Page 12 of The Love You Hate
Nate grimaces. “You’re really not mincing words. Do you know the first thing about gardening?”
I shake my head. “Nope. That’s the point of my redo bucket list. I’m going to do things I’ve never considered before. This grass right here just gave the inspiration to finally make my list a reality.”
“Redo bucket list? What’s on this list?”
I fold my arms across my chest as I recall my claustrophobic life before Gold Hawke. Sure, I had everything and more money than I could spend in seventeen lifetimes, but I was also under a microscope at the same time. Normal, ordinary things are an oddity for me now. “A lot of things. Mostly things I’ve always wanted to do or try and couldn’t because it wasn’t feasible, or I just didn’t have time.”
“Well, it seems we both have nothing but time now. And this garden, you don’t want help? You just want to use my yard?”
I roll my eyes. “Please tell me you’re not some master gardener or something. I’ll throw myself off a cliff if you do that well, too.” I meet his eyes,find him smiling. “Go ahead and list all of the things that you’re good at. The things you excel in so if our coworker-ship continues on, I’m not shocked and angry about your ability to do almost everything.”
Nate licks his lips. “You have it right. Almost everything. That’s a safe assumption.”
“How? The military? That’s why you know how to do…things?”
“Yeah, the military. But I’ve always been interested in a variety of different things. My grandma had a garden when I was a child and I remember helping her weed and water, but I actually don’t have a well of knowledge about gardening. That research is on you.”
“What about roller skating?” I ask.
He chuckles, and winces. “You’re kidding. You want to roller skate?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I have things I need to do. I want to learn to roller skate and then join a roller derby team.” I pause. “I’m sure there isn’t one anywhere close to Gold Hawke, but maybe I could start one.” My stomach flips again at the reminder that I’m trapped here without an escape. The sooner I get used to this place the sooner I’ll be able to live a normal life. Or whatever the hell my new normal resembles.
“That it? A garden and roller derby? You’re gonna get your ass handed to you, you know? Those chicks mean business.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I hand them their ass. There’s only one way to find out. You’re stuck here too,it sounds like. Isn’t there anything you’d like to do? Something you’ve never done? Something that would make your life brighter?”
Nate seems to contemplate my question, running his hand over the railing back and forth. “I’m sure there’s something. Nothing comes to mind at the moment. I’ll think on it tonight and get back to you tomorrow…at work. Coworker.”
Turning I lean against the railing, and study Nate’s profile. When I first saw him at the bakery, he looked all hard lines and bad attitude, but in a new surrounding he doesn’t look so intimidating at all. Nate might not want to kill me, and if he doesn’t want to kill me, he could be a better option than Jake. I shake off the notion. It’s crazy talk. I don’t need a man, I’m just lonely. A friend is what I need and Nate is offering friendship. “So, that’s it? You’re kicking me out? No stiff drink to go with the sunset?”
He levels me with a gaze. “I don’t drink.”
“Oh,” I deadpan. It’s a new world, Presley. Not every person drinks hard liquor or has a bloody blow nose. “Sorry”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. I don’t like the way it makes me feel.”
I furrow my brow. “Weed? We are in Colorado.”
He shakes his head. “That’s worse than alcohol. I like to keep my head out of the clouds.”
I nod. “Noted. What do you do to kick back then?”
“Save girls who tell bad jokes from dogs and sleep. I love sleep.”
His face is stoic and I can’t tell if he’s being serious about the last sentence. Who sleeps for fun? I wish I never had to sleep. It feels like the biggest waste of time in the world. “I hate sleep.”
“That’s not surprising,” he counters. “You strike me as a woman who ishardwiredto run hot twenty-four, seven.”
“I wish. I’ve had a lot of boring nights since moving here. It’s how I made up the redo bucket list. Antenna television only comes in half the time and the internet is the worst.” Clearing my throat, I add, “I made a list. And you shouldn’t call me a girl, by the way. I’m most definitely a woman.”
Nate palms his chest. “My mistake. If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to shower off the day and head to bed early.” He winces, then touches his arm.
I follow him into the house feeling the guiltiest I’ve felt all day. “Thanks for saving me today, Nate. It was quite heroic and I haven’t been able to say I’ve been saved from dogs before. A lot of other wack shit, sure, but never junkyard dogs.”
He sighs as he grabs the laptop on his way into his bedroom. I try to peek in as it’s in a hallway we haven’t walked by yet, but he closes the door. “It’s a mess,” he says, biting his lip. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” Nate leans against the doorframe. “Yes, to the garden, by the way. But I do have a couple of stipulations.”
I clutch my purse that’s slung across my chest. “They better be reasonable.”
