"That woman sure is taking her time," dad huffed, leaning his hands on the kitchen counter. I had my elbows leaning on the island, iced tea in one hand with the other wrapped around my forearm. We were talking about Kiersten, the lady from the corner store.
"Oh hush! It's not like she owes us anything!" Mom shooed dad off, fanning him with an oven mitt as she passed by. I smiled, watching mom open the oven to check on the pizza. Jo Auden had been kind enough to find a couple pieces of leftover pizza in her freezer for us to eat. It was Logan's idea and Jo was mortified to provide us with, "such an unwelcoming first meal", but dad was hungry, and pizza is pizza.
"I still think she'll come by," I shrugged, simply trying to add to the conversation. Mom gave me a look, as did dad. Logan had left after we finished unloading the boxes upstairs. The boxes only took about an hour but I feel like I've known him for years already. I learned his girlfriend's name is Sarah. Apparently, she lives in Ohio.
Sounded like one of those "you don't know her, she doesn't go to our school" girlfriends to me, but I won't judge. Either way, it was a surefire way to sizzle any chance of romance between us. I wasn't really bothered by it. Besides the original flustered meeting, I was content to find my later attraction to him wasn't even worth mentioning. So what he's got abs?
"Whether she stops by or not, I don't care. I'll still be friendly with her at her corner store. Plus, she could've forgotten! I've done that once or twice, you know. It's a very mom thing to do," mom reasoned. She brought a plate down to the oven rack and slid a piece of pizza onto it, handing it to my dad. I received my piece next. It was veggie pizza. Not my favorite, I'll admit, but it was better than starving and I sure would choose veggie over sausage and black olive (the only other option). Mom was eating the veggie pizza, too. My dad, of course, had the sausage one.
"Well of course, Cher, same here. I'm just saying it's a bit rude to say you're going to stop by and then never show up!" dad pointed out. I laughed at him, finally realizing why he was so uptight about this. It really wasn't a big deal. If Kiersten couldn't make it, it didn't make any difference in the world to me.
"You're just upset because you think there's some big mystery in the woods that you're going to solve," I jabbed, sending dad a knowing glance. Dad's face scrunched up in utter deflection.
"I do not. Don't you have a pizza to eat?" He tried changing the subject, but all it did was have me run my tongue over my teeth.
"Aha! I'm right! You wanna know what's in those woods!" I exclaimed. My finger was pointing right at him, guilty as charged. Dad gave me that look.
"What's in the woods?" mom asked innocently.
"We don't know, that's the problem. And, you know, Nelly, I'm sorry I want to know what kind of danger my daughter will be putting herself in when she goes frolicking in those woods like a damned fairy!" He was teasing me; it was obvious in his tone. It had me laughing at him.
"I'm not a fairy!" I defended. "I just like hanging out with trees!" Dad smiled at me and sent me a wink as he bit off a huge chunk of pizza. He had to chew it like a chipmunk. His cheeks were filled with so much pizza I thought it might fall out of his mouth.
"If there's something bad in there you better not go in those woods, Nel," Mom scolded. I tilted my head to the side in agony, starting to open my mouth, but she stopped me. "Ah, ah, ah," she tsked her finger, "I don't want to hear it, missy."
"Okay, okay, Cher, I'm sure it's not that bad. We're probably getting ourselves worked up for nothing." Dad took my side. I sent him an approving nod, watching him send one back to me. Mom looked at the two of us and shook her head disappointingly. I only smiled at her. A big, cheesy smile most likely filled with pizza remains.
"No one has told you about the woods yet?" Logan suddenly spoke, walking into the kitchen on his own. We all were a little taken back at the intrusion.
"Logan! What are you doing back here?" mom asked. She was all flustered. After he left earlier, she wouldn't shut up about him. Telling me he was a catch and that I should be "pouncing on" as soon as possible. I only laughed at her, because I knew it would never happen. I don't want to ruin friendships here by dating someone simply because I've been told I should.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Your front door was open, so I let myself in... hope that's okay. My mom hated the thought of you eating our old pizza so she had me bring over these strawberries. They're from our garden." Logan smiled, placing a cute teal-blue container of baby strawberries on our counter.
"It's quite alright! You're welcome any time." Mom stopped walking to send me a very noticeable wink. I sent her a deadly look. "That's so sweet! Are you the gardener?" she asked, picking up the strawberry container and examining the contents. Logan crossed his hands in front of him, holding them together.
"No," Logan laughed. "I don't have the patience. It's my mom and sister," he answered. Mom nodded. I furrowed my eyebrows with a smile.
"The one that's away?" mom questioned. Logan nodded. "What's her name? I don't think anyone has mentioned it." Mom opened the fridge and placed the strawberries on the first shelf she saw. The only other thing in it was a pitcher of iced tea, courtesy of Jo Auden.
"Oh, her name is Avery. She's away on... business," Logan explained further, hesitating a little. Mom nodded. I was intrigued. Avery is younger than Logan, I wonder why Logan isn't working.
"Do you work?" I asked randomly. I don't think I meant to have that come out, but it did, and there was no taking it back, so I stood firm with my question. Logan turned to me a little confused.
"Yeah, sort of. I mean, I have honest work here. Tending fields, fixing up homes, stuff like that. Our neighbors pay pretty since they've known me so long," he shrugged. I nodded, happy to hear of the generosity of the locals.
"Arthur, didn't you say there was something in our room you wanted to look at? Something about a sink?" mom asked suddenly. My dad looked at her with one eyebrow scowling and the other raised to the roof. She sent him a look and suddenly he was nodding, acting like he remembered what she was talking about.
"Oh! That's right! We better go check on that sink," dad said in return. Mom nodded and looked at me for barely a second before the both of them hurried off. I slumped against the counter, knowing exactly what they were trying to do. I scoffed humorously.
"They think we're going to suddenly hit it off and start dating," I said once my parents were out of the room. Logan snorted and flickered his eyes around my face for a minute.
"Do they?" he mused. I rolled my eyes playfully, landing them with a small smile.
"Yup... You're a little old for me, though, no offense." I tried to speak the last part a little softer, but there wasn't any sign of hurt on his features, so I relaxed.
"None taken. I'd have to let you down, anyway. I already found the love of my life, I told you about her earlier." He crossed his arms over his chest. His shoulder was leaning up against the side of the fridge. One of his legs was crossed over the other, like that typical cowboy pose you see on western movie posters.
"Yeah, I remember. Sarah, right?" He nodded. I didn't miss the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. I thought she might've been fictional before, but judging by the way he was acting at just the mention of her name, maybe I was wrong. "So, did you go to college?" I asked, seeing a dead end with our previous topic. Logan raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, uh, no, I didn't. I probably should have but... you know," he paused to shrug, "it is what it is." He looked a little sad. I squinted my eyes slightly at him and decided to drop that subject, too. I did have an opinion on whether going to college was a good or bad idea, but I knew now was not the time to preach to someone four years older than me.
"That's cool. What about your sister?" I asked, honestly not meaning to bring her up at all.
"Who, Avery?" he asked. I nodded. Logan let out a breathy laugh, turning his head to gaze out of our back windows for a moment. "Yeah, my mom made her. She uh... she's pretty wild. Not in a bad way, but nobody expected her to graduate. Thought maybe she'd get herself killed with all the crazy shit she does." I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh yeah? Like what?" I prodded. I folded my hand into a fist and rested my chin on it as I gave Logan my full attention. Logan scratched the back of his neck and looked to the floor.
"Gosh, uh, it's more a question of what she hasn't done, honestly. Let's see..." He returned his eyes to mine. "Last month she randomly decided to get scuba certified, the month before that she was on this skydiving bender... went off-trail on a snowboard in the alps last winter... it's insane stuff like that. She's big on surfing, snowboarding... honestly anything that involves adrenaline." Logan threw his hands into the air in a shrug. By the end of his description, I was smiling. I don't know why I was so fascinated. I just was... and I wanted to hear more.
"Mmm... I see... So, then, is she really away on business or are you just covering for her latest adventure?" I pried. Logan's expression didn't change. The only difference was a little tug at the edges of his lips. He let out a chuckle before he answered me.
"Sort of? I don't know. My mom was supposed to go, it was this meeting thing but her back was acting up so she didn't want to travel. Avery insisted on going instead... I'm just afraid she blew the meeting off to surf. It was on the coast of California, where the surf is the best." Logan gave an expression of grief. It softened into some sort of reminiscence that had me smiling.
"She sounds like fun," I admitted. It was a surprise to hear Avery had a wild side. I thought from the mention of her helping her mom in the garden that she would be rather plain.
"Oh yeah, that she definitely is." Logan snorted in agreement. I hummed and gave him a rabbit like smile, showing my amusement.
The silence between us was growing a little awkward. I wasn't sure what to say, and I could tell Logan probably wanted to leave. The quiet didn't last for long, though, because as Logan was opening his mouth, our doorbell rang. It echoed through our halls and made me jump. We didn't have a doorbell back in North Carolina.
Mom started hurrying down the stairs, faster than I could even process there was someone at the door. Logan and I peeked our heads down the hallway, watching my mom smooth her skirt before opening the door.
"Kiersten!" we heard her practically sing. I watched Logan tense up, but as if he could sense my eyes on him, he met my gaze and suddenly relaxed his shoulders. Then, the both of us started walking to the door. I came to stand next to my mom, while Logan decided to lean on our banister. Kiersten was standing on our porch, with another woman hidden behind her.
"Hi Cherry, sorry it's taken us so long to get over here. Is it too late? I can come back tomorrow," Kiersten apologized. My mom furiously shook her head and opened the door wider, inviting the corner store owner in.
"No, no!" my mom rushed. "Come in, come in. We're all night owls, anyway." Kiersten smiled at her and stepped into our home with the other girl following lazily behind. I was kind of thrown off by this new girl's appearance. Unlike Kiersten, her eyes shot directly to Logan, holding some intense staring contest with him for longer than necessary. Her eyes were so vibrant, though. The same electrifying blue as Kiersten's, but I swear hers were brighter.
"Great! Oh, Nelly, this is my daughter, Keating," Kiersten papped happily, grasping Keating by her bicep and pulling her forward. This girl looked tough. She had this gorgeous, silky red hair that cascaded past her shoulders in waves. I wasn't surprised to find her wearing a brown leather jacket and combat boots. She looked like a textbook bad girl, but something about her was almost soft.
"Hi, I'm Nelly," I greeted politely, holding my hand out for her to take. Keating looked a little taken back, but eventually came around and took my hand.
"Hey," she greeted in return, shaking my hand firmly. When I looked down, I was real surprised to find her nails painted a pretty pastel pink. From first glance I would've expected something more hardcore, like black or a dark red.
"Anyway, we-" Kiersten paused as her head bobbed because she finally caught sight of Logan. Her head whipped in his direction, looking shocked to find him here. "Logan! I didn't see you there!" Kiersten exclaimed. Logan smiled brightly at her.
"No worries. It's good to see you, Mrs. Holly," he spoke sheepishly. Kiersten scowled and swatted at him with the newspaper in her hand angrily.
"How many times I gotta tell you to call me Kiersten, boy?" I had no idea if she was joking or not, but Kiersten sure got a giggle out of my mom. It's what made Kiersten turn and look at her. "I see you've met the Auden's. Logan here fixes up my roof and furnace from time to time. Saves me a couple bucks not having to hire a professional and you know what? He fixes it just as good, maybe even better," she said.
"Oh, I know! He helped us unpack everything today. We haven't had the privilege of meeting the rest of his family, though, just him and Jo," mom smiled. She folded her hands in front of her and started fiddling with her wedding ring.
"Nice! Anyway, we've got some supplies for you. Just a couple things to keep in your back closet in case you need them," Kiersten said. She turned around and shuffled around on the porch, returning with a box and a... shotgun?
"Woah! Woah, Kiersten! You can't give us a gun! We don't need that!" my mom exclaimed loudly. She was holding her hands out in protest, shaking them frantically as if they would make the gun disappear. Kiersten looked kind of confused, and that's when my dad came running down the stairs.
"What am I hearing about a gun?" he asked as he watched his feet so he wouldn't trip down the steps. At the bottom few stairs he looked up and almost fell over. "That's a shotgun! What the hell are you holding that for?!" he asked. Kiersten, Keating, and Logan all looked between each other, exchanging the same apprehensive glance.
I was enjoying the moment, watching everyone get flustered as I stood there with a smile. A shotgun is quite the "welcome to the neighborhood" gift.
"Oh, trust me, darlin'. There might come a time when you need it livin' this close to the forest." Kiersten pushed the supplies and shotgun towards my mom, who wearily took it. It looked like it physically pained mom to hold that gun, like it was going to fire off at any moment unannounced.
"I see... What's in those woods? Why do they have everybody spooked?" dad asked. My ears perked up. I wanted to hear this, too. Probably more than anybody since I want to explore in there. I bet that trail I saw earlier would be a nice one to use for a run.
"Well, the usual critters. Black bears, cougars, wolverines. They aren't that common up here but there have been sightings. What I'm givin' you that shotgun for, though, are the wolves." Kiersten was pointing at the gun by the end of her line. It had my eyebrows raising in the air.
"Oh, come on, wolves? They don't live around here," dad insisted. He laid his hands on his hips, receiving weird glances from the locals in our home.
"Oh yes they do. They're vicious, and nasty. The gun is just for precaution, but this far inland you probably don't have to worry," she smiled. I glanced at my mom and found her scared shitless. She was looking at Kiersten like she'd seen a ghost, or rather that Kiersten was the ghost.
"Mrs. Holly, you're scaring them for no reason," Logan chimed in. He turned to my mom especially, "You really don't have to worry about the wolves. They're harmless, especially with me next door." He sent her a dashing smile. My mom settled down a little, but the way Kiersten's daughter, Keating, suddenly narrowed her eyes at Logan had her worries acting up again.
"You can never be too careful," Keating spoke slowly, defending her mom. She was still eyeing Logan like she was sending him some secret signal. I was smothering my own smile, twisting my foot around to try to stop myself from laughing at all of them.
"Okay, okay, I think everyone is getting a little too worked up. The Auden's have lived here for years and they haven't had any problem with the wolves, right?" I said, looking to Logan. He nodded proudly in agreement. Keating let out a snort but added nothing else to the conversation. Logan and I both ignored her.
"It's true. They usually don't come this far down the mountain, anyway. We get the occasional black bear, but I've never seen any cougars. The wolves will be the least of your problems, I promise," Logan smiled.
"See, mom?" I motioned to him with my palm facing upwards, "we'll be fine. If Kiersten says we need a shotgun, then take it. Taking it doesn't mean we'll ever have to use it. It's just to be safe." I tried to steer the conversation to resolve. Mom looked at me with soft eyes. After a while, she nodded and loosened her gorilla grip on the gun. My dad walked to her and gently pried her hand off it, so he could take it and stash it somewhere unbeknown to the rest of us.
Before dad left the room, he turned and said, "thank you, Kiersten. It's comforting to know we've got someone looking out for us."
Kiersten nodded in return, with a curt smile designed for business. Dad gave her one last nod before he exited the room, shotgun in hand, holding it like it was meant for him.
"I'm real sorry, Kiersten, I'm not rough and ready like you are. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings or offend you. That wasn't my intention. I hope you won't hold this against me," mom apologized, still a bit flustered. Kiersten let out a loud, full-belly laugh. She even went so far as to clutch her stomach, as if my mom had said the funniest thing in the world.
"No! No, dear! Don't you worry about that. I'm more impressed with your daughter. That was quite the command, Nelly," Kiersten said. I could feel my cheeks getting hot.
"Oh," I chuckled nervously, "it wasn't a command... I was just trying to calm the room..." I reached my arm to scratch at my other. Kiersten only fuzzled her nose at me instead of saying anything else.
"Mom, dinner is probably ready." Keating nudged her mom's elbow. Kiersten looked at her with widened eyes, then slowly nodded.
"Right, well, then. I guess we'll be off! If y'all need anything, know I'm right around the corner." Kiersten winked, sending another brilliant smile my mom's way. Mom returned the gesture, opening the front door for her.
"Bye, Keating," Logan spoke a little teasingly. Keating turned and sent him a glare before following her mother out of our front door.
"Are you guys friends or enemies? I can't tell," I asked Logan after mom shut the door again. Logan chuckled and shrugged.
"Friends. We go at it sometimes, but we're good friends." He smiled to himself. "I better get going, too, though. Hope you both enjoy the strawberries," Logan said as a parting.
"Thank you, honey. Come back anytime," mom offered. Logan nodded, opening our front door again for himself and exiting all the same.
As soon as he was gone, my mom turned towards me with the most devious expression. I threw my head back, already knowing exactly what was going to come out of her mouth.