Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
RYAN
“There’s still some time before he’ll get here,” I said to Karla, who was currently clutching her plushie and had her nose pressed against the window. “Come have a snack first, so you’re not hungry later.”
I laughed at how dejected she looked as she wobbled toward me with her puppy. Karla probably didn’t even know what the word dejected meant, yet she was able to embody it so perfectly.
“Looks like our little girl is excited to see the animals,” my grandma commented from her seat at the kitchen table. Her smile was loving as she served Karla one of the simple yogurtparfaits I’d made earlier. It was hard not to love on her.
“Who did you say you’re going with again?” Mom piped up from the sink. She dried her hands with a dish towel, then joined us at the table.
“Just a friend. ”
“Anyone I know?”
“I dunno, maybe,” I hedged and focused on my own snack. Even I wasn’t sure why I didn’t just tell her it was Jones. She was going to find out anyway when he came to pick us up.
Mom knew we used to be inseparable every summer I came to visit my grandma’s winery as a kid, but I doubted she knew why we stopped being friends.
Everything had happened so quickly, and she was so overcome with her own grief that she hadn’t had time to pay much attention to the end of my friendship. An ending I single-handedly caused.
And there was the guilt again. Back to haunt me like a persistent ghost.
“Well, does this friend of yours have a name?”
I raised a brow at her. “Are you asking as my mom or as the local gossip?”
“I do not gossip,” she sputtered with an annoyed shake of her head. Her twin braids shook from the action, which had Karla giggling and shaking her head to jiggle her own matching twin braids Mom had expertly fashioned for her this morning.
Even after a week of watching and trying to learn how she made the braids so perfect, without a single strand of hair out of place, I was still lost.
“I merely like to stay informed on what’s happening in my town, is that such a crime?” she said in a huff.
“Oh, stop badgering him, Mae. I’m sure he has his secrets. You were the same when you started dating, too, always sneaking around doing who knows what,” my grandma commented.
“Just for the record, I’m not going on a date.” This time, I was the one sputtering. “Besides, my friend is a guy.”
I internally groaned the moment the words left my mouth. Why I felt the need to add that was beyond me.
Mom hummed in the knowing way all moms seemed skilled at, but I didn’t have time to ponder what it was she thought she knew when the doorbell rang.
Karla was out of her seat in seconds and rocketing toward the door with Puppy in her arms.
“Baby, slow down before you fall!” I called while rushing after her. She was already waiting impatiently by the door for me. She knew better than to open it herself, but her displeasure at how slow I was showed in the cute way she hopped in place like an angry bunny.
I smiled and opened the door. I thought I’d readied myself to see Jones again today, but I most definitely was not ready to be presented with the sight of a well-groomed Jones.
He’d looked good yesterday in his comfy gym clothes, but he was a shock to my nervous system today, all cleaned up and wearing a jewel-toned button-up that stretched across his muscles and drool-worthy jeans he must have painted on.
“You’re early,” I managed to choke out instead of telling him he was too fucking sexy to be good for my health .
“Shi…shoot, sorry”—he guiltily glanced at Karla—“I can come back later?”
“Nonsense! Since my boy seems to have lost his manners, I’ll be the one to invite you inside,” Mom said, pushing me aside to get to Jones. “If I’d known you were the friend in question, I would have told Ryan to invite you over for lunch! It’s been too long, Jones. How have you been?”
She led him to a seat at the kitchen table and proceeded to push food and drinks his way. “It’s funny how I never see you around, even though we live in such a small town. And how’s your parents, dear? And I’m so terribly sorry about what happened. Please let me know if you need anything.”
Jones’ eyes were practically spinning from the force that was my mother.
He managed to contain his emotions pretty quickly.
“My parents are doing good. My mom is still leading my dad around by the nose,” he said with a chuckle, then shifted in his seat with an uncomfortable air about him.
“And, um, thank you. I’m doing okay now. ”
Had something happened to Jones? I wanted to ask, but we weren’t close enough for that. Not anymore. I glanced at my mother, hoping she would elaborate, but it seemed the one time I wanted her to gossip, she kept her lips tightly sealed.
Karla, probably tired of being patient, went to Jones’ side and lifted her yellow plushie to him.
“Who’s your little friend?” Jones bent over in his seat to get a closer look. Karla didn’t answer, but her eyes were shining as she pushed the stuffed animal into Jones’ hands.
“That’s Puppy. She’s been so excited for you two to meet that she’s been bouncing off the walls since last night. Isn’t that right?” I said, patting my girl’s head. She nodded and giggled, the sound music to my ears.
“I’m so happy to meet you, Puppy,” Jones said to the stuffed animal, so serious in his greeting that he made Karla laugh again.
I had to tear my eyes away before he made my heart beat out of my chest. This man really wasn’t good for my health.
“We should probably head out,” I said suddenly. “Karla, wave goodbye to Nana and Gigi.”
Karla was already jogging toward the door but stopped and turned around to wave her little hands over her head. I laughed as I followed her, picking up my backpack along the way. I wasn’t going to be caught outside unprepared again and had filled the bag with all the essentials a kid would need.
“Let me move the booster seat from my car,” I said when we left the house.
“Actually, you don’t need to do that. I already have one set up in my truck,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“You bought a seat for Karla?” I asked incredulously. Who did that for a kid they met once ?
Under the bright sun, I could faintly see Jones’ cheeks turning a shade darker.
“I mean, sure, I invested in a booster seat. I might need it one day, you know? My cousins are popping out kids like there’s no tomorrow, and my brother and his partner said they might want some of their own in the future, so I’m gonna need one if I want to be their favorite uncle…
so it’s an investment,” he finished, sounding more unsure by the second.
I let the wave of emotions wash over me, warming me quicker than the summer sun ever could.
“Thank you,” I murmured, because how else could I reply to such a thoughtful gesture from someone who had every right to hate me, even if he was denying doing it for Karla’s sake?
“Like I said, didn’t do it for you,” Jones muttered, even his ears darkening now. I smiled but didn’t call him out on it.
Karla was eager to hop in her seat and was happily kicking her legs as I double and triple checked she was securely fastened in.
It took some time to even get her inside a car again after the accident, and now she could ride in a car like the accident had never happened. In fact, Karla was a sunny kid for the most part, and nobody could tell she’d ever experienced something so traumatic.
I wished I was as strong as she was. My solution to my problems was to run away, and Jones was the prime example of that .
The drive to the animal shelter went by quickly with the sound of Karla happily humming to her stuffed animal. Jones drove steadily, eyes focused on the road, and a smile gracing his face as he tapped in beat to Karla’s humming.
All the while, I kept glancing at the back of the cab to check up on Karla. It definitely wasn’t so that I could sneak a peep at Jones without making it obvious. Definitely not.
While I continued lying to myself, Jones pulled into a parking lot outside of a building that had a sign with a dog and cat painted on it.
Karla squealed when she saw it and chanted “ Daddy ” in that soft voice she now used on the rare, cherished moments she chose to speak.
“Okay, I’m coming. What’s the rush? The animals aren’t going to run away,” I commented. Her giggles were the last thing I heard before I slipped out of the passenger side of the truck.
Jones was already helping Karla out of her seat when I got around to their side. She looked adorable, clutching her plushie tight, and her head rested on Jones’ chest familiarly.
He would make a good father. A selfish, delusional part of me imagined Jones and me raising Karla together. I had to remind myself that he was probably being so nice only because I trauma dumped on him yesterday, and being Jones, he felt bad for us.
Except, the way he was laughing, sounding genuinely happy as he kept a tight hold on a wiggly Karla, fed my delusions. Maybe pity wasn’t the only reason he’d invited us out?
“Thanks, I can take her,” I said, stepping up to hold my wiggly girl. With her being this excited, it was better to carry her inside than risk her running around and falling in the middle of the parking lot.
Jones patted Karla on the head, a gentle expression on his face that had the stupid idea of us raising her together appearing in my mind again.
“We should head in before Karla turns into a worm with all her wiggling. Isn’t that right?” Jones’ teasing had Karla giggling with an infectious sound that had me smiling.
“I’ll go check in,” Jones said, then walked up to the front desk.
Karla was already patting me, hard, and pointing toward the wall of cages where smaller animals were being kept.
“Let’s look and not touch, okay, baby? They might bite if we’re not careful,” I warned, walking closer to the wagging dogs who’d caught sight of us.
Karla nodded. Though, with how excited she was, I wasn’t certain she was listening, so I stood far enough so she couldn’t stick her little hands through the cage openings.
Jones called us over to follow one of the staff to the back, where they kept the larger dogs.
“If any furbabies catch your eye, we can bring them to the playpen for some one-on-one time to see if you’re a match. Take your time looking around,” the staff member, Jade, told us before giving us some space.
I let Karla down, but kept a firm grip on her hand to keep her from wandering. We walked past each of the cages first, mostly being guided by Karla. That was when I saw her.
“Puppy!” Karla called in a voice not loud enough to be considered a shout, but it was louder than I’d heard her speak in months.
She anxiously tugged at my hand to walk faster to the dog in question, who perked up at seeing us go over. The dog was identical to the dog plushie Karla gripped in her arms, only much bigger. And what little girl could resist a giant version of her favorite toy?
Jade heard the interest and came over. “This is Lily. She just came in today, but we can already tell she’s a sweetheart. Do you want to do a little meet and greet with her?”
I opened my mouth to reject the idea, since Jones was the one looking for a dog, not Karla. But Jones agreed before I could.
Karla could barely contain her excitement as we followed Jade to the playpen area. “I can keep her leash on if you want to introduce the little one to her?”
“That’ll be great, thank you,” Jones piped in again. He then turned to me and added, “I mean, if that’s okay with you?”
Faced with Karla’s excited wiggles and Jones’ thoughtfulness, I could hardly say no. I sat beside Jones inside the playpen, and Karla stood between my legs. She was so brave and excited when she first saw Lily, but now that she was up close with her, Karla looked unsure and clung to me.
Lily looked at the three of us. Her eyes were soulful, a bit sad-looking, and cautious. She wagged her tail, but she kept her distance. Jones was the first to make contact and stretched out his hand to let Lily smell it. She took a couple of sniffs, then her tongue lolled out in a happy huff.
“You’re a good doggy, aren’t you?” Jones laughed and gave her head a good rub. Lily’s tail went into hyper-mode as she angled her head into his touch. I couldn’t blame her. I would do the same in her position.
As if knowing I was thinking naughty thoughts, Jones turned my way. My face burned, but he didn’t seem to notice as he asked Karla, “Would you like to meet her?”
Karla looked up at me, her eyes asking permission. I turned her around to face me. “Do you remember what I said last night? How we have to be gentle with our furry friends?”
Her grip on her dog plushie loosened, and she used her other hand to pat its head gently to show me she’d been listening. I smiled and guided her hand out with my own, still slightly worried the dog might bite.
Lily’s nose twitched as she sniffed us, then her tongue lolled again, as if giving her approval. I took that as a sign and slowly guided Karla to pet Lily’s head. I was so proud of how gentle my little girl was despite her excitement at getting to pet the doggy.
Her infectious giggles rang out in the room as I let her pet Lily without my hand guiding her, though I made sure to stay close and keep my eyes on her in case anything happened.
Jones soon joined in the mix and grabbed one of the toys inside the pen for them to play with.
“Labs are usually great with kids. She’ll be a perfect addition to your family,” Jade commented.
“Oh, we’re not…” I started, my words fading as my gaze shifted to them.
They were playing tug-of-war with a rope toy.
Lily tugged one end, while Karla used her entire body to pull the other.
Jones was laughing while holding onto the middle of the rope, probably to keep the rope stable and everyone from harm.
Karla used her strength to pull once more, then, getting tired, flopped into Jones’ lap and leaned her body against him. Jones wrapped a protective arm around her as she giggled and petted Lily, who’d come to lay by their sides.
The scene was so domestic and cozy, and it made a long-forgotten feeling swell inside of me. And for a decade’s worth of summers that I could never get back with the man who’d stolen my first kiss.