“You're too pretty for me anyway. Let's be friends for the night. I'll take you out for a burger and a malt.” His smile grew, and I watched him reach into his pocket, this time taking out a pack of cigarettes.
I didn't know what the hell to think. He was offering me a chance to leave my comfort zone behind. I had a weird feeling he could give me something authentic too, if only for an evening. He wasn't really my type – even for a fling – but if he really didn't care about that...
“No, Richard, I really shouldn't. I don't know you. My friends are waiting.”
“Aw, come on. What's your name?”
“Megan.”
His hand shot out, taking mine in his after I'd turned him down before, giving my fingers a tight, over-friendly squeeze.
“There. Now that we know each other, what do you say? You're a local, aren't you? We'll go get some grub and keep this conversation going. Then I'll drop you off before midnight. I know you want to get outta here, I can see it in your face. What've you got to lose?”
His soft, whimsical tone held a challenge. I hated being taunted, and he wasn't even doing it openly.
He shrugged impatiently. “Go tell your girlfriends if you need to. Let 'em know you're going out with Richard for a bite. That's all this is, babe, I promise. What do you think's gonna happen? You'll wind up on some late night murder mystery show with your eyes blacked out and duct tape on your mouth?”
Laughter belted out his gut, echoing through the shadowy forest. His laugh was high, sharp, and so unexpected I couldn't stop myself from giggling too.
“Okay, you win. You don't look like a killer or a rapist.”
He began walking me down the path, the one leading further and further into the Smokies, away from Crawford's private property.
One more wink was all I needed to let him lead me along like a stupid schoolgirl.
If only I'd done something then. I could've run, yelled, screamed bloody murder, or at least re-awakened my old instinct to sober up and ask myself why the hell I decided to walk through the eerie mountains to a total stranger's pickup truck.
But he never made a move, not even when I was securely in his passenger seat, and we headed down the lonesome highway. He had to lure me deeper first.
I flipped the greasy burger over in my hands. I was hungry, yeah, but the deserted diner offered up some serious crap. I couldn't finish it.
The conversation wasn't going much better. Richard kept talking about his ex, some woman who walked out on him when he was my age, which must've been over a decade ago just looking at him.
I wasn't in the mood for lonely, stupid men tonight, however nice they might be. Whatever, at least it was better than hanging around, waiting for Crawford's awkward apologies. I reached into my purse for my phone at one point, only to realize I'd stupidly left it somewhere near the pool.
“Fuck,” I sputtered, choking down a sickeningly sweet sip of strawberry milkshake.
“Yeah, I thought so too, baby doll. They always love you and leave you real fast, the bitches. If she'd stuck around, I'm sure my life would've been a lot more exciting by now. I wouldn't have to work my ass off every day and take these mountain hikes. Hell, I'd probably have a family, maybe a house, instead of renting a studio apartment above that goddamned forsaken place.”
I blinked, barely even paying attention to his long, rambling life story anymore. “Hang on. I need to hit the restroom.”
I headed in and splashed cool water over my face, looking for a pay phone on the way out. There had been one – I could see the faint gray outline where it used to attach to the wall, now ripped out, leaving a shadow like a relic from another time.
A cab ride home sounded awfully good right now. Unfortunately, short of asking the restaurant to make a call on their business phone, it wasn't looking like an option.
Richard was weird and needy, but he'd kept me company, and he didn't seem like a total creeper. Besides, I was getting more tired by the second, and what harm would there be in one more ride home?
If he was really going to ambush me, he'd have done it in the mountains.
I'd let him drop me off in my neighborhood so I could stumble home. He didn't need to see my parents' huge house and get his hopes up about doing favors for a woman who was richer and prettier than he'd ever be.
Total bitch? Yeah, sure. And also a very tired one.
Jesus, I was drained. It must've been the mountain walk. By the time I got back to the table, I could barely make my knees work, and I covered a brutal yawn with my hand.
I wanted to go to sleep right there. Luckily, he settled our bill with a waitress who was probably bored out of her skull. She didn't even stop to laugh at his wise cracks.
Closing my eyes for a second took what felt like five minutes. When I opened them again, Richard stood over me, pushing his hand into mine.
“Damn, girl. You're crashing on me, ain't you? We'd better get you home. Come on.”
“I can stand,” I moaned weakly.