away. This is not the time to turn into a crybaby, she thought to herself. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. If she allowed the flood gates that held back her emotions to open, she was certain they’d never close again.
She had gotten so caught up in her thoughts that she wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Norm emerged from the grove. He was followed by a kid who looked about her age—maybe a year or two older. The kid was tall and muscular and handsome, really handsome. She rubbed her hands over her cheeks again and blinked several times to get rid of any lingering emotions. The last thing she needed was Norm and what’s-his-name feeling sorry for her. Then she checked herself in the mirror again. Her face was red and splotchy, but there was nothing she could do about that.
The boy headed toward the truck while Norm followed a ways behind. When he passed by her window, his eyes met hers for a brief moment and her face flushed hot. He flashed a broad smile and she smiled back before shifting her gaze to her lap. He walked to the back of the truck and dropped the long metal pipes he’d been carrying in the bed.
“Hey, how’s it going?” the boy said, stopping for a moment at the passenger door.
Phoebe looked at the boy and smiled. “Can’t remember the last time I had this much fun,” she said before mentally kicking herself for the lame response. “I mean . . . uh, you know, being here . . . not that this isn’t fun but . . .”
The boy laughed and his blue eyes lit up. “It’s okay, I know what you mean. This isn’t exactly party central.” He glanced over his shoulder at Norm who was walking toward the truck. “I better get back to work.” His eyes studied hers for a long moment and the butterflies that seemed to live in her stomach awoke and started to dance. “Maybe I’ll see you later.” He flashed a smile before walking away.
Phoebe removed the ponytail and smoothed her hair as she watched the boy head back into the grove of trees. If she had known she’d be meeting a hot boy today, she would have taken more time on her appearance.
After giving the kid some instructions, Norm patted him on the back and headed toward the truck .
“All right, little lady, let’s get you delivered to your aunt’s.” The truck’s cab wobbled when Norm plopped his fat bottom in the driver’s seat. “I’m sure Anna’s anxious to see you.” He pulled the truck onto the highway while tuning the radio dial to yet another country music station.
Awesome .
Norm went off on a long explanation about working in an apple orchard and how important it was to make sure every tree was irrigated properly. As he rambled on, he removed both hands from the steering wheel, interlocked his fingers above his head and let out a loud yawn. “That there’s the town hall,” he said when they entered the more populated part of Iron Springs. “And over there, over there’s the school house.” He pointed toward a large red building that resembled an old barn. “And that’s the fire station; it’s a national landmark, been there over a hundred years.”
The buildings were all either really old or they were built to appear that way. Looking at them, Phoebe felt like she had taken a trip back in time. She didn’t know a place like Iron Springs actually existed outside the movies.
Norm stifled a nother yawn and his voice droned on. “To your right is the library. Back in the day, it was a tavern . . . a saloon . . . a, uh. . .” He raised his eyebrows at Phoebe.
“I know what a tavern is.” Phoebe glanced out the window and rolled her eyes.
“That’s the community center. That’s where all the kids hang out.” He directed his eyes toward a large brick building adjacent to a park. “I suppose you know your mom taught art classes there.”
“She did?” Phoebe couldn’t believe her
Sophocles, Evangelinus Apostolides Sophocles
Jacqueline Diamond, Jill Shalvis, Kate Hoffmann