Page 22 of Something Like Sunflowers

“You’re suddenly so concerned with the amount of clothes I wear on the Internet. Jealous, baby?” I wink at her, snag my screwdriver, and roll back under the Jeep before she can reply. “It’s not my real job, by the way,” I shout from under the carriage. “It’s just a side hustle. I learned to work on cars and tractors on my farm.”

“Your farm?”

And that, right there, puts our situation into perspective. She’s been out of my life so long she doesn’t even know about my life’s work. Shit, the whole town knows about Friendly Farms. It practically is the town these days.

“Yeah, I, uh…have my own little stretch of land now, just past the Presley ranch. You know the one, that bend by Piper Creek?”

I can’t see her, but I hear the gasp, the wonder in her voice, and that wonder pulls at every bit of hope I have for us, for every bit of hope I’ve had this whole time she’s been away.

“That old farmhouse that was back there. From when we were kids…is that…you actually bought it?”

I roll out with the muffler in hand and rise to my feet to look at her, really look at how fucking beautiful Devyn Lynn is.

“I did.”

I turn away from her. I can’t see her face. I don’t want to be disappointed by her reaction to something so important to me. Those are memories and feelings I won’t give up even if she does want them back.

“What are you doing with the muffler?” she says from behind me. I walk to the bed of my truck and place the muffler into it. She follows me and pokes at my shoulder.

“Earth to Hunter! Helloooo. The muffler? Will my car be okay without it attached?” She eyes her Jeep with concern, and it’s cute that she thinks I’m letting her ride away in that, so I give her a few minutes to live in that fantasy before I burst her bubble.

“Nope.”

“Nope?”

“You heard me.”

“Well, how am I supposed to get home, then?”

I stop and turn to her.

“Home?”

It seems like we stay locked in each other’s gazes for a full sixty seconds while we both muse over the word home…and its possible meaning.

“Yeah, um.” She fiddles with the balled-up T-shirt I’m pretty sure she forgot was mine. I can’t help but smirk at that. She can keep it, for all I care. I wish she would. “I’m staying at Dustin’s, I guess.”

“What happened to Shana’s?”

It’s kind of cruel that I ask because I already know. When she initially mentioned Shana’s as the place she’d be staying, I realized she didn’t know about Shana’s dad. I have no idea why she wouldn’t tell her best friend about Randall’s stage four pancreatic cancer, but it seems Shana has some secrets she’s been keeping.

And it’s not my job to spill them. So, since I don’t know how much Devyn knows, I tread carefully with the information I have.

“It seems Shana’s spare room is occupied. I don’t know. I’m catching up with her later at Cowboy’s Paradise. Anyway, is my car okay to drive, or do I need to call an Uber?”

I whistle through my teeth at this little princess. She never ceases to amaze me with her bullshit. “You musta been gone way longer than anyone realized. You know better than to think there’s a ride share within fifty miles of this town.”

“I just assumed you guys had risen to levels of advanced civilization by now.” She puts her hands on her hips and lets out a groan as she looks to the sky. “Whyyyyy?”

I swing the passenger door of my truck wide open and nod at my girl. “Get in, drama queen.”

“You wish. My days of climbing in your truck are long gone.”

Is that so? “Well, go on, then, take your chances hitchhiking out here so far from town. Sure hope you don’t end up abducted and put in a box under some creeper’s bed.”

“Oh, fuck off, Hunter.” She stares down at her phone. “Google says it is fine to drive within thirty miles, but to get the vehicle serviced at the soonest possible time thereafter. Looks like I’ll be driving myself to my brother’s. Not in a box.”

I stomp ahead of her and block her way to the Jeep, because there is no way in hell she’s driving that thing all the way to town with the emissions blowing back at her.

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