Chapter Thirteen
Izzy tingled with excitement at the thought of spending time with Garret. She’d thought of nothing else since he’d kissed her. For her, it had been like a hokey 1980s movie, where fireworks went off and The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” played on repeat in her head. Though the salvage yard wasn’t really a romantic place, she hoped he planned to kiss her again.
The parking lot was empty except for Garret’s Mustang and a dented silver pickup. Not for the first time, Izzy felt out of place. Then again, unless she was at the studio or alone with her friends, she pretty much always felt like she didn’t belong, like she stood out in a negative way from everyone else. She grabbed her keychain and stuffed her phone in her pocket then locked the car and headed toward the building she thought looked like it might be the office. Though there were several metal buildings on the property, this was the only one with a sign declaring it to be Mitchell Salvage.
The closer she got, the clearer the voices inside were.
“None of those kids ever got anywhere. They all ended up back in Odessa, working the same jobs their parents did before them. The same jobs they would’ve had if they’d never left. Accept your lot in life and stop dreaming.”
“I heard a car pull in. We can argue more later.”
The door shot open, and she stepped back. Garret probably thought she’d been eavesdropping. She was, but she hadn’t meant to.
He startled, then smiled. “Sorry. I thought you might be here, but I had trouble escaping my dad’s latest lecture.”
All she could think about was kissing him again, but now was not the right time. “There’s plenty of that going around.”
“Really? What do you have to worry about? I mean, I know you want to join a dance company, but even if that doesn’t work out, your dad can afford to send you to college.”
It was as if he’d thrown a bucket of ice water on her. “Yeah, poor little rich girl. Whatever.” She was so tired of everyone thinking her life was so easy. Sure, there were a lot of other people who had it much worse, and she knew she was lucky, but having a rich parent didn’t fix everything. She stomped ahead with no idea where they were supposed to be going.
Garret caught up to her and grabbed her arm, turning her back around to face him. “Izzy, I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but you have to admit you have opportunities that most of us don’t.”
“That’s true. But I also don’t have much of a family, I have to watch everything I do and say in case it might affect my dad’s chances in the election, and, oh yeah, it’s likely I’ll suffer from depression, alcoholism, and possibly even drug addiction. Not to mention I’m pretty much on my own except for my paid babysitter, and then there’s my father, who’s not at all supportive of my dreams and wants me to attend a public school in Texas to make us more relatable to his constituents. But other than that, everything’s peachy.”
Now that she’d gotten it out of her system, she felt like the spoiled, rich brat that she probably was. She turned to face him, and it was about what she’d expected. He looked like a deer in headlights.
“Garret, I’m sorry. You’re right. I am lucky. I heard a little bit of what your dad said. But you know you’ve got real talent, don’t you? You belong on the football field.”
He sighed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
She grabbed his hand and held on, hoping the connection would calm them both down. “Was he talking about Friday Night Lights?”
“Yeah, and I get where he’s coming from. The odds are against me. But there’s still a chance that I could make it, so why not try? Even if I never get to play professionally, a scholarship also gets me a free education and a chance to get out of Brinson.” He ran his thumb back and forth across the top of her hand, and she wondered if he even knew he was doing it.
“That’s pretty much what I tell my dad when he argues about how I need to finish college before I try to join a company. Ballet is really hard on your body, and a lot of people end up getting hurt, so I don’t see the need to finish college first. I can always go to school once I retire from dancing.”
“It sounds like we both have a plan, then.” He pulled her forward, and they walked in silence for a bit. It felt good to have him hold her hand, to have him touch her. Dad had been gone for a few days, so Garret was the only person she’d had physical contact with in a while. Dozer and Roley did their best to keep her company, but it wasn’t quite the same thing. It wasn’t just that she was lonely. She wanted Garret to touch her, kiss her, hold her.
“Where is the company you want to join?” he asked.
“In New York.”
“That’s pretty far away from here.”
She shrugged. “That’s kind of the point, but I chose it because they’re the best.”
“And if that doesn’t work out you’ll go to a college with a good dance program? Which are your top choices?”
“Julliard, Fordham, NYU. There are a few others that aren’t in New York City, but they have to have a good business administration program, too, because I’m going to double major.”
“Wow. So you have it all planned out.” He squeezed her hand. “I have no idea what I want to study. Of course, my future hinges on getting a football scholarship. Otherwise I’ll be working here full time.”
“Do you have any offers yet?”
“Not from any of the places I really want to go. It’s still early, though. Coach said schools don’t want to tie up one of their slots with someone who isn’t going to accept. He thinks I’ll have no trouble getting a full ride to UT or A&M, which are both fantastic schools and programs, but I want to get out of Texas. I’ve never been farther than Arkansas and Oklahoma.”
Her stomach twisted. Garret had never been on a plane or gone farther than a neighboring state. Yet another reason their situations really were different, and she’d been acting like an ungrateful brat. No wonder they called her The Untouchable. “If you had your choice of any school, what would it be?”
“Michigan University, Ohio State, or Notre Dame, maybe Penn State or Syracuse. Someplace with a great program that’s in the North, where they have snow and all four seasons.”
“Somehow, I think at least one school up north will offer you a scholarship, so you better start thinking about what you want to study.”
He squeezed her hand and let go. “Here we are.”
He led her into a warehouse that was full of odds and ends like house wares, boards, and all sorts of metal pieces.
“Are you going to give me the grand tour?”
“Of course, my lady.” He held out his arm, and she laced hers through it and leaned into him. “Where would you like to go? We can skim through the warehouses, or try to find treasure in the piles of steaming trash outside.”
“Such difficult choices. Let’s go outside before it gets any hotter. We can check the buildings when we finish.”
Izzy moved down one side, looking for usable furniture. There was an upholstered chair that would work, but she wasn’t sure they’d be able to dig it out from under all the junk and metal scraps. She turned to ask Garret about it, but he was studying something a few yards away.
“Izzy, can you come help me?”
She jogged over. “What’d you find?”
“I think this is a panel from a 1965 Mustang.”
O-kay. “It’s very pretty, but I don’t think it’s something we can use.”
He gave her the side eye. “I own a 1965 Mustang with a missing quarter panel.”
“Oh!” Now she understood. “Then let’s dig it out.” She reached for the edge of a big sheet of metal on the top of the pile.
“Wait!” Garret pulled a pair of leather work gloves out of his back pocket and handed them to her. “You need to be careful or you’ll cut yourself.” He pulled his own pair on and they each took a side of the large sheet and moved it onto another stack of junk. Five minutes later, after moving all sorts of unidentifiable stuff, they had it uncovered.
“Is it what you thought it was?”
He grinned. “I think so. We’ll find out for sure when I try to attach it to my car. Now, if I could only find a driver’s side mirror I’d be all set.”
He set down the panel and came over to her. “I have you to thank for finding it. I never would’ve looked out here if you hadn’t come.”
“As much as I’d like to take the credit, I bet you would’ve found it eventually.”
“Probably not. I try to look around when new stuff comes in, but a lot of it gets bulldozed or buried under so much stuff we’ll never see it again. You’re my lucky charm.”
Her breath hitched. “That’d be a first.”
“I’m serious, Izzy. It’s not just the panel. Since you started helping me, I’ve been getting a lot more attention from scouts.”
“I’m glad, but that’s not luck. Your hard work is paying off.”
He moved closer and her pulse raced. “It’s more than that.” He slid his fingers over the hum of her pulse and into her unbound hair. She stretched toward him and their lips met. Flames leaped in her chest. They fit together perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle.
He pulled away. “Gosh, this is romantic, kissing in a junkyard.”
She giggled. “So this is how Garret Mitchell puts the moves on the ladies.”
He blew out a long breath. “For your information, I’ve never dated anyone.”
“That can’t be true.”
“I usually find someone to take to the school dances, but I’ve never dated anyone. But lately, I’ve been thinking there might be something between us worth exploring.”
Placing her hands on either side of his face, she pulled him down to her until their lips met. The kiss was soft and quick and perfect. A reassurance they felt the same way. They both pulled back at the same time and their gazes met. After a few seconds she looked away. He wasn’t saying anything. What if she’d done it wrong, or he thought she was being too aggressive?
“I…I’ve never dated anyone, either.”
He squeezed her hand. “Then I guess we’ll have to figure this out as we go.”
“If I forget to say it later, I had fun today.”
“What a glamorous life you must lead.”
She laughed. “Shut up. I can see why you’re not excited, but for me it was fun to search for hidden treasure. I always have fun when I’m with you.” She hoped he was also thinking about things that had nothing to do with the junkyard.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was Garret’s dad.
“Dad, this is Isabelle Oster. She’s a friend from school, and also a dancer. She needed some props and stuff for her fall ballet production, so I invited her to clear out some of this junk for us.”
“It’s nice to meet you, young lady.” He stared at her fake nose ring, then shifted his eyes to her ear. Judge much?
Mr. Mitchell looked at her and scratched his chin. “How did you and Garret meet?”
“Oh, we’ve been going to school together since kindergarten.”
He raised a brow. “I would’ve thought the senator’s daughter attended St. Mary’s.”
She shook her head. “No, sir. We’re very happy with the public school.”
“How come I’ve never seen you around before?”
“Oh, well Garret only recently started taking lessons with me—”
He crossed his arms. “Lessons?”
“Yes, the football coach at school sent him to our dance studio for his lessons.”
“Darlin’, you’re not making any sense. Why would a dance studio have anything to do with football?”
It was then that Izzy noticed Garret standing completely still. Crap.
When he’d asked her not to tell anyone about the dancing, she didn’t think it would include his family. Of course, she also had never expected to meet them.
“What’s she talking about, Garret?”
“Coach suggested I take ballet lessons to increase my flexibility.”
“You don’t say. My son, the ballerina.” The look in his eyes was feral.
Izzy tried to catch Garret’s eye, but he was focused on the ground in front of him, jaw clenched.
“How are you paying for these lessons?”
“I’m giving Garret free lessons in exchange for his help with our fall ballet production.”
“Izzy!” Garret hissed.
She was making a mess of things for him. Stop talking!
Finally, he spoke up. “Remember, I told you she was coming today to look for some things for their performance? She’s taking some plywood and pieces of furniture. I’ll help paint the sets and build props and things like that in exchange for the lessons.”
“So this is why you’ve been taking fewer shifts. You’re still set on going to college instead of taking your place here.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Have fun with your dancing. When you drop out and come crawling home, there’ll still be a place for you here.” He turned and strode back toward the office.
When he was out of sight, Izzy turned to Garret. “I’m so sorry. I thought your family knew about your dance lessons.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “My mom and sister know. I didn’t tell my dad because, well, I knew how he’d react.”
There were a lot of bumpy patches in her relationship with her dad, but she usually didn’t keep things from him. He eventually found out about everything, so it was easier to just square off with him and fight for what she wanted. Despite their differences, she had a feeling her dad was a lot easier to talk to than Garret’s.
Her chest tightened. “Garret, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to mess everything up.”
He sighed. “I’m not mad at you, Izzy. C’mon. Let’s get this stuff over to the studio. He’ll want the truck back soon.”
They started toward the truck, uncomfortable silence blanketing them like fog. Then Garret reached over and clasped her hand, the pad of his thumb caressing her knuckles, and it was like the sun popping out after a thunderstorm.