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“Nah, they won’t care,” he says dismissively before changing the subject. “What kind of games do you have?”
I try asking him again. “What about your brother? He seemed pretty annoyed yesterday. I thought he was going to kill one, if not both of us.”
“Yeah, he didn't mean it though. Besides, he’s working today. It’s just me here.” He talks slowly, like he’s choosing his words. “Let’s go.”
Work? Isn’t Gabe just a few years older than us? What kind of work could he even do?
When we get to the cabin, we play hide and go seek. Nate is the finder, and I get to hide. Hoping to go unnoticed, I crouch down to stay out of sight. As I watch him go in the opposite direction to where I am, my eyes follow his movements until he looks behind some trees, and then, in the blink of an eye, he disappears.
I peek out for a better look, but still can’t see him, so I head away from the tree hoping to spot him before he finds me. I’ve barely gone a few feet when arms lock around me from out of nowhere, startling a scream out of me. “Shhh,” he says, then he’s laughing while he tickles my sides. His touch has my stomach fluttering.
“I found you,” he says, chuckling, his entire face becoming brighter. “Now, it’s your turn to count.
We continue playing for a while longer before Nathaniel suggests a new game. It's the one where you write a person, object, or animal on a piece of paper. The other person holds it over their head, and you ask questions to find out what the word says. Nathaniel is clearly better at it than I am though. He guesses that he’s a monkey within five minutes. I, on the other hand, am completely stumped. ”This is too hard.”
“Keep trying. You’re almost there,” Nathaniel encourages. After playing this for a while and having so many laughs, I want to stop. I can’t get this one and it’s not as much fun anymore.
“Oh, my arms are tired. I give up.” I grumble, lowering the note to read it. “A princess? I’m a princess? Why princess?”
Nathaniel shrugs. ”I don’t know. It was just the first word that came to mind when I looked at you.”
I smile, but I’m not sure what to make of that and my mind spins out with questions. Should I be flattered or offended?He could be trying to say I’m beautiful, but what if he means I’m high-maintenance or pampered?
Fortunately, my stomach growls, interrupting my mental whirlwind, and I decide food is more important.
“Let’s find something to eat,” I suggest.
“I’ll wait here,” Nathaniel says, eyeing the cabin warily.
After running into the house and rummaging around in the fridge and cabinets, I come out with cheese sandwiches, chips, and two cans of soda.
”Here you go,” I say, handing him his plate.
”Won’t your grandpa be mad that you took food?”
“No, why would he?” His question strikes me as weird, but it’s the way his eyes dart around that makes me frown at him.
Nathaniel inhales his food, clearing his plate before I’m halfway through my sandwich. “Want the other half?” I offer. He’s obviously much hungrier than I am. Maybe Nana was right when she said growing boys are hungry all the time.
“Thanks,” he says, taking the other half of the sandwich and wolfing it down in three bites.
I grab the plate from him and take it inside. This time he follows me but goes no further than the door.
“Is that the time?” he asks, pointing to the little digital clock on the TV that reads 3:45.
“Yeah, I think so.”
”Shit, I've got to go. Gabriel will be home soon,” he says. He shouts a goodbye over his shoulder and bolts, leaving me alone, unsure of what just took place.
Pops arrives a short while later, and I yammer on about Nathaniel and my day. He lectures me about leaving the cabin, pointing out how dangerous it is for a little girl to be wandering alone in the woods and that I could have gotten lost.
Ha, how ironic.
My cousins, Michael and Daniel, laugh and make kissing noises, singing “Izzy has a boyfriend,” until Pops sends them away.
Later in the evening, Pops takes us into town to go grocery shopping.
Disappearing down the aisle, I come back with bread, cheese, and a multipack of crisps, throwing them in the cart.
