“Here. I’ll hose you down first, then you do me,” Adi said, aiming the hose her way.
Griffith held up a hand. “Wait. Hold on a second.” Then she screamed as the stream of cold water pelted her side. She ran up the porch steps. “Let me get my shoes off.”
“Okay, but hurry. I need to get the corn ready to go in.”
Griffith kicked off her sneakers and jumped down into the grass. She tensed, waiting for the cold water. When it hit, it still shook her, but she managed not to cry out. She dutifully turned and allowed Adi to wash the bigger patches of mud off her clothes.
When she was finished spraying her down, Adi tossed Griffith a towel from a box near the stairs. She kicked off her shoes and handed over the hose. “Okay, now you do me.”
Griffith squeezed the handle and sent a stream of water directly into her chest. The white T-shirt did little to hide Adi’s nipples as they reacted to the water. They were on the large side and incredibly distracting. Griffith imagined slipping one into her mouth and…“Turn around. I want to get your shoulder.”
Adi dutifully turned, unaware of what her body was doing to Griffith. But it didn’t help. When the water hit the well-defined muscles of her back and shoulders, Griffith nearly lost it. She loosened her grip on the hose until the water was barely a trickle. Adi looked back at her, puzzled.
“I’m freezing. I’m going to hit the shower.” Griffith dropped the hose and practically ran through the house to the sanctuary of the bathroom. She peeled off her soaked clothes and jumped into the shower. The warm water helped her clear her head and get a grip. What do you think you’re doing here? This isn’t the time or place to be fantasizing. And what am I supposed to put on after my shower? I’m not going to be walking around in a towel.
Just then there was a knock on the door. “Here are some sweats for you to wear while the clothes wash. I’m going to leave them just by the door. Don’t worry, Bertie and I will be out back. The house is yours for now.”
“Thanks. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“No rush. We’ll be busy with the crawfish.”
Griffith felt a rush of relief. Maybe she hadn’t completely made a fool of herself out there. Adi seemed perfectly fine, and she was incredibly grateful for the dry clothes. She finished her shower and dressed in the comfortable, if large, sweats. Sweats. I haven’t worn sweats since high school. I feel like an overgrown toddler. She checked her reflection in the mirror. Yes, indeed, a thirtysomething, two-year-old. I wonder if this look will get Adi’s attention? Knowing she didn’t have a choice in attire, she gathered up her clothes and wrapped them in her towel, then went in search of the washing machine. When she found it she saw that Adi had left the lid up and her clothes were already inside. She dumped her load in and started the wash.
When she made it to the back drive, the smell of the boil permeated the air, making her stomach grumble. “That smells fantastic. When do we get to eat?”
“It won’t be long now. The vegetables are done. They’re in that ice chest. Now we add the crawfish.”
Adi added lemons and more seasonings to the water. When it returned to a boil, she dumped the crawfish, flipping and fighting, into a wire basket and lowered them into the water. She put the lid on and sat down near the cooking pot.
“This is the tricky part. I have to watch for the boil to come back up. Then we wait two minutes and kill the heat. Could you bring me that bucket of water?” She pointed to a bucket near the porch.
Griffith collected the bucket, noting that the water was cold. When the time was right, Adi turned off the propane and opened the pot. She slowly poured in the cold water.
“Now I’m going to need your help. Open that second ice chest and help us pour in the crawfish. Bertie, time to season.”
Bertie grabbed the box of seasoning while Griffith opened the ice chest and Adi lifted the wire basket. “Get that big paddle now and stir as Bertie seasons.”
As Adi slowly poured in the crawfish, Bertie sprinkled in the seasoning and Griffith stirred the whole mess. It was like clockwork. Clearly, they had done this many times before, and Griffith appreciated having a part in the process.
When they were finished, Adi closed the ice chest and smiled at Griffith. “Now you can say you’ve done a crawfish boil. Bertie? Who’s coming by to eat?”
“T’Claude said he’d be by, and Jose and his girl too. Go on and get the table spread. I’ll get the trash can lined and ready.”
“Can I do something? Shall I get plates?”
They turned and stared at her.
“Ah, no, no plates. We’re going to spread the table with newspaper. When folks get here we’ll put out paper plates and folks can fill them. You just put your trash on the newspaper. When dinner is over, we’ll roll it up and put it in the trash can. You know us Cajuns, very efficient. No reason to waste clean plates on a crawfish boil. Come on, let’s get the table.”
Adi led them to the garage and a large round table with a hole in the center the size of a garbage can. They carefully rolled it out to the driveway and set it up. They piled the top with open sheets of newspaper, tucking an edge into the trash can Adi slid below the hole.
“Now when we’re done, everyone rolls together and cleanup is a cinch. There are folding chairs in the garage too.”
They placed six chairs around the table and sat while they waited for the others to arrive.
“Well, city gal, whatcha make of crawfishing?” Bertie smiled.
“I think it was hard work. Lots of stink and mud.”
Adi and Bertie laughed.
“Yeah, you right about that. Lots of mud, for sure. But it was fun too, no?”
Griffith thought about the day. It had been fun riding the four-wheeler with her body pressed against Adi. It had been fun to work together and catch so many crawfish. And cleaning up? That would have been more fun if Adi had slipped into the shower with her.
“It was fun. Not something I want to do on a regular basis, but fun.”
There was a loud scraping sound as T’Claude pushed through the gate.
“Hey, y’all. I brought the beer.” T’Claude held up a cooler. “Nice and cold. Who’s ready?” He handed a dripping bottle to each of them. “Allow me.” He popped the caps with his church key.
Griffith was sure she’d had a Rolling Rock before, but it had never tasted so good. Jose walked up the driveway with a lovely young woman. She waved and smiled.
“Hi, Ms. McNaulty, Adi. This is Rosa.”
“Hi, Rosa, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Grab a couple of beers, Jose. I’ll go get plates.” Adi went up the stairs and into the kitchen. T’Claude began a long and rambling tale about getting stuck in the mud crawfishing with his daddy. When everyone had gathered around the table, Adi handed them each a double stacked Dixie plate.
“Time to eat. If you’re waiting on me, you’re backing up.”
Adi served a heaping plate of crawfish, potato, and corn and handed it to Bertie. She sat and waited for everyone else to get their fill. The food and company was perfect, and they spent far longer at the table than Griffith had expected. They went from tale to tale, laughing and joking. She expected everyone was getting loose because of the beer, but she realized no one had had more than one or two. This was just how this community of friends spent their shared time.
The entire thing was so at odds with the superficial times she’d spent with friends in LA. There everyone was watching to see who was coming in the door, making sure they were noticed in a good way. No one connected like this. And not one cell phone had come out all evening. That was unheard of at home. She and her friends had made a pact that the first one to pull a phone paid the tab. That wasn’t even a consideration here. It was delightful and she felt lucky to experience it. When they were finally winding down, she saw Bertie nod at Adi.
“Okay, y’all. Rolling time.”
Everyone stood, and Griffith followed suit. They began at the table’s edge just
in front and rolled toward the center. She did her best to keep up. When she reached a particularly large pile of shell or corncob, Adi helped get the roll over the bump. Soon the whole shebang was pushed down into the lined trash can. Such a smart way to do this. We wouldn’t think of using a trash can this way at home.
“Well, that was easy.”
“Sure enough. We like it easy. Come on. Let’s go sit on the porch.”
Now Griffith understood the abundance of rockers and the large swing. The evening continued in the comfort of the porch. I could get used to this life. It’s so laid back. Adi sat beside her on the swing, her long legs stretched out in front of her. T’Claude pulled out a cigar case and offered them around. Bertie took one, as did Jose. Rosa and Adi declined.
“Okay now, California, check out this fine tobacco. I know you ain’t got nothing like this where you come from.”
“That sounds like a challenge. I’m sure it’s fine tobacco, but I don’t know if it can top what we have in LA. I’ll try one.” She took a long, slender cigar from the case and ran it under her nose. The light scent of whiskey and vanilla was appealing. T’Claude held out his torch lighter to each of them, and they were soon surrounded by the fragrant smoke. He was right. This was finer tobacco than any she’d ever smoked. But then, maybe it was just the company. I can’t remember a nicer evening.
“This has been so wonderful. I hate the thought of the evening ending, but I’m really tired. Is there anything I can do before I head home?”
“No, ma’am. You did plenty today. If you hadn’t helped Adi with the fishing, there wouldn’t have been any eating. You just go on home and rest up. Adi, take this girl on home.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
They walked out to the truck. Adi took a few minutes and unhitched the trailer. After they had buckled in, Adi reached over and held Griffith’s hand in her injured one. They drove to the hotel in comfortable silence.
The lights of the hotel seemed harsh after the pleasant evening, and Griffith felt the loss. Adi turned off the truck and faced her. Her face was a study of light and shadow, so serious.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to look at you. Can I have a good night kiss?”
“You can.”
Adi leaned over and kissed her deeply. Griffith wanted the kiss to last forever. The perfect ending to a perfect day. When they parted, she smiled. “I’m going to miss spending the day with you tomorrow.”
“Me too. We’re going to be busy at the Pot, but you can, I mean, if you want, you can come over and hang out.”
“I’m sure I’d just be in the way. Don’t worry. I have work to do. I’ve got a deadline on your story, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. I almost forgot what brought you here.”
“Me too.”
“So, are you ready to write it now? Do you have everything you need?”
“Pretty much, but I’d still like to know what you ran away from when you were a child.”
Adi looked down, avoiding the issue. “I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay, at least until Monday. I want one more day with you.”
“I’ll stay. I want one too.” She kissed Adi then, a kiss that said she trusted her. That said she would wait and hear her story. That she valued the time they spent together. At least, she hoped that’s what Adi got out of it.
Adi’s gaze as they moved apart was piercing. “That means so much to me, Griffith. Thank you.”
“You’re different from anyone I’ve known. I like being with you. Thank you for the crawfishing lesson. Next time I get to drive the four-wheeler,” Griffith said.
“Next time, huh? Think you’ll be here long enough for a next time?”
“You never know. I know being with you is an adventure. I like adventures.”
“It would be nice to have more of those with you,” Adi said.
“Yes, it would. I guess I should go in, unless you’d like to join me?” Griffith watched as the overhead light illuminated Adi’s blush. Damn, she’s gorgeous. She doesn’t have a clue how sexy she is.
“I…uh…I don’t think I’m ready for that. I better get back home.”
“You sure? I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Griffith gave her best come-hither look, but she could tell Adi was just too shy to jump.
“Thanks, but I wouldn’t even know…I mean, I’m not sure…heck, I don’t know what I mean.”
Griffith let her off the hook. “It’s okay. If you decide you’re ready before I leave, you’ll let me know, right?”
“Yes, I will. I promise.”
Griffith climbed down and closed the truck door. She watched as Adi pulled away. What am I doing? I’m so drawn to her. Is it just because she’s different, that this whole world is different? Is there more here than simple novelty? If not, she really needed to pull back. Hurting Adi to slake her own lust and curiosity wasn’t cool. Adi wore her heart on her sleeve. Messing with her meant messing with her heart. Is that something I want to live with? Am I that shallow? Maybe in the past, but not now. Not anymore. She was going to do her best to leave Adi undamaged, no matter what her libido dictated or her journalist’s instinct demanded.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Adi watched Griffith in her rearview mirror as she pulled out of the parking lot. What’s wrong with me? She just invited me into her room. Am I crazy? There was something about Griffith and the way they were together that Adi didn’t want to spoil by rushing things. She briefly wondered if she should worry about being so open. Lots of people could have seen them kissing and carrying on, and in this town, that news would spread like wildfire. But was she willing to keep that part of her quiet anymore?
She thought about the way it felt, the way her stomach flipped over and she felt like jumping out of her skin with happiness, and she knew she was done worrying about what other folks thought. Sure, maybe she’d never get the chance to sleep with Griff, but if not, that was okay. She wanted to really know her before she took that step. Griffith was like a shiny new penny. Something you wanted real bad, but when you had it a while, it ended up as tarnished as all the others. I don’t want that. I want Griffith to keep her shine. What if sleeping with her changed everything? What if it made it weird to be together? Adi hadn’t had many friends, really just the gang at the Pot, and way back, Rachel.
When the thing with Ransom happened and J.B. made her more a part of his business, she’d lost the connection she had with Rachel. He’d kept her so busy, and when she was free, being with Rachel made her feel dirty. Like the things she’d had to do were marks on her skin that Rachel could see. And there were so many secrets, things she couldn’t say…their friendship had been poisoned by the life he made her live. Adi had just stopped hanging out with her. She convinced herself it was to protect Rachel, but she knew that wasn’t totally true. It was what she had to do to survive.
She thought about her conversations with Bertie and felt the truth of them deep in her soul. I’m tired of being afraid. I don’t want to hide any more. How can I tell the truth without putting all of us in danger? What if she laid it all out for Griffith and asked her for her help? Would she be able to do anything? Would she know how to safeguard Bertie and T? Can I trust her enough to ask? She was starting to think she could. That maybe Griffith would treat her story with the kind of care it needed.
She wanted to believe it could be that simple. That with Griffith’s help she could get out from under the threat of J.B. and maybe live a normal life. But what about the things I did? What about Ransom? Am I going to end up behind bars? That’s probably where I belong. I killed him and helped hide the others. She needed to think about it, long and hard, before doing anything stupid. When she drove into the driveway, she was no less conflicted than she was before. Bertie and T were still on the porch. She dropped into the swing and sighed in frustration.
“What’s up, puppy? Why you moping around?” T asked.
“No reason. I’m tired, I guess.”
/> “You didn’t hurt your hand out in the mud, huh?” Bertie said.
“No, the hand’s fine,” Adi said.
“Well, just tell us what it is that’s got you in a funk,” Bertie said.
“I don’t know what it is. I’m just all mixed up inside.”
“You know what I do when I’m not sure which way to go? I just plain stop. I sit and open myself up to all the choices I’ve got, then I just wait. Eventually, my heart leads me one way or the other. It’s never failed me. You should try it,” T said.
“Maybe,” Adi said.
“Want to talk about it? It usually helps,” Bertie said.
Adi looked at Bertie and T. The two people who meant the most to her in her life. She’d already told Bertie about J.B. and the things she’d done, but not T. He knew nothing about her past.
“Maybe later.”
“I think it’s about time for me to go. Y’all sure put on a good feast tonight. Thanks for the party,” T said.
“You don’t have to go, T,” Adi said.
“I know that, but I think it’s a good time. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night, T’sugar,” Bertie said.
“Night, Mama Sass. Night, Adi.”
“Night, T.” Adi felt like she’d chased him off by being moody, but was grateful she’d have time to talk with Bertie.
She waited while T loaded his cooler in the car and drove off.
“I’m all mixed up, Bertie. I don’t know if I should tell Griffith everything or hide out until she leaves town. She’s got me so confused.”
“Hm, confused how?”
“I don’t know. I mean, when I’m with her, all I can think about is holding her. My heart says trust her, but my head says stay away. Then she kisses me, or I kiss her, and I forget to be careful. It’s all going to slip out if I keep spending time with her.”
Bitter Root Page 12
