Page 6 of Flowers To Give

Clark puts on an expensive looking pair of sunglasses, saddled up and grinning over at Jeremy as he asks, “Like the view?”

Jeremy spits on the ground and cocks a brow, “You sure you’re ready for this? Ain’t gonna be a walk in the park. It’s not too late to hit up Clay.”

“Please,” Clark gets the horse moving and puts his nose up at Jeremy as he passes, continuing, “Don’t underestimate me.”

Rolling his eyes, Jeremy gently presses his heels into Asher’s belly to get her going, trotting along and getting ahead of Clark. He says over his shoulder without turning around, “Stick close, my liege.”

He veers them out of the homestead, some workers they pass wave to Clark. Jeremy doesn’t spot Barry, glad he’s not witnessing this embarrassing feat. They go by the main housewhere a pretty woman and two children are sitting on the large front porch. Clark waves to them - the children run inside and the woman looks away.

The foot of the mountain is right at their doorstep, quickly beginning their incline. Jeremy leans forward, clenching his abdominal muscles as Asher makes her steady way up the rocky terrain. He can hear Clay grunt with effort, smirking to himself as he calls back, “It’s all uphill from here.”

“There’s a lot of brush and thicket!”

“Welcome to Willmaker Ranch.”

The extensive climb is a slog, neither Clay nor Jeremy entertaining any small talk. The wild plum tree is up ahead, marking the halfway point. Jeremy stops Asher and says behind him, “Let’s pause here for a bit.”

“Why?”

“To give the horses a blow,” Jeremy says, getting out a cigarette and his lighter.

“A what?”

He turns back to the ex-Californian and explains, “Give them a moment to catch their breath.”

“Oh,” Clark glances down at the smoking stogie in between Jeremy’s lips and nods to it, “Mind if I bum one of those?”

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes again, Jeremy pulls out his metal cigarette case. He pops it open and leans far back to offer it to Clark who reaches to take one. He pretends to look for a lighter and Jeremy wordlessly tosses him the zippo too. Clark fumbles to catch it but then smirks, “Thanks.”

Jeremy turns back around on his saddle and smokes quietly.

“So,” Clark begins, disturbing his peace, “Haven’t seen you in ages.”

Heart skipping a beat, Jeremy remembers to respond, “Yep.”

“You look good,” Clark comments. Jeremy grumbles a thanks. Clark continues, “Gotta know, did you end up going to Juilliard? For piano, right?”

“Nope,” Jeremy numbly hates the residual rejection the memories evoke.

“That’s crazy. I always thought you were really, really good.”

Jeremy doesn’t remember Clark ever coming to any of his high school recitals, wondering how he had that opinion. Maybe from when he played Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star as a kid for Clark, audience of one. Anyway, it was all a youthful pipe dream anyway. Not everybody could make it like King Clark Radison.

Plucking a couple of ripe plums from the tree, Jeremy tosses one back to him who catches it solidly. Jeremy eyes him for only a moment before putting out his Marlboro, pocketing the butt, and getting Asher to keep on walking as he bites into his own plum. Clark gets the idea, Bunny keeping up pace closely behind them.

Clark doesn’t let up, though, continuing to rehash the past as the trek goes on, “Remember in the third grade when you ate that worm?”

“Yep.”

Clark laughs, “Gross.”

“You dared me to do it,” Jeremy reminds him, tossing the plum pit.

“Eh, who can remember how it started?”

There’s a brief interlude of serene silence before Clark is at it again, asking suddenly, “Remember how much you used to hold my hand?”

Jeremy feels hot, readjusting his hat as he lies, “Nope.”