Page 38 of Needing More
"Okay, lunch is ready," she called out.
Within seconds she felt the three men behind her as she filled each plate with the large burrito and pan-fried potatoes and rosemary.
"Fuck this looks good," Hayden grumbled appreciatively as he took his plate and sat down at the dining table in the next room.
Joel made a noise of agreement as he took his plate and kissed her on the side of the neck.
Smiling, Sapphire turned to the last Heathen and handed him his full plate without meeting his eyes. She knew he was watching her; she could feel his gaze on her skin, like a chemical reaction making her heart quicken.
Handing him the plate, she quickly turned and reached shakily across the stove for the last plate sitting on one of the unused burners. Sliding the plate under her fingertips, she lowered her arm over the skillet.
The sear of scalding heat was immediate against her wrist. With a cry, she pulled back from the edge of the hot skillet.
The clatter of noise around her was immediate. Chairs screeching across the floor, silverware clinking, and plates clattering down with abandoned care.
Vic's hands were around her, pulling her to the sink while Hayden was opening up the old fridge's top-door freezer and pulling out a handful of ice cubes.
Flipping on the water, Vic pulled her wrist underneath the cool spray.
"Here, use this," Joel said, handing Hayden a clear Ziploc bag. "I'll go get the first aid kit. Still in the bathroom?" he called out.
Vic didn't take his eyes off her as he answered. "Yeah."
With the ice already in the bag, Hayden came to her other side on the sink and held the bag out. Like nurses working in perfect tandem, Vic traded her off to Hayden as he pressed the cold bag to her arm.
Sapphire grimaced at the blistering cold feel against the hot wound.
"Here, wrap it in this." Vic offered a nearby dishtowel.
As Hayden wrapped the ice pack in the towel, Joel was walking back in holding a small red first-aid kit.
"Guys, it's not that bad," she finally managed, using the first break in the small whirlwind of fussing to speak.
Holding her arm as if she was hooked to an IV tube and not simply an ice pack, Hayden guided her to the dining room table and placed her in the end seat at the head of the table while Vic carried his and her plate in with him. With Hayden on her right side and Vic on the other, Joel sat down next to Vic.
"Here," Vic lifted a fork speared with glistening potato chunks to her mouth. "Take a bite."
Sapphire wanted to say something, to tell them this wasn't necessary. With Hayden examining her burn, as if he was a doctor, and Vic's blatant need to do something for her, she didn't have the heart to disturb the atmosphere with her protests. Especially since Hayden didn't seem to mind or notice Vic's actions. Glancing up at Joel, she frowned at his knowing smirk and flash of dimples within his golden beard.
Sapphire obediently opened her mouth and accepted the food Vic held out for her.
Between eating all the leftovers and demolishing the simple lemon pound cake, feeding Krrsantan his portion, cleaning up the dishes, and dressing her one inch burn in the biggest Band-Aid known to mankind the guys finally left her once again for the remainder of their tasks outside.
Without the chore of cooking, Sapphire was a little lost on what to do now. Though badly painted and a little beat up, the house was very spartan in furnishings making it kind of impossible for clutter to build up anywhere. Besides the neatly stacked pile of papers at the other end of the dining table that Vic used as a desk, there wasn't much else to really see.
Walking to the back mudroom that also served as a laundry room, Sapphire stopped in front of the basket of clothes sitting on top of the old dryer. Picking up a shirt, she tentatively smelled it. It was clean. Picking through a few more, she realized they all were. She leaned her hips against the cold metal of the machine and began to grab each article of clothing and folded it as she stared out the windows to the large back yard and barn beyond. Shadows moved in the barn as the three men worked sorting out what looked to be large bags and different plastic containers. Earlier Hayden mentioned that they were getting the processing portion of the barn ready so that when the time came they could easily sort and bundle the lavender which would cut down production time.
She smiled. They were working so hard on this place. The way Joel and Hayden talked it felt like just as much their farm as Vic's. She wondered if he noticed that too.
A chime from her phone pulled her attention back to reality and she pulled the phone from her pocket and sighed at the message.
Mom: I know you got my last message. Call me.
This was the third message she got demanding that she call her and Sapphire knew she wasn't going to be able to hold off much longer. Dread crawled up her back and wrapped itself around her shoulders like an unwanted shawl each and every time she got one of the texts. Years of dealing with her mother gave her a certain level of intuition when it came to dealing with Jennifer Waters.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Sapphire pressed the call-back button before she could talk herself out of it.
"About time you called me back."
