Tyler took a step back. “Just pop the hood, Kalista.”
“After we talk.”
He stepped back again, his foot slipping on the gravel road. The toolbox hit the ground as he flailed, trying to get his balance. Then he fell down the incline.
“Tyler!” She ran after him. How could she be so dumb to parknext to the edge of the road like that? When she reached him, he was on his back in a thick patch of grass. “Are you okay?”
He sat up and blinked. “I think so.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” She automatically grabbed his hand. “I was afraid you were hurt.”
“I’m fine.” Tyler yanked his hand out of her grasp.
“I’m sorry.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I just wanted—”
“What,” he snapped. “You want what?”
“To know why it’s hard to be around me.”
When he didn’t answer, she got to her feet. How embarrassing. She shouldn’t have listened to Viv, although it wasn’t her fault. “Doesn’t matter anyway,” she said, turning to leave. She’d fix the truck herself. “I already know.”
He bounced to his feet. “Huh?”
“You don’t want to be around me because I’m immature and shallow. The end.”
His brow hit his hairline. “What? No. You’re neither of those things.”
“I’m not?”
“Of course not.” His expression relaxed. “You’ve never been late to work, I’ve gotten calls about how nice you are when you deliver the paper, and Mrs. Joyce says Pepé adores you.”
“He does like his treats.”
“You also cleaned the circulation room without me asking. I’d been meaning to get to it, but I haven’t had the time.”
“It was kind of fun.” In addition to always having a chef, her father had employed many maids over the years. Kalista rarely had to clean anything, but when she decided to tackle the circulation room, she discovered she enjoyed organizing. She’d also gotten a chance to interact with Cletus and Paul, who showed her how the press worked.
But Tyler was confusing her. “Then why do you keep ignoring me?”
He looked down at his feet. Kicked a stone with his sneaker. She half expected him to say,“Aw, shucks.”Instead, he said, “Because I like you.”
Kalista crossed her arms. “You have a funny way of showing it.”
“Mr. Hudson didn’t want me to get my feelings mixed up with business, so I knew I had to keep my distance. And I tried, but when I saw you at Viv’s house during the hoedown... Gosh, Kalista, you’re so pretty.”
“Aw,” she said, leaving off the shucks. “Thank you. I’m sorry I made you mad that day.”
“I wasn’t mad. I was disappointed. I know you’re out of my league. So I had to stay away from you. The more I’m around you, the more I like you.”
She did a double take. “Wait... You like me... like that?”
He nodded, finally looking at her, his cheeks red and his glasses slipping to the end of his nose. He pushed them up. “Yes,” he said softly. “I do.”
Kalista smiled.Why is he so adorable?“I’m not out of your league, Tyler.”
He scoffed. “Yeah. Right. You’re just being nice to me.”
Oh, the irony of him thinking she was nice. Then again, maybe she was. She’d changed since coming to Clementine. She didn’t mind not having her phone, music, or TV because she’d fallen in love with classic literature. She enjoyed her job when she thought she would hate it, and she loved getting closer to Viv. She even looked forward to slopping the hogs in the morning.Who am I?
