23. ashton #2
“So, this is why you asked me over for lunch.” I pick up half of the sandwich.
Gooey, perfectly-melted cheese stretches between the two pieces as I lift it, and my mouth waters.
I take a bite. The bread is perfectly toasted; crunchy on the outside, lightly buttery, and sliced thick enough to be fluffy and warm inside.
The tang of sweet peppers and sun-dried tomatoes hits my tongue, mingling with at least two different kinds of cheese.
“God, that’s good,” I mumble through a mouth full of food. Ellison grins.
“Yeah? The peppers work?”
I chew fast, then swallow before speaking.
“Hell yeah. It’s so good, El. Works so good with the cheese, too. What is it, fontina? Provolone?” I furrow my brow, concentrating on the flavors exploding on my tongue, even after swallowing. “Is there a little gruyere in there?”
“Yes to the fontina and provolone. And you won’t even believe it. It’s just sharp cheddar. English cheddar, not the American kind. They call it mature, it’s real strong and tangy.”
“It’s incredible. Y’all should sell this. Bottle it up. Maybe bring me one every morning.”
“In your dreams. How’s life, Ash? How’s the ranch? Jody Fisher still deliciously single?”
“Life is good. The ranch is good. Jody is still single, and still far too nice for you.” It’s a good thing I know she’s joking.
Mostly, anyway. Ellison has always had a thing for Jody, with his fine bones and dark features, and Jody has always had a thing for older women.
When Jody turned eighteen, and Ellison was twenty-four, she convinced him to take her on a date.
It was a disaster in the best kind of way—let’s just say that Ellison has kinks that managed to scare even Jody Fisher away—but they’ve remained good friends ever since.
“Shame. Only getting hotter with age.”
“Ew,” I say. I take another bite of my sandwich. “He’s basically my brother.”
“So is Brooks, but you look at him like he’s a rare steak and you’re a starved woman.”
A crumb of sourdough toast tickles the back of my throat and I cough, spluttering as I reach for a glass of water.
I drink greedily, letting the cool liquid soothe the sudden irritation.
Ellison smirks, sitting back in her chair and folding one knee over the other.
Panic grips my chest, squeezing at my skull like a vise.
“Come on, Ash, you think I haven’t noticed?
!” Ellison continues. Totally oblivious to how on-the-nose she is with her assessment.
“This whole dang town knows the two of you had a crush since you were babies. Only question is how long it’ll take ‘fore you get it together. I had money on him wifing you up the moment you turned eighteen and legal, but he let me down.”
I splutter again. God, teenage Ashton would’ve sold both kidneys and a lung for that to come true.
But even though Brooks and I are together now, secret though it may be, there’s still a part of me waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Waiting for him to get bored of being with just one woman.
But in spite of that, he feels more real than Declan and Jessa ever did.
I can’t unpack that right now. I quickly compose myself to lie in response. “I don’t know. Maybe never.”
“Or maybe someday,” she rebuts. “You never know what plans God has.”
“God laughs at plans,” I say. I shove the last piece of my grilled cheese into my mouth and wash it down with the last of my water. “Maybe we oughtta fix your love life before we look at mine.”
“Nope,” Ellison says. She stands, pushing the chair under the desk. “Nope, we ain’t goin’ there. Good to see ya, Ash. Show yourself out.”
I swat at her lightly as she leads me into the storefront. She holds the door open for me as she flips the sign again, reopening the bakery for the afternoon.
“Text me later,” I say. “Send me that sourdough recipe, too.”
She nods and waves me off, and I step into Talia’s boutique next door.
It’s worlds away from Ellison’s functional, industrial-styled bakery.
Talia’s store is quiet, save for some gentle, atmospheric music barely audible, blending into its surroundings.
It’s full of whimsy and wonder; bright lighting and neutral decor, allowing her stock to shine.
“Ash!” she calls from the counter. “Ash, you gotta see this.” She rushes over, a sand-colored garment between her hands.
When she reaches me, she holds it out. It’s a simple tank top, cropped right above the hips—my favorite style.
In a bold shade of pink, four words are embroidered across the chest: stay wild.
ride free. Between the words “wild” and “ride” is a tiny embroidered daisy.
“I love it.” It’s perfect. I’ve always loved slogan tees—even better if they’re slogan tanks. Living in Texas, there’s no shortage of cheesy cowgirl ones, too. And daisies are my favorite flower.
“It’ll look so good with those shorts you got the other week,” Talia says with a smile. I did buy the ones she talked about on the drive home from the Taylor concert, and I treated myself to a new pair of boots, too. She’s totally encouraging me, and I’m easily peer-pressured.
“Okay,” I say, dragging the word out with an eye roll and a smile of my own. “I’m convinced. Ring me up.”
Talia floats back to the counter. “For you,” she says, tapping at the screen, “my super special friends sale.” A small discount appears on the screen and I tap my phone against the contactless reader.
Talia carefully folds the top and places it into a paper gift bag before handing it to me with a flourish.
We fall into step as she walks me to the door.
“I gotta head back to the ranch, but you’re coming to movie night this weekend, right?
” Ruth has invited us—me, Talia, Harriet, and Ellison—for a girls’ night on Friday, when the boys come into town.
I’m not entirely sure what she’s planning, but she mentioned face masks and popcorn, and a selection of cheesy romcoms.
“Absolutely. I’m bringing pizza. Any requests?”
“Ham and pineapple on mine,” I say. My mouth waters thinking about Loggins’ pizza, loaded with red onion and a little chilli in the tomato sauce.
“Absolutely not,” Talia says dryly, then punctuates it with a laugh. “Pineapple is not a pizza topping. Pepperoni it is. See you Saturday!” Talia shuffles me out of the door and I hear her laughter echoing as I walk down Main Street. This is what small town life is about.