Page 79 of Mountain Pine
Says the woman who sits down gingerly and winces.
“Youaresore,” I say with regret.
“Yes. A little.” She rests her chin on her palmand bats her lashes. “It’s wonderful though. I’ve honestly never felt anything like it.”
“Stop kicking my ego. It can’t take it.”
“I’m serious!” she laughs. “I swear, I’ve never had my body rocked like that before. I’m going to feel you between my legs for a while.”
When the kettle whistles, she gets up and waddles a little over to it.
“I can make you tea if you just sit.”
“I can make it myself. But thank you.” She grabs all kinds of little jars from her counter and puts a little of this, a little of that and two pinches of another into a steeping ball. It reminds me of when we were kids, and she wanted to make magic potions all the time.
I rub the scar on my elbow. “Do you remember when we met that day at the park?”
“Which time?”
“The first.”
“Of course. You fell on me. Squished me completely.” She sits down with her tea. “I almost died.”
“So dramatic.”
We both laugh and it’s nice and the birds are chirping, and the sun is warming up the kitchen nicely. I love how Taylor’s home feels like such a happy place. It’s content and warm and safe here.
Nothing like the places I lived in growing up.
“I think I loved you even then,” I say, leaning back in my chair.
“I think I loved you then, too.” She takes a sip and mirrors my posture in her seat. “I used to worry about you all the time.”
“Why?”
“You know why.”
She takes another sip and holds my gaze until I drop mine to the table. I don’t want to talk about that shit. It’s done and dusted. Time to switch subjects. “What’s on your to-do list today and how can I help?”
“I’ve got to pull inventory for the Blossom Festival and pack it up. Dad’s probably going to need help loading some stuff on a trailer too.”
“He’s a vendor this year?”
“A sponsor. We decorated one of the small trailers earlier this week for the parade. Mom said we need a wider reach for our business to grow, so this is her way of advertising.”
Jesus. We’re at our max with labor and daylight as it is. “Is he hiring more employees?”
Taylor shrugs.
I’m suddenly salty. How is this supposed to work? I’m already pulling more weight than most, and I can’t sustain it and also be with Taylor. I’ll be dragging my ass here at ten every night and leaving by four am each morning. That’s not a relationship. It’s no better than a bootie call.
Running a hand down my face, I try to keep my cool. But this is the last straw. I can’t keep this up. I need to re-prioritize like Russel said.
Okay. New plan. I’ll just quit. Explain I need more for myself and Taylor. He’ll understand.
Unless he hates me being with his daughter in which case I’m fucked.
If it was anyone else, I’d tell him to kiss my ass and that I love his daughter and he can just suck it up. But Russel is like a father to me. Disappointing him in any way isn’t in me.
