“Why is that?”
Jake pulled a weed growing next to him. “Not sure. I think it was a girl. A long time ago. He hasn’t told me anything, but it’s just a feeling I have from a few things he’s said.”
“We could still win your truck, you know. I’m not pretending he has any sort of feelings for me, other than as casual friends. You sure you don’t want to change the bet? Take the truck off the table.”
He grew quiet. “I already have a truck I love.”
“You have an old bucket of rust.”
“I hate to break it to you, kid, but all shiny things rust eventually.”
I looked out at the pond and the shimmering orange moon’s reflection on the water. Somewhere in the distance, a frog croaked. “Are you proving to your dad you don’t need his money?”
Jake leaned forward, checking the drag on his line. “I’m proving it to myself.”
I picked absently at the weeds near my feet. My heart burst with sadness for this endearing friend of mine. Wounds in people are often buried so deep you don’t realize they’re there. Jake’s were buried under his humor and constant movements. His shiny eyes and zest for life were unmatched, but I ached for the little boy who’d had his heart broken by a selfish father who couldn’t see his son’s worth. I grabbed his arm, leaned in close, and squeezed.
“I love your guts, Jake.”
“Settle down, woman.” He flinched away from me. “You’ve already called dibs on a man.” He leaned forward. “Alright. Let’s break this down. You like Logan, but you don’t want to be a part of the bet anymore, right?”
“Right.”
“Why?”
I lifted my downcast eyes to study a ripple in the pond. “I don’t want to date him like this.”
“But youdowant to date him.”
I clenched my trembling fingers. Admitting something like this to Jake was a risk. Admitting it to myself was an even bigger risk. It went against everything I stood for when I moved back to Eugene.
“Yes.”
“What? A little louder for the people in the back.” Jake leaned closer to me, his hand cupping his ear. “Did you say you want todateLogan Marten?”
A smile broke across my face as I pushed him away. “Shut up.”
He leaned back with his hands clasped behind his neck. “It really is hard being right all the time.”
“Ugh. This is so complicated.” I reeled in my line and checked that my waterlogged and puffy worm was still attached, then threw it out again.
“It’s actually not complicated at all.”
I thought of Logan’s history, my past, his reputation, the truck, our agreement to keep things light, and my humongous crush on a man so close yet so far away from me. “Actually, it’s a little complicated.”
“Not if we break it down.”
“How?”
“Do you know what I was doing yesterday morning? Before the Fourth of July party? One day after your make-out session in the trees?”
“We did not make out.”That time.
“I was fixing fences with Layne and Logan out at Willow Creek. Logan smashed his thumb three times with his hammer.”
I stared at him, confused and also concerned for Logan’s thumb.
Jake leaned in closer. “Three. Times.Do you know what he does for a living? His mind was not on fixing fences, I’ll tell you that.”
