AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I mean, you gathered information this time, right?”
“I mean, yeah, but I wasn’t able to gather much.”
Justine shrugs and thanks the waitress for our food with a smile before turning back to me. “So, go to lunch and talk about the project. There’s nothing for him to suspect right now. You did your job this time.”
“So, you think I should stop gathering the information and enjoy my time there?”
“If that kiss was as magical as you told me, then I say do whatever you need to make sure it happens again. If putting that notebook away and forgetting about it will do that for you, then yes, I think you should stop.”
We spend the rest of lunch going back and forth — her talking about Cyle while I tell her what the ranch has been like, even suggesting that she come stay with me during one of those weeks I’m there. It seems as though she needs a break from everything around here, and what better way to get her mind off it than going to a ranch where only nature resides?
There’s a newfound smile on my face as Justine and I make our way out of the diner, enjoying the new plans that are running rampant through my head. Things are about to take a different turn. I’m just hoping it’s the right one at the end of the day.
Chapter 11
Brent
It’s been weeks since Sydney pulled away from the ranch and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her, wondering when she will come back again. If her last visit is any indication, I’m assuming she’ll be back in a couple more months, and that has my chest growing heavy. I’ve had plenty of time to think about the night we kissed, the feelings I had when we did, and I decided to give her a better chance next time.
Instead of being grumpy and treating her like garbage, I’m going to make sure she sees the side of me she should’ve been seeing all along. I’m rocking back and forth on the swing hanging from the front porch when the floorboards creak under Nathan’s weight.
Nathan sits next to me slowly, letting out a long sigh, then leans back into the white wood. He glances at me briefly before turning his attention toward the guest house, the one that still has remnants of Sydney in it since she said that she’d be back — no point in taking all of her things with her if she plans to come back.
“Want to talk about it?”
I cock my head to the side and turn toward him. “About what?”
“You can stop pretending with me, Dad.” He nudges his head toward the empty house and asks, “Do you have feelings for her? Because it’s okay if you do, you know.”
This isn’t what I expected our conversation to be. I thought he was suspicious, but I never thought he’d try talking to me about it. “What about you, son, any girlfriends I don’t know about?”
He smirks knowingly, then shakes his head. “No, Dad, no girlfriends. I’m not sure anyone ever really looks at me that way, so don’t count on me having one anytime soon.”
I frown at his words. “What do you mean by that?” In all the years I’ve raised him, he’s never come home to tell me about bullying. I thought things were going well for him in school, but could I have been wrong?
“Nothing, just that I keep to myself for the most part and it would be hard for me to catch anyone’s attention that way.”
I study his face, trying to determine if he’s lying or not, then nod in response. It doesn’t seem as though he’s lying, but I’m sure he’ll tell me more about it another time. He’s never been one to keep to himself, even with strangers, so hearing that he’s like that at school has me worrying.
“I know this conversation is long overdue, but do you have any plans for college?” I’ve been keeping this conversation inside, not wanting to hear that he wants to move across the country for school and leave me here alone, but if this gets him off my back for a moment, I’ll deal with it.
“Uh, actually, Dad, I was thinking of doing something a little different.” The way he runs a hand through his hair nervously sets me on edge and I straighten my spine, waiting with bated breath for him to continue. “I want to compete in the derbies.”
That’s not what I expected him to say, not at all. derbies? He could get seriously injured, and what would I do then?
I shake my head and frown. “No, Nathan.”
He groans loudly. “Come on, Dad, I’m eighteen, and this is what I want to do with my life. Can’t you support me?”
Doesn’t he get it? I already lost his mother, does he think I’d ever take the risk of losing him next? “What’s wrong with college?”
“I don’t want to go to college. Not yet, anyway. This is the life I want,” he says, waving a hand out in front of the ranch and dropping it at his side. “Are you able to support that?”
I stand from the swing with a frown and shake my head. “You’re going to need to give me time, okay?” This isn’t a conversation I want to have with him right now, no matter how much I thought it was. I would’ve preferred talking about Sydney over finding out what he wants to do for his future.
What would make him want to do something like that? He’s always loved horses and riding on them, ever since he was a little boy, but he never made it known that he wanted to go into derbies with them. My leg aches as I limp into the kitchen, searching for something to eat while my mind races with thoughts of Nathan getting hurt.
This is what he wants to do though. What kind of parent would I be if I kept him from doing it? The back door flies open and Nathan comes inside, my crutches in his hands, and he holds them out to me. “You forgot these.”
