Nathan turned around just as Christy appeared from the back room and was immediately greeted with a wide toothy smile followed by a flip of her hair over one shoulder. He whipped his head back around to Carli. And his face turned scarlet.
“Nathan Olsen, you are blushing like a teenager.” Carli giggled again.
“Carli, quit it. Maybe we should go.” He squirmed in his chair. “Besides I might be interested in other pursuits.”
“I’m just teasing. But you should be flattered. A cute girl hitting on you.”
“She’s not the cute girl I want.” His comment hung in the air between them, uncertain, awkward, but full of promise.
Carli chose to ignore it. “All right, Nate. So, talk. What’s up with you? You’re not your jolly, carefree self today.”
“I’m thinking about making a change.”
“A change? Something is really bugging you, isn’t it?”
Before he could answer, the door chimed softly and Carli watched a woman and two youngsters enter, a boy around thirteen and a girl maybe fifteen or sixteen. Nathan and Carli’s conversation came to an abrupt end, interrupted by the clatter of chairs.
“You two sit here while I order,” the lady instructed as she pointed the kids to a nearby couch. The boy sank into the soft sofa, but the girl sat at a table.
The boy was a typical young teen, with gawky legs and arms that the rest of him hadn’t gotten used to yet. He seemed shy but eager and curious.
The girl’s hair was dyed as black as gooey asphalt and shaped into a spiky, disheveled cut. She wore an oversized black Tee-shirt with a white skull on front, black leggings, and black combat boots with the tops spread wide and laces dragging on the floor. Her feet clumped when she walked. Numerous leather and cord bracelets climbed her wrist.
Through deep purple eyeshadow she peered at the woman who was probably her mother, and growled, “I want a coffee.”
“Lexi, I told you. No coffee. It makes you jittery and gives you an upset stomach.”
“I want a coffee and a muffin,” the girl gritted her teeth.
“Brandon, do you want some hot chocolate?”
“Sure, Mom.” The boy peered cautiously at his sister as though she might explode.
“Lexi, I’ll get you hot chocolate too.”
“I said I want a coffee and a muffin.” The girl pressed her lips tight, her voice rising in anger. She glanced at Carli to meet her stare.
As Carli and Nathan watched the family, she remembered a girl like this in school, always in trouble, always angry. She also remembered parts of her life when she had been that girl. Resentful of the mother who had given her away and hating the father she never knew. It’s a wonder her guardians, the Fitzgeralds, hadn’t tossed her back to wherever they had found her.
The mother carried a tray with drinks and food to their table and the boy happily took a chomp out of his muffin. The young girl stood and swiped at hers with one swing of her hand. It flew to the floor in Carli’s direction.
“I’m sorry,” the woman pleaded. She looked frazzled. “Lexi, why did you do that? I’m not buying you another one.”
“I said I want a coffee, not a kid’s hot chocolate.”
Carli stood and Nathan gave her a frown. But she felt the anger and hopelessness this girl held inside. Carli had felt trapped before too. She picked up her plate holding the same kind of muffin Nathan just bought and approached the girl. “Hey, I’m not going to eat mine. I haven’t touched it. Would you like to have it? My name’s Carli, by the way.”
The girl frowned, looked at her feet, and avoided Carli’s eyes.
Carli put the plate down in front of her. “I like your boots. Pretty cool.”
The mother acted as if she might say something, but then remained silent.
“They’re Doc Martens.”
“They look comfy, but also sturdy.”
“Yeah.” The girl peeked up to meet Carli’s gaze. Then said in a monotone, “I like your bracelet.”
“Thanks. It’s from a horse’s tail I braided. From my horse Beau’s tail. He’s honestly my best friend. Then, see here, I added a little clasp.”
Drawn to the jewelry, the girl fingered Carli’s bracelet lightly.
“That’s pretty,” said the mother. “We had to give up our horses because of the feed cost. The kids used to ride all the time.”
“Hey, would you like to have it?” Carli kept her attention on the young girl. “I live on a ranch with lots of horses and they’re always losing strands from their tails. I can make another one.”
The girl didn’t look at her mother, instead focused on Carli’s arm, then tentatively looked to her face almost like a scared fawn in the woods.
“Really? You mean I can have it?”
“Sure. I make them for people when I have time.” Carli unhooked the bracelet and started to place it on the girl’s wrist. First, she looked to the mother. “Is it okay?”
“Yes, thank you very much. Lexi, what do you say?”
“Thanks,” the girl mumbled under her breath while looking at her arm.
The boy piped up, mouth full of muffin, “Hey, I want one too.”
“Brandon, don’t be rude. And close your mouth when you’re chewing, please.” The mother frowned at him.
His sister gave him a hateful look. “Boys don’t wear bracelets.”
“Y’all will have to visit my ranch sometime. Maybe you can find enough horse tail hairs to make your own.” Carli blurted the invitation before she even thought twice about asking complete strangers to her home. It wasn’t the wisest move, but she couldn’t take it back now. Before Carli turned back to her table, she looked directly at Lexi. “It was nice meeting you.”
The girl didn’t glance up but she was eating the muffin.
“Where is your ranch?” the mother asked.
“The Wild Cow. I hope you and the kids will come to visit. Maybe ride horses if that’d be okay with you. Here’s my number.” Carli grabbed a pen from her purse and jotted her
