AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You have to work on not turning bright red whenever you talk about her,” Gerty said. “Or Daddy will find out faster than you can blink.”
“Don’t you dare tell him.”
Gerty sobered. “Youbetter tell him, Walter. Daddy doesn’t like being lied to, and hewillfind out. He always does.”
Walter nodded, and he looked absolutely miserable. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t know how.”
“It’s not too hard,” Gerty said. “You could even just hand him your phone and say, ‘Dad, I’ve been texting this girl, and I need help asking her to the summer ice cream social at church. Do you think I could do that? Will you help me?’ and he’ll read all the texts, growl about having another kid going on dates when they’re only fourteen, and then he’ll help you.”
Walter’s face drained of color now, which was saying something as he had their father’s dark coloring. Both he and Amy did, as Cosette had dark hair and eyes too. Gerty stood out among the four of them, but she absolutely belonged to them too.
“I’m not asking Ashley to the ice cream social at church.”
“No? Why not? I was thinking of getting a date and going.”
“You don’t have to have a date to go,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“Great, then you can meet Ashley there, and Daddy will find out in public. Seems likesucha better plan than what I said.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and started to get out of the truck.
“Gerty?”
She turned back to Walter. “Yeah, bud?”
He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Will you read these and see if she likes me? Like, really likes me?” He held out his phone, and Gerty took it.
She didn’t look at it though. “Why wouldn’t she like you?”
“Because I’m a total geek,” he said. “I run the robotics club at school, Gerty, and I stunt-ride for fun.”
She frowned. “So what? Those are both totally cool.”
He shook his head. “No, they’re not.”
Gerty leaned toward him, the fire inside her licking upward. “Well, if she doesn’t think they’re cool, then you don’t have time for her, okay? You deserve someone who thinks you’re wonderfulbecauseyou run the robotics club and stunt-ride for fun. Do you hear me?”
He searched her face and nodded, a hint of fear in his eyes. “Yeah,” he said. “I hear you.”
She handed his phone back. “I’m sure she likes you. You texted her for a solid fifteen minutes on the way here.”
He took the phone, still nodding. “Gerty?”
“Yeah?” She was tired already but didn’t want to show it.
“Do you miss James?”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes suddenly searching Walter’s. “No,” she said. Her mind raced, and she worked to slow it. “I mean, sometimes.” She sighed. “Yeah, sometimes.”
“Why’d you break-up with him?”
Gerty looked out the window, trying to find the right answer. The side of the big, red-barn administration office stared back at her. “Because, bud,” she said. “He didn’t think I was wonderful because I love horses and love working with them.” She gave him a sad smile. “You gotta trust your gut on these things, okay? Ashley either likes you for you, or she doesn’t, and if she doesn’t, then she’s not for you.”
Walter accepted her answer, finally reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt. Gerty reached out to stop him, and he looked at her again. “And James cheated on me, Walter. That’s the real reason I broke up with him and called off the wedding. He wasn’t who I thought he was, and it really had nothing to do with me and horses.”
Walter’s eyes turned big and round. “Oh, Gerty, that’s—why would he do that?”
“I don’t know,” Gerty said instead of calling James a name. “But I want you to know the truth.”
Walter’s face clouded as he nodded. “What a jerky thing to do to you.”
