"Oh no. You'll laugh at me if I tell you that right after my name meaning story."
"Okay, now you have to tell me."
"Fisher."
Cody did laugh then. "Well now that's just about perfect, isn't it?"
"Yep. What's your last name?"
"Wills."
"Cody Wills. I like that. What does Cody mean?"
"No clue."
"Really? You've never looked it up?"
Cody shook his head, "Nope, never."
"I'm going to when I get home."
"Let me know then. Better not mean Fish or Water."
"No? Don't want me conquering you?" she teased.
"I don't want you throwing coffee at me, at any rate."
She reached over and shoved him playfully and then fell silent as she returned her gaze to the now dark sky which was speckled with many stars.
"There's Lyra," Cody said, pointing out a constellation to her.
To his surprise, she didn't ask for clarification and instead just nodded and pointed elsewhere, "And Corona Austrina and Sagittarius."
"You know your constellations?"
"My dad and I used to star gaze in the back yard when I was growing up. He taught them to me."
Cody fell silent for a moment and then asked her, "Are you close to your dad?"
"I was."
"What happened?"
"He worked too hard. He got a job fishing commercially, and the demand was too high on him. It took his love of the sport away. The stress overwhelmed him, and he had a stroke. He's living in a home now, not far from here. I go and see him, but it's so hard most times. His personality changed with the stroke, and he's always on my case about finding a husband and giving him grandkids. He used to be happy with who I am and tell me he was proud of me but now it seems I can't live up to his expectations. I know it's not his fault, the stroke affected his brain and there's some damage, but it still hurts. I'm the one supposed to be looking after him, but it's so hard sometimes that I avoid going there. Then I feel guilty."
"What about your mom? Or siblings? Do you have any? Do they help you?"
India shook her head. "My parents hated each other. They divorced when I was eight. My mom wouldn't look after him now. Anyway, when we were growing up my siblings and I split our time between our parents. I was the middle child; I've got a younger sister and an older brother. But they both went to school across the country and ended up marrying there and staying. They've got families and kids now. My mom moved to be close to them and her grandkids, but I can't say it didn't hurt. I felt like she was choosing my siblings over me. Can't say I blame her; I was the problem kid who fought with her all the time when I was in my teens. I can be stubborn."
"You? I'd never have guessed," Cody teased her.
"I should be mad at you for that comment."
"But you're not. I'm starting to think you like me, too." He grinned at her.
"Maybe," she admitted. "We'll see. Depends if you take me home without murdering me, remember?"
He laughed but then turned serious again. "When was the last time you visited your dad?"
"Three weeks ago maybe."
"That's not that long. Some people go much longer."
"But he hates it in the home, and I feel bad leaving him there. He wants his independence back, but he can't have it. Probably never will again. It's only a block away from my house, and I was so close to him. I should go see him more. I wish I knew what to talk to him about that wouldn't have him picking on me."
"Tell him you went to see the stars tonight."
She smiled. "Yeah, I might." She pointed then, changing the subject. "Look, there's Telescopium!"
Cody knew to drop the subject, and he followed her gaze to the constellation. "So it is."
Chapter 3
They both fell into silence for a long time, lost in their own thoughts. Cody's thoughts alternated between what she had told him and how glad he was that he'd gone for it and tried to befriend her. Every once in a while one of them would speak, simply to point out a falling star but for the most part they were contently quiet. Then India's watch beeped, indicating that another hour had gone by. She sighed as she turned it off.
"Cody, I have to get up early tomorrow…"
He nodded and stood up, brushing off his pants as he did and then reaching for her hand to help her up, too.
"Alright then," he agreed, "let's get you home."
"Am I making you leave earlier than you normally would?" she asked as she picked up her heels and suit jacket.
Cody shrugged. "Not really. I have to work tomorrow too, so I try not to stay much later than this. I do sometimes, but that's only when I accidentally fall asleep."
She giggled. "Does that happen often?" she asked him as they started walking back through the grass. Cody took her arm to keep her steady again, and this time she didn't protest.
"More often than not. At least this time of year when it's so warm. In the winter, not so much."
"Do you come in the winter?"
"Not often. The ground is too soggy usually. If it's snowed though and the sky has cleared again, it can be quite beautiful."
"Tell me more about your dream home. What's it going to look like?"
He shrugged. "I haven't thought about it much further than the location. Oh, and I'd like to have a couple horses."
"You like horses?"
"No. I just want them so I can say I have a horse."
"Fine, I admit: it was a dumb question. What made you decide you'd want horses?"
"My aunt had a ranch when I was a kid. I enjoyed riding them. She had this one horse that I particularly loved. It was a chestnut colored mare named Chelsea. She had a black mane, a white star on her forehead, and she ran really fast."
"What happened to the ranch?"
"She sold it."
"Oh. That's a shame. So when you build your dream house, what will you name your new horses?"
Cody thought for a moment and then grinned. "I'd want one just like Chelsea, and I'd name her Cinnamon Coffee and then I'd get a black stallion and call him Joe."
India chuckled. "You mean like a cuppa?"
"You got it. Did you know that I don't even like coffee?"
"You must."
"Nope, only the fancy stuff."
"Now that actually surprises me. Do you drink tea then?"
Cody nodded, "Every morning."
They fell silent again for a few moments until India suddenly commented, "You need a flat roof on your dream house."
"Do I?"
"Yes. Then you can go up there to view the stars since the house will block part of the view you have now."
"Good thinking."
"A flat roof with couches or hammocks to lie on and a retractable tarp you can roll over to protect them in the winter."
"Maybe I'll just get you to design the place."
"Can I?"
Cody laughed, "I can't afford to really build it is the problem."
"You already have the land. You could sell your place."
"It wouldn't cover it."
"Then you could take out a bigger mortgage."
"Maybe."
"You don't want to?"
Cody shrugged, "It's one thing to dream about something and another to actually do it."
"I know. I'm gonna design it for you anyway."
Cody laughed, "Alright then, you do that." They'd reached the fence, and he helped her over it and back into the car.
******
Cody sat at a table in Brad's coffee shop drinking his mocha fancy-o-supreme deluxe. So far India hadn't shown up yet, and he wondered if she'd been forced to work late again. He drank slowly while he waited for her. Time flew by as he got lost in his own thoughts, and it was only when Brad interrupted him and asked if he knew he'd been drinking the same cup of coffee for two hours that he realized she wasn't coming. Then he started to worry.
He got up and left as he went through all the possible reasons that sh
e might not have shown up. Was she just embarrassed about throwing the coffee the day before? Had they made her stay really late at work? Hopefully nothing had happened to her. It couldn't possibly be that she was avoiding him, could it? They'd been fine when he dropped her off at her house the night before. They hadn't spoken much in the car other than for India to give him directions to her house, but it had been a comfortable silence, and she'd smiled and waved at him from her front doorstep as he'd pulled away so surely he hadn't done anything to upset her.
Cody drained the rest of his now cold coffee just before climbing back into his car and heading for home. Once he'd arrived, he pulled a frozen dinner out of the freezer and popped it in the microwave. He pulled out the phone book to look her up. He found her quickly listed under Fisher, T and dialed the number but the call went into voicemail. He hung up, debated with himself for a few moments, and then dialed again and left a message. "India, hey, it's Cody. Didn't see you at the coffee shop today and was just wondering if you ever got that Italian dressing for your salad. Anyway, give me a call when you get this. Bye."
He turned the phone off and then wondered if she had caller ID. He called one more time and left his phone number for her. He sighed and pulled his dinner out of the beeping microwave. He hoped that she didn't think it was weird that he was phoning her. After all, they didn't know each other that well, but he did want to see her again as soon as possible.
When she didn't return his call within the hour, he gave up and decided to head out to his field for the evening. He didn't want to seem too desperate, but he couldn't help driving by her house on the way there just to see if she was home and wanted to come with him. Her car was gone from the driveway which meant she must have gotten it fixed, and he wondered if that's where she still was. He rang her bell just in case, but no one answered that either, so he continued on his way.
His heart gave a little leap of joy when he saw her small silver car parked in front of the fence that marked the start of his property.
She'd come stargazing again! He grinned to himself as he parked just in front of her and hurried on his way to find her.
He saw her sitting at the top of the slight hill where they'd sat last night. Her back was to him, and she was sitting cross-legged on a red and black checked blanket with her briefcase closed on her lap and a bunch of paperwork that she was working on piled on top of it. He smiled and stopped to watch her for a moment. She looked beautiful with her dark hair let down from the tight ponytail she'd been wearing. It fell to just below her shoulders, and he noticed it was a bit wavy. She'd also changed out of her formal business suit into some dark red shorts and a beige short-sleeved peasant-style top. This time, she was wearing some red canvas running shoes instead of heels. She looked relaxed, he thought, and happy. He stopped staring and made his way over to her.
"Excuse me, Ma'am," he said with a grin as he watched her start in surprise at his presence, "but I think you're trespassing."
"Maybe," she grinned back at him, "but if you let me stay I'll let you sit on my blanket."
"That sounds like a fair deal," he laughed, plopping himself down beside her, close enough that their knees were touching. "Where were you today? You didn't show up for coffee."
India shrugged. "I had my car towed this morning and then they called me at work to say it was ready, so I went straight to the garage to pick it up. Then I went to see my dad."
"Ah. How is he?"
"He's fine. I told him about you."
"Did you? What'd you say? That you met some guy in a coffee shop, and he forced you into his car and dragged you off to the middle of nowhere?"
She laughed. "Yeah, something like that. No, actually I just said that I met some guy in a coffee shop who likes stargazing as much as he used to and I went to go see the stars with him. Then I told him that you were surprised I knew the constellations."
"Yeah, what'd he think about that?"
"Not a whole lot, really. Not about you anyway. He started going on about how unfair it was that I was out stargazing and not taking him when I know how much he enjoys it and how much he hates the home where he is."
"Oh. Maybe we could get him out here with us."
"I don't think so. He's got limited mobility since the stroke. The wheelchair might make it here, but he wouldn't be able to get down onto the ground anymore; it's too low and it's kind of hard for him to look up when he's sitting in the wheelchair. He's mostly slouched over now."
"That's a shame."
"Yeah."
"Are you alright?"
India looked at him questioningly. "Sure, why?"
"Just thought it might have been a hard visit from the sounds of it."
"It was. I kept thinking I just wanted to get out of there, go home and change and then come here. I stayed for a couple hours though, and I feel better about myself for doing so. He needs company, you know."
Cody nodded, "He's lucky to have you for a daughter. Not everyone would put up with it."
"Yeah, well, not everyone would put up with me either, so maybe I understand him a bit. Still, that doesn't make it any easier. But I don't really want to talk about it now; I came here to forget about all that. How was your day?"
Cody shrugged. "Good until you didn't show up for coffee. I was worried about you."
She looked genuinely surprised. "Were you? We didn't have plans though."
"No, I know. It's just that Brad said you always showed up at the same time each weekday so when you didn't… anyway, it doesn't matter. I figured you'd just made other plans. I left a message for you on your phone."
"I keep it turned off when I'm with my dad. He gets annoyed if it rings while I'm visiting. I didn't bring it with me here either, so I guess I'll get it when I get back. How'd you know my number?"
"Phone book."
"Right. What was it about?"
"The message? Nothing important. I'd just wanted to talk to you is all. Think I just said for you to call me back or something. What are you working on?"
India sighed, "I have to read and sign all these contracts. It's not usually my job, but this girl Tina that normally does it was sick today. It's taking forever, simply because there are so many of them."
"Can't you do that tomorrow when you're actually being paid?"
"No, they need them by tomorrow morning."
"Then I hope they are paying you overtime."
"As if. Anyway, maybe just this once it's my own fault because I spent the entire day working on a personal project when I should have been working on these. "
"Oh. What project would that be?"
India raised her eyebrows. "You won't laugh?"
"I swear."
"Alright then," she said, placing the stack of papers onto the ground beside them and opening her briefcase. She extracted a few sheets of paper and handed them to Cody. "There. You can look at those while I go back to my work. I really need to finish up here before I can talk anymore because I can't read them once it gets dark, and I don't want to miss the stars."
"Right," Cody agreed, "I'll be quiet, I promise." He gestured that he was zipping his lips shut and then turned his attention to the papers in his hand. To his surprise, they contained some beautiful drawings of a house and the words "Cody's Dream House" were written across the top. There were drawings for a stable and then the exterior of the house and a brief start of the interior. "Wow!" Cody exclaimed, "You drew these? You're really, really talented."
"Thanks. We can discuss any changes you want to your dream home after but for now, no talking."
"Right, sorry," Cody grinned sheepishly. He went back to studying the pictures for a little while and decided that there were no changes needed so far. He put them to the side so he could watch her work.
He didn't talk, but he found himself drawn to her like a magnet, and he began combing his fingers through her hair with the hand closest to her. When she didn't tell him to stop, he leaned over and pressed his forehead against the side of hers, just ab
ove her ear, enjoying her nearness and the smell of her hair. She carried on with her work paying him no attention, but he did notice her slight smile at his touch. After a while, he kissed her ear and then kissed her again lower where her shoulder met her neck. Finally, she pushed him away.
"Co-dy! How am I supposed to concentrate with you acting like this?" she complained.
"You like it."
"Hardly the point. I do wish you'd behave."
"I might point out that you're the one who came here to work in my field."
She shrugged. "I shouldn't have. And for that matter, I shouldn't be letting you touch me at all. We're strangers, remember? I met you how long ago?"
"So?" Cody responded. "There's no time limit on getting to know someone. We might not have known each other long, but we still know each other; therefore, we aren't strangers. I'd be willing to bet that I know more about you than a lot of those people you've worked with for fifteen years."
"You probably know as much about me as anyone, if not more," she agreed. "How do you do that? Make me tell you so much?"
Cody laughed. "Do you want to discuss it? Because I thought I wasn't allowed to talk."
She shoved him playfully. "Right you are so shut up." Then she turned her attention back to her paperwork.
Cody didn't try to kiss her again, but he did keep his hand on her, alternating between running it through her hair and giving her a back rub. He noticed that her smile didn't fade. After a little while, she moved to rest her head on his sturdy shoulder while she continued to work.
Finally, she finished and put the papers back in her briefcase.
"Can I talk now?" Cody asked her with a grin.
"Yes! Now you can talk. By the way, you don't care, do you? That I didn't ask to come here? You might have wanted to be alone."
Cody burst out laughing. "What do you think? Of course I don't mind. I'd have you here every night if you accepted the invitation."
"I can't come tomorrow."
"Why not?" Cody asked, disappointed.
"Stupid office party I have to go to."
"They make you?"
"Of course they do. My job sucks, remember? If I don't go, they somehow manage to find three times the work load for me to do the next day."
Spicy Coffee, Sweet Love (A Contemporary Young Adult Romance) Page 3
