“We’vebeen through it.”
Her exhale was large and sad. “That’s true.We’vebeen through it. That’s why evaluating people on their looks isn’t a good thing to do. Misjudging a person because they present one way without taking the time to explore what’s deep inside will always lead to bias as well as missed opportunities to connect.”
“You’re so smart,” I whispered, suddenly full of cold pasta.
“So are you. Your mind is just tidier than most.”
“I wish it were messy.” I noticed I’d lined up the chunks of green pepper on one side of the plate, the onion bits on the other, and the remaining spaghetti sat in a mound in the middle. When had I done that?
“Then you wouldn’t be you. Do you want me to stay out with you a little longer, or are you ready to come back inside?” She continued rubbing between my shoulders as she spoke.
“Can you stay here? I want to avoid Baker right now.”
“Of course. I’ll always be at your side just like you were at mine when I needed you the most.” She placed a kiss to my hair. I took my fork and rampaged all over my plate until the neat lines were jumbled with the orderly clump of spaghetti. It felt good forabout a minute, then I had to realign things. “Do you want to tell me about your trip to Aiden’s office?”
“Not right now.”
“Okay. We’ll talk about something else. Oh! I saw a snippet online where Taylor was at a charity event wearing a…”
The dress talk sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher to me, but I was happy to listen to her chatter about cutouts on a blue gown. Bella was the biggest Swiftie I knew. I loved that for her, and I loved her more than just about anything or anyone. My half-brothers were close seconds, and Granny and my family back in Brooklyn. I loved them all. Maybe not Baker right now, though. The dick.
***
For two days I avoided Baker.
Not an easy feat when you lived and slept down the hall from the guy. Avoiding him wasn’t because I was scared. There was no way he was going to throw down with me. Granny and Bella would be on him like a hungry dog on a pork chop. No, I was avoiding him because it was easier not to get into the upset all over again. Yelling made me really uncomfortable. It always had, which was why our house growing up was pretty much shout-free. Sometimes fighting made me pull into myself, like it was now, and other times…
Well, other times I got really mad. So mad, I lashed out. That only happened once, but it was one time too many. The moment had called for it. It was life or death, but the images of that encounter played over and over in my head at night. This was why I liked to paint—to push the bad thoughts out. Just like Mom used to tell me to do. Nightmares don’t linger in a sunny mind, she always used to say.
Other than meals, which I took into the sewing room to eat, Baker and I didn’t speak. Not that he didn’t try. He did. Ten times easily. I just wasn’t ready to engage again, so I waved him off and went to hide. It was tense. Soon, I’d have to stop running from him so we could talk it out. But not now, and not today. Today was my day off, so I borrowed the farm truck while Baker was out riding with some people from Colorado. The cabin rentals were a big success. I did my best to stay away from the strangers on the ranch. But Bella would have none of that. Even with my warnings not to let too many people see her, she went about like it was business as usual. The more rentals, the more nervous I grew, so heading to the vet clinic was the perfect de-stressor.
Even arriving while Aiden was out on a call—a very common thing as he drove from one ranch to another all day long—the little office with the boxes of work was calming. Wendy came in to help, but the phone kept pulling her away. I was okay with it, though. She was nice, but she liked to talk. I was happiest humming along to music all by myself. An old Tom Petty tune about losers and getting lucky filled the tiny room. Woody the Cowboy stood off to the side, smiling widely as I began to rummage in the top box of notes. They dated several years back and were in the box upside-down, front to back, and in no sensible order. It made me twitch.
Feeling itchy skin popping out just looking at this handful, I sat on the floor, boxes around me, and began sorting. Wendy popped in and out with coffee, which tasted good but only added to my twitchiness, to help me out. We had about a month’s worth sorted when Aiden’s deep voice rang out.
“Boss is back. Quick! Look busy.” Wendy gave me a saucy wink.
“But we are busy,” I replied, lost as to why we had to look busy when we were surrounded by papers, folders, and several empty candy wrappers someone had shoved into the top box.
She gave me a very maternal smile. “I was teasing, honey. We’re in the pit!”
Aiden appeared a moment later, cheeks red from the cold autumn wind, dark hair tousled, his overalls in a trash bag over his shoulder. He changed after each farm visit, bagged his outerwear, and brought it to the office, where the folks at Blue Lark Animal Care Laundry Service picked them up once a week. I knew this because I had seen their large plastic bin full of dirty coveralls by the back door.
“Here I thought I’d see Dr. Robby back here, but I found a much handsomer man instead,” Aiden tossed out as he waded through the stacks of papers to drop down beside me on the floor.
“What am I? Chopped liver?” Wendy asked from her seat beside Woody. Aiden, charming as always, let his head drop to her knee and hit her with a soulful look that would have left me unable to speak but sporting a massive erection.
“You’re the most glorious aunt in the world.” He even batted his long lashes.
“Such a bullshitter,” she said, giving his nose a tweak. “Since you’re back, I’m going to run out to pick up Eugene and take him to the dentist for that filling he’s been putting off.”
“Tell Uncle Gene I wish him luck,” Aiden said as his aunt rose from an old chair someone had dug out of the mothballs.
“I will. It’s only a filling. The man has such a phobia about dentists he waits until he’s in screaming agony before he’ll go,” she explained to me as she stepped gingerly around us, taking care not to topple any stacks. “Should be quiet now, but if you need me—”
“We can handle anything that comes in, I’m sure,” Aiden told her with far more confidence than I felt. “See you on Wednesday.”
“You two behave now,” she called over her shoulder. Unsure whether she thought I’d be bad, I almost asked, but then realized she was joking, so I smiled shyly as I returned to work.
