Chapter 13 #3
“Yes, because it keeps them warm,” I answer.
“Bulking up on all those nuts, because, ah, did you know that they bury their nuts to hide from competitors but then don’t dig them all up?
Therefore, trees grow from squirrels burying all the nuts.
Fascinating. The forest we live in could be because of squirrels. ”
“Huh,” he says, looking thoughtful. “I never thought about squirrels in that way.”
Oh God, why is he so innocent and cute? Buying my story about squirrels. Ugh, Atlas.
“Yup and, uh, to bring it full circle, I thought about the squirrels because they wouldn’t need to have the car vents trained on them because they’re all bulked up for the winter. If they were driving in this vehicle, they’d probably ask for the AC.”
He chuckles. “Probably. Maybe even want sunglasses.”
“And a blue Hawaiian shirt with surfboards on it. Maybe a necklace that says On vacation.”
“That would be one badass squirrel. I’d be friends with him.”
“So would I, and I’d thank him for planting all the trees and compliment him on his weight.”
“The one time it’s acceptable,” he replies.
“He’d probably high-five us and then hightail it out of here, no pun intended.”
“Shame. Kind of wish the pun was intended. I like a good pun.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’m terrible at creating them, but I think they’re funny when told to me.”
“Me too. My dad is good at puns, real quick on the draw. I don’t know how he does it.”
“People like that intimidate me, because how do their minds work that fast?”
“No idea. As you could see, my mind doesn’t work unless I mouth what I’m thinking at the same time.”
He laughs. “I’m probably just one step ahead of you, because instead of thinking my thoughts to myself, I let them out in the wild, only to drive everyone around me crazy with what’s going on in my head.”
“I do that too. Makes my mom crazy. She always tells me to not speak it unless I actually mean it, but what if I have to work the nonsense out? How can I do that in my head, where it gets all garbled? It’s best to just let it all out verbally.”
“Are we the same person? Because I see it the same way. Cole hates when I let loose on my thoughts. Then again, he’s more of the quiet type and would rather sit in silence than have a conversation.”
“I get that feeling from him. Funny that he and Storee are together, because she seems outgoing.”
“Yeah, she brings it out of him. They’re perfect for each other.” He turns down the road that leads to both of our properties, a giant sign promoting Evergreen Farm on the right, reminding me of what I said.
“Um, sorry about the things I said about your farm back there. I know I apologized earlier, but it wasn’t nice of me.”
“Don’t sweat it,” he says as he passes his driveway and then turns down mine.
“I know, but I’m sorry.”
He puts the car in park and then looks over at me. “Thanks, I appreciate it.” He nods toward the cottage. “Need help getting out? I know it’s a high step.”
“No, I got it.” But I don’t reach for the door. Instead, I turn slightly toward him, a question on my mind that I can’t seem to shake. “Why are you being nice to me?”
“Why am I being nice to you?”
“Yeah, I feel like . . . there’s no reason to be nice to me given how I came into this town.”
He shrugs. “It’s who I am, Betty. I think maybe if you got to know me better, you’d see that.” Then he gets out of the car, moves to my side, and opens my door for me. His eyes lift up to mine, and he holds his hand out.
Feeling breathless and guilty simultaneously, I take his hand, and he helps me down. When I look up at him to thank him, I notice how much taller he is. Probably about a foot, and yet he’s not as intimidating as you’d think, given his height.
He’s gentle.
“Thank you.”
“Yup,” he says, sticking his hand in his back pocket. “Okay, uh, see you around.”
“Yeah, see you around.”
And then he takes off, getting back in his truck and pulling away.
What happened between him and Uncle Dwight? I feel like I’m missing something, because the impression Dwight gave me compared to the way Atlas really is, well, it’s confusing.
Max
Storee: Meet me in the tree house. Be there soon. Be stealth!
I glance over my shoulder, making sure no one is watching, and then I climb the ladder to the tree house that Cole and I have been working on for Florence.
We’re almost done; we just need some wallpaper on the interior, because if we’re going to build one, we’re doing it right.
And sure, she’s too young right now to be in here by herself, but when she gets a little older, it’s going to be her clubhouse, and I’m glad I could be a part of putting it together for her.
I make my way into the clubhouse and then sit up against the wall to stay out of view.
It’s only a minute or so of waiting before I hear Storee approach.
I hold my breath, hoping it’s her and not Cole, because I would need to do a lot of explaining if he found me in here.
My brain is too maxed out to offer up any lies.
Thankfully though, Storee pokes her head up and over the side, and then climbs in.
“Is this our secret hideout?” I ask as she takes a seat in the back with me and pulls out two small bags of Crunch Tators, handing me one before also pulling out a juice box. “Wow, look at you bringing the snacks.”
“I was hungry, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate me eating in front of you.” She glances around the tree house. “This could be our secret hideout. Works for me. Cole thinks I’m over helping Aunt Cindy right now.”
“Is she your excuse for everything?”
“Pretty much,” she answers. “He doesn’t even second-guess it.”
“Sometimes, I feel bad for how clueless he is,” I say as I pop a Crunch Tator in my mouth.
“Me too.” She smirks and then says, “So tell me everything.”
“First of all, is Flo okay?”
“She’s great. Cole, though, is slightly traumatized from the blowout, but he always is. He was asking why I’d give her applesauce before we left for an event, and I said because she loves it. He couldn’t argue with that.”
“Very calculated.”
“Did it work?”
“Ehhh, I don’t know. I have to tell you, we’re both awkward.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s why I think it’s so funny that you’re trying to woo her. It’s like wooing yourself.”
“To woo myself would be easy. I’d stick a gingerbread house in front of me and tell me to go wild. Done and done.”
“I think it would take more than that, but we won’t get into it. Tell me how it went.”
“Crash and burn at first. I won’t bore you with the details, but fuck, was it painful.
I happened to show her a topless picture of myself in my short shorts right off the bat, which made things weird, and we didn’t talk much.
I couldn’t think of things to say, and when we did talk, it was some random off-the-wall rambling.
To the point that I was like, Let me just get out of here and end it for the both of us, reset, and try again.
Well, she happened to have the same thought, and we left at the same time.
Then we got in a fight about it, which then led to us running into my idiot brothers.
Ansel immediately started hitting on her, I got pissed and jealous, and then I took her hand and led her to her car. ”
Storee is eating her Crunch Tators and listening intently.
“I told her I found her attractive, shocked her completely, and then she decided to leave. Only her car wouldn’t start, so I called for help and then took her back home in my truck.
She apologized, I think I said it was okay, she asked why I was nice to her, I told her she should get to know me, and then I peaced out. ”
“Um, wow, that’s . . . that’s a lot to take in. And you think it went well? You’d call that a success?”
“Absolutely,” I say with a positive smile. “First, she saw me with my shirt off, and she saw my package, so she knows I’m big everywhere.”
“Gross.”
“Hey.” I point at her. “My body is something I can offer. I’m not ashamed to use it.
And you should have seen her eyes. Wide and fixated on the goods.
Proud to say, I impressed. Then she saw my protective side.
Saw how nice I was. Saw how I could take care of her.
I held her hand at one point. I was all over the place with the wooing, but the wooing happened.
And it was great. She was so into it. Smiling, and let me tell you, when she did smile, fuck, it was gorgeous.
She has this little crinkle in her nose when she smiles.
But she also gets it when she’s angry too.
And . . . sometimes when she’s trying to think of what to say.
Oh, and get this, when she’s thinking, she mouths what she’s thinking. Isn’t that funny?”
Storee’s smile grows even wider as she wipes her fingers on a napkin she brought. “That is funny.”
“Yeah, I thought so.” I look off through the window, thinking about Betty muttering about squirrels.
“And did you know she knows a lot about squirrels? I thought that was fascinating. I mean, you see squirrels every day, but you never truly think about the impact they have on the world until someone educates you on them, and consider me educated.”
“Oh?” Storee asks, still smiling.
“Yeah, we have them to thank for partial planting of our forests. They’re doing the real work out there, and we’re not even offering them an appreciative nod.
Well, next time I see a squirrel, I’ll be sure to thank them for their service in reforestation.
” I let out a sigh. “Anyway, I think I made progress.”
“I’d say so,” she says as she pops her straw in her juice box. “Great progress.”
“Yeah, so what’s next?”
“I mean, we should definitely get you some more face time with her. Like you said earlier, she needs to get to know you.”
“She does. I think the more she gets to know me, the better off we’ll be.”
“Could not agree more. So here’s what I have planned . . .”