The Country Duet(36)
“Excuse me?” Teale plants a hand on her hip, steadying herself to fight back with him.
And the honeymoon is over.
“You heard me. They can’t just leave an old guy alone.”
“Well, maybe if said old guy wasn’t a jackass they might be a bit nicer to you.”
“I wouldn’t have to be a jackass if they wouldn’t bug me.”
“Quit being a jackass.”
Jesus, it’s like listening to three year olds fight in the sandbox.
“Quit being a bossy nurse.”
“No.”
“No.”
“Okay, guys that’s enough.” I stand up, hoping to run some interference.
The two don’t stop, and I’m worried someone is going to lose an eye soon.
Teale sends daggers my way, then a slow smile spreads across her face. “Gotcha.”
Dave’s deep laughter fills the room.
Teale walks over to me. “He didn’t think you’d fall for it.”
Before she has the chance to seal her lips to mine, I pull back. “How?”
“When we were dancing. I whispered into his ear.”
Dave doesn’t understand women…it seems Teale has a way with him just like she does with me.
“Made this for you in class.” I hand Dave the pot even after their funny prank.
His eyes light up. “Right dimensions?”
“Exact,” I reply.
He takes the pot from my hands, admiring the shine of it before testing it out on his walker. It doesn’t work. Dave fiddles with it for several minutes.
“Not going to work.” He throws it to the side of his chair.
“It’s exactly what you asked for,” I reply.
“My measurements must have been off.”
That’s the end of that. Teale goes to open her mouth, knowing how much time I put into it, but I stop her with a quick glance. If Dave says it isn’t going to work, then it’s not going to work.
Chapter 16
Hunter
“I love songs about horses, railroads, land, Judgment Day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtship, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak and love. And Mother. And God.” –Johnny Cash
I let Teale sleep the majority of the trip home. Once we hit Boise, I wake her up to grab some food and make the rest of the way home.
“Enough beauty rest, princess?” I lift Teale back up into the truck.
“I haven’t slept that well in years,” she admits.
“Must be my good driving and your hand that was covering my dick.”
“I was not doing that.”
I pull up the picture on my phone and show her before I begin driving.
Teale rolls her eyes. “Of course, you’d take a picture.”
“Thinking about getting it framed.”
As we fly down the interstate, I point out different landmarks to Teale and places we’ve farmed in the past. Teale’s favorite country playlist of Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, and an assortment of other country songs play. During my high school years, I never liked bringing girls home. Between Mom and my sisters, it seemed to always turn out in a full-blown circus act.
There are no nerves this time. I have a real strong feeling that Teale will be the damn leader in the circus act this go around. I'm just going to have to make sure Mom and Teale don’t make it to the mall. They’ll drain bank accounts with their shopping habits.
“Babe.”
“Yeah.” Teale lifts her head from my shoulder.
My fingers tighten around hers. “If you could do anything you wanted, what would it be? For work.”
“I’ve told you a couple of times that my dreams will never be my reality.”
“Yes, you have, but that’s not an answer.”
“Why do you want to know? You persistent little ass.” She pokes my cheek, trying to get me off topic.
“Fashion. You love clothes and have a unique style. It would be fashion, wouldn’t it?”
The silence settles between us with just music floating around the cab.
“Tell me about it,” I push her on.
“In high school, I was in a couple of fashion design courses. Won a few contests and was going to attend college in Las Vegas. It was my passion.”
I tap the steering wheel, treading lightly with this conversation. “So why nursing?”
“It’s more practical and offers a steady income. High demand in jobs. Fashion was just a dream.”
There are so many more questions I want to hammer her with, but I’m just thankful for the response she gave me. “Thank you.”
We ride the rest of the way in silence. An idea strikes me when I turn down the long lane that leads to my childhood home. My mom started up one of those blogs a few years back. The woman is always into some type of scrapbooking, crafts, and whatever other shit fancies her. She could get Teale hooked on blogging and who knows what it will turn into. I mean there’s a lot of the fashion shit on Mom’s Pinterest boards when I look up her recipes.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with cheese whiz on the top.” Teale sits up, soaking in the house. “This isn’t a house, Hunter.”