After our mani-pedis, where I convinced her to get purple on her toes, we head to the first store. Once there, she hems and haws about the selection, but at the second location, her mood shifts. She agrees to try a few things on, and she’s even able to say some slightly complimentary things about the options. We don’t buy anything, but it’s progress.
“You really liked that last one?” she asks, looping her arm through mine.
“I did. You looked beautiful in the violet dress.”
Heading down the promenade, ready to go into a store that’s probably pushing my mother’s style choices a little, I hear a voice call my name.
“Lark!”
I turn—my mother, too—to see Sadie Stone waving, her other hand in her father’s. Tristan looks incredible in his jeans, plain white T-shirt, and hat dipped low, covering his eyes.
Oh God, he looks so damn hot.
Play it cool, Lark. It doesn’t matter that he was literally inside you a few hours ago.
Sadie releases his hand and comes rushing toward me. When she gets in front of me, she stops, her smile wide.
“Hey, Sadie,” I say with a grin.
“Lark, I have to tell you, the chickens really love the upgrades in the coop.”
My mother clears her throat. I don’t know if she’s ever met Sadie. This should be interesting.
“That’s amazing. Like I said, happy chickens mean lots of eggs.” I pull my mother forward just a little. “This is my mom. Mom, this is Sadie Stone.” Just as I finish, Tristan arrives. “And you know Tristan.”
My mother, who has never been unkind in her life, plasters on a big smile and looks down at Sadie. “Hello, Sadie. You look just like your momma.”
“You knew my mom?”
Momma nods. “I did. She was a beautiful woman.”
Tristan places his hands on Sadie’s shoulders. “Sorry to bother you both, Mrs. Gatlin.” He nods, tipping his cowboy hat to her. “Sadie saw Lark and was excited to tell her about the chickens.”
I force a smile. “It’s no trouble. Momma and I are just doing some shopping.”
I try not to look in his eyes. To not let my cheeks heat as I remember the intense sexual things we did just a few hours ago.
But, oh, God, I see right through those clothes and remember the feel of his body. The way his muscles moved beneath my fingers as he pushed inside me.
All of it comes back like a flood, and I’m going to drown if I don’t run away.
Sadie speaks, breaking the awkwardness. “We put in new floors, and wallpaper. I hung picture frames, and we’ll be naming a chicken of the week. I was going to do it by the month, but I thought weekly would be better. It’s a very big honor to be named.”
I laugh softly. “I see. You’ll have to let me know if that improves the chickens’ morale. I’m sure my mother and I would love to make some improvements to our girls’ living conditions if it helps.”
She nods enthusiastically. “If you meet me by the fence in four days, I can let you know.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I tell Sadie.
Tristan sighs heavily. “Well, we won’t be keeping you ladies any longer. Sadie needed some new clothes for a camp that starts in a few weeks.”
“And which camp are you going to?” Momma asks Sadie.
“Not a horse camp. Even though that’s what I really wanted.” Her eyes narrow as she stares up at her father. Clearly that is a source of contention. “I’m going to one in Arizona where we spend a lot of time swimming.”
“That sounds fun.” I try to sound upbeat. Although I would’ve flipped my shit if my parents made me do that instead of horse camp.
My most favorite summers were when I got to ride for hours each day.
