Page 10 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

Sam stares at me, his eyes narrowed slightly and his lips turned up. “I love them. Walt and I saw them in concert a few days ago.”

“I bet that was a great show.” My heart swells at the idea we have more in common than mud.

He leans toward me. “Second best thing I’ve laid eyes on this week.”

My mouth runs dry, heat rushes to my face, and my stomach does this weird flip thing as I sit here, stunned.

“Let’s get some ice cream.” Sam winks before getting out of the car.

My breath whooshes from my lips as I roll up the windows and cut the engine. If he keeps talking like this, I might need a triple scoop. I meet Sam on the sidewalk, his now easy grin relaxing me, and we step inside to a crowded shop. After ordering our cones, me with butter pecan again and him with mint chocolate chip, Sam agrees to sit outside.

A few moments of silence hang between us before he groans in delight. “I know you said it was good, but this is amazing.”

“Glad you like it.” Pride swells in me, but it only keeps me afloat for a moment before the heaviness of the silence hits me again. “So, Sam, where are you from?”

He eyes me suspiciously, but takes a lick. “Wyoming. Casper, specifically.”

“Oh.” My heart sinks, but I’m not sure why. “That’s a long way to drive for a mud race.”

“Well, I don’t have a whole lot else going on right now.” He rubs the back of his neck. “See, I joined the unemployment ranks at the beginning of summer.”

“Sorry, that sucks.”

He shrugs. “It’s okay. It was just a job at a local hardware store. It wasn’t my career, but it paid pretty well so I saved a bunch of money. So, before I dive back into the job world, I decided to take some time to hang out with Walt this summer.” He sounds sad about that fact, like he’s losing his friendship to a job.

“Cool.” I swirl my ice cream across my tongue. “What all have you guys done?”

Sam’s swallow is audible as I finish my lick. “Uh, nothing too crazy. Other than the Mud Down and the concert, we’ve been hanging out. Doing friend stuff.”

“Do you guys have the same hobbies?”

“Mostly.” He tilts his head from side to side. “We play video games, go to the bar, go to the gym, but he’s into cars and I’m not.”

“Three out of four isn’t bad, though.”

He chuckles. “No, it’s not. Unless he’s dragging me to a car show. He’s been making me go to those things for four years, ever since we turned eighteen. I go because I love the guy, but I spend the whole time checking my watch.”

“That’s about the way I feel when Lisa makes me watch Christmas movies with her.”

“You don’t like Christmas movies?” Sam quirks an eyebrow.

“Not in August.” I exaggerate my eye roll, which has Sam laughing, and the sound sends a thrill through me.

“At least we understand each other’s pain.”

The common sentiment has my cheeks heating, so I nod and lick my ice cream again. Sam’s intent stare makes me smile. When I giggle, it seems to break his trance, and he goes back to his own ice cream. I guess I’m not the only one who needs to cool down.

Sam pops the last bit of his cone into his mouth. “That was delicious. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“You’re welcome.” I finish my last bite with a smile, taking a long moment to chew it. I’m not sure what we’re doing after this, but I do know I don’t like the idea of saying goodnight. Which means I’m not ready to be done. We’ve connected on a few levels, and I want to see how much more we have in common. I check the time. It’s only a little after seven, still plenty of daylight left. “Do you want to go for a walk? There’s a park near here with a pond.”

Sam’s face lights up. “I’d love to.”

We leave Lisa’s car in the parking lot and head down the street together. Sam shoves his hands in his pockets. “So, Brynn, tell me about yourself.”

I chew on the inside of my cheek. What do I talk about? I could tell him how I’m going into my last year as a chemistry major, practically first in line for my professor’s internship at her environmental lab. When I get that spot, I’ll be working toward preserving nature by saving it from humanity’s harsh chemical usage. That’s pretty exciting.

But, he didn’t mention going to school at all, so maybe he doesn’t? What if he can’t afford it? Especially now that he’s unemployed.

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