The Stable Boy (8 page)

             
“Coming right up,” she said as she walked away. She came back with our teas. “Are you ready to order?”

             
“Yes, but I want to order something to go, too,” I said.

             
“That is not a problem. Do you want it when your food comes out, or when you are almost finished?”

             
“Let’s wait until we are almost finished.”

             
“No problem,” she said.

             
“Great, I will take the Twisted Turkey Ruben and to go, I will like to get the Big and Juicy Burger.”

             
“Did you want everything that comes on it?”

             
“Um, yeah,” I said giving Alison a questioning look.

             
“Okay,” she said. “And what about you Miss Alison?”

             
“I am going to do the same thing as she is doing. I would like to have the Patty Melt and to go I will also take the Big and Juicy Burger, with everything that comes on it.”

             
“Okay, ladies,” she said. “I will get your orders in.”

             
“Thank you, Vanessa.”

             
“You are so welcome, Claire.”

             
“I have no idea if he likes everything on his burger,” I said.

             
“He’s a man. I am sure that he will eat it all or take off what he doesn’t like. Bob, eats it just the way it is.”

             
“I guess I will find out what he likes.”

             
“Yes, you will.”

             
“What time do you want us there tomorrow?”

             
“Any time you feel like coming over. We can make an entire day of it.”

             
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I said taking a sip of my tea.

             
“Good,” she said with a grin.

             
“I don’t like that look on your face,” I said as Vanessa returned with our meals.

             
“Yup, that was definitely the getting in trouble look she gave you.”

             
“Now, you be quiet Vanessa,” laughed Alison.

             
“I know,” I said to Vanessa. “She seems to want to get into trouble a lot lately.”

             
“Oh, poor Bob.”

             
“What do you mean poor Bob?” asked Alison.

             
“We have all done the girls’ night out together, poor Bob,” Vanessa laughed.

             
“That needs to happen again,” Alison said.

             
“I agree, you up for it, Claire?” asked Vanessa.

             
“I don’t see why not,” I said.

             
“Awesome, I have off next Saturday.”

             
“I’m down,” Alison looking at me.

             
“Sounds good to me,” I said.

             
“Great, it has been a while since I broke out my dancing shoes. This is going to be fun.”

             
“Just as long as we get Alison full of tequila,” I said.

             
“Oh that reminds me, I have a bone to pick with you,” Alison said laughing.

             
“On that note, I am out of here,” said Vanessa. “You girls enjoy your meals and I will put the other orders in.”

             
“Thank you,” we said in unison.

             
“I heard that you told Josh that tequila makes my clothes fall off.”

             
“I can’t believe he told you I said that. No more telling him anything if he is going to tell you.”

             
“So you did tell him. He told me about the conversation. He said he was going to ask me if it was true on Saturday.”

             
“Oh my God,” I said almost choking on the bite of sandwich I just took. Alison laughed.

             
“I like that with you it has loosened him up a bit. He seems to be more relaxed and so do you.”

             
“Thank you. I am trying, Alison. I really am. I am just so unsure of everything right now.”

             
“I know, but you will be okay. Finally, I feel like I don’t have to worry too much about you. You need to give him a fighting chance. I like him. Bob likes him. He likes you. You need to just take a few deep breaths and let life take you on another journey.”

             
“I’ll try.”

             
“I am not saying to forget John or what you two had together. What you had was special. Things can be special with Josh, too. It can be a different kind of special.”

             
“I love you, Alison. You always make me look at things in a different light.”

             
“It’s what best friends are for. We keep your head screwed on straight when you think it is going to fly off.”

             
“Yes, you do.”

             
“Here are your other meals, ladies, and your checks.”

             
“Thank you, Vanessa. We will see you very soon,” I said.

             
“I can’t wait.”

             
“Neither can we,” said Alison. We left the diner. We drove to Alison’s house to unload the groceries. Bob came out to help.

             
“What did you do, buy out the store?” he asked Alison.

             
“Pretty much,” she said. “Some of this stuff is Claire’s.”

             
“I am going to guess these three bags are it,” he said.

             
“You guessed right,” I said.

             
“I will put these in the passenger seat for you.”

             
“Thank you, Bob,” I said as I hugged him.

             
“What is this about?” he said returning the hug.

             
“Nothing, I just needed a hug is all.”

             
“Okay,” he said. “Everything okay on the home front?”

             
“Yeah, everything is great over there.”

             
“Okay, just checking,” he said as he grabbed the last of the bags.

             
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said climbing into the truck.

             
“See you then,” he said with a smile. I drove to my farm. I went in the house, but there was no Josh. I checked the barn with the feed and hay. He was at the top tossing down bales. He didn’t hear me come in. I climbed the ladder. He saw me as I reached the top.

             
“Hey,” he said. “Let me help you. I didn’t hear you pull up. How is Alison?”

             
“She is good, excited for tomorrow. I brought you back a burger with everything on it. I wasn’t sure what you wanted as we never finished discussing it.”

             
“No. we didn’t,” he said with a smile. “I like their burgers, though, so that was a great choice.”

             
“Good,” I said. “You want some help?”

             
“No, but you can keep me company.”

             
“Okay,” I said. I sat on a bale of hay. I watched him as he tossed one over the loft. The muscles in his arms were bulging. His skin was glistening with sweat. I day dreamed for a minute before he brought me back.

             
“How was the shopping trip?” he asked.

             
“Good, Bob asked Alison if she bought out the store,” I said.

             
“How much stuff did she buy?”

             
“Pretty much the entire store,” I said with a laugh.

             
“For some reason, I am not surprised,” he said with grin.

             
“You better quit for the night before your burger gets too cold to eat.”

             
“It’s okay. That is what the microwave is for.”

             
“A reheated burger in the microwave doesn’t even sound appetizing,” I said with a shudder.

             
“I agree,” he said with a laugh. “If you could have seen the look on your face just then, it was great.”

             
“Well it doesn’t,” I said. “Are you ready to call it a night?”

             
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s go inside. I’ll go down first, so I can hold the ladder for you.”

             
“Okay,” I said as he took the first wrung. Once he reached the bottom, I descended. He was waiting at the bottom. I stepped off and he spun me around. Taking me in his arms, he kissed me.

             
“I’ve been waiting to do that all day,” he said staring into my eyes.

             
I smiled at him, and then kissed him back. “I have been thinking about your kiss this morning all day.”

             
“Good,” he said. “That was my intention.”

             
“Really, why is that?”

             
“I don’t want you to ever go a minute without thinking about me, I think about you all day.”

             
“No you don’t,” I said feeling the heat in my face.

             
“Yes, I do,” he said kissing my forehead. “I have since I first laid eyes on you.”

             
“Stop,” I said turning my head.

             
“What?” he asked. “It is the truth.”

             
I hugged him tight as tears welled in my eyes. John used to tell me he thought of me all day while out in the fields. I pulled away. I could not look at him. I did not want him to see that he struck a nerve. I walked away. He followed me into the house. I went up stairs. He went to the kitchen to eat his meal. I heard the stair squeak and knew he was coming up them.

             
Knocking on my bedroom door, he said “Hey, are you okay?”

             
“Yes, I am fine,” I said coming out of the bedroom.

             
“Are you sure?”

             
“Yes,” I said.

             
“Did I do something that reminded you of John?”

             
“Yes,” I said. “But it’s okay.”

             
“I don’t want to see you upset. I think I do more that upsets you than makes you happy.”

             
“No, it is not you. It is my over reaction to things that I need to control. It is just going to take time getting used to everything. I am sorry.”

             
“There is no reason for you to be sorry. I know this is taking its toll on you. “

             
“Not really, I just am unsure of everything at the moment. Please, just give me some time to sort things out.”

             
“You can take all the time you need. I am not going anywhere.”

             
“Good, because I don’t want you to go anywhere,” I said wrapping my arms around his neck. He smiled. He wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me close to him. We went down stairs. We went to the living room to watch TV. “Alison said we can come over whenever we want to. She would like to make it an all day thing.”

             
“Okay,” he said. “You let me know when you are ready to leave tomorrow. I need to get some things done before we go.”

             
“Okay,” I said reaching for his hand. He took mine in his as we found something to watch. I only lasted twenty minutes before I fell asleep. He picked me up and carried me upstairs to my bedroom. He placed me on my bed and pulled up the blanket folded at the bottom. I slept that way the rest of the night. When I awoke, the sun was shining in my bedroom window. The clock read 7:30am. I got up to begin the day.

5 The party

I showered and went down stairs. The front door was still closed. I looked down the hall to see the bedroom door closed. ‘He must still be asleep,’ I thought. I went to feed the chickens and saw that they had already been fed. I looked up to see that Josh’s truck was gone. ‘Okay,’ I thought. ‘Maybe he went into town for something.’ I went in the house. I went back upstairs into my office. I would be able to see him come in from the window there. An hour went by. There was no sign of Josh. I picked up the phone and dialed Alison.

              “Good morning,” she answered.

             
“Good morning,” I returned. “Have you heard from Josh?”

             
“No,” she said. “Why? Is he not there?”

             
“No, I woke up and he was gone. I have been awake for an hour, but he has yet to come back,” I said, voice beginning to shake. This was the exact time the ambulance pulled into my driveway when John had his accident.

             
“Okay, calm down,” Alison said. “I am sure it is nothing. He may have gone to get something from the store. I am sure he will be back.”

             
“I need to stop acting likes this.”

             
“You have a right to be worried.”

             
“No, I don’t. Every time someone leaves my house I am afraid that I am never going to see them again. It has been two years, Alison.”

             
“I know it has, honey.”

             
“When will I ever stop feeling this way?”

             
“I could not tell you. I have never had this happen. Take a few deep breaths, for me.”

             
“Okay,” I said, breathing deep, trying to calm myself down.

             
“Good, do you feel any better?” she asked when I was done.

             
“Yes, thank you.”

             
“You’re welcome. Tell you what. Why don’t you leave a note on the door for Josh and get your butt over here? I could use a little help.”

             
“I am on my way,” I said.

             
“Great,” she said. “I will see you in a few minutes.”

             
“Okay, see you in a few,” I said. I hung up the phone. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. I scribbled a note to Josh telling him where I was going to be. While I was looking for the tape in the second drawer of the kitchen cabinets, I heard a vehicle pull up in the driveway. I was afraid to look up. I heard the door close.

             
“Good morning, beautiful,” Josh said. My heart skipped a beat.

             
“Good morning,” I said looking at him. He had a grocery bag and two coffees and bagels in his hands.

             
“You forgot to pick up coffee yesterday. I went to get some and figured I would get us a cup and some bagels from the diner.”

             
“I knew I forgot something. Thank you for getting it and the bagels.”

             
“You’re welcome. Were you going somewhere?”

             
“Yes, Alison needs some help. I was going to leave you a note and head over there.”

             
“Ah, well I could go with you and see if Bob needs any assistance.”

             
“That would be mighty thoughtful of you,” I said with a smile.

             
“I am feeling all kinds of thoughtful today,” he said with a smile of his own. He came over, wrapping is arms around me.

             
“And what kind of thoughts do you plan on dishing out?”

             
“You will just have to wait and see,” he said, kissing me. His tongue playfully danced with mine. He ran his hands down my back. Cupping my ass, he gave it a gentle squeeze. I laughed. He did, too. “I think we better go. Alison will have my head if you are not there in a minute.”

             
“Yes, she will,” I said. We grabbed our coffees and bagels. Putting them in the truck, we went back in the house to get his pickles and my pasta salad. We climbed in the truck, sipping our coffees and eating our bagels as we made our way to the Everett farm. We pulled in the driveway. Bob and Alison were sitting on the porch drinking a cup of coffee. We got out, bringing our dishes to the porch.

             
“Uh-oh,” said Bob. “He made the pickles.”

             
“Yes, I did,” said Josh.

             
“How does she rate?” asked Alison. “You were here for a month and never made them. You are with her for a week and make them. I see how you are, Joshua.”

             
“I didn’t make them for her,” he said with a smile. “I made them for you.”

             
“Oh well that just changes everything,” Alison said.

             
“And you are now back on her good side, just like that,” said Bob. We all laughed. We brought the dishes inside.

             
“What do you need me to do?” I asked.

             
“Well, you can start by helping me slice some onions.”

             
“Okay,” I said. I grabbed a cutting board and knife.

             
“Bob, what do you need help with?”

             
“Nothing,” he said. “I am just going to finish up doing some stuff before people start arriving.”

             
“I’ll help. The two of us will get it done a lot faster.”

             
“Yeah, then we can sit around and watch the women work,” Bob said, laughing. Josh laughed. I just shook my head.

             
“Get out of my kitchen Everett before you get something thrown at you,” said Alison. “That goes for you too, Josh.”

             
“What did I do?”

             
“You laughed,” Alison said.

             
“Okay,” he said. “We are out of here.”

             
They left the house. We looked at each other and laughed.

             
“Bob is going to be a bad influence on him. I can see it now,” Alison said.

             
“I don’t think he needs any help,” I said, laughing. Alison laughed.

             
“I can only imagine,” she said.

             
“Who all is coming today?”

             
“I invited Vanessa, but she has to work. She may swing by later. Dr. Russell, the young one, and his fiancé, Angelica will be here,” she said with distain.

             
“Why don’t you like Angelica?”

             
“She just seems so uppity. Her city girl attitude gets on my nerves.”

             
“Give her a chance. I have talked to her at the office when she is there. She really is a nice person and can be funny.”

             
“Okay, for you I will try today,” Alison said.

             
“Thank you,” I said. “Who else is coming?”

             
“All of our workers with their families will be here. Stacey and Nick and their kids and Susie, Mike, and their kids will also be here.”

             
“Sounds like it is going to be a good time,” I said.

             
“I am hoping so.”

             
“Is this enough onions?” I asked with tears in my eyes.

             
“It should be,” Alison said, laughing. “I am sorry. I gave you that job because I hate doing it for that reason.”

             
“You are so evil.”

             
“I know,” she said, laughing harder. “Here wipe your face after you wash your hands.”

             
I washed my hands and then wiped my face. “What can I do to help now?”

             
“Can you slice the tomatoes and lettuce, please?”

             
“Sure can,” I said. I grabbed the lettuce and tomatoes. “How thin do you want the slices?”

             
“About the same thickness as the onions,” Alison said.

             
“Okay,” I said. I looked out the kitchen window to see Josh and Bob setting up the picnic tables. I smile to myself.

             
“Uh-huh,” Alison said.

             
“What?”

             
“Oh, I don’t know what I am feeling? I don’t think it is anything,” she said in a high pitched voice.

             
“Shut up,” I said, laughing, the heat rising in my face.

             
“You really are starting to like him, aren’t you?”

             
“I think so,” I said.

             
“He is a great guy and he has one hell of a build on him.”

             
“You are so bad.”

             
“Oh, I know,” Alison said as she formed another burger patty.

             
“What else can I do? Do you want me to start the beans?”

             
“Since you know my recipe, go for it.”

             
“Okay,” I said with a smile. I needed the distraction. We worked in the kitchen with the music going until Bob poked his head in.

             
“Ladies,” he said. “The party goers are beginning to arrive.”

             
“Good,” said Alison. “Then you can take the pans of burgers and hotdogs out and start the cooking.”

             
“Okay,” he said reaching for the pan. We grabbed my pasta salad and the fixings for the burgers. We placed them on the table next to the grill.

             
“Can I help you bring anything out?” asked Josh.

             
“Sure you can, handsome,” said Alison. Josh’s face reddened.

             
“Okay, lead the way,” he said. We went back in the kitchen, grabbing his pickles, relish, ketchup, mayonnaise, chips and a bowl of ice for the dips. We placed them on the same table as the fixings for the burgers. Making another trip, we got the buns for the hotdogs and hamburgers, along with the baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw. We were ready for the good time to begin. The workers and their families were the first to arrive. The kids were running and laughing on their way to see all the animals. Each one of the workers coming over to shake Josh’s hand and say hello to me. Three of them had worked for Bob and Alison for the better part of five years. I had come to know them and their wives over the years.  Josh was talking to Alison when Doctor Russell and Angelica arrived. She came over to me immediately.

             
“Hey, you,” she said.

             
“Hey, Angelica,” I said. “How are you?”

             
“I am great, thanks. How are you doing?”

             
“Good to hear. I am not too bad.”

             
“Good, so who is the cutie Alison is talking to?”

             
“His name is Josh,” I said, laughing. “He is my new stable boy.”

             
“Oh, you go,” she said with a smirk.

             
“It is not like that,” I said.

             
“I am thinking otherwise by the way he is looking at you.”

             
“How do you know he is not looking at you?”

             
“Oh, he is not looking at me,” Angelica said, laughing. I laughed with her. Alison came over to us as Josh went to greet Doctor Russell.

             
“Hi, Angelica,” she said.

             
“Hi, Alison, thank you so much for inviting us over. How are you feeling?”

             
“I am doing well. Thank you for asking. How are you?”

             
“I am great,” she said. “I heard about what happened. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help out today.”

             
“Thank you, Angelica, but I think everything should run pretty smoothly for the day. I saw the two of you laughing over here.”

             
“Yes, we were. I asked Claire who the cutie you were talking to was and she said it was her new stable boy. I told her you go, but she claims it is not like that. I am calling bull, because the way he was looking at her speaks volumes.”