Page 59 of Stay for Me
“Tractor pull. It’s where tractors are suped up and try to pull a heavy sled as far as they can.”
“That sounds . . .”
“Country?” I finish for her.
She laughs. “Just not something I’ve ever heard of.”
“Really? Your dad did it.”
Melanie’s jaw falls slack. “He did?”
“Yeah, he was great at mechanics, and he put a ton of work into his tractor. I’m surprised he didn’t talk about it.”
“Dad didn’t talk much about Sugarloaf. He was gone a lot, and when he was home, we were really his focus.”
“It sounds like how it should’ve been,” I say.
Melanie shrugs. “I guess.”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
“I just, I feel like all these stories about him from when he was younger don’t really make sense. It’s nothing like the guy I knew. He was a pilot, disciplined, and super boring. He loved me and Sebastian, but he loved to fly the most. When he wasn’t flying, he was preparing for it. I don’t know . . .”
“You feel like you didn’t know him that well?” I guess.
She pulls her red hair to the side and starts to braid it. “I knew what he wanted me to know.”
“Is it like that with your mom?”
Melanie laughs softly. “No, definitely not. Mom is an open book. She tells us about when she was a kid and what it was like growing up in Minnesota.”
I wonder why Luke didn’t talk about his childhood. It’s not like he grew up the way I did. His parents were more than loving, and from what I remember, he didn’t want for much. Sure, he most likely had to help around the farm, but most of us did.
“Well, if there is anything you want to know, I’ll do my best to fill you in, but you might just want to talk to your grandparents about him,” I suggest.
“I bet they’d like that.”
I smile. “I bet they would. I know when my mom died, my brothers and I would sit around and tell stories about her. It helped us feel like she wasn’t really gone.”
A few seconds later, Sebastian rushes in. We talk about the play, and he’s going a mile a minute about how excited and grateful he is that I gave him the part he wanted.
“I promise I won’t let you down,” he promises.
“I know you won’t.”
The few kids who got the major roles all earned it. They clearly took this seriously and worked really hard to impress me. I followed Noah’s advice to trust my gut, and I knew within the first two minutes of each audition which character the kid would be best as.
“I’m ready,” Brenna announces as she enters the room, and my mouth goes dry.
Holy fucking shit.
She’s wearing a white top and a jean skirt. It’s simple. It’s nothing that is even remotely trying to be sexy, but on her . . . it’s like a million-dollar dress. The fabric clings to her in all the right places. Her hair, which is pulled to the side, is slightly curled at the bottoms, and her eyes—Jesus, they’re like sapphires shining in the light.
“Great,” I croak out and get to my feet.
She smiles softly. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
