"Dinner's ready!" Mrs Sanders yells up the stairs.
Ashley is standing in front of the bathroom mirror wringing out her hair in the towel, fully dressed, feeling crisp and clean, even though she hadn't changed her clothes. James is sitting on one of the beds, watching her as they talk. It's crazy to him how long it takes for long hair to dry. Ashley puts her towel down and walks out of the bathroom.
"You ready to go?" Ashley asks James. "I'm actually very hungry." She laughs.
"Then let's go eat!" James says adamantly. He walks over and drapes his arm over her shoulder and leads her down the stairs.
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"That was delicious, Mrs Sanders!" Ashley says as she drops her spoon into her now empty bowl. "Thank you!"
"Would you like some more?" Mrs Sanders asks, dipping the ladle back into the pot. Ashley shakes her head. "How about you, Jacob? Surely you can eat more!"
"Oh no ma'am, I don't think I can." James quickly responds. "Thank you so much for the stew though. It was great!"
Hmm, he called her ma'am. Ashley thinks. That was pretty cute. Wait. Did she just think her best friend said something cute? Ugh. Wasn't there anything about this boy that she didn't like? Oh well. That's one reason he's her best friend.
Before either of the kids could jump up to help her, Mrs Sanders had already collected the empty bowls and was taking them to the kitchen sink.
"Want us to help you clean up?" Ashley offers willingly.
"Oh, no thanks, I'll just do it later." She says with a smile. "Besides. Weren't you two going to go down to the barn?" She winks.
"Oh yeah! Come on Ash...er, let's go!" James jumps up from the table, almost saying the wrong name while he was at it.
"The barn is just down the hill. The hay is up in the loft. Just throw down a couple of those small bales and they'll be fine." Mr Sanders says helpfully.
"Okay! Be back soon!" Ashley calls out as they go out the front door.
"Asher." Mr Sanders scoffs as he hears the front door close. "Now what kind of a newfangled name is that? Nice kid to go with it though."
James and Ashley walk down the hill together, holding hands and swinging their arms. They get up to the barn, swing open the huge barn door, and find the ladder to climb up into the loft.
"I like that couple!" Ashley says with a grin. "They remind me of my grandparents."
They find the hay and throw a couple bales down into the field, just like Mr Sanders had said. Suddenly, Ashley looks over and sees James standing super still, staring at something. She walks over to where he is, and suddenly she's staring too.
CITEȘTI
Run. Just Run.
AventurăJames is a typical country boy, growing up in a great home, his closest friend living next door, everything in his world seemingly perfect. But nothing stays perfect for long, as James finds out all too well one day as his whole world changes and th...
