It had my nerves on end and not even a good night of sleep seemed to have helped. I huffed and puffed as I lifted another container, struggling to even get the thing higher than my hip, never mind over the tailgate of the truck.
“Here, let me help you.”
I froze as two arms appeared around me, grabbing on to the handles and easily lifting it the rest of the way. Heat spread up my back from his proximity, warming me in the already suffocating sun. He didn’t step back, crowding into my personal space. I had no choice but to brush against him as I turned. My shoulder grazed across his chest, and it suspiciously felt like – yup, he was shirtless. Wonderful. My eyes took in the bare chest right before my eyes, narrowing in on the small beads of sweat trickling down and over the valleys of his cut abs.
His jeans hung low on his hips, almost indecently, except I couldn’t find it in myself to mind all that much. I let my eyes trail back up, finally meeting his that were now shimmering with amusement.
“What did you do to deserve this task? Nan usually reserves it for those who peeve her off.”
I had to swallow a couple of times, trying my best to create some sort of moisture in my suddenly dry mouth. “Uh, I slept in and took too long getting ready,” I admitted. Really though, I’d literally thrown on shorts and a tank top, and had simply pulled my hair into a side braid. I’d looked longingly at my make-up bag, but didn’t bother putting any on since I knew I’d just end up sweating it off again.
“Ah,” Gage said with a chuckle. “Still not a morning person, huh?”
I scrunched up my nose in distaste. “Of course not, I’m not insane. I’m going to assume you still are a morning person?”
He smiled broadly, those damn dimples coming out to taunt me. “I always like to get a good start to the day.”
Why did that sound so dirty to me? Because you have a filthy mind when it comes to this boy, my inner voice pointed out. Now stop staring at him! Crap. Was I? My eyes flew up, having trailed over his exposed skin again without me realizing it. His own eyes were just lifting to meet mine as though he’d been doing the same to me. Doubtful though. There was nothing spectacular about me, and I had clothes on.
“I’ll finish loading these up for you if you want to go start on something easier,” he offered.
“I can do it,” I said defensively. My brain – and arms – screamed for me to shut-up and let the boy help. Too bad my pride never listened that well.
Gage just laughed, as if he’d expected me to argue. “I’ll just help then, how about that? We can work together.”
He said it so simply. Why couldn’t I just be normal like he was being? He didn’t seem to be having any problem just trying to be friends, and here I was wondering what he’d look like without those cursed jeans on. Man, I knew I was boy crazy before, but this was going to a whole new level.
“I guess you can help,” I said stubbornly.
We worked in silence, loading the back of the truck one at a time. He only had to help me once more and I had to seriously fight off a shiver when his chest brushed my back that time. My exposed skin tingled from the contact, even though it had been brief and innocent.
“There you kids are,” Nan said, breaking my hormone filled bubble. I could have cried I was so happy to see her. Nothing like having your grandma around to put the brakes on your dirty thoughts. “I need you to run some produce down to the market. You can take the delivery truck. Bill’s expecting it within the hour, so off you go.”
“Both of us?” I asked, wiping at my brow. I really didn’t want to be stuck in a truck with him. I could smell him even from where I stood, and we were outside. Being in a confined space would be torture.
“Yes, both of you,” she replied in her voice that said ‘don’t argue with me’. “Now get going.”
As she turned I could have sworn I saw a small grin tug at her lips, making me wonder just what the old lady was up to. It was no good that was for sure.
Eight
Gage
My hands gripped the wheel so tightly I was half afraid I’d rip the thing right off. The whole idea of us just being friends had been mine. I’d thought it made sense last night. Today it didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.
Ella’s shorts had ridden up even higher as she sat in the passenger seat of the truck with all that exposed skin taunting me as I tried to focus on the road. Wisps of hair had escaped her ponytail as the wind whipped through the truck, blowing them around in a way that had me wanting to reach out to see if the strands were as soft as they looked.
The delivery truck’s air conditioning hadn’t worked in years, but I didn’t think it had ever felt as hot inside the cab as it did today. Even with both windows open, it didn’t help to lessen the light vanilla fragrance of Ella that was invading my senses. Her head was turned away from me, staring off at the passing trees and fields as we roared down the country road to the small farmers market out on Highway Nine.
I’d been trying to come up with something interesting to talk about for the past five minutes, but couldn’t seem to focus. Every time I looked her way I got distracted. Shifting in my seat, I prayed this wasn’t going to be how the entire summer was going to go. Hopefully it was just because I hadn’t seen her in so long, and my body was just getting overly excited. It had to calm down eventually. No girl had ever kept my interest for that long, and even though my feelings for Ella were vastly different from any other girl, she was just a friend and I needed to keep that in mind.
I shifted in my seat trying to get comfortable. There was no way I could manage to walk around this way on the farm all summer.. I loved jeans, but they sure didn’t leave me much room. I just prayed she didn’t notice.
“So, what are you going to college for?” I asked, raising my voice over the wind.
She looked over, her dark Ray Bans hiding those blue eyes I loved to stare at. “General business,” she said, looking away again. “I figured I’d go the first year and see what sparks my interest.” She turned back to me. “What about you?”
“I’m not sure either,” I admitted. “I don’t even know if I’m going to college. I’m trying to save up enough money to pay first year’s tuition, but it’s not cheap.”
“Can’t your dad help?”
I laughed. “Uh, no. Dad’s not really good with money, and our place needs a lot of work so he’s going to have to sink what little he has into that.”
“What about your mom?”
I froze, my entire body growing hot and then cold. It wasn’t like we never talked about her, but no one – and I mean, no one – brought her up so casually to me anymore. Everyone who knew me knew how hard I’d taken her death. It wasn’t an easy subject for me, to say the least. By the way she’d said it, I had the sickening feeling that she didn’t know. Hadn’t Nan told her?
She was waiting for an answer, but I couldn’t seem to speak around the hoarse dryness in my throat. I cleared it to no avail. My eyes remained glued to the dirt road as I tried to find the words I needed to say. It was never easy to say it out loud. Saying it now to Ella of all people felt even harder than usual.
I went with a different approach. “Didn’t Nan tell you?” I asked, unable to look at her.
“Tell me what?”
The silence that fell between us was heavy. I sensed her slowly stiffen as she watched me from the other side of the truck.
“Gage? Tell me what? Did something happen?”
I tried clearing my throat again. “She passed, Ells. When we were in grade eight. I figured you knew. That’s why my brothers and I moved back in with Dad.”
Ella sucked in a breath, her head turning to look out the window again. It was easier not having her eyes on me.
“God, Gage. I had no idea. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even know she was sick.”
“It was unexpected, and didn’t take long. The cancer had spread much too quickly for them to do anything.”
I thought I heard her sniffle and it killed me to kno
w she was likely crying. My mom had always liked Ella. She’d treated her just like she had any of her other children. I couldn’t imagine dealing with the loss fresh again the way Ella was right now, and yet I didn’t have it in me to reach over and offer any comfort. Because I had none. There was nothing comforting inside me when it came to the loss of my mom. It was just an empty hole burned into my heart that never seemed to heal.
“I’m so sorry, Gage. I should have –” She swallowed loudly. “I should have been there. I didn’t know.”
Finally I managed to release one of my hands and reached over blindly, finding both of hers clenched together tightly in her lap. Wiggling between them, she relaxed enough that I could wrap my fingers around hers, my hand now snuggled between both of hers.
“It’s okay, Ella. That was a long time ago.”
She didn’t say anything. We rode the rest of the way like that, neither of us seeming to want to break contact as the loss we both felt enveloped us. Somehow it actually felt a bit easier sharing it with her.
“Well ain’t you two a sight for sore eyes,” Bill said as we both hopped out of the truck. “I never thought I’d see the day when the Hunter boy and Page girl were back together, causing trouble.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “We’re delivering produce, Bill. I don’t really think that counts as causing trouble.”
“With you two, one never knows.”
“I resent that,” Ella said, hands placed firmly on her curvy hips. Ella was a tiny girl, but she had all the right curves that just made a man want to worship every inch of her.
I gave myself a quick mental shake to rid myself of those thoughts. Friends, I reminded myself.
“We never caused any trouble,” she went on.
Bill laughed his raspy laugh that instantly moved into a fit of coughing, like it always had. I wasn’t sure how many packs of smokes he’d smoked before quitting, but they had clearly done their damage. His yellow and missing teeth were also proof of that. Bill was an honest to goodness walking billboard for reasons why you shouldn’t smoke. But he was a nice guy, and everyone in town loved him. His market was the best place to get fresh food if you didn’t want to go to the big box stores that had been built in the downtown area.
“Why don’t you tell that to Mr. Crawford?” he said, taking off his cap to wipe at his forehead before slapping it back on. “I’m pretty sure he never found all them sheep you let out that one time.”
“There’s no proof that was us,” Ella said, even though she knew damn well it was us that had accidentally let them out. We’d also spent all afternoon and evening trying to find them all, but it was impossible. Mr. Crawford would have torn us to pieces if Nan hadn’t come to our rescue.
“Uh huh,” he said, unconvinced. “I’ll just let him know you’re back in town so he keeps an extra lock on that gate, just in case.”
I looked over to see Ella’s face break out into a reluctant smile. She met my eyes and I winked at her, watching as a faint blush crept over her cheeks before she looked away.
“Let’s get you your produce,” I said to Bill, walking around the back of the delivery truck.
“You ain’t gonna make a pretty thing like her do work, are you?” Bill said as I opened the back up and climbed in.
“Damn straight I am,” I said, passing down the first crate to a waiting Ella.
“That there is a shame. A little thing like that shouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting.”
Ella opened her mouth, but I cut her off, saving poor Bill from whatever reply she had in store. I was sure it wasn’t going to be nice. Ella never liked people underestimating her just because she was small or a girl. That’s what happened when you grew up around the Hunter boys. None of us ever treated her any differently than we had each other, so she wasn’t used to that sort of attitude from other people.
“Oh she can handle herself,” I said. “Plus, it’s because she’s so pretty that I let her help out. Gives me something to look at while I work.”
Her head snapped up at me, eyes narrowed. I just grinned, my mouth widening even more as her cheeks grew an even darker shade of pink. She took the crate I held out with a huff but didn’t say anything as she stomped over to the building.
“Mmmm hmm,” Bill murmured as he watched her walk away. “That one there is going to give you a lot of trouble, boy.”
“Don’t I know it,” I muttered.
“It’s a good thing all the ones who are really worth it are the ones that give us a bit more trouble than most.” He gave me a pat on the back before following her inside.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m melting,” I said as we made our way back to the farm.
“Me too,” she said, nodding her head. “This truck is like death. Why hasn’t Nan fixed the A/C yet?”
“You know Nan,” I said with a chuckle. “She doesn’t like to pay for anything to get fixed. She just expects you to put the window down and deal with it.”
“Yeah, well she’s not the one sitting in here frying right now,” she replied miserably.
“How about a quick stop?”
“Where?”
I raised my eyebrows, shocked she hadn’t already thought of it. “To the best place there is to cool off, of course.”
I pulled the truck into our driveway, driving past the house and down the path that led to the small pond a ways back on our property. Our house was technically neighbouring with Nan’s, but there were three good acres or so between the actual houses. We couldn’t see the farm from here, even though I could walk there if I wanted to. There was only a low, old stone wall separating the properties at the lot line. That was where Ella and I would meet up when we’d been younger. There, or at the pond. I couldn’t count how many hours we spent at the pond, the two of us and my brothers.
I stopped the truck at the end of the path that led to the pond down a little hill from us, shifting it into park.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” she said quietly.
“Well, nothing has changed,” I said with a laugh, looking around the area. The old rope we used to swing on into the water still hung from the large branch that stretched out over the water. It was literally exactly the way it had been when we were kids. That was one of the reasons I still liked coming here. Although I hadn’t actually swam in the pond for years now. It just didn’t feel the same coming here to swim by myself.
“What do you think? You still got it in you to swing on that rope like you used to?”
Her lips twitched as she fought back a smile. “I’m not eighty, Gage.”
“Yeah, but it’s been a while. I’ll understand if you’re too chicken now to do it. You probably don’t want to ruin your hair, or whatever girls are worried about when it comes to getting wet.”
She glanced at me, one side of her mouth pulling up reluctantly. “Reverse psychology doesn’t work on me. I know what you’re doing.”
I smiled broadly. “Does that mean you’re not going to do it then?”
She sighed, trying to sound annoyed but I knew she wasn’t really. “I don’t even have a bathing suit on.”
“So what? You can change clothes when we get back.”
I watched as she warred with the idea. Honestly, I didn’t really think she’d do it. But the next second she had her door open and was walking down the slope toward the shoreline before I could say another word. I followed quickly, my heart racing at seeing her here, being with her, just the two of us, again.
“Alright, Mr. Hunter,” she said, kicking off her shoes and removing her socks. My eyes locked on her rounded backside, unable to look away even if I’d wanted to. God she had the perfect body. “How about a friendly bet?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Some things never changed, I thought. “Deal.”
She looked over her shoulder at me, just as I managed to move my eyes upwards. “You haven’t heard what the stakes are yet.”
I shrugged. “I know I’m going to win no matter
what, so it doesn’t really make a difference.”
Her lips pressed into a firm line. “Your ego is astounding.”
“It always has been.”
She rolled her eyes, looking away again as she walked toward where the rope was wrapped around the hook we’d put in the trunk so we could reach it easily when we wanted to swing. The tall grass rustled around us, the only sound was the bugs chirping away. It felt like we were in a world all of our own.
“Okay, if I swing out further than you, you have to do three of my chores at the farm, no arguing, whenever and whatever I decide.”
“So when Nan tells you to shovel manure, you mean?” I knew her better than she thought. She scrunched her nose up at me adorably. I had to force myself to stay where I was and not get closer, afraid of what I might do.
“It could be something else,” she argued.
“Uh huh, sure. We both know which chores you hate the most, Ells. I already said deal, so off you go. Let’s see if you still have it in you after all these years.”
She bit her lip as she looked over the pond and I couldn’t help but smile. It had probably been a really long time since she’d done something like this. Suddenly she didn’t look so confident. I hadn’t either, but I figured I could still swing out and jump further than she could. Thankfully she never asked me what I wanted should I win this little bet. A mistake she always made. Yup, I thought happily, some things really did never change.
Nine
Ella
The water was freezing. I came up sputtering to the sound of Gage’s laughter. Looking over, I spotted him bent over.
Simple Beginnings Page 6
