Chapter 12
I t’s three days before I see Garrett again, and that’s only because I purposely stay up late waiting for him to come home. It’s almost midnight when he eventually walks through the door, and he looks exhausted, covered in dirt and dust.
“You missed supper,” I get up from the couch, where I’m resting, and walk towards him.
“Josie will have plated me something up.” He takes off his hat and hangs it up, before heading into the kitchen.
I follow him through and watch him check inside the microwave.
There must be something in there because he sets the timer and rests his hands on the counter, dropping his head between them and breathing out a heavy breath while he waits for his food to heat up.
“Tough day?” I do my best to make conversation, even though I can sense he isn’t looking for company.
“It’s always tough.” He stretches his neck from side to side and rotates his head.
“You must like it, you’re the only one stupid enough to stick around.”
He doesn’t respond, not with words anyway, just a cold stare that suggests I’m being a nuisance.
“I wanted to say sorry, about what happened at the river the other day,” I decide now is as good a time as any to apologize.
“I spoke to Mitch yesterday, and he told me some stories. If I’d heard them before, I’d have never ridden through the woods by myself. I get why you were mad at me,”
Garrett says nothing, just nods his head.
The loud ping of the microwave interrupts the awkward silence, and taking out the plate, he sets himself up at the breakfast bar, ready to eat.
I move over to the refrigerator and take out two beers, twisting the cap on one and placing one in front of him before I open my own.
“What’s that for?” He stares at the bottle.
“It’s a peace offering,” I explain, leaning over the breakfast bar and noticing his eyes drop into the v of my sweater.
“Ain’t no need for it,” he flicks his eyes away when he realizes I’ve noticed, then keeping his expression blank, he takes a drink.
“I was mad at you at the time, but after thinking about it, I figure it’s nice to have someone looking out for me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my mom isn’t exactly the caring type.”
He must find that amusing because he sniggers, and since it makes me feel more at ease around him, I pull up a stool and continue.
“And I’ve never known my father, he took off when I was a baby,”
The way he frowns suggests that he feels sorry for me, and that's not the way I wanted this conversation to go.
“Our folks left town again. They’ve gone for a spa weekend over at that new development,” I explain, in case he’s wondering where they are. He looks a little shocked, but in the spirit of friendliness I decide not to press him on it.
“This is such a big house. It’s easy to feel lonely here,” I point out, thinking about how insane I’ve been driven by being on my own all day.
“Maisie, what are you doing?” Garrett drops his fork, and when he looks up at me impatiently, I suddenly have no idea what to say.
“I don’t know,” I shrug. “I guess it felt a little sad to think you’d been out there working all day and didn’t have any company at the end of it.” I hadn’t realized until right this second that that is exactly the reason I’m here, that and the fact I think I’ve missed him.
Garrett has no come-back. He just stares at me with that same shocked look on his face.
“Yeah, well some of us ain’t got enough time to feel lonely,” he pops a forkful of pork chop into his mouth, and while he’s chewing on it I get the last word.
“Or maybe, you’re just not used to company,” I suggest.
His eyes focus on my lips, and I wonder if he’s ever thought about kissing them. I think about kissing him all the time, and I’ve already decided that Garrett Carson kisses like a movie star.
He must have some kind of superpower that makes up for the fact that he’s making it damn impossible for me to be nice to him, but I persevere and remain seated opposite him until his plate is clean. He stands up to put it in the sink, and my eyes automatically follow him across the room.
“You should get to bed. We got an early start tomorrow.” He looks out of the kitchen window across the yard as he speaks. “Truck’s leaving at eight and not a minute later,” he warns in that harsh tone that I’ve come to really like.
“You mean we’re still going to the rodeo?” I can’t contain the excitement in my voice, and when Garrett looks over his shoulder at me, I feel a whole different kind of excitement fizzle in the pit of my stomach.
“I made ya a promise, didn’t I?” He very almost smiles, and instead of running at him and throwing my arms around him like I want to, I manage to compose myself.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I head for the door.
“Maisie,” I turn around far too quickly when he calls me back.
“Thanks for waiting up.” He speaks the words so quietly I only just hear them, and I nod my head at him before leaving the room.