“Little town in Wyoming. My great-grandmother raised me until she died. After that, I became a ward of the state until I ended up here.”
“So, you were practically born and raised to live on a ranch, huh? Wyoming. I can’t believe I didn’t know that before.”
“We lived in town, but it was very small and surrounded by ranches. Lots of space and very few people to occupy it. Yeah, I was raised to do this, and I feel so lucky I can continue doing that by coming here.”
“I always heard your grandma raised you, but you said she was your great-grandma?”
“Yeah. I referred to her as my grandma, but she was really my great-grandma. She was already in her seventies when she took me in. All alone. Living on social security checks and charity pretty much.”
“Wow. What happened to the rest of your family?”
“I believe her daughter, my grandma, was a drug addict. Weird to think of your grandma like that, huh? But my great-grandma lost track of her for years. She also raised my mother, her granddaughter. My dad never knew about me. I think he was a transient cowboy, passing through town. When my mom died, I only had my great-grandma for family, so she raised me.”
“Wow, what an amazing, unusual, wonderful woman. I mean, she was, right?”
“She sure was. I owe AJ and Kate for the life I have now, but she planted all the seeds of it.”
Thank God. She found some words. The conversation began to flow more easily and slowly shattered the strange reserve between them.
“I’m glad you had someone who loved you when you grew up.”
“Yeah, imagine being eighty-two with a seven-year-old? She wasn’t in good health, physically and got sick a lot. Mentally speaking, however, she was pretty sharp right up until the last few years. We switched roles then and I took care of her.”
“That had to be tough, considering how young you were.”
“It was. But it also drove me to succeed. I was so set on staying with her, and scared of being separated, I made sure no one knew what was really going on. It was a lot of pressure for a middle school kid, I suppose, but I never questioned it. Looking back now, I’m glad I did. We lived in a small, one-bedroom home on the ground floor of rent-controlled housing. But she was allowed to stay there as long as I could take care of her. So, I learned to cook, clean, and get food. The people at the foodbank knew me well. Most were very generous to me and her. When she died, I was there, beside her. The separation never occurred, and only death could part us. And she died inside her own home. She always feared being sent to a nursing home, somewhere she couldn’t have me with her. All she wanted was for us to be together. At times, it was hard, I guess. I had to be sneaky and self-sufficient, but in the end, I believe it taught me self-reliance, independence and resiliency. I was doing it for her, not for myself.”
“Wow, that’s so much more than I ever did in middle school. Talk about a brat, I was the youngest of four and indulged and adored to the point of being smothered… I guess it made me who I am now.”
He tossed her a glance and then stared forward. He seemed more at ease not looking at her. When he did, it was like being dropped into a strange, new and very uncomfortable zone for her. Obviously, he wasn’t comfortable having her beside him on a date.
Then he surprised her when he said, “You were a brat. You used to tattle on everyone for every tiny thing they did. Tears flowed from your eyes on your command. And how often did the adults fall for those cornflower-blue eyes and innocent face? You were a pro at getting us all in trouble.”
She was too. Crap. She forgot about that stage of her adolescence. She never considered dating someone who knew her from that time. Especially since he was on the receiving end of much of it.
She’d been in the generation of the youngest cousins. The youngest kids growing up on the ranch. She tried to tag along with her older sisters, but they always got annoyed with her. Violet was accepted by the older kids because she was good with the horses and had more poise. It wasn’t hard for Violet to fit in. Being the youngest cousin, they liked to goad Daisy. They also excluded her, taunted her, and called her names that infuriated her. So yes, Daisy was a brat, but the other older kids helped make her obnoxious, including Asher.
“You guys used to taunt me all the time. So yes, I tattled a lot. I remember that. I cringe thinking about it now, but you guys liked to play tricks on me and run off and leave me. I was the brunt of your jokes and pranks and then you’d call me a baby.”
He let out a low chuckle. “So true. We did that a lot.”
“Is that why you’re acting so strange? You remember those times?” she asked when a few moments stretched into another silence.
He sighed. “Yes. Exactly why this… whatever we’re doing now, is wigging me out. I remember you as a little girl. I remember those days well. I interacted with you. I messed with you. You got me into trouble. You irritated me. So yeah, it’s strange to see you in this new light.”
“You have to know I’m no longer that bratty, spoiled, eager-to-tag-along, little baby.”
He cleared his throat, and replied, “I guess I know it now. Since you told me the… the thing you told me. I never realized it and now I don’t know what to do with it.”
“Do I look my age?”
He did not look at her. “Yeah, I mean—” He ran a hand through his hair. “Yes. You do.”
“Twenty-one, Asher. Keep that in mind. I am not that bratty kid anymore, nor am I a teenager just barely legal. I am a mature woman in all ways. It’s time for you to flip that switch about me.” She almost added she was also not a virgin and not new to sex. Being shy or awkward with it wasn’t a problem either.
“Should I? I mean, should I try to flip that switch? Or should we just be… whatever we were before?”
“Asher Reed, you asked me on a date after hearing I don’t want what we had before. If I did, I’d never say anything to change it. The wishy-washy thing? Totally unnecessary.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And not welcome.”
“I told you it feels weird as hell.” His tone seemed like that of a petulant kid.
“It does. Okay, I concede that. I’ve never felt this awkward on a date before.”
He sniffed. Another mile passed. Daisy wondered where they were going. Then he asked, “Have you had many?”
“What?”
“Dates? Since I don’t actually know much about your life in New York. Or maybe your life during the last few years.”
“No. So you failed to notice that I wasn’t a child anymore. Which again, is so stupid after you were such good friends with Violet, who’s barely a year older than me.”
“So… you do date?”
“Yes, Asher, I date. I have sex. I go to parties. I have plenty of friends. I am not a confused little girl, lusting after my older quasi-cousin. You’re not that old either.”
Her nerves turned into annoyance, which culminated into anger. She huffed, crossing her arms and glaring out the window.
“So you know exactly what you want? Is that what you’re telling me?” he finally replied in a slow voice.
“Yes. Duh.” She huffed again.
“So, you want to have sex with me?”