I walk downstairs and inhale the scent of summer that wafts in through the open windows. It’s a beautiful day and things are finally starting to turn around. I only have five more days until I get my stitches out, so today is going to be dedicated to getting everything in order, and hopefully finding a place to live.
I greet Emily when I walk into the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. When I sit down at the table, Emily sets down a plate of eggs in front of me and I dig in.
“Where are Keith and Dean?” I ask, dipping my toast into the egg and breaking the yoke.
“They went to check out the damage to the truck,” she sets a glass of milk down in front of me and pulls out a chair.
“I talked to Mr. Keiser, he’s my boss, when I woke up. He told me that he’ll take care of the hotel and the rental for me. Now, I just need to look for a place to live,” I say happily.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her face fall. “What’s wrong?” I turn towards her and she looks like she wants to say something.
“It’s nothing, dear. Eat up and then you and I can go into town today. I have some things to get,” she avoids eye contact, which is odd.
“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
“Positive,” she replies, but her smile is fake. I’ve only known her for a few days but it feels much longer, and I can tell that something isn’t right with Emily.
After breakfast, we each go off to get ready to head out. I make sure all of my things are in my purse and I wait for Emily at the kitchen table.
I’m staring out of the kitchen window when the back door opens and the Montgomery men walk in.
“Mornin’, Phoebe,” Keith greets me.
“Good morning,” I reply with a smile.
I look over to Dean and he doesn’t look happy. He stays quiet and walks past me to go into the den.
“I hear you and Em are going into town?” Keith pulls out the chair next to me after pouring himself a cup of coffee.
“Yep, it’ll be good to get out of the house today,” I say as Emily walks in.
Her summer dress is somewhat fitting and I’m shocked. The only outfits I’ve seen her in so far are her house clothes—adding an apron is about as exciting as her accessorizing gets.
The crimson dress comes down to her knees. Now I feel a little underdressed in my shorts and t-shirt. I glance at Keith to see if he says anything about her appearance but he just smiles and stands to greet her with a peck on the cheek. She blushes at the gesture—I think it’s adorable.
“Ready, Phoebe?” Emily asks, slipping into a pair of black flats.
“Um, sure!” I grab my purse and we walk out to the truck. When I open the door, the scent of Dean instantly hits me and I pause, taking it in.
I break from my trance when I hear Emily’s door slam shut. It’s a slightly difficult task, but I manage to get into the truck without assistance. Emily flicks the A/C to ‘high’ and turns up the radio. A song comes on, spilling through the speakers—a girl sings about memories and Tim McGraw.
I like all types of music, but country is not one of them. I would love to just reach over and change the station but Emily is enjoying herself way too much. We drive along the dirt road with the windows down, the breeze blowing through our hair. I look in the mirror and see the trail of dust that follows behind the truck as we drive along.
This is kind of nice, I think to myself. I’ve always been a city girl but I guess I’ve never known any different. I look over at Emily who is singing along with the song. This is a side of her I’ve never seen before. It’s a carefree Emily, almost like how my mom is.
“Where are we going today?” I ask over the music.
She turns down the radio and brushes her windblown hair out of her face.
“I have to go to a hobby store, and then grocery shopping. If you’d like, we can treat ourselves to a pedicure?”
Holy shit, I really like this Emily! “Hell yeah!” I say and instantly cover my mouth at the curse. I’ve never sworn in front of them, and I’ve rarely heard any cussing in their house.
She giggles. “Oh, Pheebs, it’s not a big deal. It’s not like we don’t cuss in our house,” she says.
“You do?” I ask in disbelief.
Her giggles turn into a full fit of laughter. “Of course we do, we aren’t saints,” she replies.
That makes me laugh. All this time and I thought that I had to be on my best behavior. “Well in that case, hell yes, I’d love to go get a pedicure with you. I used to get them all the time with my mom but since she’s staying in Chicago, that won’t be happening much anymore.” Tears prick my eyes. I miss my mom so much. I guess I haven’t had much time to think about it with everything that has happened since I’ve been here.
“I know. When I talked to Abigail, she told me all of your favorite foods and the things you guys like to do together,” she smiles and turns her attention back to the road. Since when did Emily call my mom by her first name? “Oh, I didn’t think you two were on the phone for that long.”
“We weren’t, we only got to talk for a few minutes because she was going out of town, but we’ve talked since then.”
Going out of town and she didn’t tell me? And they’ve talked since then? What the hell is going on??
“Hmm, well maybe I’ll call her when we get back,” I say my thoughts out loud.
“She’s still on vacation, so you should probably wait until they get home.” She says, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
I squeeze the seat as hard as I can. ‘They’ plays over and over in my head. Why does it feel like my mom has a whole new life and I’m not included in it?
“Relax, Phoebe. They just went to go visit Ben’s children in a city called Springfield,” she states matter-of-factly.
How in the hell does she know more than I do and why can’t my mom tell me this stuff? I suddenly feel sick and clutch my stomach. My mom is turning into a completely different woman. First, she hides her boyfriend from me for eight months, and now she’s taking trips with ‘Ben’ to see his kids without telling me, after I’ve just been in an accident? It’s always been just me and her against the world, and I feel like I’m losing my best friend.
“Are you okay, Phoebe?” Emily asks with concern.
I shake my head and try to hold back the bile that is threatening to rise. When Emily pulls to the side of the road, I open the door before the truck completely stops. I’m out and bring up my breakfast before she gets to my side.
After I expel everything, Emily lets go of my hair that she was holding back and hands me some napkins to wipe my mouth.
“Should we go back home?” She asks.
I shake my head. “No, I’ll be fine. I think the medication I’m taking is upsetting my stomach,” I lie.
“If you insist,” she runs her hand up and down my back and I instantly feel better.
I nod and get back into the truck. I reach into my purse and pull out a stick of gum to get rid of the taste of vomit in my mouth.
We run errands and get a pedicure. My feet soaking in the small bath is quite possibly best feeling that I’ve had since I’ve been down here…unless you count the orgasm that Dean gave me, which I don’t, considering he doesn’t even remember it. I’ve erased the whole debacle from my memory—kind of.
“This is nice. I’ve never had a pedicure before,” Emily says. She rests her head against the black massaging chair and closes her eyes.
“You haven’t?” I ask in disbelief.
She shakes her head. “Nope, I’m usually at home all day cooking or cleaning. It’s rare I get out of the house, and when I do it’s usually only to run errands and Keith is usually with me,” she says without opening her eyes.
“I don’t know what I’d do without the little luxuries in my life. And to have my mom by my side is a bonus.” I play with the buttons on the remote for the chair and experience all of the vibrations.
“I always wished I’d had a daughter. Not that I don’t l
ove Dean, I just wish I’d had a little girl too,” she smiles to herself. “You’re like that to me, Phoebe.”
What am I supposed to say to that? It’s only been a few days and the Montgomery’s are starting to grow on me, but to say I’m like a daughter to her? I don’t respond, instead I take her hand into mine and hold it as we both sit back and relax.
On the way home, we stop for a quick bite to eat at a family dinner. I attempted to pay but Emily stopped me. “Don’t you dare think about paying for lunch.” She takes out her wallet and grabs the bill from my grasp.
“Emily, you’ve done so much for me already, can I please pay for lunch?” I beg.
She ignores me and walks to the register with the bill in her hand. She glances over her shoulder and flashes a smile.
I don’t know what I could do to repay them for all that they’ve done for me thus far. They truly are great people.
When she returns to the table, I grab my purse and slide out of the booth. We walk slowly to the truck, both of us having eaten way more than we should have. When I get better, I’m going to have to run for days to work off all of the extra calories I’ve taken in.
As soon as we pull in, Dean and Keith are by the truck, ready to help us unload. Without a word, Dean grabs me by my waist and helps me out.
“I got in by myself, Dean, and I can get out too. I’ve been doing it all day,” I inform him, but he ignores me.
Setting me down on the ground, he rounds the truck and opens the tailgate. Dean, Keith and Emily load up their arms with bags. When I reach in to grab a bag, Dean grabs my arm. “Don’t even think about it, we’ve got it. Why don’t you just go inside?”
“I’m not an invalid, Dean, I can do things by myself,” I spit.
“Oh, I know you can do things by yourself. But this is one thing that you don’t have to, now get inside in the air. It’s too hot out here for you,” he leaves me standing there, while he takes the bags inside.
I can almost see the halo disappear and the horns sprout as soon as she sees me. I can’t help but piss her off. It just comes so easily to me and I don’t try and stop myself because honestly, she’s sexy as hell with a scowl on her face.
I look over my shoulder to see her standing in the exact same spot I left her. I carry the last of the bags inside and fill my water thermos before heading back out to work.
“Dean, is everything out of the truck?” my dad asks. He looks out the kitchen window at Barbie standing by the bed of the truck.
I take a sip of the ice cold liquid before replacing the cap. “Yeah.”
“Why’s our Phoebe just standing out there by herself?” My mom asks, looking over my dad’s shoulder.
I walk over to see what they’re looking at. Barbie’s standing there with her arms crossed, the light breeze blows her hair in the wind. We all move away from the window when she looks in. I’m not sure if she can see us but we can see her.
“I have no clue what she’s doing. I’ll go out and check on her,” I offer.
I walk outside, not waiting for them to respond. She turns my way when the screen door slams. I don’t take my eyes off of hers. I let myself drown in her eyes just like I do every time I see her in my dreams.
The dreams… her sprawled out on my bed and me crawling up her body, kissing every inch. Pinning her against the wall while I thrust into her. She’s like a drug, and I’m quickly becoming an addict.
“What are you doing out here, princess?” I ask, squinting. The rays from the sun blinding my view of her.
“Oh, so now I’m princess? What happened to Barbie?” She huffs.
I hold my hands up in defeat. “Sorry, Barbie, what are you doing out here?”
I see the start of her lips pull in the corners but she stops when I smile back.
“I don’t need you to rescue me, or take care of me. I’m fine by myself. Can’t I just stand out here in the sun and fresh air without someone freaking out?” She folds her arms over her chest.
I shake my head and hold my hands up defensively. “Sorry, we just thought you’d like to be inside in the air conditioning.”
“Don’t go and get a hero complex, Dean. I’m fine. Just do what you have to do and leave me alone, please.”
“If you say so, Barbie,” I say under my breath and head towards the stable.
It’s a hot day, but a nice breeze prevents it from becoming too uncomfortable. I saddle up Bo and take him out for a ride. It’s been months since I’ve been riding. The freedom you have while riding–the wind whipping past you as you pick up speed—is enough to make you forget about any worries. I let my mind roam freely and push aside all the things I still have to do to just… be. It’s not like it matters anyway. Despite my dad’s helping out, this whole week has been one big cluster fuck, and getting back on track with work is going to be easier said than done.
After brushing Bo and having a “man to man” discussion so to speak, I place him back in his stall. I’m closing the door to the stable when my gaze meets Barbie’s. She’s sitting on the patio, rocking on the porch swing. I adjust my hat and stand in front of her with my hands on my hips. She slowly pumps her legs back and forth, gaining momentum. I let her swing a couple of times but then I grab the seat and stop her from moving.
“What are you doing, creep?”
“Oh, so now I’m a creep?” I ask and shift my weight. I place my boot covered foot on the swing and push the seat back so that she can’t swing forward.
“No. You’ve always been a creep,” she shrugs.
I ignore her comment, remove my foot from the bench and sit down next to her. I grasp the chain next to me and look out into the open land.
“It’s beautiful out here,” I exclaim.
My feet rest on the deck and I rock us back and forth with the heel of my boot. She lifts her feet up onto the swing, curling her arms around her knees. I catch sight of her injured wrist and guilt washes over me.
I lift my gaze to look at the fifteen stitches that it took to sew the cut back together. The skin surrounding the stitches looks like it’s healing. I’ve had stitches numerous times before so I know how the whole process works. I was a typical boy—my dad and I spent a lot of time together and while he was busy working I would wander off and do my own thing. Unfortunately for me this wandering usually resulted in a trip to the hospital.
“What’s that out there?” She nods her head in the direction of the fire pit.
“That’s the fire pit,” I say, pointing off into the distance. “Wanna go take a look?” I stand up from the swing and it jolts backwards, forcing her to put her feet down to stop it from moving. I offer my hand to help her up and surprisingly, she takes it.
A jolt runs through my body when our fingers touch. My large hand engulfs her tiny one, and they fit together perfectly. When I glance up, she has a sheepish grin on her face. “Sorry, must be static electricity,” she shrugs. For some reason, I don’t think it was static—this girl affects me like nobody else ever has.
We make our way to the fire pit. I made it years ago with Jake and Austin. We dug a hole deep in the ground and lined the outside with some old bricks we found. I let go of her hand and she’s immediately in awe. She runs her hand over the smooth, glazed wood of the benches. “These are so nice, where do you buy something like this at?”
“The Montgomery Farm,” I say proudly.
Her jaw drops open and her eyebrows shoot up. “You made these?”
“Don’t look so shocked,” I chuckle.
“I’m not shocked, more like impressed.” A beautiful smile spreads across her face and her blue eyes shine.
“Well, I’m glad I can impress you,” I tease. Sitting back on the bench, I wait until she looks away before looking her up and down… again. “Wanna have a fire?” I ask.
Her face lights up like it’s Christmas morning. “Can we? I’ve never had a bonfire before.”
My eyes widen in disbelief. Surely the precious city girl couldn’t have led such a shel
tered life? I mean, it’s only a bonfire for fucks sake! “You’re kidding, right?”
She shakes her head and looks down at the fire pit. I grab a few logs and toss them into the pit before walking back towards the barn. “Where are you going?” She asks and sits down, still admiring my craftsmanship.
“I need some fire starter,” I call out over my shoulder.
When I return, she hasn’t moved an inch and the exact same look is on her face. “I can’t believe you’ve never had a fire before,” I shake my head.
“Well my dad was killed in a car accident when I was eleven so it’s only really been me and my mom. Plus, we’ve always lived in the city. The houses were close together and bonfires weren’t allowed. After we sold our house, we lived in an apartment.” she shrugs.
“I’m sorry about your dad,” I say, sympathetically. I douse the logs with starter fluid and strike a few matches until one catches and I’m able to get the fire going.
“Thank you, although I never really got to know my dad. I was just getting into the girlie stage, playing around with my mom’s makeup and talking about boys when he passed. He always tried to get me to go fishing with him but it never interested me. Once he was gone, I realized all that I missed out on.” I sit down next to her and instinctively wrap my arm around her shoulders. I pull her into my chest, and I kiss the top of her head. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose a parent. Sure, my dad pisses me off but I couldn’t imagine life without him or to go through life without him.
I feel bad for giving her shit the past few days, and I can see why my parents have taken such a liking to her. She rests her head on my shoulder and we watch the fire burn the logs. I’m not sure what to say next, but I know one thing that will definitely lighten the mood.
“Would you like to make S’mores?” I ask.
If I thought her face lit up before I was mistaken, because her smile spreads from ear to ear, and her eyes widen with excitement. She jumps up and flings her arms around my neck, hugging me.
“Ohmygod, yes!” She screams into my ear but I don’t mind. To see that kind of smile on her face makes it all worthwhile.
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