10. Chapter 10
ten
B right morning sunlight stirred Julian from his easy chair.
Normally grateful for such a greeting, today the light exacerbated the jackhammer-of-a-migraine pulsing away behind his right eye.
It reminded him of past mornings, that in old age, dementia thankfully would rob from his mind– like a thief in the night taking off with a grungy, old curbside couch.
He checked his notifications and saw that the skis had sold. The seller had forgotten to remove the listing. Sighing, he pressed a jelly ice pack to his forehead, climbed the stairs to his bedroom, and fell into bed.
It was early afternoon when he awoke to a knock at his door. He listened with one eye open. Two more sets of raps echoed downstairs; he hadn’t dreamed up his visitor.
At the door stood Annie, a smile on her face.
“Hi.”
“What’s up?” He coughed to clear the grogginess from his throat. The morning sunlight had given way to stormy skies.
Her smile faded a little. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” She turned to leave. “I’ll come back later. ”
“No, you’re not bothering me.” Even if he hadn’t been so lucky to sleep off his headache, he wouldn’t pass up the chance to visit with a pretty girl. He raised a brow. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah… I was wondering… Is your offer for firewood still good?”
“Twenty-four-seven, three-sixty-five.. Sometimes three-sixty-six.”
She giggled. “Well… My friends– they’d like to Venmo you whatever you think is appropriate for a cord of wood.”
“Right on.” When was the last time he’d used Venmo? He scratched his head. “I got plenty of logs split.”
“Good!” Annie clasped her hands. “When should we start? But, really, I’m not bothering you, am I?”
After a long day of preparing wood yesterday, Julian didn’t have any pre-made plans. “I have today. And tomorrow, if that’s what it takes.”
“Great!” She thought for a second, her head tilting and her eyes darting to the side. “Let me go find gloves. I’ll be back in a sec.”
“I can deliver it.”
“I want to help.”
"By all means, you don't haveta, Annie."
"I could use a little air. I’ve been staring so long at my assignment that my eyes won’t stop crossing." She darted down his steps to the gravel path.
Guess I have no choice but to accept and be thankful about it, he thought, amused. Work would go faster with another pair of hands anyhow.
Julian had already loaded his wheelbarrow when Annie returned. It was stacked three feet tall, barrow included, with medium-sized logs.
Her eyes widened. "You really gonna be able to lift all that? "
The gravel trail between the cabins was fairly even and without too many bumps. He’d considered loading the trailer, but some exercise sounded… healthful? Julian put his hands on the wheelbarrow handles and lifted with his legs. It wasn't all his strength. Just surely a lot of it.
"See? I got it," he grinned, jaw clenched so tight his teeth felt uncomfortable in his mouth. Damnit, maybe it is too heavy.
"By all means, don't show off on my accord." Her lips turned down in a pout of concern.
“Nah. For you, sure.” When it didn’t relieve her trepidation, he added, “I got it. Don’t worry.” He adjusted his grip as his forearms began to burn. “I can take breaks,” he assured her. He threw his back into it and got the barrow moving.
It’ll be fine. Just go slow.
They were quiet for half the trek. He thought he should make some sort of small talk. Annie was busy studying the sky, which was filling with voluminous dark clouds.
"What kind of school do you do?" he asked.
"School?"
"I thought… You said you had an assignment.”
"Oh! No, it's a work assignment. I work from home for a gardening magazine, and do a few other things here and there. It's not super interesting, but I like it. And my clients." She glanced over at him when he didn't immediately answer.
He was trying to think of something intelligent to say, but his mind had gone blank.
She leaned in conspiratorially. "This is the part where most people go, 'Oh... huh. I haven't written a single word since I graduated high school,' or, 'Can you look over my son or daughter's essay and give them feedback?' or, ‘I have a great idea for a children’s book!’"
"Writing is an important job. ”
"Most of it is putting together words a thirteen-year-old could understand."
"See, important. I'm a smartass, but with an emphasis on the 'smart' and less on the 'ass.'" The wheelbarrow went over a bump, jostling the wood. Without hesitation, Annie stuck out a hand to stabilize the pile.
“I got ‘er.” He smiled and continued on.
Annie asked, once she was satisfied the stack would be okay, "What d'you do? You a professional mountain man?"
"No. Dentist."
It took her a second to catch that he was kidding after he flashed a grin. "Oh — haha! I mean, you could be a dentist for woodland creatures..."
He chuckled. "I do odd jobs, mostly taking down any trees around people's houses. Making sure they don't kill people.” He paused before adding, “I worked at the department store in town for almost ten years. I managed the hardware section."
"I never would’ve guessed that in a million years."
"You should see my cabin. I have more projects planned this summer, but it's coming along. It was quite the piece of ore that needed to be cracked into."
Annie went quiet after that, and he worried that he’d been too forward, but they'd also just arrived at their destination, and she was looking up at the sky again.
He set the wheelbarrow down next to the established woodpile and started stacking the wood.
He gripped them barehanded, his calloused hands unbothered by the sap, bark, and moss.
The ache in his forearms subsided as they worked.
"I can understand why Molly and her mom were scared for her dad to cut down a tree. It honestly seems scary to me."
Julian smiled. "It's kind of like David dropping Goliath." He stacked a few pieces, pushing them neatly into place. "It's dangerous, no doubt, but then you get to say you cut down something a hundred times your height."
"Did you feel that?"
“Of course… it feels amazing.”
She gave him a smirk and pointed to the sky. “No. I felt rain.”
Julian stood up straight. Rain hit his cheek and nose. "A few drops ain't nothin’." He reached for another piece of wood.
The sky opened up. Icy droplets fell hard and fast on their heads and backs. The sharp scent of rain and wet earth filled the air. Annie scrunched up her shoulders and gasped.
“Ugh!” She ran to the front door and held it open. "C'mon, we can't stand out here!"
“If you insist!” Grateful, he loped after her.
“Brrr!" Annie shucked off her gloves and rain-darkened jacket. She looked out the front window. "Think it’ll last long?"
"A rain this heavy?” Julian looked up at the ceiling. The rain hitting the metal roof was quite the cacophony. “Should be over soon."
The inside of the cabin was homey and warm.
It looked similar to his cabin, only with updated oatmeal carpet and shelving decorated with family photos and giant pinecones.
The walls were drywalled, as opposed to finished off with decorative log work.
A ceiling fan overhead lit up the room. There were a few embers left in the fireplace– also a similar model to his– and as he took his duds off and laid them on the back of a couch to dry, Annie stoked the fire.
She looked at her remaining pile of wood, her hands on her hips. "I shoulda grabbed some," she muttered.
Without being asked, Julian ducked outside to grab a stack of wood. In the distance, thunder rumbled like a contented purr in a tiger’s throat. The icy rain raised goosebumps on his arms. Inside, he laid the wood before the fire at Annie’s feet.
Annie tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thank you... You didn't have to."
He combed his soaked, light brown hair back from his forehead and stuck his hands out over the fireplace. She wouldn’t be cold on his watch. "My pleasure." A rivulet of water ran into his eye.
Annie disappeared into another room and brought back a towel. “Here.” As he dried off, she looked away and swung her arms, shifting on her feet. "Well, while we're trapped inside, care for a glass of water or a snack?" She went into the kitchen, opening the fridge. "Oh! Do you like chili?"
"I'm not picky.”
"How much?"
"As much as you're willing to give me." His stomach growled.
Her lips curved upwards.
Julian leaned against the counter as she worked, arms crossed over his chest. After a moment he noticed that the kitchen faucet was dripping.
He arched his neck, watching it for a few seconds.
Curious, he played with the hot and cold to see if it would stop, feeling how the handles tightened under his grip. The drip continued.
Annie glanced over as she set a bowl in the microwave. "Oh. Yeah. It started doin’ that a couple days ago." She looked irritated. “It’s super annoying.”
Julian chuckled. It was an old compression style and looked like nothing had been replaced in decades.
She handed him his soup and spoon. "Careful it's hot."
They sat down at the little round table just off the kitchen.
"That’d be a quick fix at my house." He took a spoonful.
"All I want to do is grab my tools and tear into it.
.. but first I gotta have three or four bowls of this.
It's fantastic!" He wasn't much of a cook, and hadn't had many home-cooked meals since his family had fallen apart.
Sorry, Mom, but I think your recipe is now the runner up.
Annie smiled bashfully. "I just threw it together. The diner was too far away. I didn’t feel like driving."
"This chili has nothing on any soup Ellie has ever served."
“Ellie?”
“She’s the owner of the diner,” he reminded her. “Took it over from her parents. What do you suppose is the cooking equivalent of a green thumb?”
Annie laughed. “I don’t really know. Just good cooking intuition, I guess?”
They ate their meal together quietly, although it didn't last long. Julian polished his soup off in minutes.
"Thanks for sharing. That was great."
"I'm glad you liked it." Annie finished her soup and rinsed their bowls in the sink. With the water off and the drip still going, she stood with her hands on her hips again.
She looks awfully cute while she's deep in thought.
"Whatchu think's wrong with it?"
"My guess... a deteriorated washer."
"Okay. I'll let Molly and Peter know."
He felt a little deflated. "I'd be glad to fix it. It should be easy with the right parts."
She shook her head for a moment, then thought again. "Could you?"
He nodded. "I fix things in my dreams."
"Sounds like the mark of a good handyman."
"More like obsessive, but let's go with that. "
It was still raining. Annie invited Julian to sit on the couch and watch sitcom reruns. Even by the time the sun was setting, the rain had not eased up. After a while, she opened a bag of chips, but that wasn't necessarily food.
I’d give anything for another bowl of chili, but I don’t wanna eat her out of house and home.
Even though he could have spent a few more hours in Annie’s company, he knew it was time to brave the rain. "I should probably head back over to my place. It's getting late."
“Okay.” Annie had some work she needed to catch up on.
She offered to drive him home, but he passed.
They went to the door and looked out. She wrinkled her nose.
"Hope you don’t get drenched. Too bad the rain cut things short—I mean, not that hanging out inside wasn't fun, too. .." She trailed off and looked away.
He had no idea what she’d been about to say.
They hadn't talked much other than random remarks about the shows, but her company had felt friendly.
.. almost familiar. He wondered if the fact that she knew very little about him made it easier for him to enjoy her company. No baggage. No knowledge of town lore.
"I had a good day, too," he said, putting his coat on. “Despite that pesky rain.”
She looked back at him and her cheeks dimpled. She nodded.
“I think we can finish up your wood situation tomorrow. Whenever you want me over, it's your call.”
"Ten okay?"
Julian nodded. "Ten it is. Rain or shine."
She gave him an amused look. “I agree to shine. Maybe not the rain. Oh! One second. ”
He watched as she trotted over to the fridge. She stretched and grabbed something metallic off the top. She came back and handed him a flashlight. “Here.”
Yes, good thinking.
“Have a good night,” Annie said. Her mouth was turned up softly at the corners.
“You, too.”
Guided by the flashlight, he left the water-logged wheelbarrow for tomorrow. He sprinted back to his cabin. Despite the rain pelting his face, he grinned from ear to ear. See ya soon, Annie. .