Page 19 of Cozy Girl Fall
More thunder cracked and mud squelched beneath her boots, the fresh smell of rain and trees strangely soothing even as she tried to blink water out of hereyes to see where she was going. The weather had surged so quickly, so unexpectedly, they’d be lucky to make it to the small shop at the front of the orchard, let alone back home.
Ethan shielded her from the rain as they arrived at the door to the shop and Penny fumbled for the keys. The shop wasn’t open every day; she’d only brought the keys with her today so that John, their afternoon harvester, could collect up the apples and leave them in the shop for sorting later.
The rain fell harder, pouring down with a renewed vigor as though it knew they were close to escaping it. Strands of her hair fell about her face in what was probably a wet mess, but all she could focus on was the cool metal in her hands and the heat of Ethan at her back.
A click sounded and the door finally swung open for them to drag the apples inside and then slam the door.
She tried the lights and was unsurprised when they didn’t turn on. It was a fail-safe for storms that their generator cut power to avoid an electrical fire. It was lucky they kept battery-operated lanterns in the store for times like this. Penny was pleased that she remembered where they were, a little dusty but still functional as she flicked the switch on and a warm glow bathed the wooden walls and floor. The counter where her mom normally worked was empty and the ceiling felt lower than usual because the warm light didn’t quite reach the roof.
“I don’t suppose you have a heater?” Ethan said, hair dripping down his face as a shiver ran through him.
“Just blankets,” she managed to get out through chattering teeth. They kept them on hand for the Halloween Orchard Fest; if it was dry, people used them as picnic blankets to sit on, but they also came in handy for drying people off after apple bobbing and keeping the chill at bay for children or the elderly if they stayed outside too long in the cool fall air. Plus, it never hurt to have a stash for situations like this.
“Right,” he said, accepting the tartan one she passed him. “I suppose we should get naked, too.”
Had she been struck by lightning? “What?”
“Our clothes are wet,” he said, and she would have thought he was being matter of fact if not for the twitch of his lips. “If we want to conserve body warmth, we should get naked under the blankets.”
“I think we’ll manage with our clothes on,” she choked out and he chuckled.
“Yeah, I guess.” He sighed in mock disappointment and she laughed, the sound breathless. “Oh hey, there’s a fireplace. Could we get a fire going to dry off?”
Penny considered the hearth, tucked away in the corner behind an armchair that was more decorative than practical, before nodding. Logs were already in the grate with matches and kindling in tidy little containers on the mantle. In all honesty, she’d forgotten the fireplace was here. She could count on one hand the numberof times she’d seen a fire lit in it, but right then some warmth sounded too heavenly to refuse.
The rain continued outside, the rhythmic drumming of droplets on the roof making her eyes feel heavy as the sparks caught in the grate. They sat as close to the fire as possible, nestled comfortably in the blankets.
“OK,” she said, shooting Ethan a stern look as she slipped off her shoes and socks and placed them in front of the fire atop the brick lip of the grate. “Don’t read into this. I just can’t deal with wet socks.”
He laughed. “I remember. You walked home barefoot one summer when we swam in the springs with Tasha because your socks were wet and you refused to put them back on.”
Penny shuddered, the mere thought of forcing her foot into a wet sock enough to make her cringe. “That was a good summer.”
They’d been fourteen, almost fifteen, and it had been one of the hottest summers of their lives. Tasha had convinced them to go swimming with her and, while she was off chatting to some other friends, Ethan had pulled Penny into a little rocky hollow hidden from the view of their friends and kissed her for the first time. He’d tasted like sunscreen and the orange Popsicles they’d taken out of her mom’s freezer. Penny found herself becoming lost in the memory, as though, in the cocooning warmth of the fire and blankets, she could almost feel the ghost of his lips, hesitant against hers.
Ethan nodded, a warmth in his eyes that had nothingto do with the reflection of the fire, and she wondered if he was remembering their first kiss too. The lantern’s glow clad him in a golden wash and his hair had started to curl around his ears where it dried; she swallowed and forced herself to look away, to not trace the shape of his shoulders beneath the damp shirt he wore, or the fullness of his parted lips as he breathed in the warmth. She didn’t want to think about what she looked like right then, but at least her shivering had subsided. Thankfully, the sound of the rain covered any awkward silence that might have otherwise taken over and instead the space felt cozy, safe.
“Thanks for staying to help me,” she murmured, glancing at him and then looking away from the openness on his face and instead watching the fire dance and pop in the grate.
“Of course,” he said, like it was really that simple and she wondered if, for him, it was. He wasn’t mad at her, he even seemedhappythat she was home, so why did she feel like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop? “So, what’s new?”
One eyebrow cocked as she considered the absurdity of the question, of catching upnowof all times. Though, it was probably the best chance they’d get considering she couldn’t run off unless she wanted to be swept away in a flash flood. “Well, I moved back to my hometown.”
Ethan leant back on his hands and wriggled his toes in front of the fireplace. “Moved back? I thought you were just visiting.”
“I am,” she rushed to say. “I just don’t have a firm exit date yet. Probably after Christmas.”
“Do you miss it? The city?”
She fiddled with the sleeve of her sweatshirt and lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. “Honestly? Not really.”
He chuckled and she glanced up to find him watching her. “Is it strange being back?”
“Yes.” No hesitation, no need for her to think about it. “Are you the only one allowed to ask questions here or …?”
He pretended to think about it before smirking at her. “I guess you can ask some too—if you even have any left after last night, stalker.”
She scrambled to her feet, looking anywhere but at him as she blushed, desperate to change the subject. “You know, I think I remember my mom mentioning that they keep a stash of cider under the counter for when she and dad work late in the summer,” she muttered, moving across the room and rummaging beneath the workspace until she pulled open the bottom drawer. “Jackpot. Want one?”
