6. Jackson
six
Jackson
“ W ait, wait, Jack.”
Hunter drops the load of feed at his feet and spins to look at me. He pulls the bandana down that’s covering his nose and mouth to reveal his lips pressed together in a severe, thin line. We’ve been unloading feed bags today into the horse barn. The usual delivery person screwed up and Hunter isn’t pleased to be lugging feed himself when he has a perfectly good silo that needs topping up.
“So you’re telling me you’ve hired this guy? To date?”
Dropping my feed bag on top of his, I cough with the cloud of dust.
“No. But I thought about it.” We exit the dark barn back into the late morning sun. It makes sense to me. Riley is the one I want to be on a date with. Full stop. If he told me I had to hire him, like what he used to do, I would have done it.
I might fumble through my words sometimes and feel awkward as hell, but I know he felt something yesterday, too. I’m not sure what happened to him, but I wasn’t ready to let it drop when he said he didn’t date cowboys. Awkwardness be damned. I wanted him to know I wasn’t like whoever mistreated him .
“I don’t know about this, Jack. I thought you’d just have an appointment with him and get a confidence boost. This sounds…weird.”
“But he’s the guy from the park.” I follow Hunter up to his house. It’s far too big for just him and I wish he’d hire more help. Fill the place back up so it’s not so empty and sad. “He’s the guy, Hunter. I didn’t fumble or anything this time when I asked him out and he already agreed to go to the hydroponic show this weekend with me if his schedule is clear.”
Hunter stops in his tracks on his porch and I almost slam into his back. He looks at me like I just sprouted an extra head and spoke a new language.
“Oh my god. Jack…you didn’t.”
“What?”
“You invited the man that you really like to a hydroponic gardening show?”
“Um…yes?”
He shakes his head as we wipe our boots at the door and head into his kitchen. Hunter reaches into the fridge and pours me a glass of cold water from the pitcher.
“Anyone in their right mind would pass on that. But he said yes?”
Swallowing the cold water, I lean a hip against the cupboard.
“He did. Sort of. I asked if he could make that our first date and he’s checking his schedule. I also told him I could use a friend. So it’s in his court now.”
Hunter drinks and swallows and cocks his head. “He must like you to agree to attend a fucking gardening seminar.” He sets his glass down and rummages in the fridge. “Did you invite him because of Cameron? I thought the business was over, anyway?”
“We had our final meeting with the lawyer last week. It’s over, but I still want to go to this.” But also… part of me wants to show Cameron if he would’ve just been more flexible, our partnership would’ve worked. I’m committed to the project, and I’ll continue on my own in another capacity.
Our business may have died, but my love of hydroponics is still alive and well.
Pulling out my phone, I check my texts again for anything from Riley and this time, Wild Romance pops up in my email inbox.
Good day, Jackson.
I checked my schedule and I can be free this weekend to attend the garden show with you.
My only request is that we keep this a platonic date. We go as friends and if you’re okay with that, I’ll see you on Saturday.
Sincerely,
Riley Benton
Wild Romance
My lips tilt in a goofy smile. He agreed to go out with me, but he already put me in the friend zone. Which I won’t lie, it stings. But I’m astute enough to know there’s a reason he did that. One I hope to fix.
As far as this goes, it’s a win for me. I’ll take the friend date.
“Hey, Hunter?” He turns from the stove where he’s fixing us omelets for lunch. “He said yes, but as friends only.”
“Okay. So what does that mean? You can’t kiss?”
“I don’t know too many friends who kiss, do you? ”
Hunter sets our plates on the table and throws me a put-out look.
“So it’s a date, but not an actual date. I fail to see how this will benefit you if he already friend zoned you.”
Hunter shoves a forkful of food in his mouth, and I consider his words.
“It means I get a chance. He didn’t say no right away.” While chewing my food, I point my fork at Hunter. “I don’t expect you to understand, but there’s something there with Riley. I can feel it. He just needs to let it happen.”
“If you start spewing off shit about soulmates and fairy tales, I will legit kick your ass as soon as you leave this table.”
I throw my head back with a laugh. “One day, some guy is gonna swoop in and thaw your icy heart, man. When that day comes, I will gloat so hard.”
Hunter snorts. “Whatever.”
Hunter has already emptied his plate and I’m still staring at my food. Pushing back from the table, I hit dial on my phone and go outside. I can’t eat until I talk to Riley. I want his verbal confirmation about the whole thing. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t want to arrange a date over email.
“Wild Romance, this is Riley. How can I make your dreams come true? ”
Kiss me and go out with me for real .
“It’s Jackson. So you said yes, but only as a friend?”
There’s a long pause and I fear maybe I’ve offended him. But he finally responds.
“You got the email then. Is that okay?”
I want to scream no, but…this man is different. We connected that day in the park, and I want an actual date, not a friendly one. He didn’t laugh at my random food facts, so that’s saying something. Perhaps I need to be more patient.
“No. I guess not. It’s disappointing, but I’ll work with it.”
“Good. Did you have any other questions for me?”
I like his voice in my ear and I want to keep him on the phone longer. This indescribable want to just learn about him gnaws at me from the inside. Does he have siblings? Did he go to college? When’s his birthday?
“Did you know starfish don’t have brains?”
And there it is. Glad to know I still can’t be normal with phone conversations. Why didn’t I ask him his favourite colour instead?
“Uh…no. I didn’t know that.”
“It’s true. They’re not even fish.”
“Jackson… I meant, did you have any other questions about Saturday?”
Of course he did. Ugh.
“Yes. Are you a morning person?”
“Sometimes.”
“You need to send me your address so I can pick you up on Saturday at 7 A.M. We have a two-hour drive, and I want to be there as early as possible.”
“I’d prefer if I drove to your house, and we left from there together.”
Damn. He’s just blocking me from all sides. This might be harder than I thought.
“Okay, that makes sense. Can I text this number if something comes up? ”
“Of course. This is my cell, and it’s always with me. Text me your address and I’ll be there at 7 on Saturday morning.”
“I’ll do that. And Riley?”
“Yes?”
“I can’t wait to see you.”
There’s another pause, and I swear I hear the smile in his voice when he responds.
“Thank you, Jackson. Me too.”
After ending the call, I lean on the porch rail to stare off at the now mostly empty fields on Hunter’s ranch.
“Starfish aren’t the only things without brains.”
Hunter leans in the doorway behind me with a teasing grin on his lips.
“You heard that? It’s not nice to eavesdrop, you know.”
“I know. But it’s my front porch, and I didn’t want to interrupt the call you abandoned your lunch for.” He steps forward and punches me in the shoulder. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Jack.”
Hunter trots down his steps towards the barn where we still need to finish dealing with all the feed.
I don’t know what I’m doing and I’m one hundred percent happy to admit it.
But I’m not about to walk away from the first man I’ve felt a spark with in years.
With any luck, I can make that spark into something more.
Growing up on a farm with chores needing to be done before school conditioned me to early mornings. I had the chance to sleep later in college, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed. The day is half over by 10 A.M if you’re only getting up then.
Riley isn’t due to arrive for another half hour and, as I adjust the row of tea bags on the counter, I wonder if I’ve gone overboard. We never had the chance to discuss if he prefers coffee, tea, or something else. The only thing I know about him is he loves the hummus at Avocadabra and I can’t really offer him a container of it when he drives up.
Can I?
No. That would be super awkward even for me. Maybe the second friend-only date.
Tires crunching up my driveway sets off a wave of anxiety, dampening my palms with sweat and I inhale a deep breath.
“Manifest, Jackson. You can do this.”
Standing in the middle of my kitchen, I continue to breathe deeply and visualize Riley as he comes to the door. My mind paints a vivid picture of what he’s wearing… which is probably a bad thing because Riley is an attractive man with clothes on and likely wildly attractive without them.
And now I’m thinking of him naked. God dammit.
The knock on my door pulls me back to reality .
“Manifest, Jackson. Best non-date ever,” I mumble to myself as I stop at the mirror in the hallway to check my teeth. After offering a thumbs-up to my reflection, I finally open the door.
And I can’t breathe.
Riley stands at my doorstep with a warm smile on his face. He’s dressed casually like me, and I don’t know why, but I was expecting more business from him. He wears a pair of stylish jeans, ripped randomly down the front, teasing peeks of his smooth skin. His shirt is a simple white T-shirt, tucked on one side and more flowy than fitted, but it suits him perfectly. Riley also wears a gold chain around his neck. It glints in the early morning sun as he waits on my doorstep.
“Hi, Jackson. Am I too early?”
Riley’s smile fades a little as I shake my head and wheeze in a gulp of air. Words seem to have vanished now that he’s on my freaking doorstep and I’m about to invite him in.
“Jackson? Are you okay?”
“Did you know that all tea comes from the same plant? It’s how they’re processed that makes them different.”
Dear lord. Why can’t I just say 'hi, you look great?’ At least I didn’t pass out. So there’s that.
Riley’s smile returns as he nods. “I actually didn’t know that. I love tea.”
“Great! Because I have some!”
I sound like a damn TV game show host. Why? Why am I like this?
“Come in. Leave your shoes on and follow me for a minute.”
Riley’s amused smile at least stays as he wipes his adorable leopard-patterned running shoes on the carpet as he steps inside. In the kitchen, I motion towards the chaos of beverage choices that I stayed up all night worrying over.
“I didn’t know if you were a caffeine lover. Or if you prefer coffee or tea. I like to have a mug of something when I drive. Here, I got you a mug.” Reaching for the box, I open it to remove the travel mug that was, to me, Riley in thermal form. It’s a gorgeous pale blue with a touch of shimmer. But it was the pattern that sold it to me.
Riley takes the mug and sighs. “Oh, Jackson. This is so thoughtful and sweet. You remembered.”
Riley runs his fingertips over the pattern on the mug. It’s the mirror from Snow White and the caption reads, Who’s the fairest of them all? I am, bitch.
“It just seemed like something you’d like with the fairy tales and whatnot.” Wiping my slick hands on my jeans, I ignore how damn cute he looks as he inspects his gift. “But I didn’t know if you’re a coffee drinker or tea. Maybe matcha?” I gesture again to the slew of beverage choices on my kitchen counter. “I picked some of everything. So choose which one you like and I’ll make us one before we leave.”
Riley smiles again, his gaze soft on me before he turns to survey the entire row of hot beverages I bought at Walmart last night. Flavoured hot chocolates, six flavours of herbal teas, a box of flavoured coffees, decaf coffee, and regular tea in three brands because they all taste different.
“What’s your favourite?” Riley asks as he surveys the choices.
“Normally, if I stay home, it’s coffee. But if I’m on the road, it’s tea.”
Riley immediately steps to the tea. “Which one? ”
“Um, today I’d pick an herbal one because I already had caffeine and if I have more, I’ll probably embarrass myself and talk faster than a squirrel at a rave.”
Riley chuckles, and plucks the herbal tea box from the pile and scans the flavours. “I’ll take a peach one, please. And you haven’t embarrassed yourself at all.”
Flipping on the kettle, I toss a tea bag in my cup and wash out his new travel mug before dropping a bag inside his too.
“Well, I could’ve said ‘ Good morning, you look great ’ and not some ramble about tea.”
“True. But it’s cute, and it’s real. And now I know something about tea.” He smiles my way, and I can’t help but smile back. “Have you ever talked to someone about your nervousness? Is it because of social anxiety?”
The kettle boils and I flick it off to pour the water into our mugs and set the timer for it to steep.
“Do you take cream or sugar? I like a bit of sugar just to take the bitter off.”
Riley grins. “Make mine the same, then.”
As I level a teaspoon of sugar into the mugs, I answer his question.
“I’ve never talked to a professional. I just…I guess the only thing I’m never nervous about is rodeo. When I made the connection in high school, I knew I couldn’t give rodeo up. I felt… normal? Accepted maybe?” Shrugging, I remove our tea bags and tighten the lid on the mugs. “Maybe it is social anxiety. But I’m forty years old and it’s all I know. Until I met you, I figured it would be my life, you know? Awkward and perpetually single, talking about misshapen carrots. ”
Riley remains quiet as he takes the mug I hand him.
“For what it’s worth, Jackson, you’ve already gone above and beyond for a first date. If it was a date, I mean. As a friend, it’s amazing. This is very thoughtful of you. You remembered something I like.” He smiles at the mug and raises it in a toast. “And you gave me choices here. The amount of thought and effort you’ve demonstrated is honestly impressive.”
Riley’s words of praise make me puff my chest. Maybe I’m not so bad at this after all.
“Thank you. Ready to learn about hydroponics?”
“I won’t lie and say yes because I don’t know if I am or not.” He laughs, and it’s light and carefree. “But I am ready to drink tea from my new mug and take a road trip with a friend.”
Riley follows me out, and after locking the house, I motion to my truck.
“Your chariot awaits.”
Opening the truck door for him, he murmurs a thank you, and I walk around to the driver’s side.
Before opening my door, I allow myself a tiny butt wiggle of victory.
I impressed him and he said I’m cute!