Sanctuary of Mine by S. Pratt, Emily Dawson Read Free Book Online Page B

have moved past the uncomfortable part of the last few minutes.
    ‘Bye.’ I’m reluctant to leave on such a note, after enjoying his company for the last half hour, but I can see Levi waiting for me on the sidewalk. Sliding out of the car into the fresh air, I feel a sense of relief at escaping the tension I’m leaving with Tyler inside the car.
    ‘Mack?’ I’m halfway out of the car door, but bob back into its interior to catch his grin once more.
    ‘Yeah?’
    ‘It was nice to see you.’ I blush as I shut the door, smiling feebly after him as he peels off out of the parking lot. I walk over towards Levi, who is grinning from ear to ear. His pants are too tight and his shirt is squishing his stomach so he looks like a trussed sausage. I can’t help but smile back.
    ‘Was that …?’
    ‘Yes it was, and if you say another word you’re dead meat.’ Levi grins knowingly as I link arms with him, heading for the blast of cold that awaits us in the shopping mall.
     

Chapter Eight
    Tyler
     
    Damn, that girl gets me riled up nine ways ‘til Sunday. Having her in the car with me damn near made it impossible to concentrate on the road. The smell of her shampoo and perfume made me want to pull the car over and pull her onto my lap, just so I could breathe her in. She was nervous and jittery, which almost made me want to test her boundaries, just to see how much she would let me get away with. Would she let me hold her hand? Kiss her fingertips? I doubt it, but a guy can dream can’t he?
     
    What I wasn’t expecting was the whole ‘brothers, sisters’ talk. Usually that shit doesn’t come up with most of the air-heads who want to date me at school. Mackenzie seems different, like she genuinely wants to get to know me, the real me. And that could be dangerous. I don’t for a second want any mixed understandings on what my intentions are. I want her and her baggage. I’m not going to force change upon her, but I would be there if that’s what she wanted. The minute she finds out I had a sister who was anorexic I can see all manner of shit hitting the fan. So until the timing is right, I think I’ll keep that story for another time.
     
    Meanwhile, I’m kind of relieved. Spotting her on the side of the road was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The impulse of stopping while passing by made everything seem so natural. Not at all like the usual scenario of asking a girl out. The nerves that normally come prior because you know you may be setting yourself up for rejection were absent for the most part. Well, except while I waited with bated breath to see if she’d hop in. She accepted! She actually got in and went to eat with me. That has to be a start. I don’t remember seeing Kelly eat at all in the months before her death. It gives me hope that Mackenzie isn’t that far gone, that there’s hope in helping her heal. I selfishly wish that I could be the one to make her happy enough for that to happen.
     
    Pulling into the auto shop reminds me just how much I’m missing on this fine Saturday morning. While dad lets me use his car, it’s my job to afford the upkeep. Plus, I have a motorbike which requires registration and gas. Dad’s a self-made man who appreciates the lessons in life that teach kids values. So here I am, left to open up shop for his mate, Willy Jones. I’ve known how to change the oil and filter in a car since I was eleven years old. When my parents and the Jones’ used to get together for family barbeques, Willy used to pull the hood up on his old Holden and let me and his son, Thomas, tinker with his tools. He always told us to look after our cars like we would our wife. At the time, it kind of went over our heads. Now I’m almost an adult, I can appreciate that anything in life needs a little TLC or it’s going to turn to shit pretty damn quickly. Of course, the bribery of a few splice ice-blocks would always guarantee we give his car a tune-up while he sunk a few