“Since I don’t live alone I’ve got more options.” Her voice becomes thoughtful as she admits, “Although we were going to watch a movie so I guess I’m predictable. But unexpected company dropped in, so now we’re playing a card game.”
I frown, “What company?”
“Say hi, Ryder.”
A male voice ask, “Who am I saying hi to?”
“Gage Holbrook. He’s having trouble sleeping.”
Two female voices call out, “Hi Gage!” belonging to her sister and cousin, I assume.
There’s a tightness in my muscles I don’t like. Who is this Ryder guy?
“Since you’ve got company, I’ll let you go, Cherry.”
“What? No, you don’t have to do that. Hold on. Sammy, play my hand for me. I’m going to my room for a sec.”
I hear her sister argue, “But then I’ll know what you have!”
“Okay, Zoe, you do it. I know you won’t cheat.”
Sam cries out, “Hey!”
Lexi laughs, “Then stop complaining,” and I hear the sounds of shuffling, which must be her getting up. Her tone becomes intimate as she describes, “I’m taking you through my hallway. We’re just passing the bathroom. Hey, who left the light on? I’ll just turn that off. And now we’re walking into my bedroom. I’m closing the door. Wait for it… and hello!”
“Thanks for the tour.”
“Anytime.”
“Who’s Ryder?”
“Jealous?”
“Have no right to be.”
“But are you?”
“Be pretty weird you having a guy over after our date.”
“Ew. No. Ryder is almost a cousin but not quite. Which is lucky for Zoe,” she laughs, and goes on to explain who he’s actually related to, where he came from, and the unrequited infatuation Zoe’s got for him. “He’s been here about an hour or so, and Sam and I still can’t tell if he’s into her or not. I’ll tell you the truth — it’s a mystery I don’t think we’ll ever solve. So what about you? What are you doing? Movie or a book, since you’re alone.”
“I’m not alone.”
A long pause. “What?!”
“I drove to my Mom’s after dropping you off.”
“Oh!!!” she says with what sounds like relief. But then she realizes why I’d do that, and adds a quiet, “Ohhhh!”
“Yeah.”
“How is she?”
Throwing off the blanket, I walk to my curtains. “Not great.”
“What’s that sound?”
“Metal hooks on a curtain rod. I’m in my old room. Don’t have much of a view. Just some trees. The neighbor’s house. But there were a lot of stars out tonight and they’re better than what I was looking at.”
“Which was?”
“Darkness.”
“Stars would be better.”
“Yup.” I lean on my shoulder to stare at the sky. “You know what’s even better than these?”
“Not many things.”
“Watching you dance tonight, Cherry. That was a sight even stars can’t compete with.”
An intimate laugh massages my ears. Even sounds a little shy. “Thank you, Gage. I’m glad you liked it.”
“I liked it very much.”
“So you’re in your old room?”
“Yep.”
“Describe it to me.”
Taking a deep breath, I glance around, not sure what to say. “I’ve got the normal stuff. A bed. Dresser. Nightstands. Lamps.”
“Everyone has those. Tell me something I don’t know. What’s in there that’s totally you?”
Taking another look, I shrug, “Car calendar. All vintage.”
“That makes sense. Is yours in there?”
“Yeah, there’s a Bronco, but it’s blue.”
“What else?”
“Trying to remember. Uh, there’s a black Mustang—”
“Not in the calendar! What else is in your room?”
“Welding tools.”
She says, “Welding tools?” like she’s scrunching her nose.
“Yeah. A four-and-a-half inch and a six inch angle grinder. Helmet. Three pair of protective goggles.”
“Three fashion statements?”
I chuckle, “Yeah I’ve got them in different colors. One’s a zebra print.”
“Stop,” she laughs, “I was teasing you! Wasn’t serious.”
“I’ve got three because it took me two to find one I liked.”
“Ah…what else?”
“Stack of wire cutters. Some things I fused together in classes.”
“Okay, I know nothing about welding! What in the world do you learn in a welding class?”
I mutter, “Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t,” before taking a breath to think about what might interest her, “Well, let me see. One thing you learn is how different metals work together. Or don’t. If you combine the wrong kind, say you connect a copper pipe with a galvanized pipe, they will eventually corrode because they’re incompatible. You’ve got to connect them with an adapter or the connection won’t last.”
“What’s galvanized?”
“Steel or iron, depending on what you need them for. Or which you like better.”
In the distance I hear her sister shouting, “Are you coming back?”
She yells, “In a minute!” and lowers to normal volume. “Sam’s feeling like a third wheel. I’ve gotta go soon.”
“We can hang up now if you want.”
A silent pause. “Not yet.”
I squint out the window. “You wouldn’t find my room very interesting.”
“How do you know that, Gage? That was interesting what you just told me!”
“I just know.”
New silence.
But a different kind.
It’s in both of us now.
Finally she says, “I should go.”
“Yeah. Have fun.”
“You going to sleep?”
“Soon. Looking forward to having coffee with my mom in the morning.”
Her voice softens. “I’m sure she’ll love that.” Taking a deep breath, Lexi adds, “There’s something about sharing coffee in the morning.”
“You like coffee?”
“Of course!”
“I coined you more a tea girl.”
“Nope. See, this is the difference between me and the yoga-heads. I love coffee and they’re all about the herbals.”
“Black coffee?”
She blanches, “No! Almond milk and raw sugar. That’s my jam. I bet you like it black, don’t you?”
“Yep.”
“I knew it!”
“Not hard to guess. I fit a mold.”
“What mold?”
“Beer drinking mechanic who takes his coffee black.”
“You think you’re a stereotype?”
“I think I’m simple.”
“You know what I think?”
Not sure I want to know, but curiosity wins out. “What do you think, Cherry?”
“I think a beer-loving, black-coffee-drinking guy who drops off his date to go be with his mother on a hard night like this, and stays over to keep her company so she’s not alone in the morning, isn’t stereotypical in the slightest. I think there’s one thing I’d call him: Good.” My gaze drops as I blink at her compliment, not sure what to say. Lexi adds, voice quieter. “And I think your Mom must’ve
