Page 99 of Now and Then

When I’m seated in the cab, he palms my thigh, squeezing gently, and makes his way to the driver’s side. I crank the heater and settle back into my seat.

As soon as Hunter’s in the truck, he nods his head to the open bench seat between us. “Get over here,” he says.

I scoot over.

“That’s better.” He places his right arm around the back of the seat, hand resting on my shoulder. I’m convinced he can see my pulse beating rapidly on my neck.

We turn off his property, and rain spatters the windshield. Neither of us says anything as he traverses the backroads, eventually turning down the one we know well, the one that leads to the lake.

Our lake.

20

Hunter

As soon as I turn down the road, there’s a collective release of energy in the truck’s cab. Sutton settles against my side, her thigh pressing against mine. The smell of her perfume hits me, and I groan.

“What’s got you all growly?” she asks.

“Why were you trying to sneak out before I got home?”

She presses her lips together. “I wasn’t sneaking. I told you I was headed back to my place to let you settle in.”

“Let me settle in.” I scoff. She can try to hide her emotions, but she forgets I’ve known her my whole life. As if I don’t know when she’s hiding something. “Talk to me, babe. What’s going through that mind of yours?”

She exhales, slips her shoes off, and tucks her bare feet beneath her. The movement forces her to lean into me more. Her hand now rests on my thigh. “I guess maybe I’m nervous about what you’ll think of your room.”

I don’t miss how her voice dips on the your of that sentence. “I’m going to love it. You know this. Next.”

“Next?”

“What’s next on the list running through your mind?”

“I got to thinking about you leaving.”

“Leaving?” I shake my head. What is she talking about? “Where would I be going?”

“Back to your house.”

Ah, and now we’ve come to it. After pseudo-living together the last ten days, maybe she’s seeing what I’ve seen all these years.

We’re better together.

“And that makes you feel good or bad?” I tug harder at the invisible string tethering her to me.

“I’m not sure,” she says.

Not exactly the response I was expecting.

We lapse into silence as I make the final turn, bumping through ruts, and pull alongside our lake. The rain continues to fall, and my truck is caked in mud. I put it in park and kill the ignition.

Now that we’re at our lake, my shoulders drop, and calm settles deep into my bones. I hope this place brings her as much peace as it does me.

My hand brushes against her hip as I release my seat belt. She sucks in a sharp breath.

“You’re not sure.” I repeat her words, turning to face her. “What are you not sure about?”

She scoots away and turns her body fully toward me, leg bent and resting on the seat. “I don’t know.”