I dropped down, but I chose to sit opposite, so I could take him in, too.
“My mother died a long time ago. I was about Nessie’s age. My dad was technically my stepfather, well, kinda. They never got around to getting married. But he took me on when they met. My biological father, I’ve never met him, and I have no interest in seeking him out.”
“Your dadwasyour father.”
“He was, and he was amazing. He never got over my mother’s death, but he never let it get in the way of his parenting.” I smiled, reminiscing sweet memories. “He was a dancer. Handsome, blond, tanned, a smile for everyone. He was the sweetest man.” My happiness faded, as memories were replaced with the tragic reality. A tear fell from my eye, and I wiped away the sadness as fast as I could, but it still lingered, still coated my vision, and caused Woodrow to blur in front of me. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He moved forward, his hand positioning itself on my trembling knee.
Our eyes met, and he smiled at me. His cold touch pushed my hair behind my ears. I thought he was going to kiss me, and I’d held my breath in preparation for it. But through a level of respect I’d never known a teenager to have, he didn’t. He stared at me for only a moment—the sweetest moment. And he paid me a compliment. “You’ve got beautiful eyes.”
“What, all sad and teary?” I laughed, trying to take away the pain inside, trying to force it out.
“They don’t look like that all the time.” Woodrow’s fingers shifted into my lap, into my clasped hands nestled on the flowered cotton of my dress. He got to his feet and pulled me from the ground. “Come on, let me cheer you up.”
“How?” I asked, praying that it be possible.
“We’ll find Ness, then go for a picnic. You’re probably starving, seeing as she ran off with the cookies.”
“I don’t like them anyway,” I voiced as our hands parted.
“I asked if you wanted something different?” He looked down at me as I stood at his side. He was so tall. I wasn’t exactly short, but he was a good half a foot taller.
“I didn’t want to be ungrateful.”
“You shouldn’t have to be hungry, either.” He smiled again. Each time I saw the curve of his mouth—the shine of white teeth—I felt a little more at home. I felt safe, even as he guided me through the darkness.
The sandals on my feet proved to be a bigger nuisance than they had been for the entire day. I’d fallen over them multiple times, as they were a size too big. Wynter, for a very small woman, had boats for feet.
I hit the floor, shocked by the pain of landing awkwardly on the roots of a tree. I dwelled in my pain, glued to the ground.
Woodrow moved closer; a new expression sat on his face. Hunger, a different kind to mine. His eyes lingered on the exposure of my lace thong. But he blinked away anything he was feeling, stretching out his arm, with the same respect as before. “I guess I’ll have to keep a hold of you this time.” He laughed, pulling me to my feet, before asking if I was okay.
We sat a small distance from the water’s edge. The daisies brought me peace as their signature scent wrapped around me.
Nessie and I were eating the remainder of the picnic. She had also devoured half of the packet of cookies before Woodrow and I found her, huddled in some grove, just as he’d suspected.
She was starting to get bored now, so she up and left, moving to the peaceful stream, a hand full of potato chips in her tiny fist.
It was no longer morning; midday had crept up on us and left without so much as a hello.
I sat on a pink towel, not a blanket. It was Nessie’s—the life-size dolls printed into the design were quite the giveaway.
I feasted on a giant sandwich, toasted and delicious. My fingers struggled to catch the falling contents that tried their best not to be eaten.
“Is it good?”
“It’s so good,” I spoke with a full mouth, again,forgetting the manners I’d once been taught.
A dazzling smile moved back to his lips before the view was blocked by the banana he was about to consume.
“Do you want to try some?”
“I can’t.” His response was vague, like his expression—his pretty smile had faded to nothing.
“Does it hurt to eat?” I asked, purely through curiosity. I covered my mouth as I spoke, unable to stop eating for a single second when the taste was so good.
“Heavier foods do.”
