while we worked, but he never mentioned yesterday’s panic attack, and I was thankful.
“So,” Lucas said, dipping his brush into the bucket. “What do you think about Friday night’s game? Should we go?”
The roller became slightly unsteady in my hand, but I was careful to keep my voice casual. “We could go. The new kids on the block should probably stick together when it comes to school functions.”
“You’re not exactly new ,” Lucas reminded me with a grin. “But yeah, we should do that.”
“Okay.”
It’s not a date. It’s a school function.
This would have to be my mantra for the rest of the week.
“Sarah, you’ve got—” Lucas motioned toward my face.
“What?” Blindly, I swiped at my nose, which caused him to laugh even harder.
“Your roller is dripping!”
I looked down to find my fingers covered in Rocky Mountain Sky Blue. I groaned in frustration as he handed me a towel.
“Stop laughing at me!”
This only made him laugh harder, so I grabbed his brush out of his hand and gently swiped his cheek, creating a lovely streak of blue from his ear to his chin.
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Now we match!”
His laughing subsided just long enough for him to take a step closer and slowly lift his hand, carefully touching the tip of my nose with his finger.
“ Now we match.” Our laughter faded as he took another step closer. His eyes flickered to my mouth, and I held my breath when he leaned closer.
Suddenly, Tommy’s voice rang out, causing us to jump away from each other. “There you are! What are you guys doing back here?”
Lucas mumbled something about avoiding interfering people, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I dipped the brush back into the bucket.
“You two have more paint on your faces than you do on the house!”
“All my fault.” I was more than happy to take the blame.
Tommy looked at Lucas and then back to me before exploding with laughter.
“Don’t you have something to do?” Lucas shouted down at him, clearly annoyed.
Tommy just smirked.
“Actually, we have practice in an hour, so the guys are cleaning up. We’ll be back tomorrow, bright and early.”
“Thanks, Tommy.”
Lucas gathered our supplies while I carefully climbed down the scaffold. When I reached the ground, I looked up to admire our handiwork.
“We really do have more on us than we have on the house.”
“Told ya,” Tommy said with a grin, “although I have a feelin’ neither of you mind too much.”
Tommy winked at me before running toward the front of the house. By the time Lucas and I walked around, the boys were already packed on the bus, waving excitedly with their heads stuck out the window.
“Thanks, guys!”
The team cheered wildly, causing the bus to shake before it finally rumbled away, disappearing in a thick cloud of dust.
Late that afternoon, I decided to take a drive around town. Not much had changed at all on Main Street, but there were a few new shops, including a sporting goods store with Sycamore Panthers sweatshirts displayed in the window.
I bought two.
I had to guess at his size, but Mabel, the elderly saleslady behind the counter, had apparently gotten a good look at Mr. Miller at church on Sunday, and she promised me a medium would fit just fine.
“He’s a very nice young man,” Mabel said as she handed me my receipt. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, reminding me a little of my grandma.
“Yes, he is.”
After promising to come again, I headed home. On the way, I decided to take a detour—taking a left at Jackson’s Pond and continuing on the old dirt road that led to the river. I’d practically lived there when I was a kid, and as teenagers, we’d hike the trail and camp close to the waterfall. It was nearly twenty feet high and one of the most serene places I’d ever known.
I wanted to show it to someone who’d never seen it. Someone who needed a little serenity in his life.
Grabbing my cell phone, I was amazed to
“So,” Lucas said, dipping his brush into the bucket. “What do you think about Friday night’s game? Should we go?”
The roller became slightly unsteady in my hand, but I was careful to keep my voice casual. “We could go. The new kids on the block should probably stick together when it comes to school functions.”
“You’re not exactly new ,” Lucas reminded me with a grin. “But yeah, we should do that.”
“Okay.”
It’s not a date. It’s a school function.
This would have to be my mantra for the rest of the week.
“Sarah, you’ve got—” Lucas motioned toward my face.
“What?” Blindly, I swiped at my nose, which caused him to laugh even harder.
“Your roller is dripping!”
I looked down to find my fingers covered in Rocky Mountain Sky Blue. I groaned in frustration as he handed me a towel.
“Stop laughing at me!”
This only made him laugh harder, so I grabbed his brush out of his hand and gently swiped his cheek, creating a lovely streak of blue from his ear to his chin.
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Now we match!”
His laughing subsided just long enough for him to take a step closer and slowly lift his hand, carefully touching the tip of my nose with his finger.
“ Now we match.” Our laughter faded as he took another step closer. His eyes flickered to my mouth, and I held my breath when he leaned closer.
Suddenly, Tommy’s voice rang out, causing us to jump away from each other. “There you are! What are you guys doing back here?”
Lucas mumbled something about avoiding interfering people, and I bit my lip to keep from laughing as I dipped the brush back into the bucket.
“You two have more paint on your faces than you do on the house!”
“All my fault.” I was more than happy to take the blame.
Tommy looked at Lucas and then back to me before exploding with laughter.
“Don’t you have something to do?” Lucas shouted down at him, clearly annoyed.
Tommy just smirked.
“Actually, we have practice in an hour, so the guys are cleaning up. We’ll be back tomorrow, bright and early.”
“Thanks, Tommy.”
Lucas gathered our supplies while I carefully climbed down the scaffold. When I reached the ground, I looked up to admire our handiwork.
“We really do have more on us than we have on the house.”
“Told ya,” Tommy said with a grin, “although I have a feelin’ neither of you mind too much.”
Tommy winked at me before running toward the front of the house. By the time Lucas and I walked around, the boys were already packed on the bus, waving excitedly with their heads stuck out the window.
“Thanks, guys!”
The team cheered wildly, causing the bus to shake before it finally rumbled away, disappearing in a thick cloud of dust.
Late that afternoon, I decided to take a drive around town. Not much had changed at all on Main Street, but there were a few new shops, including a sporting goods store with Sycamore Panthers sweatshirts displayed in the window.
I bought two.
I had to guess at his size, but Mabel, the elderly saleslady behind the counter, had apparently gotten a good look at Mr. Miller at church on Sunday, and she promised me a medium would fit just fine.
“He’s a very nice young man,” Mabel said as she handed me my receipt. Her eyes crinkled when she smiled, reminding me a little of my grandma.
“Yes, he is.”
After promising to come again, I headed home. On the way, I decided to take a detour—taking a left at Jackson’s Pond and continuing on the old dirt road that led to the river. I’d practically lived there when I was a kid, and as teenagers, we’d hike the trail and camp close to the waterfall. It was nearly twenty feet high and one of the most serene places I’d ever known.
I wanted to show it to someone who’d never seen it. Someone who needed a little serenity in his life.
Grabbing my cell phone, I was amazed to
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