Page 28 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

“Yep. I think it’s dry.”

“You could have told me I wouldn’t have to touch it.” We spoke to each other, facing the mirror.

“And lose an opportunity to make you suffer?” She quirked her eyebrow on her uninjured side. “No way.”

“You have less than ten to be on your call.” I pointed at the creepy kitty clock on the wall. “Why do you even have that clock?”

“It was my Grandma Anne’s.” She wiped the makeup off her eye and began reapplying. “That’s always the answer. This house is a shrine to those who’ve lived here before us.”

This dug at my soul … at least it would have if I had one. I’d sacrificed it long ago after my first time buying land out from under ma and pop farmers.

“We need a bumper crop this year, or I’m going to lose it all.”

Her soft words were slivers to my skin. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. “Are you being forced to sell?”

“With Papa’s medical bills … and a couple of hard years of drought? It’s going to be tough.”

Now was my chance. I could throw my offer on the proverbial table and finish my charade. Something told me she’d say no and to go to ‘H-E double hockey sticks.’ And, I grudgingly admitted, part of me wasn’t ready to leave Angie and this place forever.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

I let the moment pass and cleared my throat. “The key is to act like you don’t care if Smoot is in your life. It’s the same dynamic as friends in high school. The more you act like you didn’t care if they were your friends or not, the more they clambered to be one.”

The mascara brush in Angie’s grip stilled, and pained emotions flickered over her features. Took me less than a second to guess what kind of high school experience she’d had. I pictured Angie facing a crowd of her jeering peers. Nausea, having nothing to do with the sight of blood, settled in my stomach. Shit-for-brains kids. If I could time travel, I’d set her childhood bullies back a few paces.

“Well. I guess I can give it a try.” She went back to applying her makeup, but a trace of a shadow remained.

Chapter 10

Angie

Ipacedinthesitting room off the front entry. We’d closed the glass French doors, shutting out the soft background noise of Mama and Papa’s show. I leaned forward so I could see the faint glow of the television on their faces. They’d passed out on their La-Z-Boys like usual before Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler found the perpetrator, which made this the perfect time for a FaceTime call.

I stood and adjusted the chair into the back corner and sat back down. Remi had removed the pastel kitty art and moved a plant into the corner. Now you couldn’t tell I lived in a broken-down, old farmhouse riddled with the ghosts of my ancestors.

Remi had coached me in the field today while I helped him move the sprinkler pipe. I supervised him more than I helped.

My phone rang.Go time.

In one deep breath, I swiped up on the green telephone icon. In a split second between ‘answering’ and ‘hello,’ I panicked. What was I thinking? I couldn’t do this. At the sound of his voice, I shoved the phone in the chair.

Hello, Angie?Daniel’s muffled voice sounded from under my cushion.

“I can’t do this.” I mouthed to Remi.

Are you there?

An instant later, Remi’s lips were next to my ear, his breath tickling goosebumps along the left side of my body. “Then give up and prove me right.”

Remi leaned back, and I met the quirk of his lips with a determined glare. I yanked the phone out from under the cushion, softening my features. “Sorry, I dropped my phone. Hey, Daniel.”

“Wow.” Daniel opened his eyes wide behind his thick, black-rimmed glasses. “What happened to your head?”

I touched my forehead and looked at my fingers. Blood. I must have reopened the wound when I glared at Remi. “Oh, I hit it on …” Remi held up his finger while he scribbled on a notebook with his Sharpie marker. He flipped the paper around, his face as pale as ever. I squinted my eyes and spoke as I read. “… a rock while I rappelled off a sick cliff this morning.” My voice came out robotic. This was off to a great start.

Daniel must think I was such an imbecile. We should have thought this through better. Behind the phone screen, Remi slapped his hand on his forehead and started scribbling again, pausing only to pass me a tissue, strategically keeping his eyes down. It amazed me how much the sight of blood affected him, and I reveled in the fact I could hold this over him in the days to come. I pressed it to my wound.

“Ouch.” Daniel’s voice came out hesitant like he suspected a prank or something.

---