Chapter 6 #2
His expression drops back to flat and cold in an instant. “So, you’re trying to get me fired?”
“I won’t have to. I just have to wait you out long enough.”
“Hate to break it to you, Princess, but I’m not planning on going anywhere.”
“Wanna bet?”
His jaw ticks. “I don’t gamble.”
There’s an edge to his words, but for some reason, with him, I don’t default back to my people-pleasing ways.
I already have more than enough on my mind without feeling guilty for giving him a taste of his medicine.
“Whatever. I know what kinds of people Tabitha finds to work here. You’ll be gone in a month, tops. ”
That does the trick. His face flickers from pissed to neutral, and he pushes off the door and walks away.
He calls his parting words right before I can relish in my victory. “I’m curious, does Tabitha know that you’ll still be here in a month, or are you just going to hope she doesn’t notice she has a squatter?”
I’m just grateful he can’t see my cheeks turning red.
I hadn’t necessarily planned on mucking out as much of the barn as I had but watching Parker’s annoyance grow every time he walked past me was motivation to stick it out.
Besides, I wasn’t in any rush to do my real job.
I finally returned to the house when my stomach could no longer be ignored.
Tabitha and I made our usual first-day brunch feast, then headed into town for a few errands before she dropped me back at Salem Stables and headed off to her committee meeting.
I don’t even bother to open my laptop; instead, I turn on the TV until it’s time to start dinner.
I keep the meal—my go-to vegetarian stew—simple, since Tabitha hasn’t been in her studio all day, and I’m sure she’ll be itching to get to it when she returns. I’m slicing the carrots when the back door creaks open and Parker strolls in.
My hand pauses mid-chop. “Can I help you?”
“No.” He holds my gaze as he toes off his muddy boots on the mat.
“What are you doing?” I snap, jumping out of the way as he strides towards me and reaches for the sink.
“Washing my hands after a long day’s work. Though I see why that would be confusing,” he adds as he lathers. “Hard work is probably a foreign concept to you.”
The water comes out dark brown, making my nose wrinkle.
“As is bathing to you, apparently,” I toss back with a sickly, sweet smile. “And don’t forget I was in the barn doing your job this morning.”
He scoffs. “You only mucked half the stalls. I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”
A cow-shaped oven timer goes off behind me.
Oh, yeah—there are cows everywhere in here.
Cow head cookie jar, cow-print apron hanging by the stove, cow figurines lining the shelves.
It’s a borderline bovine obsession, yet the woman has a barn full of horses.
But that’s Tabitha, and I wouldn’t change her for the world; cows and all.
I grab a cow print oven mitt and angrily pull the crusty bread I dug out of the freezer earlier from the oven. Dropping it on the stove with a clatter, I pretend to busy myself with it for a beat longer than I need to, schooling my expression.
I will not let him get to me.
“Where’s Tibby?”
“Not back from her meeting yet. I’ll tell her you stopped by.”
He doesn’t move to leave, his gaze taking me in.
Up close, he’s a good head taller than me.
I tell myself not to read into the prolonged eye contact, that it isn’t a power move.
Maybe he’s socially awkward and that’s why Tabitha has taken pity on him.
There has to be something wrong with him if she hired him.
He folds his plaid flannel sleeves over his broad chest, his dark brown eyes studying me.
“Did you tell her that you’re staying yet? ”
“Why do you care?”
“Because I don’t like lying.”
“No one’s asking you to.”
“Really? I guess you won’t mind that I mention it to her, then.”
“No!”
His lips tip upward in a satisfied grin.
I roll my eyes. “I haven’t figured out how to bring it up yet, okay?
But it’s not because I’m hiding it from her, it’s just …
complicated.” His smile slips, and I rush to fill the silence before he asks any questions I don’t know how to answer.
“And just so you know, I’m not planning on telling her anything.
I’m asking her if I can stay longer while figuring things out.
He opens his mouth, but the sound of a car door closing outside stops him from saying anything else.
“I’ll stay out of your way,” I say, figuring he needs a bit more incentive to keep his mouth shut until I can speak to Tabitha myself. “I promise.”
“Then I’ll stay out of yours. As soon as you tell her the truth.”
I glare at him. He reaches past me to pinch a piece off the bread and I smack his hand. He lifts his eyebrows, and I offer a sweet smile in return. If riling me up is what he wants, I will not let him see how much it’s working.
“Now, now, you two. Play nice.”
We both jump at the sound of Tabitha’s voice. I didn’t even hear the front door open. For some reason, she looks pleased as punch—then I realize how close Parker and I are standing.
Parker steps back before I can, and Tabitha hands him the bottle of wine.
“Would you be a doll and open this for me? I swear, this farmer’s market might kill me.”
“I take it the meeting wasn’t as productive as you’d hoped?” I ask.
She shakes her head and grabs a couple of glasses, holding one out to Parker, who makes a face. “There’s iced tea in the fridge,” she tells him, chuckling.
“He’s staying?”
“Did I not mention I’d invited him?” she asks innocently.
“You must have forgotten.” I make a show of setting an extra place for him, earning myself another over-the-top eye roll.
But he hangs back to let Tabitha and me serve ourselves before he does.
We eat in silence for a few minutes, Parker quietly chewing away and darting the occasional glance at Tabitha, then me, before staring back at his meal.
Tabitha, meanwhile, seems to be waiting for one of us to do the talking.
She gives me an encouraging look, but I shake my head, and with a look of exasperation, she caves.
“So, Parker. How is Mason doing? You haven’t brought him by in a while.”
“Cass found a new babysitter to handle after-school pick-up, so that’s helping a lot. He’s doing good in school, though.”
“Third grade, right?”
“Mhmm. They’re doing art this year and he’s got all kinds of stuff he wants to show off to you.”
“You tell him I can’t wait to see it.”
I lift my wine and zero in on our uninvited guest. “So, where did you drift into town from?”
Tabitha coughs. She takes a sip of wine while Parker slowly lifts his eyes to me, unbothered.
“Sloan, that was a little rude, don’t you think?” she whispers.
“It’s fine, Tibby,” he says amiably. “She’s probably not used to dining with the help.”
I open my mouth to argue, but he cuts me off with an answer to my question.
“I grew up not far from here.”
Huh. Just specific enough to raise zero flags.
“Sounds nice. You’ve painted quite a picture for me.”
He ignores this, reaching for another piece of bread. I glare at him, communicating a simple message telepathically through sheer force of will. Leave. Sadly, it does nothing to hurry him up.
“I have a talent with words,” he says.
“And people,” I add, sarcasm pooling under the table at my feet.
“The right people, yeah.”
I shake my head slowly, smiling in disbelief. Who the hell is this guy? He lays into me the moment I arrive, and somehow, I’m the villain in this story?
“Actually, Parker’s real talent is with the animals.”
Our heads snap back to Tabitha, like we’ve forgotten she was there. Her eyes flit between us.
“You know, I believe that,” I say. “It’s probably comforting for them to be around something that smells so familiar.”
“Sloan!” Tabitha gasps.
I’m the picture of innocence. “What? I’m only saying he smells like he’s been in the barn all day.”
“I have been in the barn all day.”
“See? I’m just stating a fact.”
Tabitha lets out an exasperated breath, but (annoyingly) Parker seems completely unruffled.
“Okay, I’m changing the subject. Sloan, your dad called today.”
My hand jerks, nearly knocking my wineglass over. I lurch for it and somehow bump my spoon with my elbow, sending it clattering to the floor. My cheeks are warm when I retrieve it and emerge from underneath the table, ignoring Parker’s curious stare.
“H-he did?” My voice squeaks, so I clear my throat. “What did he say?”
“Not much, he was just calling to say hi. I don’t know why he didn’t call your cell, but hey. I’ve never claimed to understand how my brother’s brain works.”
I force a laugh, and from the weight of Parker’s stare, I’m almost positive he can tell it’s fake. Could be because of the three unanswered calls I’ve gotten from him since I got here. “Oh … I’ll call him back tomorrow.”
Luckily, Tabitha seems so relieved that Parker and I are no longer bickering to pick up on anything strange. “Parker, how is your dad doing?” she asks.
He goes stiff, his spoon pausing in midair. He darts a glance my way before offering a response that can only be described as curt. “Fine.”
So much for unruffled.
“Any better since the last time you saw him?”
He shrugs; eyes fixed on his bowl. “No worse than usual.”
My stomach twists with guilt as Tabitha looks on sympathetically. Is his dad sick?
“I know it’s tough, but recovery isn’t a linear process—”
“Tibby.” He shakes his head. It’s enough to stop her in her tracks.
“You’re right, sorry.” She gestures to the two of us. “I talk to you both every day, so it’s easy to forget that you two don’t know each other at all yet. Maybe the two of you could go to the movies or something?”
I make the face I’m sure Parker would if he wasn’t busy choking. “Why?” I demand.
“Don’t sound so scandalized, it’s only an idea,” she says breezily. “I think you two could be friends, is all. You both work so hard, so you should let yourselves have a little fun once in a while.”
Parker and I exchange doubtful looks. Of all the things I hope will happen on this trip, getting to know Parker is not one of them.
Still chewing, he stands to take his dish to the sink. “Thanks for dinner, Tibby. I’d better go shower before Princess lodges an official complaint with management.”
The kitchen rings silent once the door clicks shut behind him and Tabitha fixes me with a pleading look.
“Honestly, Sloan. Would it kill you to at least try to get along? This isn’t like you at all.”
I know it isn’t. I wish I could tell her why. But the longer I spend in this mixed-up place, the harder it is to feel like I’ll ever be able to find my way out of it.
“Can you blame me for not trusting him? Tabitha, I love you, but you don’t have the best track record when it comes to hiring staff who aren’t … what’s the word? Shady.”
She tuts and takes her bowl to the sink. “They haven’t been that bad.”
“No?” I say, joining her beside the sink to dry while she washes.
“What about Tony, who kept forgetting to close the paddock gates when he put the horses out? Or Mitch, who sold your trailer without you knowing and took off with the cash? Oh, and then there was Lucky; he was a treat. He’s the one who used a crowbar to break into the barn locker and stole all the purses, wallets, and laptops from the corporate team building group, remember? ”
“Trust me, I remember.”
I look up, surprised to find her smiling.
She shrugs. “They can’t all be winners. But that doesn’t mean you stop giving people chances.”
I sigh, wrapping my arms around her shoulders from behind and squeezing, my chin resting on her shoulder. “Tabitha, I love your big, giant heart. I hate that you’re the one who gets left to pick up the pieces alone when people let you down, that’s all.”
I release her to help with the dishes and she bumps my hip with hers, handing me a bowl.
“Parker isn’t like any of the others. For starters, he’s already been here longer than anyone I’ve had work for me. If you got to know him, you’d see he’s a decent man. So maybe lay off with the hazing, young lady?”
I hum in vague acknowledgement, though I don’t mean it. “I’ll do my best.”
“You’d better. Because you’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”
“Why?” I ask slowly, eyeing her with suspicion.
She grins, looking positively evil. “I’m going to have you help out in the barn while you’re here—every day.
Starting with night check tonight,” she adds as my mouth drops open to protest. She washes the last of the cutlery and grabs another dish towel to dry her hands before smacking my butt with it. “Off you go.”
I’ve always loved helping with the horses, but I don’t love the idea of being trapped in the barn, tripping over Parker.
Still, I’ll avoid him at all costs, even if being forced to work together makes that even harder.
I can’t seem to activate any sort of filter when it comes to him.
Then again, after our verbal sparring match, I can’t deny that it feels kind of …
good. I don’t have to worry about making him hate me, because he never liked me in the first place.
And by now, I know nothing is going to change his mind.
Arguing with him is easy because there are absolutely no stakes.
A tiny part of me likes holding his attention, too. Whatever that means.
And of course, there’s the fact that he seems to enjoy it as much as I do.