by TC Rybicki
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?”
“Touching me and teasing me at the same time.”
Dane growled a bit. “Ugh, you’re going to be the death of me. I need to get back outside.”
He let go and my poor finger had never been so lonely. I lost a nail earlier and Dane’s perfect touch just now. I needed a new focus because I was losing it. I went back inside the pantry and started gathering what I needed for lava cakes.
I caved. With dinner, nothing more. I kept my dignity no matter what my mind and body urged me to do. I had a few bites of Dane’s steak. It looked and smelled too good to pass up. The whole dinner was spectacular. “We make a good team.”
“In the kitchen?”
“Yes, sorry. I meant when we cook.”
Dane pushed his plate away. “I see. Well, I have to hand it to you, best damn potatoes, ever.”
“Your marinade was mouthwatering. I loved the bread too. You have to take me to that bakery some time.”
“I will.”
“I’m so full. I made the lava cakes though.”
“So, we wait, let our food settle and then have a little dessert.”
I looked at the clock on the microwave. “It’s getting late.”
“7:30?”
“I’m sure Gram doesn’t expect me out late.”
“Do you have a curfew?”
“No. I guess not, but I have to be up early. Probably been a long time since you had a friend with a curfew, old man. Jeez, I can’t believe you’re 26. Did you fail college or something?”
Dane thought I was hilarious. “No, I took a year off before graduate school and traveled.”
“Oh, you mean from like Dallas to Houston and then El Paso down to Brownsville.”
“No, more like Europe, the Mediterranean and some of Asia. Oh, I saw Australia and New Zealand too.”
“No freaking way. You. Mr. Texan, I still live in my grandparents’ old home and work for my daddy? You’re that adventurous?”
“Yep. How does it feel to be so wrong about a person?”
“Oh, I’m not wrong. I know plenty, but this is an unexpected twist. You have a wee bit of wanderlust or perhaps you did, and it’s all out of your system. I predict you never leave the lone star state again.”
“Bet on me if you want. You’ll lose every time. I might like familiar things and order, but I also love adventure. One day, I’ll prove it to you.”
“I highly doubt it. God, I’m going to miss traveling.”
“Why? If you love it, you’ll do it again.”
I sighed. I didn’t see how that was happening anytime soon. “Gram thinks it’s a waste. I don’t know how to pay for college just yet. There’s a lot of doubt in my future now.”
“There shouldn’t be. You’re smart. You’ll figure it out.”
Dane turned on the television. He ran through the stations and back again. We settled on the sitcom lineup for the weeknight. He and I both agreed we liked several of the same ones. He had a comfy leather sectional with individual recliners in his den. He picked the seat closest to me. I was glad for the armrest and a little space, but his presence was evident the whole time I attempted watching the screen. Occasionally, I’d catch him out the corner of my eye. He was watching me. I wished he’d stop. My stomach flip-flopped probably because I ate too much. My stomach wasn’t used to big meals.
I reached for my water and Dane brought up my broken nail. “Was there a memorial?”
“There should have been. I was so pissed at Nina. I tried to figure out if she planned our collision hoping something bad would happen to me. I don’t know why she dislikes me other than we were both new. I figured the tasks out quickly and got along with everyone else. She must have thought it was only because they all knew I was Gram’s. So, no memorial. I might say a few words later when I throw it away. It was the best manicure I ever had, and I’ve had plenty.”
“I’m sure you have. Hold up. Did you say you were throwing it away later? You mean you still have the tiny purple nail?”
“Yes. It’s in my pocket.” Dane hit the pause button.
“Show me.”
“No, freak.”
He grabbed my hand again. “Are you going to cut the rest?”
“I don’t want to, but I look kinda ridiculous now.”
“Never ridiculous, just uneven.”
The dimple appeared. Curse that dimple and his mismatched eyes that held my stare whenever I tried to look away.
“Want me to help?”
“No thanks. I maintain my personal grooming just fine.”
“You sure? You’re right-handed. Isn’t it hard to cut with your left?”
“Do you want cake still?”
He patted his belly, and I remembered what it looked like soaked in river water. “Yes, but let’s fix your hand first.”
“Did you secretly aspire to be a cosmetologist, but Daddy would’ve disowned you?”
Dane jumped up, grabbed my hands, and pulled me all the way through his bedroom into his bathroom. He also picked me up and sat me right down on his vanity. “Put me down. I never asked for this.”
“That’s what she said.” I raised my hand for a slap, but that would’ve thrilled him. I lowered it slowly when Dane opened a drawer and found the clippers. “How short?”
I whined. “I don’t know. I wanted these nails to last as long as possible, but I guess it’s the right thing to do. Be gentle.”
He chuckled. “If only a stranger could hear the things you say to me. They’d have no idea nail clipping is what we were doing in here.”
“Do you have problems? I think you need a woman.”
“Maybe I do. Seen any hot ones around?”
Dane snipped the first one off when I wasn’t expecting it. He proceeded to chop off all my nails until they were as even as he could get. Then he asked for the original broken one. I was going to have to stand up to find it. I scooted my butt forward. Dane took a step closer.
“Do you mind?”
“Mind what?”
“Letting me up.”
“You’re free to jump down. I’m not restraining you.”
My legs bumped his legs in the process, and Dane never moved away. He claimed he was searching for all my ricocheted nail parts. As soon as I showed him the fingernail from my pocket, he closed his hand around them all and took off. I ran after him. What the hell was he up to? Dane ran all the way out the back door onto his gorgeous stone patio.
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Nice, it’s still warm.” He opened his grill and tossed the fingernails over the hot ash. “Goodbye Sydney’s nails. You served her well. Rest in pieces.” He laughed at his lame joke.
“You’re a psycho. I should scream right now in case I’m next.”
He raised his eyebrows a few times. “Damn, you figured it out. Better run then.”
He made a fake jump at me and I really did scream before running. Dane caught up with me somewhere between the fridge and the dishwasher. He grabbed me with both hands. I was trapped in his clutches, but I put up a good struggle. Dane told me to stop fighting.
“Never, I’m not giving up so easy.”
“I figured as much, but I’m going to put you down, and I don’t want to get kicked anywhere important.” His stubbled jaw tickled my neck. “Don’t worry, Syd. I’d never toss you on my fire. I have too many other things I’d rather do with you.”
I pinched him as hard as I could with my new short fingernails and he released me. “I have a boyfriend!”
“Yes, Grant. I know all about him. What’s your point?”
“You! That’s my point. You flirt and drop innuendos nonstop. I thought we could be friends, but I can’t trust you. You don’t even respect my relationship.”
“I respect you fully. I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I have a slightly inappropriate sense of humor. Too many rancher buddies in my upbringing. My apologies. I only meant horseback riding, swi
mming, hiking, maybe reading a little more poetry. Those are the things I figured we’d do this summer.”
“Oh. You promise?”
Dane backed away, and I calmed down. “Yeah, I promise.”
“Okay then. Sounds fun if I’m not working. Sorry, I over-reacted. You are going to love my cake.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
I squinted my eyes at Dane again. Was he honestly trying to make everything sound dirty or was I the one with real issues? Maybe it was that sexy cowboy voice of his. It was low and rough, but also a little smooth with that southern drawl. Cake. I needed to warm the lava cake and change our conversation back to friendly.
Dane hovered whipped cream from a can over my lava cake. “You know you want it?”
So much for friendly conversation over cake. His noises while he ate dessert were R-rated. Dane couldn’t stop complimenting me either. “I think it’s a draw. We are equals in the kitchen and I have to be honest. It’s the first time I’ve ever admitted that to anyone.”
“I’m not convinced.”
“Of my sincerity?”
“No, that we’re even. I still think I’m slightly better.”
“Oh, that’s it, city girl. It’s on. We are having a cook-off once a week. Right here in this kitchen. I’ll write up the rules tomorrow.”
I pointed my chocolate covered fork at him. “Why do you get to make all the rules? I should have a say so too, cowboy. This is the 21st century. Equal rights, you know.”
“Cowboy, huh? I’m a highly respected businessman.”
“Cuz of your daddy. You’ve called me all sorts of alt-names since I met you.”
“Fine. Cowboy is a compliment. Are you going to eat that last bit of cake or not?”
I honestly couldn’t. I was so full. I pushed it forward and offered the rest to Dane. My phone buzzed from the counter. It was probably Grant.
Dane had the same idea. “Let me guess?”
I looked at the screen. “Oops. It’s Gram, and she’s texting. This is nuts.”
“What’s she saying?”
Gram: Work is bright and early whether you stay up half the night or not.
“I should go. It’s almost ten.”
“Yeah, ten is so late.”
“It is to Gram. Something tells me she’s waiting up. I don’t want her in a bad mood tomorrow. Do you mind revving up Stud and taking me home? This was fun.”
“Come again?”
“I said dinner and television were fun even if you got a little weird over my fingernails.”
“No, I distinctly heard the word stud.”
Crap. I didn’t mean to let that slip. I felt my face warming. Time to lie. “Nope, why would I say that?”
“Yeah, why would you?”
I started looking for my things. We cleaned up as the night moved forward. I wasn’t leaving a mess with Mr. Clean. I only had my purse and to slip on my flip-flops. Dane put his hand on the door like I was his prisoner.
“You named my truck, Stud, didn’t you?”
I rolled my eyes. “I can change it. It was the first thing that popped into my head. Please stop looking at me like that. I only meant the truck. It has nothing to do with you.”
“Sure, no doubt. Don’t change the name. I like it. Me and Stud are happy to drive you home Sydney, but on one condition.”
“What?”
“Come back anytime. You’re always welcome.”
I couldn’t stop glancing her way. I wondered if Sydney realized my console in the truck lifted? I wished there was a reason to make her sit a little closer. I could crank up the AC perhaps and see if she’d come to me for warmth. I was tinkering with a newfound insanity. She had a boyfriend. We were friends. We were rude to each other half the time. Was it true there was a fine line between love and hate? I’d officially lost my mind. I just met this woman. Love was not on my mind and she was a damn girl not a woman. A spoiled 18-year-old former princess who’d been recently dethroned. Sydney was the last person I should focus on and she was all I’d thought about for two days.
We stopped close to the house. I wasn’t hiding anymore and didn’t have to park back at the main road to drop her off. Winning over Josie had been a plus. I wondered how Sydney truly felt about my charming ways.
“Well, here I am.”
I looked over. That was an understatement. Sydney sitting inside the darkened cab of my truck, a vehicle she casually named Stud set my blood to boil. It shouldn’t. She shouldn’t. I shouldn’t. Damn. I was a goner. In this light and this late at night, she was far from the girl I tried to convince myself she still was. She was all woman. In fact, Sydney was the prettiest woman I’d ever been near, and I couldn’t have her. Could I?
She fist-bumped my shoulder. “Well, bye Dane. Dinner was awesome. We should do it again soon. Plus, you owe me that ride. I’ll see you around, you, sneaky creep.”
She got out of the truck. I didn’t even respond since I was still stuck on her saying I owed her a ride. She meant Cash, but my brain was mush. My conscience hinted I should do the honorable thing. Ellsworth men weren’t known for being virtuous. We had a bad rep for several reasons. I tried to be better, but I was failing miserably. Time to back out and drive away. I told myself one thing, but that angel on my shoulder was currently losing to the devil.
Sydney muffled her scream with her hand when she saw me reclined on her monstrous stack of pillows reading Yeats. She hadn’t come straight to her room. Judging her thin cotton pjs and damp hair piled on her head, she took a soak before bed. The angel had officially split town. The devil remained. I wasn’t all bad, but I left my good senses inside Stud sneaking back to Sydney’s room.
“What the hell, dude? Why are you in my room?”
I held up the book. “This. What else? I realized I slept peacefully last night. Who knew poetry was a word sedative? I thought we could do it again.”
“What? You’re pathetic. That’s a damn lie. You told Gram and I you had insomnia this morning and that’s why you baked.”
“No, I’m not. I meant half the night I was an insomniac and the other half the poetry worked.” Shit. I screwed up. Sydney paid attention to everything I said. That was good and bad for me. I tried to sound convincing. “I’m interested in this prose. Why so jumpy?”
“I’m not, but you swore this wasn’t a move.”
“It’s not. We’re friends that enjoy romantic language before bed. Is your mind always in the gutter? I guess Grant didn’t satisfy you much before you went away.”
I regretted mentioning that doof, but I enjoyed pushing all Sydney’s buttons.
“That’s none of your business, and he wanted to Facetime tonight. How am I supposed to do that with the likes of you in my bed?”
My lips couldn’t deny how smug her words made me feel. Sydney picked up one of her many pillows and slugged me upside the head. I didn’t even attempt to deflect. It was hot letting her beat me up with silk and fluff.
She finally stopped because her pillow fight had little effect on me. That was a lie. Sydney affected me in every way. I snatched the pillow from her tiny hands and dropped it in my lap, so she wouldn’t know the actual truth how the sight and smell of her affected me.
“Why does one girl need this many pillows? I have a sinking suspicion you have one of those boyfriend pillows in this pile.”
“Ha. I don’t need one of those. I have a real boyfriend, but you keep forgetting.”
“It’s easy to forget what I can’t see, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“Why are you here? Gram liked you at breakfast, but I doubt she would like this. Stop climbing my trellis.”
“Read to me, Sydney. One poem and then I’ll go back to my place and sleep like a baby.”
She plopped down next to me and attempted to steal the expensive book from my grip. “Fine, one and done. Tomorrow I’m nailing the window shut.”
“Nope. You took so long in the bathroom I’ve tired of Yeats; I want different poetr
y.”
“Seriously? I should slap you for dissing Yeats. No one should tire of Yeats, but I have a few other collections. What will get you out of here the quickest?”
“Yours. I want to hear a Sydney Hagel original, or I’m staying. I’ll sleep here all night and pretend I’m your boyfriend pillow if you don’t oblige me.”
“I think I’m going to scream there’s an intruder in the house and let Gram do what she must.”
“I highly doubt that. You’re too fond of my face to watch Josie blow my head off with a shotgun.”
“You’re an ass.”
“Maybe, but I’m also right. It’s a family trait.”
“What is?”
“The dimple. My father has it too.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I thought since you constantly stare at it, you kinda liked it.”
“I wasn’t. I might have noticed your weird eye, but maybe there’s a surgery that can fix it.”
I needed two pillows in my lap to survive our banter.
“Partial sectoral heterochromia. The eye was a surprise. It scared my mother. She thought I had a disease, but it’s just an anomaly. No biggie. A slight variation in my iris. Think of it as a beauty mark. At least, that’s what one chick I dated called it.”
“Yuck. I will never repeat how one of your conquests referred to your eyes. No wonder your mother was frightened. It’s super weird. Good thing the rest of you isn’t too tragic or you’d be hideous to look at.”
I shook my head. What were we doing? She had it as bad as I did, but constantly brought up Grant to stall the inevitable. I was tempted to put the phone in her hands and have her call him, so I could hear her do the honors. She should break up with that fool and let nature take its course. I wasn’t a punk. I had no problems stealing her, but Sydney had to break up with the boyfriend first.
“I think I told you no one reads my poetry.”
“I’m serious about sleeping here. Show me a poem now. It can be short and sweet. It doesn’t have to be good.”
“No.”
Sydney had a seat close to me. She started flipping through her Yeats book again. “I’m sure you haven’t read everything. Let me find one of my favorites.”
