Sunlight on Cedar Creek, page 6
“Sorry. That came out wrong.”
“This morning, Aunt Minnie and I were a few cars behind you.” She hesitated then found her voice again. “And we saw you—”
It didn’t take him long to figure out what she meant. “With Shelby?” Tyler tried not to smile. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“No! What’s the matter with you? This isn’t middle school.”
“No, it isn’t.” But it feels a lot like it. He didn’t want to argue. She could believe him or not. The whole thing made him want to walk away, but he drew in a breath and exhaled.
She frowned. “The thing is, I thought we were friends.”
“I think we are friends.” Tyler proceeded with caution. “Are you saying I betrayed that by giving Shelby a ride?”
“Is that what they’re calling it nowadays?”
Tyler leveled an annoyed look at her. “Yes.” Until now, he had been fairly calm, but she was testing his patience. “I gave her a ride in my truck.”
“That’s okay. I don’t need the details.”
“Oh? I think you do.” He took a moment to calm himself. “Whatever sordid liaison you’re imagining never happened.”
She didn’t reply. She didn’t have to. Her disapproval filled the air. Heck, it practically displaced the oxygen.
“Not that you deserve an explanation, but this morning, I was driving to work. As you know, the main road that runs through town is not exactly pedestrian friendly. I saw your friend Shelby walking, so I pulled over and asked if she needed a lift. Her face was red and puffy, like she’d been crying. I didn’t ask. I offered her a napkin, and when we hit the red light by the diner, she thanked me and hopped out of the truck. End of story.”
Zoey stared at her lone earbud and frowned. “So… you were just being nice?”
He scoffed. “Yeah.”
She shook her head. “I thought—”
“Oh, I know what you thought.”
Zoey’s eyes flitted toward him.
“But just for the record, I’m allowed to have a social life.”
Zoey looked offended. “I never said that you weren’t. I told you I wasn’t jealous.” She practically sneered.
“Got it.” Tyler didn’t even try to suppress the grin that followed.
Zoey let out an indignant laugh. “Oh my gosh! Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Why not? Somebody’s got to, and it’s obviously not going to be you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think we’re done here.” He got to his feet and turned back to the stage door. “Now we’re just bickering.”
“We are not!”
Tyler managed a smile, but he was sure his exasperation showed through. There was nothing more to say. Or if there was, he was too weary to say it.
7
The plaster needed to dry overnight, so they were done for the day. With the afternoon off, Zoey told her aunt she felt like walking home. That gave her a good half hour to agonize over Tyler.
He’d been right. She had been jealous. She claimed to not want a relationship, then she’d acted like they had one. But even if they did, she would’ve ruined it by acting petty. I should never have let myself get to this point.
She had been through a similar pattern before. According to her therapist, it had to do with losing her parents. She had some sort of underlying instinct to protect herself from letting others in. If she kept her distance, it wouldn’t hurt as much if she lost them. The thing was, despite her therapist’s suggestion that it might not be healthy, it had served her well enough. Until Tyler.
Her heart had gotten the better of her logic. Then her anxiety, which was always at the ready, stepped in to make a mess of it all.
Zoey heaved a sigh. Tyler must have realized she liked him. Her jealousy had totally exposed her. She wanted more than friendship but couldn’t seem to let herself have it. Not that he would have anything more to do with her after the Shelby fiasco. Problem solved. No more Tyler.
It’s for the best. Or it would be. Eventually. When her heart stopped taking flight every time she looked into his eyes, she would be glad it was all in the past.
It was dusk when Aunt Minnie arrived home. Zoey emerged from her room to touch base.
Aunt Minnie set two bags on the counter. As the two of them unpacked the groceries, her aunt said, “You’ll never guess what happened after you left.”
After spending a miserable afternoon trying to forget about Tyler, Zoey wasn’t in the mood for guessing games, so she waited.
“One of our faithful theater patrons popped in unannounced. Walt Whitmer.”
“Isn’t that a poet?”
“Walt Whitman. I’ll bet he gets that a lot. Anyway, he’s one of our regular volunteers.” A spark lit up her eyes. “I think he might have a soft spot for me.”
Zoey offered her aunt a polite smile.
“So, he looks around and asks what’s going on with all the fresh plaster. Then he tells me he used to be a painter—houses, not art. He said he’s still got his equipment, then he offers to paint the whole lobby.”
“Oh, wow.”
“He’s got one of those power spray things, so he said it would go pretty fast.” Aunt Minnie shrugged. “So he’s going to paint, and you’ve got the week off.”
“But won’t Walt need some help?”
She shook her head. “He said he works solo. So I’m making him lunch and, if he plays his cards right, maybe dinner.” She grinned.
Zoey loved her aunt, but the thought of her canoodling with Walt—or anyone, really—made her queasy. “Okay. Well, that gives me a week to take care of some things I’ve been putting off. Like looking for a job.”
Aunt Minnie looked sympathetic. “As soon as business picks up at the theater, I can pay you for what you do around there.”
Zoey held up her hand in protest. “Free rent’s a pretty good deal.”
Aunt Minnie huffed. “Rent? Don’t be silly. This is your home.” She gave Zoey a loving smile. “We’re family. We’re helping each other. That’s what families do.”
Zoey blinked away a tear then helped her aunt prepare dinner.
Her week off was nearly over. She hadn’t landed an interview, let alone a job. Cedar Creek was not only a small town but a remote one. The teachers were lifers, and most of the businesses were small family-run operations with a reliable workforce made up mostly of family and close friends. Telecommuting might be a great option, but nothing had panned out on that front.
She set her laptop on the kitchen table and clicked her favorite job-hunting bookmark but decided to make coffee instead. The coffee grinder had barely stopped when the doorbell rang. Zoey looked at her watch. It was about time for one of Aunt Minnie’s online shopping deliveries. She went to the front door and looked through the peephole. Tyler?
Zoey wished she hadn’t spent her time off pining over Tyler, but she had. She just wanted to get over him. It would help if you’d leave me alone so I can stop liking you. But deep down, she was happy to see him. She opened the door.
He looked serious. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Can we talk?”
She should have mustered a “no,” but instead, she stepped aside and gestured for him to come in. “Sure. Want some coffee? I was just making a pot.” That bought her time to regain her composure.
“Okay.” He sat down at the kitchen table.
When she was finished, she set down his mug and a carton of half-and-half. “Cream, no sugar?”
Tyler flashed that smile that always gave her butterflies. “You remembered.” He poured it into his coffee and handed back the carton.
Zoey joined him, and they both took a drink from their mugs.
With no warning, he set a small box on the table and slid it toward her.
“What’s this?”
“Earbuds.”
“But—” At a loss for words, she shook her head slowly.
“It was kind of my fault, so there you go. Good as new—because they are new.”
“They’re more expensive than the ones I lost.”
Tyler shrugged. “Yeah, well, I thought about keeping one for myself since, technically, I just caused you to lose one. But I was in a generous mood.” His eyes sparkled.
“Tyler, that was so… nice.” Her voice caught in her throat. She was genuinely moved.
He looked at her strangely. “They’re just earbuds.”
Embarrassed, Zoey looked down. “I know, but outside of my family, no one’s ever given me ‘just earbuds.’” Or anything else, for that matter.
He peered at her as though she were some sort of fascinating newly discovered specimen. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what? You just did something really nice. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He took another sip of coffee then set down the mug. With a nod toward her laptop, he said, “I can see I caught you in the middle of something, so I’ll let you get on with your day.”
Zoey wanted to protest and invite him to stay, but she couldn’t find the right words. She felt awkward. She had since he’d first shown up at the door. After a week of doing her best to convince herself that any feelings she had for Tyler weren’t romantic, he’d walked in and destroyed all her progress.
She rose and walked him to the door. Once there, he paused and turned to face her. “I missed you.” He gazed deeply into her eyes.
That was all it took to pierce her emotional force field. “I missed you too.”
“Good.” With a satisfied smile, he turned and left.
Good? And what’s that supposed to mean? But the anxiety spinning her thoughts lost out to the words her heart had needed to hear. He missed me. The thought filled her with uncontrollable joy. He missed me!
The following Monday, Zoey returned to the theater and was delighted by the sight of the fresh paint. Her heart raced when Tyler arrived, and he joined her in admiring the finished product.
She scanned the walls. “You can’t even see where we plastered.”
“That’s how it should be.”
Aunt Minnie emerged from her office. “I thought I heard voices. So, what do you think?”
“It looks great,” Tyler said.
“Look what we did!” Zoey couldn’t stop smiling, although that wasn’t solely because of the paint job.
Tyler turned to Aunt Minnie. “What’s next?”
Aunt Minnie winked. “You are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?”
Tyler shook his head. “One of my goals when I moved here was to contribute to the community. It’s my new home. Besides, work is therapeutic for me.”
Aunt Minnie patted his shoulder. “You have a gift for making me feel like I’m doing you a favor.”
“You are!” He grinned.
“Then what I’m about to say is going to disappoint you. I’ve reached a stopping point.” She paused as if deciding whether to go on. “Moneywise. In a month or so, we should have enough income in the theater account to proceed. But for now, we’re on a hiatus.”
Tyler nodded. Having looked at the books, Zoey wasn’t surprised.
Aunt Minnie took in a deep breath and exhaled. With a smile, she said, “So why don’t you two go do something fun for a change?”
Zoey got the distinct impression that her aunt meant together. She liked the idea, but then the anxiety gripped her. She looked anywhere but at Tyler.
Aunt Minnie glanced at her watch. “Well, I better go. I have a Zoom meeting with my broker.” With that, her aunt turned and went back to her office.
Her broker? Zoey mumbled, “I didn’t know she had a broker.” She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“It makes sense, though,” Tyler said. “A woman her age—old enough to retire—is bound to have stashed a little nest egg away over the years.”
“I guess.” She stared blankly at her aunt’s office door.
Tyler let out an exaggerated sigh. “I’d really hate to disappoint your aunt.”
“Then don’t.” What is he talking about?
He acted relieved, but there was something about the look in his eyes that made Zoey suspect he was up to something. Then he proved it. “So we’re both on the same page.”
“Are we?”
“Yes. We’re going to do something fun.”
“We are?”
Tyler lifted his palms. “Well, yeah. For Aunt Minnie.” He grinned. “Having fun doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”
“I guess not, but—”
“Good. I’ll drive.”
“Works for me. I don’t have a car.”
Before she had time to comprehend what he was doing, he took her hand and headed for the door.
“Wait. Where are we going?”
Tyler kept walking. “It’s too early for lunch. And we’ve already done the picnic thing. We wouldn’t want to get into a rut.”
She blinked. “No, I guess not.”
He pulled out of the parking lot, drove down the road a half mile, then pulled into the bagel shop. “Be right back. Don’t drive away without me.”
“Okay.”
He returned a few minutes later with a bag and two coffees. As he hopped into the truck, he said, “Okay, maybe we are in a rut, but I like food. Besides, this is breakfast—totally different from a lunch picnic.”
“As long as there’s coffee, I have no complaints.”
“Good.” He put his hand on hers for a moment.
It was barely a touch, but it felt like so much more to Zoey. She liked it. No, she loved it. And yet she wasn’t prepared for the surge of overwhelming emotions. It wasn’t Tyler’s fault. He’d done nothing wrong. The poor guy had no clue that she was a walking bundle of anxiety. She had never gotten so close to anyone in a relationship. She’d had a couple of flings in college, but those had been different. Those guys had been attractive, but she had never felt especially invested emotionally. They’d been more of a chemical thing. It was when her heart got involved that her anxiety grabbed hold and took over. It was to Tyler’s credit that they’d made it so far together.
He parked the truck. “Here we are.”
“Where?” She looked up to see they’d stopped at the base of a slope. She’d been so consumed by her thoughts that it hadn’t even registered that they’d been driving uphill.
“I’m sure it must have a name, but I don’t know what it is. We might even be trespassing. So if anyone comes out with a shotgun, run for the truck.”
“What? Let’s just go.”
Tyler laughed. “I’m kidding. A guy in the bagel shop told me about this.”
“Some random guy in the bagel shop told you to drive up here?”
Tyler’s eyes shone when he smiled, so much so that Zoey barely cared if he gave her an answer. “Well, I asked where I could find the best view around here. When I explained you were with me—”
“Me?”
“Well, I said there was a pretty woman involved.”
Pretty?
“And he said to try here. He owns that farm over there.” Tyler grabbed the bag and his coffee then hopped out of the truck. He surveyed the landscape. “There it is.”
“There what is?”
Tyler’s eyes twinkled. “Our destiny?” Before she could ask him to explain, he winked. “Or a path. He said it was next to a gnarled apple tree. And there it is.”
They hiked about a quarter of a mile up to a tree stump that seemed to have been placed there for sitting and taking advantage of the spectacular view. Below, Cedar Creek sparkled in the daylight as the sun wound its way through the hills.
Zoey inhaled sharply. “Oh, wow!”
“Yeah. Remind me to frequent that bagel place more.”
They sat down on the stump, and Tyler handed her a bagel.
Zoey took a sip of coffee as she took in the view. “It’s perfect,” she whispered.
“Your coffee?” His mouth twitched at the corners.
“This moment. The view.”
“I’m glad.”
Tyler was staring at her. She could feel the full weight of his eyes on her, but she kept her eyes straight ahead.
From the corner of her eye, she saw his head turn to look back toward the valley. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
The butterflies started. That fluttering feeling would turn to churning uneasiness. She did her four-count breathing.
“I hoped bringing you someplace spectacular might help my cause.”
His cause? She couldn’t help herself. She faced him. His expression was so vulnerable that she nearly forgot her anxiety and instead felt the need to reassure him. “Why would you need to do that?”
“Because I’m lost. I don’t know where I stand with you.” He gazed into her eyes. “But I want to.”
Zoey’s heart swelled. Then the familiar fear gripped her. But she had a gut feeling that it was her chance. If she didn’t face up to her feelings, she might never get another. She wasn’t even sure what to say, but she just hoped it would come out the right way.
Zoey inhaled slowly. “We might not have painted a clear enough picture, Aunt Minnie and I. I’m not high-strung. It’s clinical—as in therapist, psychiatrist, and three medications. Even then, I’m not always quite right. Usually, I’m okay.”
Zoey looked out at the beautiful view, barely taking it in. She stole a quick look at Tyler. He was listening. He didn’t look horrified yet. That was a good sign. “I’ve never had a meaningful, long-term relationship. When things get close, I get overwhelmed… and I panic.” She glanced at him. “Like right now.”
Tyler nodded as though he understood, which was impossible. She didn’t understand it herself. But she couldn’t stop there. “There’ve been a few times I thought things might work out, but I couldn’t.”
“Couldn’t what?”
She felt the tears coming. Not now. “I couldn’t open up. My feelings just sort of shut down.”
“Did you explain this to any of them?”
“No!” That came out too emphatically, so she tried to calm down. “I’ve never told anyone. Until now.” She forced herself to look at him. “Until you.”
