Crush

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Cami-

Hunter was silent as he drove; the only sounds were the car engine and the low music coming from the CD player. He turned toward the hills outside of town, and I didn't ask him where he was taking me. Regardless of what Clay thought, I trusted Hunter. I didn't know why—there was just something secure about him. He was commanding somehow, authoritative. It seemed an odd way to describe him, but that's how I felt.

I stared at him. He was so incredibly good looking, but there was more. I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

"You seem older than you really are," I spoke.

He gave a chuckle, briefly glancing sideways before returning his attention to the road. "Really? You think so?"

I placed my hand on his thigh. "I don't mean that badly, or anything. Just sometimes you seem . . . smarter, or more sure, or . . . something. Sorry, I'm not making much sense. I want to know more about you."

A pained look passed over his face, and he slipped his hand down to squeeze mine. "You will. You need to believe me when I say I want to tell you everything, but there are still some issues I'm working through right now. I don't mean to be cryptic, but I'm not ready to talk about those things yet. Please be patient with me. It'll happen eventually."

"Take all the time you need." I certainly wasn't going to press him for whatever skeletons he carried. I was more than happy to wait for him to tell me whatever he needed. I was sure a lot of issues probably stemmed from the death of his parents, which would be very difficult for him to express. I couldn't imagine what my life would be like without mine, nor did I want to.

"I know your uncle's name is Chris, but what's his last name? Is it Wilder?" I asked, wondering about the people in his life.

"Napier."

"Napier. So he's your mom's brother then?" I assumed this was the case, since their names were different.

"Um, yeah."

"Do you get along with him well? I mean are you happy you live with him?"

"Yeah, we've always been close. He's much younger than my mom, only seven years older than me actually. He's more like a brother, and he absolutely hates it when I call him Uncle Chris, so I do it often." He grinned widely, and it was infectious, causing me to smile too.

"Will I get to meet him Saturday?" I asked.

"He's going to try to be there, but I can't make any promises. It depends on his schedule."

"What does he do?"

"He's a computer systems analyst. He flies around the country helping companies set up their data to run more efficiently. Then he teaches their employees how to run the new technology. He goes where he's needed so he's gone a lot."

"That must get lonely for you."

He shrugged. "I manage okay."

"Why'd you guys decide to move here then? It's kind of out of the way and not close to any big airports. Doesn't that make it harder for him?"

He laughed. "I'm not sure. He wanted to try it out. He likes new things every now and then. He flies his own Cessna as well, so he can get to the major airports easy enough, wherever he's located."

"He must be making pretty good money then."

"He is."

"I don't know if I could handle being alone that much." I paused, unsure about what I wanted to ask. "Is that how you got involved in drugs and partying?"