He wraps my palm in his, and his warm touch releases a swarm of butterflies in my stomach. When I gently pull away, I look to him to see if he felt it too. There’s no reading his stoic face.
“I’m Rhett Lawson, the one that’s renting out my cabin to you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” His charming smile is back.
“Cool. Yeah. You too.”Oh my god! I’m so lame.Then it hits me. “Wait,you’remy parents’ friend that I’m renting the cabin from?”
“Yeah.” He shrugs as if I should’ve expected my parents’ friend to be this masterpiece of a human instead of some middle-aged man my dad plays poker with. He continues, clearly not as in shock by our situation as I am right now. “I know I said I would leave the key under the mat, but since everything lined up for us, I can lead you to the house and let you in myself.”
“Oh, that really won’t be necessary.”
“I insist I help you settle in. It’s not out of my way, and your parents would kill me if I willingly let you take care of everything yourself.” His laughter that follows is soothing, and it silences all the noise around us.
“You’re right. They probably would. Well, let me run to the restroom real quick, and then we can go.”
“Not a problem, I promised your dad I’d bring him some scotch for dinner tonight.”
“Dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, your parents invited both of us over for dinner.” He flashes his pearly whites at me, and I swear they sparkle like we’re in a cartoon.
Everything about this interaction has been overwhelming. I don’t feel in control of anything that’s happening in my life. Leaving work wasn’t my choice, and I only came to Roots to keep my parents from abandoning their lives. Now, I’m getting caught off guard by some handsome cowboy who is apparently super close with my parents. Plus,on my first night here, I’m expected to be at dinner with my parents and this man who makes me so nervous that I can feel my own tongue in my mouth.
I turn to the clerk at the counter. “Where are your bathrooms?”
He thrusts his thumb in the direction behind him, hardly looking up from what appears to be a game of Sudoku. I suppose it’s refreshing to be ignored for a piece of paper instead of a screen for once.
I head for the ladies’ room, and as soon as the door is closed, I let out a deep breath.
Roots was never part of my plan, but about a week after the dust settled from spring busy season, I set my ego aside long enough to realize this break could be good for me. Not only am I completely alone in San Francisco, but I don’t know what I’m doing with my life. I’ve been working so hard that I haven’t had a moment to breathe and actually take care of myself. My panic attacks are completely out of control. I don’t know what makes me happy anymore. I don’t have hobbies. I haven’t spoken to Anna in months, and I apparently don’t know what’s going on in my parents’ lives either. As much as this break terrifies me, I think it can be what I need to reset and launch back into my career stronger than before, a moment of weakness for a lifetime of strength. I will make sure that I can turn this around and still make my parents proud.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I realize how much of a mess I must’ve looked like to Rhett. This is the first time he’s meeting me, and there’s a crease in my otherwise stick-straight brown hair that makes it more than clear I spent the last couple of nights sleeping in my car. My face has an oily sheen, and there are dark circles under my eyes that haven’t left, even after busy season ended.
I pat a paper towel on my shiny face and rustle around in my purse to find cover up, quickly using it to hide the circles beneath my eyes. I pull a tin of lip balm from my purse to add a shiny coat to my dry lips and quickly run my fingers through my hair. Better.
As I make my way back down the hallway, Rhett’s gaze falls on me, and I have to try incredibly hard not to let his attention turn me beet red. I’m pretty sure that only makes me blush more.
“What’re you up to tonight?” the clerk asks Rhett as he approaches the counter. He pronounces the word ‘to’ more like ‘ter.’
“I have dinner tonight with the Parkers. Naturally, I had to pick up a bottle of Jack’s favorite scotch beforehand.”
Rhett crouches down to grab a bottle of way-too-expensive-looking-to-be-sold-at-a-gas-station scotch, and I take a moment to enjoy the view. His Wrangler jeans hug his butt in just the right way, and I’m suddenly understanding what everyone’s obsession is withYellowstoneand all things cowboys.
Rhett pays the clerk at the counter and brings his attention back to me. “Are you ready?”
“Just give me one more minute. You can go ahead. I’ll meet you.”
The second the door closes behind him, I pounce on the poor clerk. “What do you know about Rhett?”
“Everyone loves Rhett. He’s always helping people out around town. He moved here a few years ago, maybe a year or two before your parents, and now he works as a cowboy over at Copper Hill.”
“What’s Copper Hill?”
“It’s only the biggest ranch in the entire county. We’re talking a couple thousand acres. It’s no Four Sixes, but it’s pretty sizeable for around here.”
“Four Sixes?”
“The biggest ranch in Texas. You seriously don’t know about the Four Sixes?”
“I’m from San Francisco,” I deadpan.
