“Yeah,” I assured my father, trying to pay enough attention. “Heard them, too.”
“It was nice of them to show up,” Charlie said.
“Mm-hmm.”
Okay, so telling Edward had been a really bad idea. Alice was right to keep her thoughts clouded. I should have waited till we were alone somewhere, maybe with the rest of his family. And nothing breakable close by — like windows . . . cars . . . school buildings. His face brought back all my fear and then some. Though his expression was past the fear now — it was pure fury that was suddenly plain on his features.
“So where do you want to go out for dinner?” Charlie asked. “The sky’s the limit.”
“I can cook.”
“Don’t be silly. Do you want to go to the Lodge?” he asked with an eager smile.
I did not particularly enjoy Charlie’s favorite restaurant, but, at this point, what was the difference? I wasn’t going to be able to eat anyway.
“Sure, the Lodge, cool,” I said.
Charlie smiled wider, and then sighed. He turned his head halfway toward Edward, without really looking at him.
“You coming, too, Edward?”
I stared at him, my eyes beseeching. Edward pulled his expression together just before Charlie turned to see why he hadn’t gotten an answer.
“No, thank you,” Edward said stiffly, his face hard and cold.
“Do you have plans with your parents?” Charlie asked, a frown in his voice. Edward was always more polite than Charlie deserved; the sudden hostility surprised him.
“Yes. If you’ll excuse me. . . .” Edward turned abruptly and stalked away through the dwindling crowd. He moved just a little bit too fast, too upset to keep up his usually perfect charade.
“What did I say?” Charlie asked with a guilty expression.
“Don’t worry about it, Dad,” I reassured him. “I don’t think it’s you.”
“Are you two fighting again?”
“Nobody’s fighting. Mind your own business.”
“You are my business.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s go eat.”
The Lodge was crowded. The place was, in my opinion, overpriced and tacky, but it was the only thing close to a formal restaurant in town, so it was always popular for events. I stared morosely at a depressed-looking stuffed elk head while Charlie ate prime rib and talked over the back of the seat to Tyler Crowley’s parents. It was noisy — everyone there had just come from graduation, and most were chatting across the aisles and over the booth-tops like Charlie.
I had my back to the front windows, and I resisted the urge to turn around and search for the eyes I could feel on me now. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see anything. Just as I knew there was no chance that he would leave me unguarded, even for a second. Not after this.
Dinner dragged. Charlie, busy socializing, ate too slowly. I picked at my burger, stuffing pieces of it into my napkin when I was sure his attention was somewhere else. It all seemed to take a very long time, but when I looked at the clock — which I did more often than necessary — the hands hadn’t moved much.
Finally Charlie got his change back and put a tip on the table. I stood up.
“In a hurry?” he asked me.
“I want to help Alice set things up,” I claimed.
“Okay.” He turned away from me to say goodnight to everyone. I went out to wait by the cruiser.
I leaned against the passenger door, waiting for Charlie to drag himself away from the impromptu party. It was almost dark in the parking lot, the clouds so thick that there was no telling if the sun had set or not. The air felt heavy, like it was about to rain.
Something moved in the shadows.
My gasp turned into a sigh of relief as Edward appeared out of the gloom.
Without a word, he pulled me tightly against his chest. One cool hand found my chin, and pulled my face up so that he could press his hard lips to mine. I could feel the tension in his jaw.
“How are you?” I asked as soon as he let me breathe.
“Not so great,” he murmured. “But I’ve got a handle on myself. I’m sorry that I lost it back there.”
“My fault. I should have waited to tell you.”
“No,” he disagreed. “This is something I needed to know. I can’t believe I didn’t see it!”
“You’ve got a lot on your mind.”
“And you don’t?”
He suddenly kissed me again, not letting me answer. He pulled away after just a second. “Charlie’s on his way.”
“I’ll have him drop me at your house.”
“I’ll follow you there.”
“That’s not really necessary,” I tried to say, but he was already gone.