Sunset Island - Sunset Secrets Part 7

"Would you mind telling me exactly what this is all about?"

The officer was now turning his hat round and round in his hands. "Ma'am, my name is Officer Peterson, with the city police here in Savannah.

We had a call tonight from the governor's office, saying your father had called them and was distraught over the possibility that something might have happened to you. He asked that we verify your whereabouts."

"Excuse me," Emma said, raising one eyebrow, "but that doesn't sound like my father."

"Brent Cresswell was the name we got, ma'am.

Evidently the credit card center called him to verify a lost or stolen card report, and he feared for your well-being."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard," snapped Emma. "My father has never in his life even wondered about my well-being!"

Even as she said it, she remembered her father's desire to stay in closer touch from now on.

Could that be it? Could he really be concerned about her because she'd reported the credit card lost? But then Emma had a terrible thought: He didn't do this because he cares about me. He did it because he's just afraid I'll vanish from the face of the earth before he can find a way to use me against Mother!

"We couldn't very well ignore a request from the governor's office, ma'am," explained the po- liceman.

"Officer Peterson, I am eighteen years of age and no longer a minor. I see this as a violation of my privacy, and-"

"Please, Miss Cresswell, if you'll just show some identification, then me and Mr. Conland here can go back about our business, and you and your friend can go back to bed."

Sam thought the glare on Emma's expression could have stopped a speeding bullet. It was unbelievable. There Sam was, ready to die of fright, and Emma had this cop cowering in his boots. Sam was even beginning to feel a little sorry for Jimmy Peterson.

Without a word, Emma turned and swept into her room, returning a moment later with her wallet, which she virtually flung at Officer Peter- son. After checking her driver's license, the two men apologized once more and left.

"I cannot believe what just happened," Emma said softly as soon as the girls were alone. She sank back into a chair.

"You were awesome!" Sam cried, her eyes s.h.i.+ning.

"Thanks," Emma said in a monotone. But the look on Emma's face was not one of triumph. In fact, she looked terribly sad.

"I guess we should have called your father,"

offered Sam. "Parents do worry about these things."

"This little charade had nothing to do with worry," Emma replied with a sigh. "Believe me, I know the man. This was about power."

Sam, who wasn't sure she understood, had nothing to say.

"I can't think about it anymore," Emma added, turning to reenter her room. "Let's go back to bed and forget this ever happened."

The girls said good night and retired to their rooms. Sam fell immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep. But Emma's Technicolor dreams featured herself as a heroine, driving a beat-up VW bug on an urgent mission and leaving two evil hitchhikers behind in a cloud of dust. One looked vaguely like her father, and one was a blond- wigged Minnie Mouse waving a hand that sported an enormous diamond.

Much further north, in New Haven, Carrie looked up from the political science textbook and rubbed her eyes. She'd have to get some sleep soon if she expected to do well on her midterm exam the next day. She found herself thinking that if the night had gone as she'd planned, she wouldn't still be cramming here at three in the morning. Fighting a rising irritation with Josh, she opened her desk drawer to find one of the candy bars she kept hidden there.

They had met at eight o'clock in Josh's room to study together for the test. But Josh, who wasn't as far behind in his work as she was, had wanted to talk. The talk had soon escalated into an argument, eclipsing any possibility of study.

"I think I've been pretty patient, if you want to know the truth," Josh had said after bringing up the subject of spring break.

"You have been," Carrie had meekly agreed.

The fact that she was spending spring break with Billy had been eating at him, she knew. But she had been so busy! She hadn't seen much of Josh lately; when she did, she'd been so rushed that it was easy to avoid the issue. A little guiltily, Carrie realized that she had hoped to sidestep it entirely. Anyway, she would be spending time with Sam and Emma, too. It wasn't just Billy.

"So listen, we've got to deal with this," Josh had pressed.

Carrie had tapped her pen lightly on the notes they were starting to review. "We're watching the Third Reich come to power, and you're wor- ried about spring break?" she had joked, trying to bring Josh back to the cla.s.swork.

Josh had grabbed the pen from her hand and in his frustration had sent it flying across the room.

"I'm sick of this, Carrie!" he had exploded. "We never talk anymore! You're always at the news- paper, or at the library, or in the darkroom, or in New York . . . when are you going to have some time for me? Or is that just not enough of a priority anymore?"

"I do care about you, Josh, it's just that-"

"It's just that you're planning to spend the only free time you've had all year with someone else."

*Josh, I've admitted I'm confused ..."

"Well, I'm confused, too. I'm confused about how some guy from last summer could have made such an impression that you'd throw away a five-year relations.h.i.+p!"

Carrie had looked in silence at her hands, waiting to see if his anger was spent. She still loved him so much. Why couldn't he understand that it was just different now? "Josh, I-" she started.

"No, wait," Josh had interrupted. He'd lowered his voice, and Carrie noted a new, serious tone.

"The fact is," he had continued, "since you don't seem willing to do anything about it, I'm going to call the shots. I know you've been planning this trip for a long time, and I wouldn't ask you to call it off. But if you're still confused when you get back, I'm ready to start seeing someone else."

Carrie had felt something catch in her throat.

"Someone in particular?" she had ventured, and was stunned to see Josh fighting a guilty smile as his face flushed all the way up to his hairline.

"Well, there's someone I'm attracted to."

Oh my G.o.d, it's Sarah Lovett! Carrie had thought, now feeling she'd completely misinter- preted the secretive smiles they'd exchanged pa.s.sing in the hall. White-hot jealousy seared like molten lava through her veins. How dare she?

Carrie had thought.

"Josh," she had managed to strangle out, "please don't ever think you don't mean the world to me. I guess I've just been so busy that I didn't see how unfair this has been to you."

In the silence that had ensued, Josh had reached for her hand, holding it tightly between both of his, and finally raising it to his lips for a kiss. He had given out with a heart-rending "Oh, Carrie"

before taking her into his arms.

Fear of losing him had sweetened the moment, and quickly renewed her attraction to him. Josh had kissed her pa.s.sionately, and Carrie, returning the kiss, had felt an overwhelming desire for him.

He had been her first love. . . .

What am I doing? Carrie had found the pres- ence of mind to ask herself. A moment later, she had gently disengaged herself from Josh's em- brace. Josh had pounded his fist on the wall in frustration.

"How do you think this makes me feel?" he had cried. "You're spending your only vacation with that guy, and I'm not even allowed to touch you!"

Josh had rushed from the room, slamming the door on his way out. When he hadn't returned after fifteen minutes, Carrie had gone back to her dorm. That had been hours ago. He hadn't called.

Now, with another half-hour of study facing her, Carrie couldn't see that anything positive had been accomplished. She was insecure about Josh's feelings for her, guilty about spring break, and even a little guilty about her pa.s.sionate response to Josh, considering she was seeing Billy in less than a week. To top it off, she probably wasn't going to ace this test the next day.

Finis.h.i.+ng her candy bar, she reached into the drawer for another. At least she no longer had to worry about her eating habits adding unwanted pounds to her figure.

She knew what to do about that.

Over breakfast in the quaint tearoom, Sam promised herself she'd have a talk with Emma.

After all, she was not the type of babe who beat around the bush. If Emma was drinking too much, then they should talk about it. That's what real friends were for.

But Emma got there first.

"Listen, Sam, I think you'll be happy to know I've turned over a new leaf, so to speak," Emma said as she pushed her serrated spoon into a section of grapefruit. "You were right when you said my family's driving me crazy, and I want you to know I'm finished with all that."

"Emma, it's not just your family, it's, well ..."

"I know. I'm taking my share of blame here and now. I've been so self-absorbed lately! I'm sure I can't be much fun to be around."

"No, no," Sam protested. Somehow the conver- sation was getting away from Emma's drinking, which Sam had been working up the courage to ask her about.

"You know I really admire you, Sam," Emma continued.

"Me?" Sam squeaked.

"You!" Emma affirmed. "You aren't afraid to get out there and take chances! You have an idea of what you want, and you go after it."

"Well, I try to," Sam began. "I mean-"

"Take your job, for instance," Emma continued earnestly. "Dancing at Disney World. How many girls do you think dream of that? And you're doing it!"

"I, uh . . ." Sam stammered.

"I want to be more daring, like you are," Emma said.

Okay, Sam, here's your chance, she said to herself. Just open your mouth and tell Emma the truth. But somehow her mouth wouldn't open.

She just kept stirring extra sugar into her coffee.

"I feel like I've never done anything really adventurous in my whole life," Emma continued.

"But you've been all over the world!" said Sam.

"Yes, I have. With my nannies and my chauf- feurs, in my family's private jet, with a wall of money and influential people s.h.i.+elding me from making any decisions on my own."

"You made your own decision to be an au pair last summer," countered Sam, "and your family didn't get you that job. You jumped right in and snagged it yourself."

"But look at the kind of job it was, Sam. In a beautiful place full of wealthy people, enjoying a wonderful, secure position with Jeff and Jane Hewitt, the world's most loving family. Where's the adventure in that? It was more like I traded one kind of palace for another."

"Your sailing abilities saved our b.u.t.ts last Christmas," Sam reminded her.

"That was an accident. I'm talking about the courage to make a plan. I'll bet you've already decided on your next step after Disney World."

Tell her! Tell her! the voice screamed inside of Sam. It looked like time for both of them to own up to things. Unfortunately, Sam was enjoying Emma's admiration of her too much to confess the truth. She just couldn't bear the thought of how Emma would look at her after she knew Sam was nothing more than a waitress at a third-rate steak house.

Sam sat up a little straighter and flung her hair back over her shoulders. "As a matter of fact, I do," Sam said coolly. "I'm going to be an actress."

"See?" Emma said emphatically. "I keep feeling like I want to step through the looking gla.s.s, and you're already there."

This was going entirely too far. "Emma, listen, it's not really like that-" Sam ventured. But before she could continue, she was interrupted.

"Howdy, ladies," came a familiar voice from above their seats. Looking up, the girls saw Jimmy Peterson, now in street clothes, holding two red roses in his hand.

"Thought I'd drop by to apologize again for last night. I don't make a habit of disturbing the rest of pretty young ladies. Or at least if I do, I try to make it a pleasant experience," said Jimmy, handing Sam and Emma each a rose.

"Why, thank you," said Emma.

"That is so thoughtful. I cant believe it," crooned Sam.

"I'd be happy to show you Savannah if you want to stick around. I mean, I understand you've got to be headin' north an' all. I just thought-"

"Wait a minute," said Emma, s.h.i.+fting her at- tention from the delicate scent of the rose she held. "How did you know we were heading north?"

"I'd imagine every cop along 1-95 knows you're headin' north," Jimmy answered, leaning on the coatrack next to Sam. "One of my buddies from the station moonlights as security at one of the hotels over on Hilton Head, and he said an alert was issued last night from the governor of South Carolina, too. You must be one special young lady to have every governor on the Eastern seaboard watchin' after you."

"Thank you, Jimmy," said Emma, twirling the rose in her fingers. "You've been kinder than you'll ever know. And thank you for the invita- tion. We really can't stay, though."

"Think nothin' of it. Y'all come back to Savan- nah one day, hear?"

With a slight tip of his head, Jimmy Peterson turned and made his way from the tearoom. Sam watched Emma, waiting for her response.

Emma studied the petals of the rose in her hands. She was remembering her still-vivid dream of the night before. I'm tired of not being the person I want to be! I'm tired of feeling smoth- ered by my family! she thought. There was absolutely no reason why her father should know her route and keep tabs on exactly where she was every minute of this trip.

"So, Sam," she said casually, looking up with a mischievous gleam in her eye, "still want to go to the mountains?"

With the sun s.h.i.+ning warmly into the interior of the Sunbird and the South Carolina pines scenting the spring air, Carrie and Emma glided along the picturesque two-lane road. They'd chosen to stay off the highway for this first leg of their new route north. Pa.s.sing through the countryside and quaint small towns made them feel they were definitely off the beaten path.

"I love this!" Sam yelled into the wind, "I feel so ... so ... what's the word for this, Emma?"

"Euphoric!" Emma sang out.

"Right, euphoric!" Sam echoed. She threw her arms behind her head and closed her eyes bliss- fully. "Ah, the lure of the open road! No wonder so many songs and stories are written about this.

It's almost as good as falling madly in love with some incredibly gorgeous guy."

Just then a billboard featuring a giant ice cream cone dipped in chocolate caught Sam's eye.