it.
“You wear it well. Crazy, I mean. Not many people can pull it off.”
He had no idea. It was all in the accessories. And of course having unlimited minutes with God. I was just about to give in to a moment of weakness (that may or may not have had something to do with his eyes—which were as blue as the ocean on a travel brochure) and invite him in, when he gave me an easy smile.
“You don’t mind if I stop over when things aren’t so crazy, do you?”
“No.” That came out pathetically quick. He probably had girls fainting in a line behind him. Personality had always meant more to me than looks, but Jared Ward seemed to have been blessed with both. What was a girl to do?
“So, any idea when that will be?”
In about five minutes. As soon as I see what Dex did to the bathroom… but I couldn’t say that without sounding like one of those desperate-for-a-Friday-date girls. And today was Thursday.
“The craziness tends to last a while.” I was being truthful, not coy, and I couldn’t resist the urge to test his confidence a little. “Like last night, when I was horseback riding with a friend? Some maniac on a motorcycle broke the sound barrier as he drove past us and almost sent the horses into orbit.”
Jared’s eyes widened, making them look even bluer. Not fair. “That was you?”
I wasn’t offended. It had been dark when he’d stopped to ask directions. I tipped the brim of my invisible cowboy hat.
“I’m sorry, I’m a city boy. When I got on that flat stretch of country road I just had to open it up.” Jared tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, the kind deliberately created with worn spots and artistically placed rips. “When I saw the horses running, I thought it was on purpose. You looked like you had it under control.”
How could I remain upset after that flattering— but totally erroneous —assessment?
“At least you slowed down the second time,” I murmured. Forgiveness was an important part of my faith, after all.
“So, Friday nights aren’t crazy, are they? What do people do around here on the weekends? Count tractors?”
He wasn’t going to give up, which left me feeling flattered and flustered. “I’m not sure. I haven’t been here very long, either,” I admitted.
“Really? Let’s figure it out together. What time do you get off work tomorrow night?”
“Five.”
“Great.” He bounded down the stairs and didn’t stop until he reached his home-away-from-home at the end of the alley. I didn’t realize I was still staring until he turned and waved at me. The wave I returned was limp with embarrassment and as soon as he disappeared, I lunged back into the apartment.
I was right. The take-out carton was lying on its side under the coffee table and Snap was cheerfully cleaning the last of the fried rice out from between her toes.
I fortified myself with a Tootsie Roll from Bernice’s cache in the canister marked Tea, pretended I was a FEMA worker and bravely entered the bathroom. With my eyes closed. I turned toward the spot where my bathtub had been that morning. When I opened them, there was a faucet.
“Snap, I have a faucet. A real, live, normal-looking faucet!”
And a date for Friday night, an irritating little voice reminded me.
It’s not a date. It’s two people who are new in town getting together to see the sites. All two or three of them.
I decided to celebrate—the faucet, of course—with a long soak in the bathtub.
When my phone rang a little after ten, I hoped it was Bree. She’d warned me she’d be putting in long hours helping her dad with the farm and there’d be times she wouldn’t be able to talk to me until after dark. Which was fine with me because I did some of my best talking late at night.
“Does it work?”
“Dex?”
Silence. I took that as a yes. His question had been so uncertain I wondered what exactly had taken place while I was gone during the day.
“Yes, it works.”
“I was late for
“You wear it well. Crazy, I mean. Not many people can pull it off.”
He had no idea. It was all in the accessories. And of course having unlimited minutes with God. I was just about to give in to a moment of weakness (that may or may not have had something to do with his eyes—which were as blue as the ocean on a travel brochure) and invite him in, when he gave me an easy smile.
“You don’t mind if I stop over when things aren’t so crazy, do you?”
“No.” That came out pathetically quick. He probably had girls fainting in a line behind him. Personality had always meant more to me than looks, but Jared Ward seemed to have been blessed with both. What was a girl to do?
“So, any idea when that will be?”
In about five minutes. As soon as I see what Dex did to the bathroom… but I couldn’t say that without sounding like one of those desperate-for-a-Friday-date girls. And today was Thursday.
“The craziness tends to last a while.” I was being truthful, not coy, and I couldn’t resist the urge to test his confidence a little. “Like last night, when I was horseback riding with a friend? Some maniac on a motorcycle broke the sound barrier as he drove past us and almost sent the horses into orbit.”
Jared’s eyes widened, making them look even bluer. Not fair. “That was you?”
I wasn’t offended. It had been dark when he’d stopped to ask directions. I tipped the brim of my invisible cowboy hat.
“I’m sorry, I’m a city boy. When I got on that flat stretch of country road I just had to open it up.” Jared tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, the kind deliberately created with worn spots and artistically placed rips. “When I saw the horses running, I thought it was on purpose. You looked like you had it under control.”
How could I remain upset after that flattering— but totally erroneous —assessment?
“At least you slowed down the second time,” I murmured. Forgiveness was an important part of my faith, after all.
“So, Friday nights aren’t crazy, are they? What do people do around here on the weekends? Count tractors?”
He wasn’t going to give up, which left me feeling flattered and flustered. “I’m not sure. I haven’t been here very long, either,” I admitted.
“Really? Let’s figure it out together. What time do you get off work tomorrow night?”
“Five.”
“Great.” He bounded down the stairs and didn’t stop until he reached his home-away-from-home at the end of the alley. I didn’t realize I was still staring until he turned and waved at me. The wave I returned was limp with embarrassment and as soon as he disappeared, I lunged back into the apartment.
I was right. The take-out carton was lying on its side under the coffee table and Snap was cheerfully cleaning the last of the fried rice out from between her toes.
I fortified myself with a Tootsie Roll from Bernice’s cache in the canister marked Tea, pretended I was a FEMA worker and bravely entered the bathroom. With my eyes closed. I turned toward the spot where my bathtub had been that morning. When I opened them, there was a faucet.
“Snap, I have a faucet. A real, live, normal-looking faucet!”
And a date for Friday night, an irritating little voice reminded me.
It’s not a date. It’s two people who are new in town getting together to see the sites. All two or three of them.
I decided to celebrate—the faucet, of course—with a long soak in the bathtub.
When my phone rang a little after ten, I hoped it was Bree. She’d warned me she’d be putting in long hours helping her dad with the farm and there’d be times she wouldn’t be able to talk to me until after dark. Which was fine with me because I did some of my best talking late at night.
“Does it work?”
“Dex?”
Silence. I took that as a yes. His question had been so uncertain I wondered what exactly had taken place while I was gone during the day.
“Yes, it works.”
“I was late for
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