The implication was clear, but she resisted the urge to flee. “What’re you working on?”
“Nothing.”
“Did you have a good weekend?”
He shifted in his seat, and she heard her trying-too-hard voice through his ears. He must find her annoying. But she was just trying to be friendly.
“You want to come sit with me and Kylee?”
The word harrumph was the only way she could describe his response. She almost chuckled over how much he reminded her of Gerrit at that moment.
A figure appeared behind them, and Morgan tensed.
“Hey, guys.” David put a hand on Rae’s shoulder. “Whatcha doing?”
She looked back and forth between David and Morgan. Morgan didn’t look at David or give any sign that he intended to respond.
She tried to smile. “I was just saying hi to Morgan.”
“Mind if I join you?”
She glanced at Morgan, cringing inwardly. He sat unmoving, like David’s words had frozen him in time. She’d tortured the poor guy enough for one day.
“I was heading back to Kylee, actually.” She rose from the table. “See you later, Morgan.”
She didn’t expect an answer.
David followed her across the cafeteria. “Quite the chatterbox, isn’t he?”
She shrugged. “I think he’s focused on his work.”
“I heard his dad’s in jail for stabbing some guy in an alley.”
She frowned. “Where’d you hear that?”
They reached the table where Kylee was sprawled out like a toddler who had crashed after a sugar high.
It was David’s turn to shrug. “From some of the guys.”
She nudged Kylee with her elbow as she sat down beside her. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
Kylee groaned. “Do I have to?”
“Only if you want to pass English.”
She sat up and stretched. “Passing is overrated.”
David leaned on the table next to her. “No it’s not.”
“Oh. It’s you.” Kylee waved a hand as if dismissing him. “What do you know?”
“Only that I don’t want to repeat sophomore year. And that I have a better chance at getting a scholarship if I get good grades.”
“You sound like her.” Kylee pointed at Rae with her chin.
David grinned. “Is that a bad thing?”
Rae smiled back at him. “According to Kylee, I’m too boring for words.”
“I don’t think you’re boring.”
Rae could see Kylee making a Gag me gesture with her finger from the corner of her eye, but she ignored her. It was true she’d never been one to do anything that exciting. Aside from basketball, she spent all her time focused on The Plan, something Kylee found exceedingly dull. But as she locked eyes with David . . . well, suddenly, her life felt anything but boring.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Gerrit scrunched up his face. “What’s that noise?”
Hannie, at the wheel of her Toyota Corolla, shrugged. “It’s been doing that for about a month.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He sat up and strained to listen. “Sounds like a belt.”
She pulled into the parking lot without responding. He should take the car to the shop, but who knew what the mechanics might find once they started digging around? Who knew what it would cost?
Surely he could fix it himself.
As Hannie turned off the engine, he shifted his attention to his surroundings. Was it too soon to regret this decision?
Hannie grabbed her purse and put a hand on the door handle. “Ready?”
He hesitated. “I still don’t understand why we couldn’t go to Bill’s.”
“Because Bill’s doesn’t sell anything but flannel shirts and work pants.”
“But I know where everything is.”
She opened the door. “Come on, this was your idea.”
That wasn’t technically true. She’d been the one to first hint at his need for a new wardrobe, and there’d been nothing subtle about her hint. But he was the one who’d brought it up again this morning after spending the night filling out the volunteer application for Community Hope.
If he was going to show up there again, he didn’t want to look like he came straight from the farm. And it wouldn’t hurt to look the part of a changed man when Evi and Noah came for Memorial Day. If they came.
He slid out of the passenger seat with a groan, his back protesting. It was easier to ride in his truck because he didn’t have to bend over as far, but Hannie had insisted on taking her car. She said his truck smelled like moldy hay and dried-up cow manure.
He liked that smell. But her car, dilapidated as it was, smelled like daylilies and strawberry shampoo. So. She drove.
He followed her into the mall, keeping his head down and trying to shrink himself as much as possible. When you’re four inches over six feet tall and built like you’ve been doing hard labor your whole life, you tend to stand out. He didn’t like standing out.
Hannie strode purposefully ahead, oblivious to his discomfort. “Let’s try Macy’s first.”
He grunted. By the look of the window displays, Macy’s was much too fancy for his needs.
“The men’s section is over here.” She looked back at him as he lagged behind and waved a hand. “Come on. We don’t want to be here all night.”
He’d seen the sign on the door. “They close at nine.”
He wasn’t sure what the look she gave him was, something between amusement and exasperation, but he liked it.
When they reached the men’s section, Hannie immediately began digging through racks as if she knew exactly what she was looking for. He stood behind her and waited.
“If you see anything you like, grab it.” She flashed him a smile. “Once you have a few things, you can try them on.”
He made a face. He hadn’t anticipated trying anything on. Couldn’t he hold it up and decide?
She must’ve read his expression. “They’re just clothes, dear. They won’t bite.”
He swallowed. The idea of undressing in a fitting room with people walking by and mirrors all around made his mouth dry. But she’d called him dear. “Okay.”
Clothes of every color surrounded him, all looking sharp and crisp in their newness. He looked down. The knees of his pants were threadbare, the cuffs of his shirt frayed.
Hannie held a dark purple polo up to his
