I’m at the Denny’s next to the truck stop in under an hour, but it’s deserted except for a few weary travelers. Glancing at my phone, I’ve only got twenty minutes before I have to be across the highway in class.
“Morning, Sugar. Coffee?” Flo walks up to where I stand beside a vinyl-covered booth.
“I was just looking for Mr. Hayes and the rest of the men.”
She gives me a short laugh. “You have to get here earlier than this to see those guys.”
Shit. Chewing my lip, I nod and hurry to the door. “Thanks, Flo.”
My best friend has a pencil stuck in the bun on her head, and we’re whispering in management class. “Frost?”
“Yeah, what have you heard about a late frost this year?” I’m thinking about my lack of management skills the first half of the year and feeling guilty.
Mindy looks at me like I just sprouted an additional head. “Are you serious right now?”
“I’m trying to do a better job keeping track of things while Sawyer’s away.”
Our professor gives us the homework assignment, dismisses us, and our voices grow louder over the roar of departing students.
“I’m glad.” She stands, and we make our way to the end of the row, where I see Deacon waiting at the door.
He’s hard to miss, tall with dark brown hair and brooding eyes. As usual, he’s dressed in jeans and a blazer. I don’t think he means to exude wealth. I think it’s just his normal state of affairs.
“I thought he went back to Dallas?”
“He did.” She glances over and gives him a little wave. “His family pissed him off again, so he came back.”
“So are you dating now?” I squint at her. She has never made anything official between them.
“I don’t know.” She does a little shrug. “I’m not sure he’s my type.”
Shaking my head, I give her a squeeze. “He’s somebody’s type.”
“Are you coming by to see Miss Jessica today?”
“Right after classes.”
“See you then.”
“Oh, I love the smell of this foot cream.” Miss Jessica sits on a vinyl couch in the recreation hall rubbing my lotion on her feet. “I can’t believe this didn’t sell.” She slips a fluffy sock on and leans back studying the bottle.
She’s become one of my best customers, and I bring her favorites from my discontinued line along with new things I’m trying. Of course, I never make her pay for anything.
“Maybe I didn’t name it right.” I reach into the small bag I have today. “Like I didn’t think this sugar scrub was going to do well, but I named it Peach Passion, and it flies off the shelves.”
“I guess it’s hard to be passionate about feet.”
“I think having foot in the name is a problem.”
She takes the jar of caramel-colored scrub from me and opens it, giving it a sniff. “I’m glad you brought me more of this. It works great on my elbows.”
I take out another small jar. “This is some eye cream I’m trying. See what you think.”
“Oh, I love eye cream.” She takes the tiny pot and unscrews the lid, applying a smear as we sit side by side. “Feels good… I wish I knew how to use that Internet so I could tell everybody how great your products are.”
I laugh, and she reaches out to hold my hand. “You seem happy today. Is it because of Taron?”
“I don’t know.” My brow furrows as I think about what changed in me. “I think maybe it’s spring.”
Her spotty old hand pats mine roughly, and she nods. “When my brother Bill was in the service, the first months were always the hardest. We only had letters in those days, and it felt like a little eternity passed between each one.”
“I can’t imagine.” Taron and I don’t Facetime every single day anymore, but our texts are pretty nonstop. “Maybe the peach blossoms did it. I saw them popping out on the trees, and I decided it was time to get back in the game.”
She nods. “The game being your business?”
“And running the orchard. And focusing on my classes.” I think about all the orders coming in every day for my products. “But mostly my business. I have to stay on top of it if I’m going to keep making a profit, which is the only time Sawyer seems interested.”
“You will.” She smiles, giving my hand a squeeze. “When your brother gets back, and Taron gets back, you’ll have your store.”
She makes it sound like they’ve just gone away for a few days. I wish. “Maybe. Sawyer won’t let me build anything in the orchard. He doesn’t want tourists all in the way. I have to show him they’re valuable customers.”
Her brow furrows as if she’s thinking about this, and I collect the items I made for her into the bag again. My movements draw her attention. “How much do I owe you for these?”
“Oh,” I smile and exhale a laugh. “Don’t worry about that.”
“I do worry about that, Noel Aveline.” Her craggly voice goes high. “You’re never going to grow your business giving stuff away, and I always pay my bills.”
“Tell you what.” I pat her hand. “I’ll ask Mindy to deduct it from your account.” Her imaginary account.
The old woman nods. “Okay. Get Mindy to do that.”
“I’ll take care of it now. Then I have to get back to make dinner for Leon.”
“You’ll be back next week?”
“If not sooner.” I give her a squeeze. “Let Mindy know if you need anything.”
That night, lying in my bed, I think about our conversation as I tap out a text to Taron. Miss Jessica asked about you today.
I introduced her to Taron using my Facetime app a while back, and you’d have thought I’d shown her the moon landing. Gray dots bounce as he replies. Tell her when you’re sick of me, I’ll start dating her.
His teasing makes me smile. I’ll never be sick of you. It’s hard to even imagine such a thing in our current situation. She said when Sawyer gets back, I can open my storefront.
You don’t have to wait for that do you?
Chewing my lip, I study my phone. I don’t want to bug him about his plans, but I hadn’t considered we might be separated like this over and over for years and years. Can I say goodbye to him indefinitely? The alternative makes it easy to say yes but so hard to imagine. Is it possible to get used to this life?
I’d need help with an orchard, a store, and school.
I watch the gray dots as he taps out a reply. Are you unhappy with being online?
“Taron…” I sigh his name out loud. Tapping the camera icon, I wait as it rings. I need to see him for this.
A moment later his gorgeous face appears, and I want to cry. “Hey, princess. You okay?”
My eyes scan his surroundings. “Are you in a closet?”
“Half bath. I thought we might need privacy.” His eyes crinkle with a grin.
I didn’t call for the reason he’s thinking, and now that I see his face, I’m having second thoughts about my own. Maybe we should wait to discuss the future. I’m acting like he asked me to marry him or something, which he didn’t. “I needed to hear your voice.”