With This Heart(87)

But what if they weren’t?



The remainder of our drive went by quick, and by early evening we were pulling into a camp ground that had come highly recommended by the owner of one of the gas stations in town. He said we had to rent one of the teepees. So we followed his directions and pulled into El Cosmico Campground. It was like a hipster’s wet dream. There were genuine teepees set up next to propped up tents. Abstract sculptures dotted the landscape and punctuated the fact that we were             not             in a run-of-the-mill campground. There was a communal kitchen and an outdoor shower that had a rock wall for privacy. We lucked out. They had one teepee still vacant and we snatched it up before someone else could.

After we’d parked our car outside the campground, we trekked with our backpacks toward the center of the desert oasis. The sun was setting behind the shrubbery and cacti, illuminating the teepee in a golden glow. We untied the flap and hesitantly stepped inside. The decor was minimalist and awesome. There was a simple bed with a multi-colored quilt sitting on top of an animal hide rug. A vintage American flag hung over the bed. Some hippie architects had definitely designed the place.

“             This is the best place we’ve stayed so far,” I grinned, spinning in a circle in the center of the teepee. There were massive poles that merged at the center, almost twenty feet above my head. The sun was shining through gently, creating patterns across the pale canvas covering the entire space.

“             I agree,” Beck answered, tossing the stuff down on top of a vintage trunk at the foot of the bed. “I think I saw a bar and grill on the drive over. Should we check it out and see if they serve dinner?”

“             Yeah, but do you mind if I freshen up a little bit?” I felt light headed and I wanted to change into something more appropriate for a bar. I hadn’t put make-up on once since meeting Beck, but I’d packed a few random things in case the occasion called for it. Tonight seemed like as good a night as ever, especially considering the fact that a headache had developed in the past half hour and I felt less than sexy. But maybe if I freshened up and put some makeup on, my body would get the hint.

Beck went to scope out the campground while I got ready. I pulled out a wrinkled, but still pretty, aqua dress that had thin spaghetti straps. The cut was low in the front and normally I skipped over it so that my scar wouldn’t be on display, but I didn’t seem to mind that when I was around Beck.

I pulled out my bag of makeup that was stocked full with no help from me. My mother had done her best to provide me with things she thought I should use, but most of it looked like foreign torture devices. I skipped over the eye shadows and opted for some mascara, a touch of bronzer, and some cherry-red lip stain that brought out the bright red tones in my strawberry-blond hair. Mostly I felt like a little kid playing dress up, but I tried to talk myself up as I slipped on my strappy sandals.

When I pushed the flap of the teepee open, I didn’t see Beck right away. The sun had dropped lower toward the horizon, finally allowing the temperature to hit a             tolerable             ninety degrees. My sandals clapped against the rocks and dirt as I wandered toward the center of camp and spun around looking for him. The abstract sculptures and teepees blurred by and then I saw him walking toward me. I stopped my spin and waited for him to get closer. He must have snuck into the teepee after me and changed because he was wearing a vintage Dallas Cowboys shirt that hugged his chest, over a pair of worn, sexy jeans. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his eyes were locked right on me. That crooked grin was ever present.

When he stepped closer, he whistled, low and sweet. “Wow.”

I looked down at my dress. There was a hint of cleavage and the bottom cut off well above my knees.

“             How’d you sneak in without me seeing you?” I asked with a bemused smile.

Beck winked and shrugged before placing his hand above my heart, right over my scar. He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss, and I could feel my heart fluttering beneath his hand. “You look beautiful.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

We walked hand in hand to the Camper and then Beck drove us to the bar. I couldn’t tell if it was the heat clinging from earlier or just me, but I grabbed a glass of cold ice water as soon as we walked into the bar, trying to lessen the headache forming behind my eyes.