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HELEN
Ireclined my passenger seat as far back as it would go, attempting to get at least a few hours of sleep tonight.What a nightmare!I had never been camping a day in my life, nor had I ever wanted to. And I sure as hell wasn’t starting tonight, completely unprepared and flustered.
I turned over, trying to get comfortable and trying to ward Brenton from my thoughts. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had felt when he touched me earlier. I almost lost it. My body started to tingle and by the time we were back to his truck I was practically on fire. I wanted him bad, but then this happened. I sighed at the thought.
I also couldn’t shake the guilt I was feeling no matter how many times I tossed and turned. I came on this trip to learn more about the cross-breeding process for Dudley, and Brenton revealed so much. He wasn’t suspicious whatsoever about my newfound interest in apples. Actually, he was ecstatic. He answered every single question with excitement and passion.
I hated the feeling I had in my gut this entire day. Here he was opening himself up to me and here I was plotting to potentially rip him off. All for what? A single apple tree? Inheritance money I hadn’t even seen yet? But it was inheritance money that could change my life. Brenton had been given a head start in life, taking over TruFruit from his father. Meanwhile, my family held me back. He’d be fine at the end of this all. I mean, it was only one species of apple. He had access to hundreds, and I needed that money to make my big break.
Part of me also hoped that I could just ask Brenton for help. I foolishly hoped that the second half of the journal revealed Dudley’s wishes for me to team up with Brenton and TruFruit, like he had in the past. Then I could let Brenton do his thing with the apple tree and I could get my inheritance and get on with my life.
I huffed and turned one last time, slowly relaxing my eyes and letting them fall shut. Just before I fell asleep, I saw a brief movement out of the corner of my eye. They shot open and I screamed. In front of me, a huge black spider crawled over the driver’s seat. He was quick, scurrying to the middle console and up to the dashboard. He moved toward my side of the dash and I continued to scream. I fumbled with the door handle, finally getting it open after what felt like minutes.
I stumbled out, bracing myself on all fours and breathing in quick, heavy increments. I stood and slammed the passenger door shut, trapping the horrifying creature inside. Tears formed in my eyes and I felt hysterical, unable to calm my breathing. A slight whimper came from the tent next to me. Then, it rustled a bit.
“Samson, what is it buddy?” I heard Brenton whisper.
I made my way to the small blue tent Brenton had constructed. At first glance, I had no idea how both Brenton and Samson were sleeping comfortably in there, let alone how it could hold one more person. I debated my options. I could go back into the car and get bitten by a potentially poisonous spider in my sleep, if I ever even found sleep. I could begin the trek home by myself. I looked around me. I had no idea where we were. I could just follow the road I supposed, but Brenton wouldn’t realize I was gone until morning, so if I didn’t make it back for whatever reason, I was probably screwed. My only option was to sleep in this god forsaken tent. I stood in front of the zipped up door, mustering up the courage to unzip and face Brenton.
With one final exhale, I slowly moved the zipper and stepped in. It took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the darkness inside, but when they did, I found Brenton shirtless and asleep, and Samson nestled under his arm with his eyes closed as well. This dog really was not cut out for protection. I had just waltzed in here completely unnoticed by him. I looked at Brenton’s face, his eyes shut peacefully and his mouth slightly agape. He didn’t snore which I placed in the pros column of the list I had been subconsciously forming in my head of things I liked and disliked about this man.
On the pros side so far was that he protected me from Carter, he was a good cook…usually, he was passionate and successful, and despite many hiccups, he was kind. On the cons list: he was obsessed with the outdoors to what I believed was an unhealthy degree. I mean who had a tent at the ready in their truck? He also had a crazy ex who I knew I wasn’t getting the entire story about yet. He preferred to be alone rather than surrounded by people and company—
“Helen?” A deep voice pulled me from my list.
“Um, hi.”
“What are you doing?”
“I, uh, there was a spider.”
Brenton let out an incredulous laugh. “A spider?”
“Yes.” I straightened myself and tried to regain some of my dignity. “A huge spider that I didn’t really want to share my bed with. There are poisonous spiders in California, you know.”
“Okay. Well, unless you’d rather share this tent with that spider’s cousins, I’d suggest zipping it back up.”
“Oh.” I quickly turned around and patted my arms around the tent’s walls until I found the zipper again. I closed us in with a sigh of relief.
“Come here,” Brenton said. I looked over to find him adjusting the blanket beside him for me. Samson tried to take it, but Brenton shooed him off. He opted to make himself into a ball in the corner of the tent, just centimeters away from the foot of my blanket.
I laid next to Brenton on the makeshift bed he had made for me.
“Comfortable?” he asked.
“Actually, yes. Thank you.”
I tried to monitor my breaths, entirely too conscious of how close Brenton and I were laying to each other right now. This blanket was way warmer than the interior of Brenton’s truck, and the grass beneath the tent made a fairly good padding. Before I could organize my thoughts about our current proximity, Brenton reached out his hand and began rubbing my upper arm in light, slow motions. I hadn’t realized how tense I was, but I soon relaxed my muscles, enjoying Brenton’s touch.
I reached out to return the favor, forming slow circles on Brenton’s chest. We got into a smooth rhythm, pushing one another closer to sleep. Suddenly, Samson decided he wanted to get in on the action, laying himself directly in between Brenton and I. I laughed, making slow circles on Samson’s fur.
“You want some, buddy?” I asked.
Brenton groaned beside me.
“Alright, Samson. What do you think about sleeping in the truck tonight? Maybe you can eat that spider that scared Helen away.”
Brenton got up and unzipped the tent, holding it open for Samson to exit. With a wagging tail, he followed Brenton to the truck. I listened to their footsteps and heard the door open and close. Then I heard Brenton’s footsteps near the tent again. I lied entirely still on my back, holding my breath and clutching my blanket.
