Standing there watching Ella, I decided that hands down there was nothing sexier than a woman handling a large piece of machinery like she was born to do it. I had a feeling today was going to be burned into my memory for years to come.
“What are you standing there gawking at?” Nan’s voice called out, effectively breaking Ella’s hold on me.
I glanced over my shoulder to see her smiling knowingly at me, her expression at odds with her question. I couldn’t help but grin back and wink, continuing on my way without answering her. Nan wasn’t stupid, so there was no point in lying to her. And there was no way I was going to admit just how damn sexy her granddaughter was out loud.
My jean’s pocket started to vibrate just as I reached the barn. Dropping my load, I pulled out my phone to see Jake’s name flash on the screen.
I sat down on the bale of hay I’d just dropped before swiping at the screen. “Hello?”
“Gage,” he said, never one to say hi for some strange reason.
“Jake,” I mimicked.
“What are you doing?”
I rolled my eyes. Jake was my closest friend, aside from my brothers, so he knew damn well what I was doing. All I ever did was work, so it was pointless to even ask.
“What do you think?” I replied dryly.
He chuckled. “You need a vacation, my friend.”
“I need to win the lottery first,” I pointed out.
“Don’t we all. I was just calling to make sure you were still coming to the fair tonight. Cassie said all the girls would be there, so it’s bound to be a good time,” he said, his voice dripping with excitement for things to come. I could just imagine him wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Cassie and her crew of friends were always ready and willing to get our attention. Jake and the other guys loved it. I, on the other hand, knew just how much trouble and drama a girl like Cassie could bring with her, so I was a little less enthusiastic about the possibilities.
I hummed into the phone non-committedly.
“Ah, come on, Gage! I haven’t been able to hang out with you all summer. You need to get out and have a bit of fun.”
“I also have to work this evening,” I said. “I need to sleep at some point you know.”
“So ask Nan to leave early and then grab a few z’s before heading over to the fairgrounds. You know she’ll let you. She thinks you work too hard just as much as the rest of us do.”
“We’ll see.” My head turned to look around the side of the barn, catching sight of Ella off in the distance. I wondered if she’d be going.
“Hello? You still there?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m here. I’ll give you a call later and let you know what I’m doing.”
He sighed loudly. “Fine. Talk to you later.”
“Yup.”
I went to hang up, stopping when he spoke again.
“Oh, and I spoke to Jaiden this morning. She mentioned Ella Page was back in town and she was going to try to get her to come tonight too. You know, in case you were interested.”
He was snickering when I hung up without responding. Years later and those closest to me were still on my ass about Ella Page. I sighed loudly. Was I so transparent to everyone?
Five
Ella
“Please!!”
I cringed away from the phone, holding it away from my ear. Geez. Was this how I was when I begged Olivia to do things she didn’t want to? Probably. No wonder she got so annoyed with me, I thought.
“Look, Jaiden,” I said, placing the phone back to my ear tentatively. “I’ve been outside working all day. I’m just not up to going out tonight. But I promise I’ll get out another night.”
“Bullshit,” she snapped. “I know how you are, Ella. You’re going to keep using being tired as an excuse just to avoid coming out and seeing everyone. You have to come to the fair. No one has seen you in, like, forever! It will be fun.”
I rubbed at my eyes, wondering why on earth I had even answered the damn phone when I saw it was Jaiden calling. I should have known this was going to happen. Lying back on my bed, I looked over at the clock to see it was still only six. I still had plenty of time to shower before things really picked up down at the fair. It never really got busy at these events until the sun went down and all the lights of the rides and booths lit up the surrounding sky.
I really was tired though. It wasn’t just some lame excuse to avoid seeing people, even though that was part of the reason I didn’t want to go. Mind you, I thought, the one person I really wanted to avoid had been walking around here all day already. It was almost impossible to avoid him completely when it felt like he was everywhere around here.
My eyes closed, remembering the quick glimpse I had of him after lunch when that pesky shirt of his had mysteriously disappeared. Tanned, toned skin had been on ample display. Broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist that had those teasing indents leading further beneath the waist of his jeans. A six pack to die for flexed, along with a back that literally made my mouth water, as he continued to work, unaware he was being ogled. It was the nicest body I’d ever seen.
Thank God I’d been watching from inside the kitchen, otherwise I would have made a complete fool of myself. Luckily it was only my Nan’s cat Misty that caught me spewing the mouthful of water I’d been trying to drink all over the counter when I’d caught sight of him.
I’d been doing my best to stay out of his way, but I couldn’t ignore him completely. It was downright annoying. My entire day had been slowly going downhill since the moment I noticed him standing out by the barn that morning, a large stack of hay on his shoulder as though it weighed nothing. He’d just been standing there, watching me with a look that had my stomach rolling in a way that it hadn’t in years. Gage Hunter was the only guy who made my body react in any way, shape or form. It instantly made me angry to see things hadn’t changed, despite us not seeing each other for years.
I’d done my best to not look his way again, ignoring the rising temperature whenever I knew he was close by. It wasn’t the sun making me feel hot, which only served to make me even moodier than usual. Nan had looked almost scared of me over supper when I’d picked at my food with a frown on my face the entire time.
“Goodness, Peach,” she’d said. “Did someone run over your puppy?”
I’d glared at her. “Not funny, Nan.”
She’d smiled anyway, but backed off. No one could say that woman was stupid.
“Well?” Jaiden said over the line, snapping me back to attention.
“Fine,” I said, giving in with a sigh. She squealed from the other side. “Let me just take a shower first.”
“That’s fine, I won’t be by until around eight to get you,” she said, her voice filled with glee.
I couldn’t help but smile. Honestly, I did miss hanging with Jaiden, and I knew it would be fun. It was also nice to make her so happy by agreeing. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this night was about to take a turn I wasn’t prepared for. I just wasn’t sure how or in what way, but it looked like I was going to find out.
Country music blared from the jeep as I made my way toward Jaiden. She stood up, grinning at me from ear to ear as I approached.
“Look at you!” she exclaimed. “You look adorable.”
I scrunched my nose, looking down at the short, white lace summer dress I’d pulled on. I’d paired it with a simple necklace that rested just above the sweetheart neckline, and my cowboy boots that I never wore around the kids back home. Being in the country made me feel like I had to dress the part. I didn’t think it was “adorable”.
“Should I change?” I asked as I stopped on the passenger side.
“What? No! You look awesome,” she said, sitting back down.
“You just said I looked adorable,” I argued. “I’m nineteen, I don’t want to look adorable. Three year olds look adorable.”
Jaiden rolled her eyes. “You look amazing, now get that adorable butt in the truck. We’re already running la
te.”
“How does one run late when there’s no specific time to be somewhere?” I asked as I climbed up and into the jeep.
“Jenna and Cassie are already there, and they’re waiting on us. You don’t want to be too late for these things or you might miss out on the fun,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
I would normally have been of the same frame of mind, if I wasn’t so damn nervous about the whole thing. I wasn’t acting like myself and that bothered me. Normally I’d be the one pushing to go out and have fun. It was like I’d suddenly become Olivia …I shuddered in my seat. Please don’t let me become a social hermit all summer, I prayed silently.
Jaiden turned the jeep around and floored it down the long driveway. I could just imagine what Nan was thinking, knowing she was most likely watching us from the kitchen window. Wind whipped through my carefully styled hair as we pulled out onto the road and took off. So much for that, I thought with a sigh. Knowing the way Jaiden drove, I’d look like Peggy Bundy by the time we reached the fair grounds. I watched as the trees lining the road zipped by, the fields surrounding us now empty for the evening. The sky was that perfect shade of twilight, the stars already dotting it in millions of different places. It was something you could only really see and appreciate when you were out in the country. The stars were never visible back home the way they were up here.
“So, you excited to see everyone?” Jaiden yelled over the music.
I shrugged. “Yeah.”
She laughed. “You’re a bad liar. I don’t know why you’re always so hesitant to hang with anyone besides me. Everyone always asks about you whenever you come to town. It’s going to be fun to have the old gang back together.”
I smiled, deciding that was easier than arguing that people just weren’t the same from when they were nine to now. I highly doubted people were as excited to see me as she made them out to be, but I let her have her fun.
“Gage might be there,” she said, making me stiffen. “I bet it will be nice for you to see him again since the two of you were so close and all.”
“I’ve already seen him,” I said, looking out the side of the jeep as trees rushed by. Where were the police? Weren’t there speed limits on these old back roads? The way Jaiden drove, you wouldn’t think so. Of course, her dad was also the chief of police so she probably would just get a warning anyway.
“You have?” Her brows pulled together for a moment before I saw understanding cross over her face. “Oh that’s right,” she said, “he’s helping out Nan this summer. I totally forgot. Well that’s good then, isn’t it? Now you won’t feel so awkward since we’ll both be there.”
I don’t know what my expression was, but it must have shown my disbelief in her statement because she instantly went from looking happy to unsure of herself within seconds.
“Aren’t you two friends still? I mean, you’ve always asked about him, so I figured …”
I scoffed. “I never asked about him! I just listened when you talked about him,” I corrected.
“Oh. Well, I guess I figured you’d want to know about him, since y’all were besties for so long. Why don’t you like Gage anymore?”
I sighed, looking away from her again. I really, really didn’t want to get into this, because quite frankly I didn’t even know how to explain it to anyone but myself. What made sense in my head probably didn’t make much sense to anyone else. How could I explain that he just …let me down? It wasn’t even fair to say. It wasn’t like he owed me anything, or that I had any right to have expectations of him, and yet I did. He had let himself become the type of guy I would have never imagined or wanted for him, and it just …pissed me off. Simple as that.
“We’re just different now,” I said, trying my best to drop the subject.
We were pulling into the parking lot of the fairgrounds – and when I say parking lot, that term is used loosely. It was really just part of the field that they deemed the “fairgrounds”. Cars lined up side by side on the grass. Well, they were mostly pick-up trucks, I noted. The amount of people sitting on the tailgates, music blaring from their radios, you would think no one was actually at the fair, but I could see a good crowd of people amongst the rides and stands milling about.
Everyone seemed to be having such a good time, I decided it was time to get out of my funk and start acting like myself again. This was going to be fun, and damn it I was going to make sure I enjoyed myself. So what if my summer had been derailed and I had to work all through it. And so what if the one person I’d spent the past nine years avoiding was now working practically side by side with me, distracting me with his good looks and stupid dimples. I could handle it! I would handle it! And I was going to make sure my summer didn’t completely suck while I did!
Feeling a renewed sense of energy, I was practically bouncing in my seat by the time Jaiden found a parking spot and pulled in.
“You ready?” Jaiden asked, looking over at me.
“Hell yeah!” I said, getting a good laugh from her.
“That’s my girl.”
I pulled my bag over my head so the strap crossed my chest, and hopped out of the truck. We passed by several groups of people, calling out hellos even if we had no idea who they were. Jaiden probably did, but I was just going with the flow. That was the kind of place it was. Everyone waved and greeted one another like you’d known them your entire life. I liked that sort of thing. It wasn’t something you’d see in Bloomfield, even though it wasn’t a big town by a long shot.
“Jaiden!” a male voice called out. I looked up to see a guy walking toward us, away from a pick-up that was crowded with a group of ten people or so. He was tall and built, the t-shirt he wore stretching across a wide chest. Dark hair cropped short to his head framed a strong face that sported a pair of striking green eyes. I recognized him instantly, even though it had been almost a decade since I’d seen him last.
“Tell me that isn’t Miss. Ella Page you’ve got with you,” he drawled, prowling closer.
“Hey, Jake,” I said, smiling when he stopped in front of us.
His eyes dropped down the front of me quickly before meeting my eyes. He’d tried not to make it obvious, but I was way too observant for these boys. They couldn’t pull a fast one on me.
“It’s been a long time, Ells. How you been?”
“Good, and you?” God, could this get any more awkward? Jake was Gage’s best friend, or at least that’s what Jaiden had always said during her update stories. The way he was watching me, a slight smile playing on his lips, made me think that he found something funny about me being there. I just couldn’t figure out what. Did he know we didn’t get along or talk anymore? That would mean Gage would have talked about me to him, which I couldn’t see him doing. I doubted Gage thought about me at all.
“I’ve been pretty good,” he said, his eyes twinkling. He was laughing at me, I could see it.
“Well, I’m glad we’re all good,” Jaiden said, pulling on my elbow. “But Ella and I are going to go enjoy the fair not sit out here all night.”
He chuckled as we walked by. I glanced over my shoulder to see his eyes on our retreating forms, a full out smile now spread across his handsome face. Our eyes met and he sent me a quick wink before walking over to his truck where the others stood. I turned back around as Jaiden continued to pull me toward the entrance.
“What ride should we go on first?” she asked.
“Ferris wheel,” I answered immediately. “Definitely the Ferris wheel.”
Six
Gage
“I need to get laid.”
I glanced over at Cam as I pulled my truck into an empty spot.
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate these heart to heart moments we have,” I said dryly, shifting into park. “Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”
“I’m just saying,” my brother said with a lazy grin.
“You know, contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to voice every thought that runs through your h
ead. Shocking, I know.”
We both got out of the truck, meeting at the end of the bed. “I don’t think I’m the only one who needs to get laid,” he said, looking at me pointedly. “When was the last time?”
“Seriously, dude? Do you honestly think I’m going to tell you that?” It had been over a month, I knew that. Sadly I couldn’t actually remember the exact date. That was a long time for me, and Cam would know it, so there was no way I was admitting to him that I was going through a bit of a dry spell. Not that I couldn’t end it if I wanted to, I just hadn’t had the time.
I looked around at the crowds of people, catching some of the girls’ eyes as they walked past, and thought maybe – for once – my brother was right. I needed to let off some steam, especially after being around Ella all day. My entire body seemed more wound up than usual. Some relaxation of the physical sort might just be what the doctor ordered.
The only problem now was that I’d seen Ella again. Every set of eyes I met didn’t hold nearly the allure those familiar baby blues did. Every pair of legs didn’t call for my touch the way hers did, stemming from those short shorts she’d pranced around all day in. No one’s hair looked as soft or silky as hers did. Ugh. I was so screwed – just not in the way I would have liked. At this rate my dry spell was going to continue until my balls turned blue and fell off.
“I see Jake,” Cam said, pulling my attention away from my private pity party. We walked toward the large, black pick-up Jake drove, his tailgate already down, and a cooler filled with beers open in the back.
“There they are,” he said loudly as we approached. “The Hunter brothers have deemed us worthy enough to grace us with their presence. Everyone rejoice!”
A few girls looked our way with a gleam in their eyes that said they’d do more than just rejoice. The Hunter brothers had a bit of reputation in these parts, something I’d done more than my part to help establish. Suddenly that didn’t feel so good, knowing that Ella would be around to witness it. Unless she already knew what I’d been like in the past few years. That thought caused a shot of panic to hit my chest to the point where I actually found myself rubbing at it.
Simple Beginnings Page 4
