Virginia Gone Read Free Page B

“I hate you,” she told him, the second time with less conviction. “I hate you.”
     
     He didn’t shy away even though she furiously fought him; instead he scooped her up in sturdy arms and carted her outside. “Shhh….it’s okay.  Fresh air will make you feel better. I promise.” He gently placed her in the porch swing.
     
     “Don’t look at me like that,” she muttered drawing her legs up to her chest, hugging them tight with her arms. “You’re looking at me as if I’m crazy.”
     
     She reminded him of a confused, lost child, not someone who was crazy.
     
     He sank down next her stopping the easy glide of the swing. He shoved a hand through his hair. “Gin, you’ve had a rough time. It’s understandable for you to be frightened. But you’re going to have to let us help you though it.”
     
     Tears came softly. Occasionally she dragged stray ones away with a palm. “I was a wild, mischievous child. My mother had a time with me. I never wanted to listen. I used to have a pet turtle. When I was five, I think, I warned my mother one day I was going to disassemble the damn thing. She laughed. I don’t think she believed I could do something so…so cruel. About a week later, when she was in the kitchen getting dinner ready, I done exactly what I warned her I would do. I tore the turtle’s shell from his body—I took him apart piece by piece. Not because I curious….I had no reason for doing it. When she found the mess scattered across the living room floor…..” Virginia sniffed and cut her eyes away. “She said it wasn’t my fault…it was her fault, because she should have been watching me. I can’t lose her Riley.”
     
     
     
      Four
     
      “Why were girls in such a hurry to grow up? Agatha would never understand. Childhood was magical. Leaving it behind was a loss.” –Sarah Addison Allen, The Peach Keeper
     
     Virginia poured steaming coffee in her cup. It was a beautiful afternoon. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The temperature was perfect: warm with a light, gentle breeze.
     
     “Is there fresh coffee?” Her father’s footsteps approached her from behind.
     
     She blew as she sipped careful not to burn the tip of her tongue. “Yeah, Riley made a fresh pot. I think I’ll go enjoy it on the front porch.”
     
     “Maybe, I’ll join you? We can catch up. ”
     
     Virginia hesitated, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m still a little shaken from earlier. I was hoping for some time alone. You know, just to clear my head.”
     
     “Of course, I’m sure...” he paused, shook his head, “we’ll have plenty of time to talk. You are going to stay for while…I hope?”
     
     She nodded and made her way to the front door.
     
     Stepping outside the first thing Virginia noticed was tan flesh—slick and wet—glistening in the bright sun. She squinted out at the truck. Riley was bent over a bucket. The cords of muscles along his side flexed as he came back up with a sudsy rag, which he sloshed up on the hood of his pickup truck smearing grime and dust in circles. An image of him standing in the shower plunging a sudsy wash cloth over his naked body brought a sudden rush of heat to her flesh.
     
      Don’t allow your mind to go there Virginia…don’t you dare.
     
     “Hey beautiful, how are you feeling?” he smiled wickedly up at her as she peered over the railing.
     
     “Fine, what are you doing?” she asked taking a sip from the coffee cup.
     
     “What does it look like I’m doing?”
     
     “I know, but in the middle of the yard? You’re making a muddy mess.”
     
     Virginia couldn’t help but notice how physical fit Riley was. Good Lord, the guy had matured nicely. He wasn’t wearing anything but a pair of tattered jeans that rode low on his narrow waist. Something about seeing his masculine bare feet, and the way he possessively crouched around the trucks wheels had Virginia’s head spinning. She fanned