, I remember overhearing Uncle Tim say he bet they were arguing the night they crashed."

"Tim didn't like your dad, and his opinion didn't improve after the police found alcohol in his blood stream after the accident. They'd been to a New Year's Eve party, so your mom might have been tipsy, too."

"I remember they argued a lot. About little picky things, in my opinion." Gwen broke off a piece of crust and scooped up more savory vegetables. She and Will didn't get into arguments, but she'd known him only a month. Would their relationship eventually dissolve? Was it happening already?

"My sister was impetuous and it was impossible to give her advice. She'd been ‘stuck on' a few guys before your dad. She married him after only a few months, and I don't think she really knew him."

Aunt Kathy rose and cut two pieces of Uncle Tim's birthday cake. "Why are you asking?"

Gwen lined up the fork and knife on her plate. "I'm wondering if I'm infatuated with Will."

Her aunt drew back and looked at her as if she were crazy. "You're nothing like your mom. Too methodical, too analytical, and much smarter. You would never throw yourself at a guy like she did."

"That's what I did with that biology prof."

"No." Aunt Kathy put a piece of cake on a plate and changed out her plates. "I could tell that fella had dated you under false pretenses."

Gwen stared down at the German chocolate cake in front of her, completely stuffed after the malt and the pot pie. The cake smelled wonderful, and she wanted to sit here a little longer while she had her aunt to herself, so she would eat a few bites, anyway. She savored her forkful, pondering what to ask in order to eliminate once and for all the possibility she might have inherited her mom's reckless behavior.

"What?" her aunt asked. "I can see the question in your face."

"Did you and Uncle Tim ever argue?"

"Not like your mother and dad. Tim and I have our disagreements, but staying together means enough to us to work things out."

Will walked into the kitchen. "Supper was delicious."

Her aunt took the tray from him and handed him a plate with a slice of cake. Will sent a look her way as if checking on her. She shook her head and smiled. "Enjoy."

Aunt Kathy waited for him to leave and then whispered, "Tim and I think he's wonderful, if you want to know. You two make a perfect couple."

Gwen stared at her. Didn't people need to be in love to get that far?

Aunt Kathy cupped her coffee mug. "I can also see how he looks at you."

"How does he look at me?"

"Like he might be in love with you."

Was that true? She had wound up in his bed most weekends, true. But?—

"How do you feel about him?" Aunt Kathy watched her. "Do you love him?"

Did she? "I think I might."

"Love's not something you need to think about, Gwennie. It's something you just know automatically."

"When did you know? About Uncle Tim?"

"Maybe from the beginning when I first met him. He was coming in off the football field, and I was one of the opposing team's cheerleaders. Neither of us said as much, but the way he looked at me. It was like I had to get to know him better or I'd be sorry."

Will had said something kind of like that the first night. And the kiss they'd shared outside Bailey's an hour ago? He didn't seem one to demonstrate his feelings in public like that, but he'd kissed her as if…he loved her?

"There you are, Gwen." Her grandmother came in and set her dinner tray on the table. "Are you finished? I want you to try on your dress one more time."