Protect My Heart Page 4

  A guarded expression spread across Arie’s face under his hood. He didn’t answer right away. He was opening his mouth to speak when Maya turned to us.

  “Troy and I were talking and thought it would be fun to play campfire games.” Maya’s eyes brimmed with mischief and delight. “How do you guys feel about going back to our elementary days and playing Telephone?”

  Arie raised his eyebrows and looked at me as if asking whether Maya was serious.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun,” I said. “Embrace your inner child.”

  He shook his head and smiled. “Okay, let’s play Telephone. I don’t think I’ve played it since I was ten.”

  “You’ve been missing out. We play Telephone like every day,” I said.

  “Seriously?”

  “Right after we play with dolls in my old playhouse.” I pointed a thumb over my shoulder in the direction of the wooden playhouse my dad had built for Lily and me when we were younger.

  “You’re hilarious, Emma.” Arie smiled in a way that made my heart stop one second, then double its pace the next.

  “Well, you know.” I shrugged, hoping I wasn’t blushing. “Life’s too short to be serious all the time.”

  A second later, Maya started the game off. She placed an arm around Arie’s shoulder and a hand next to her mouth as she leaned in close to whisper in his ear. Arie smiled and shook his head like he couldn’t believe what he’d been roped into saying. A moment later, he leaned right next to me and whispered in my ear. A whiff of his cologne wafted to my nose, and man, did he smell good. If I’d had my guard up right then and remembered my boy-cleanse, I would have recognized it as Sign of a Player Number Fifty-Six: they always smell good. But my guard was lower than low at that point.

  I didn’t quite catch what he whispered because I couldn’t seem to focus with the way his hot breath in my ear sent chills down my spine. It sounded a lot like, “Big crowd bears match me baboons.” It didn’t make any sense, but maybe that was Maya’s strategy. Plus, it was the best I could do at the moment. I turned to Conner and whispered the sentence into his ear, then he turned to Kathryn who then whispered in Troy’s ear.

  Troy scrunched up his face and shook his head. “Was it supposed to be, ‘Big crown beards match my balloons’?”

  “How in the world did it end up like that?” Maya asked. “That’s not even close!”

  That was probably my fault. “What was the sentence supposed to be?” I asked, hoping it wasn’t me who’d completely botched it up.

  “Being around barns makes me croon,” Maya and Arie said in unison.

  I was way off. “Oops.” I smiled guiltily and shrugged.

  “Did you purposely sabotage my game?” Maya asked, crossing her arms.

  “Of course not,” I said. “I think my brain shut down temporarily.” Definitely a sensory overload with Arie nearby. I resolved not to be so pathetic again.

  Later, as everyone was putting the camp chairs back in the shed, I noticed Conner pull Kathryn aside.

  I couldn’t help but watch them as they stood under the big apple tree a few yards away. Conner rubbed the back of his neck before stuffing his fists in the front pockets of his jacket. He appeared to be speaking rapidly. Kathryn nodded to whatever he was saying, and then a huge grin spread over her face. When they finished their conversation, Conner, Troy, and Arie all said goodbye and slipped out the side gate.

  Once the guys were out of sight, Kathryn walked up to Maya and me. “Guess what?” She practically trembled with excitement. “Conner asked me out on a date for tomorrow! A real live date!”

  Maya and I squealed.

  “I knew he liked you,” I said.

  “I can’t believe this is actually happening.” Kathryn shook her head in awe. “Are you sure I’m not dreaming?”

  Maya pinched Kathryn.

  “Ow!” Kathryn jerked away and rubbed her shoulder.

  “Nope. Looks like you’re awake, definitely not a dream,” Maya said with a smile. “Conner really asked you out.”

  “Did he tell you what you’ll be doing?” I asked.

  “No, he said it was a surprise. He did tell me to dress warmly, so I assume we’ll be outside for at least part of it.”

  “I’m so excited for you!” It was wonderful to see Kathryn finally get what she wanted after crushing on Conner for forever. I turned to Maya. “How do you think tonight went with Arie? Do you think he likes you?”

  Maya thought for a second before shrugging. “I don’t know. It was fun and all, but I had a hard time getting a read on him. He seemed distracted whenever I talked to him. Actually, I noticed his eyes wandered to you quite a few times.”

  “I highly doubt that.” I laughed. Guys never looked at me when they could check Maya out instead.

  Maya shrugged. “Maybe he has a girlfriend back home. A guy like that would have no trouble finding a girl to fall in love with him.”

  “That’s probably it,” I said, not sure how I felt about that possibility. “I mean, we don’t know everything about him yet.”

  “You guys need to find out tomorrow. You’re all going to Ridgecrest, right?” Maya asked.

  “We’re actually going to carpool with Arie.” I turned to Kathryn. “He asked if he could ride down with us, so I told him to meet here tomorrow at eight.”

  “Sounds good. I guess I better get home and get some beauty rest if I’m going to look good for my hot date tomorrow night,” Kathryn said, smiling.

  “Make sure to hydrate your lips before going to bed. You’ll want them nice and supple for Conner,” Maya said.

  “Ooh.” Kathryn’s eyes grew big and she wrung her hands in front of her. “You don’t think he’ll try kissing me on the first date, do you?”

  “You never know.” Maya winked and smiled wickedly. “It’s always good to be ready though, just in case.”

  Kathryn looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

  “Don’t worry, Kathryn,” I said. “I’m sure he won’t try anything you don’t want. He’s a good guy.”

  This seemed to calm her down a little. “I really better get going, though I’m sure I’ll never sleep now!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ARIE

  I HAD FINISHED my first week on the job and felt good about it. Sure, being in high school again wasn’t great, but it’s not like it mattered what grades I got, since I’d already graduated early from college. Surprisingly enough, I’d enjoyed hanging out with Emma and her friends last night, even if I couldn’t quite figure Emma out. She was cold and distant, almost annoyed with me one minute, but then normal and fun the next. It was like she had a split personality, and I worried I might get whiplash from it.

  I figured the nice Emma was her real personality; otherwise, I might have to turn up the charm. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, though Sophie wanted me to stay close . . . no matter the methods it took. But the last thing I wanted was to create a fake relationship on top of all the other lies I had to tell to keep my cover.

  After I returned from choir rehearsal, I typed up my report for the week and emailed it to Sophie. My mom had called a few times this morning while I was with Emma and Kathryn, so I decided to call her back now before she started to worry. She was famous for freaking out when I didn’t get back to her within an hour.

  My mom picked up after the first ring. “Arie!” she gasped like she’d been anxiously waiting for me to call.

  “Hey, Mom.” I smiled as I walked up the stairs to the second floor of my new living space and went into my room. My room was pretty basic with the regular bed, desk, and dresser you’d expect a high school student to have. The blue walls were bare, but I liked them that way. I hadn’t brought much with me when I moved here, just a couple of suitcases filled with clothes and other essentials. “I’m alive.” I chuckled, imagining how my mom probably looked right now, hand pressed to her chest as she slumped back into a chair, finally able to relax. She’d been through so much with my dad already, so I knew
better than to give her too hard of a time.

  “If you’re alive and well, then why didn’t you answer any of my phone calls? I thought you had Saturdays off.”

  “Normally, I do, but there was a special rally I had to go to this morning. I would have answered my phone, but my boss doesn’t like me to use it while I’m on the clock.” And so the lying continued. Since my job was top secret, I had to make up a story to tell her. As far as she knew, I was working as an intern for a senator in town.

  “This working all the time can’t be healthy. You’re young; you should be having some fun, too. I bet there are plenty of college girls there who’d love to spend time with a handsome young man like you.”

  There she went again, still trying to match me up with someone, even though she lived thousands of miles away. “I’m not looking for that kind of fun right now, Mom. I need to focus on my job.” I might only be working at an obscure rent-a-bodyguard-type job. But it was a stepping-stone in the right direction, and I intended to take it seriously.

  “And how was your first week?”

  “It’s been good. I’m getting the hang of things.” Meaning, it wasn’t quite the thrilling adventure I envisioned when I applied for the internship. Though my presence was only a precaution for now, since the threat was still locked away for the time being, I was itching for more action—something to make my time here seem worthwhile. I didn’t want Emma to be in any real danger, of course, but at the same time, I was getting restless.

  “That’s good. I know you were hoping for some exciting protests at those rallies, but this mom will be quite happy if things stay calm over there.”

  “I know, Mom.” She’d made that point several times in the past month.

  “How are your roommates? Are they nice?” She thought I lived with a couple of college guys; I hadn’t known how to explain why I was living with Jason and Sophie. I thought it might be weird, living with a married couple in their forties, but they were surprisingly cool.

  “Yeah, they’re great.” My mom let out an audible sigh of relief.

  When I first arrived in Maplebridge, I assumed things would be uptight and serious all the time, but I soon discovered Jason was a goofball when he was off duty. There wasn’t a day that had gone by that Jason hadn’t found an opportunity to tease me about being in high school again. He also thought he needed to constantly remind me I couldn’t date any of the girls I went to school with. Did he assume every guy in their twenties was desperate for some action? Because even if I were, I would never go after someone that young.

  Sophie, on the other hand, was the sweet, motherly type. She and Jason were never able to have kids of their own, so I think she enjoyed having a younger person around to mentor. I appreciated having kind people to work with and learn from on my first job fresh out of college.

  I talked to my mom for another ten minutes, then hung up before she could remind me, again, that she wanted grandbabies one day and the only way that could happen was if my sister or I took time out of our busy schedules to find someone and get married. Mom was eighteen when she married my father, so she assumed my nineteen-year-old sister and I would want to follow suit and marry young. She seemed to forget all about the fact that the last thing I wanted was the type of marriage my parents had. My sister and I somehow turned out okay despite all the turmoil, but what I’d witnessed had definitely made me question whether true love actually existed. I was convinced that kind of thing only happened in the movies.

  To get my thoughts off the past, I decided to go outside and do some yard work. Physical labor had a way of taking my mind off things, and since Jason and Sophie didn’t work much in the backyard, there was plenty to keep me busy for a few hours.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  EMMA

  I WENT to clean the office after getting back from choir practice. I turned my music up high and sang at the top of my lungs to make the time pass as I set to work dusting the desks, cleaning windows, vacuuming and mopping all the floors, cleaning the bathrooms, and emptying the trash. I was done in two hours and called Maya on the drive home to see whether she wanted to hang out this evening.

  Maya had been busy working on the date-auction preparations all day with her mom, so she jumped at the chance to get out of the house for the evening. She suggested we kidnap Arie and take him on a tour of Maplebridge. I was hesitant at first, worried about compromising my boy-cleanse, but since she had obviously made her claim to him, there was no reason for me to be worried about falling prey to his charms anyway.

  I’d been so caught up in worrying about my weakness toward attractive guys like him I hadn’t even stopped to realize he hadn’t done anything to show he was even interested in me. So far, he’d just been the nice new guy in town who talked to me because we’d met before. I couldn’t believe how messed up I had acted, all because of what had happened this summer.

  I had gone over two weeks without messing up on my cleanse, so I could totally handle talking to Arie without any feelings getting involved. And there was nothing in the rules against being nice to the new guy. It had to be rough, moving away from home and switching schools during his senior year. I’d die if my parents made me move at any point during high school, let alone my final year when I’m already established.

  When five o’clock rolled around, I drove my dad’s truck to Maya’s house. “I’m glad your parents took their car on their date,” Maya said as she climbed in after dropping her picnic basket in the bed of the truck. “This way I get to cuddle up with Arie.”

  “Somehow I knew you’d like this arrangement.” I laughed as I shifted into drive.

  A few minutes later, we pulled up to what I hoped was Arie’s house from what he’d said yesterday. My stomach twisted up in knots as we strolled up the walk to the large brick house. It felt presumptuous to show up out of the blue. How would Arie react when he saw us? Would he be happy? Or would he feel like he was being stalked? The last thing I wanted to do was come on too strong.

  Arie’s house looked sophisticated, and the yard was neatly manicured, smelling of freshly cut grass. Maya knocked on the door, and I tried to right my stomach. About thirty seconds later, we were greeted by a tall woman with an athletic build. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, and her warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners when she greeted us. Arie had said something about his aunt yesterday, so I assumed this was she.

  Maya introduced us and then asked, “Is Arie home? We’re hoping to steal him for the evening.”

  “Yes, he’s out back.” She spoke with a slight accent I didn’t recognize. “Come on in.” She stepped back from the doorway and gestured for us to enter.

  We walked into a very lovely home. The floors were all dark wood, the furniture and decor all modern. There was an industrial chandelier with old-fashioned lanterns hanging from it with light bulbs inside. So cool. My eyes wandered from the chandelier to a huge painting of a forest at dusk. “Your home is beautiful!” I said after deciding it needed to be featured in one of those interior-design magazines my mom had.

  “Thank you,” Arie’s aunt said. “It’s taken me years to get it to look like this.”

  “You’ve done a great job.” I wondered what Arie’s uncle did for a living. They appeared to be very well off.

  “I’ll go find Arie. Make yourselves at home.” She turned and walked out of the room.

  A few minutes later, Arie came inside. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and faded blue jeans with dirt and grass stains across the front. Even with grubby clothes and messy hair, he still looked like he could have just stepped off the set of a men’s fragrance commercial. My palms got sweaty just seeing him, and my mind tried to convince me that my seventeen-day boy-cleanse had gone on long enough.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, ladies?” he asked in a cadence from times gone past as he sauntered over.

  “We thought it would be fun to give you a proper tour of our town,” Maya said. “We didn’t know if y
ou’d seen the local sights yet and figured, who better to show you than a couple of Maplebridge veterans?”

  Arie wiped the dirt off his hands and onto his pants. “That sounds like fun. Do you mind if I shower first?” He gestured at his dirty clothes and shot us a lopsided grin. “I’ll be quick.”

  “Yes, please,” Maya said. “I mean you look great and all, but we want you to be comfortable.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He rushed up the stairs.

  Maya and I sat on a leather couch to wait for him. His aunt was sweet and brought us water and cookies while we waited. Arie was back in less than ten minutes, wearing jeans and a dark-blue T-shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes.

  “That was fast,” I commented, trying to be discreet as I wiped the cookie crumbs from my mouth.

  “Where are you two taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise,” Maya said as we stood.

  “But don’t worry,” I added. “We’ll have you back before midnight.”

  “Oh, good. That way you’ll miss seeing me when I turn into a pumpkin.” He smiled as he ushered us out the door.

  “I hope you don’t mind the tight quarters, we’re driving my dad’s truck tonight,” I said.

  “I don’t mind, but I bet you’re grateful I showered before we left,” he joked.

  We laughed and climbed inside the truck. Maya was so short-legged she had a hard time getting up into the cab. I always joked that I needed to keep a stool in the back for her to use. After struggling for a moment, she asked Arie for a boost. She didn’t usually have this much trouble getting in, but I guessed maybe she did it on purpose, just to have a reason to touch Arie. I had to chuckle at the ridiculousness of what she was doing. Arie gave her a helping hand and then climbed in after her.

  “So, Arie.” I turned to look at him as I started the engine. “Do you know where Maplebridge got its name from?”

  “Not a clue.”

  “Good, then that’s where we’ll take you first.” I put the truck in gear and headed for the outskirts of town.