Page 79 of Keep My Heart
Dad chuckles at Matt calling him that. ‘So what’s this talk about a party?’
‘We’re thinking of having a graduation party for Lyndsay,’ Mom says. ‘She got her associate degree.’
‘Congratulations.’ Dad smiles at her.
‘Thanks, but it was five years ago.’ She laughs. ‘I really don’t need to celebrate.’
‘Chris didn’t throw you a party?’ Matt asks.
‘No, we went to a convention out of town that weekend.’
Matt glances at me.
I keep my focus on Lyndsay. ‘If you don’t want to do this, it’s fine. We can still go out like we planned.’
Lyndsay’s gaze goes to my parents. I can tell she’s strugglingwith what to do. She thinks it’s silly to have a party, but she doesn’t want to disappoint my mom, who seems to really want to do this.
‘If it’s not too much trouble,’ Lyndsay says, ‘then yes, I’d love a party. But I insist on helping with it and I’m sure my mom will want to bring dessert. You know how she loves to bake.’
‘Wonderful!’ Mom claps her hands. ‘I’m going to go call her. It’ll be nice to see her again. It’s been forever since we’ve had a chance to sit down and chat.’
‘Lyndsay, can I talk to you a minute?’ I say.
‘Sure.’
We get up and walk around the side of the barn where my parents can’t see us.
‘Are you really okay with this?’
‘Of course. It’s so sweet of them to offer. I just feel bad making your mom have to go to all that work.’
‘She was going to make dinner anyway and this gives her a chance to have my brothers over and your mom. She wants to do this. You saw how excited she was. And if you want to go out after dinner, just the two of us, the offer’s still open.’
‘Don’t you have to leave early tomorrow?’
‘It doesn’t matter. I can be up late.’
‘Then yeah, maybe, if you’re not too exhausted from working in the fields.’ Her eyes dart down to my arms, then my chest, before returning to my face. Okay, that time she was definitely checking me out, and I even put a shirt on.
‘I should get back out there,’ I say.
‘Yeah.’ She smiles and walks back to the table.
‘Matt!’ I yell at him as I head to the fields. ‘Let’s go!’
‘What was that about?’ he asks as we walk through the orchard. ‘Your little private chat with Lyndsay?’
‘I was just making sure she’s okay with the party. She didn’t even want me taking her to dinner to celebrate. She thought it’dbeen too long since she graduated, but I told her it didn’t matter. She had to have worked her ass off for that degree given how much she struggled in school, and Chris didn’t even let her go to her graduation.’
‘He’s always been a selfish bastard. You know that.’
‘Yeah, but she was his wife. He can’t miss some stupid convention to go to his wife’s graduation? That’s bullshit.’
‘Yeah, well, that’s Chris. He hasn’t changed.’
We’re back at the place where we left off. I pick up the rake and get back to work while Matt moves the ladder to another section of trees.
‘You taking her out later?’ Matt asks.
