Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Hunter
T he market is booming. The summer months bring people from all around. City slickers even come out to spend a quiet weekend and enjoy seeing how small towns do things. And maybe their definition of quiet is different because, in my eyes, our town is quite loud.
Ever since Harrison and my stupid talk, I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. Maybe he had a small point. Having a partner could make things better. I’m not saying things aren’t good, but maybe they could get even better from here.
Last night after we ate dinner, we video-called our parents. They seemed to be enjoying Washington, but more than that, we could tell they were enjoying spending time together.
My parents were married and had both of us by my age. I know I’m not old or behind, but I’m also not getting any younger. Prioritizing taking over the farm and making sure it was running smoothly had been my goal for so long. What’s next for me ?
“Hey, Hunter!” a high-pitched voice calls over the stand. I lift my head and see a familiar face approach.
“Hey, Franny,” I regard. She is a good-lookin’ girl. Short, thin, with a narrow set of hips, she has straw blonde hair and warm brown eyes.
I can say I like all those things about her. Franny is also a pinch too lazy for my taste. She’s the kind that likes to watch her brothers take care of things around her parents’ shop. She gets huffy whenever the shop gets busy and has to get off her phone to help out. I’m looking for someone who is more than just pretty; she has to be tenacious, driven, maybe even a little stubborn.
“You need any soaps or anything? Our stand is moving so fast today, I don’t think Mama brought enough!” She leans against one of my tables. Her cutoff shorts show her thin legs and I look down at her pristine boots. I can't imagine them walking through dirt, mud, or wet hay. When my eyes move back to her face, she grins thinking she just caught me checking her out.
“Nah, thanks, Franny. If I need something, I’ll come by the store and get it there. I hope y’all sell out today.” My dismissal of her offer makes her pout for a moment, but she catches it.
“Well, if you do head to the shop, you make sure you peek into the window for me first. I think I’d be able to help you find your best options.”
“I appreciate it, and will keep that in mind.” I feel bad for kind of leading her on, but my pop raised me to treat girls as equals, and gently. They don’t need to feel bad when they’re making an effort at something.
“You know, you have my number, you could just text me too. Ya know to see if I’m at the shop… or not.” She’s turning as red as the tomatoes on my stand .
“Thanks, Franny.” I smile.
She makes a quick exit and gives me a small wave.
Watching her go makes me scan the crowds. A lot of people walking these markets have someone with them. Especially the out-of-towners.
I don’t think I particularly want to date a girl from my hometown. Too much history, too close to home.
I’ve taken plenty out and never felt a pull to them. Not the kind of pull my parents have for each other. That’s just the kind of thing I’m looking for. I know city people like to use those dating apps, so maybe there could be one of those things for me.
Jake is manning the tables fine since the morning crowds have died down. We’re mostly sold out, so I think it wouldn’t be a bad time to relax. Leaning against the bed of my truck I watch the town and my stand. For me, this is a slice of paradise.
“Hey, Jake, you got a girlfriend?” I ask.
The boy almost drops a head of lettuce. “What, sir?”
“Ya’ know, a girl who you date regularly? You’re old enough for that, right?”
“Yes, sir. I only have my permit. Girls like guys who have cars or can at least afford to take them out for a movie and some grub.” He fills the bag for a customer, hands her the change, and then turns back to me. “I need to practice driving more, but Ma brings the car to work, so I can only practice with my buddy Brady and his brother.”
“So, for young kids having a car and money are sort of the selling points?” I rub my stubbled chin.
He laughs. “Sir, for any age I think having a car and money are selling points. So, since I don’t have either of those, I don’t have a girl.”
Damn, he’s such a good kid. One of his friends, who was a girl, came by the stand three times today to see if he wanted water or just to see how things were going.
“Who was that girl who kept coming by today?” I ask, and I can see him go red from here.
“That’s just Lena. She’s like my sister. Her trailer ain’t that far from mine. So, we rode our bikes to school together, and sometimes I’d wait for her to get out of volleyball practice, so she didn’t have to ride home in the dark alone.”
“Hmmm, that’s the kind of thing that would make my pop proud,” I say. The little guy can’t see what’s right in front of him. One day, one of the two will make a move. Kids are smart, for the most part, but sometimes they can’t seem to see things for what they are.
We finish selling out our stand two hours before the market is even over. Packing things up in the back of my truck, I look over at Jake’s bike. “Toss that bike in the back. You can practice driving with me every Saturday to the market and back. I’ll swing by your place next week and pick you up.” Jake keeps his head down for a spare moment, and I can see his pride is a little hurt.
“Thank you, sir.” I don’t know what it’s like to grow up without a dad, and he doesn’t know how to rely on anyone other than his mom or himself. He’ll learn that being strong also means accepting help from people who care about you.
Back on my property after almost having two heart attacks, compliments of Jake’s driving skills, I can only imagine how my pop felt back in the day. I sit deep in my seat and take a couple of cleansing breaths, appreciating the fact that I’m still breathing.
Pulling out my phone, I look around my truck to see if anyone’s around, on a Saturday, on my private property. Coast is clear. Believe me when I say that I see the irony in it all .
I open the app store and type “dating apps”. I see the one I know a lot of people in the city or burbs use, but I’m not convinced it’s for me. I keep looking and find an app that’s called Country Charm . I roll my eyes but open it anyway to read the description.
"The quiet country life isn’t for everyone, but for some it’s everything. For some, it doesn’t take a lot to make us happy. It takes quality time with the people we care about. People who share similar interests in cattle or crops. Just kidding, maybe. Here on this app meet people who share common interests, be it agriculture, horseback riding, fishing, or even truly cattle."
Shifting in my seat uncomfortably I look around a second time before hitting download.
Damn you, Harrison. Here goes nothing.
After downloading the app and making a profile, I call it a hard day’s work.
Sundays during the winter are pretty quiet. Sundays in the summer mean I have a few things I have to do before I get to really relax. I roll around in bed for a minute before grabbing my phone off the nightstand. I haven’t needed an alarm since I was seventeen, but I glance at the time just to see where I’m at.
5:13. That isn’t too bad for a Sunday. I see a small icon below the clock and raise an eyebrow. It takes only a minute for it to fully register. The dating app.
You have a new match!
I open the alert and my breath catches. I rub my eyes because I must be a little tired .
CountryHeart_CityGirl. 30. Single. I let out a breath. Ah, a city girl. She has a perfect heart-shaped face, with long brown hair and vivid green eyes. Sparse but present freckles splatter like paint across her nose and cheekbones. She’s wearing a faded navy crew neck shirt that fits loosely but does little to hide her ample chest. I shouldn’t, but I decide to open her profile.
"Newly 30. Lover of cows. City girl who dreams of fields filled with cattle during the day and fireflies at night. Lived in the burbs and city my whole life but now that I’m turning 30, I’m looking for more, and sometimes that means surrounding myself with less. Got cows? Great. Like to kill a bottle of wine on a quiet night in? Even better. Sidebar: I sparkle, no lie."
I bark out a quick laugh and shake my head. Well, I can’t deny that she’s blunt. Sparkles? She looks so down to earth in her picture, but her smile definitely has a gleam to it. Maybe that’s what she means?
I spend the entire morning imagining her smile as I go through my list of Sunday tasks. It’s about ten a.m. when I finish what I need to for the day. Sitting down inside I pull open the app and look at her again. Fuck it.
Stetson31: Hey CountryHeart_CityGirl. How’s the weekend been treating you?
What am I doing?