Page 14 of Cut to the Heart of It
She put her computer down and stood, then headed up the stairs so I followed. She opened her luggage and there was a carboard pack of toothbrushes. “I had this unopened in my cabinet, so I grabbed it instead of bringing my normal one.” She pulled one out and handed it to me. “They’re cheap ones but they clean your teeth. And my toothpaste is on the counter.”
“Thanks. I’ll add it to my tab.”
She smiled. “No worries. I’m not keeping tabs. We’re both stuck here so we gotta make the most of it, right?”
I nodded. Stuck here. She’s stuck here with me. Great.
“Yep. Well, I guess I’m gonna hop in the shower so…”
She flung her arms up and her eyes went wide. “Oh, I guess I need to give you some privacy. Sorry.” She giggled and went to the door. “I’ll leave ya alone now.”
While the water warmed up, I took my clothes off and threw them to the door, so I’d remember to grab them on the way out. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water warm my bones. I sat on the porch a while before I came back in, and it was cold and rainy still. It would be at least a few more days before a crew made it up because it was still raining, and they were tending to the main roads first. We were definitely off the beaten path.
Stuck here. Make the most of it. Was I that terrible? I guess I had come off a little rough and maybe came on a little strong after that. I could take it down a notch. Making her uncomfortable was not my intention at all. I wasn’t sure what my intention was exactly anyway. But it wasn’t that.
She was a tourist. She lived hours away according to what she told Bo. It’s not like anything would come of it, even if I did make a move. Plus, she clearly was nervous. Yep. I needed to back off.
I finished the shower, brushed my teeth, combed my hair, got dressed, then went downstairs and tossed my sleep clothes in the wash. Trying to be quiet, I sat in the kitchen scrolling my phone a while to keep tabs on the rain and the roads. I checked social media to see what some of my buddies were saying was happening in other areas.
After a while I switched the laundry to the dryer then went to the front porch and sat, taking notice of the gravel driveway. Some had washed away but most was intact. Needing to burn off some energy, I went to the truck and grabbed my rain slick and the axe from the bed. If there were trees on the trail, I could at least try to bust them up little.
The rain let up a little as I walked past the side of the cabin and headed toward the trail, we took the four-wheelers on. I walked behind the cabin and only a few yards up the trail a smaller tree was downed.
Walking over to it, I kicked it in several places to see if any of it was splintered or weak. Under the tree cover the drizzle wasn’t coming down so I removed my rain slick and pulled the towel from the pocket to dry the axe handle.
I fixed my stance and started swinging the axe down with almost exact precision on the same spot over and over. After several minutes of steady hits, the cut was more than halfway down so I dropped the axe and dropped a few kicks to the end of the tree before the section fell away.
One down, a thousand to go.
So much for the shower I had earlier…I was sweaty and hot. I took off my flannel and lay it over the section I just chopped before I moved on to the next one. At least I could burn off some of the pent-up energy, even if it was ridiculous to think I could clear all the logs with an axe.
Chapter 9
CJ
He sure has been outside a long time. I closed the laptop after noticing the time had flown past lunch. I looked around and remembered he had gone out front hours ago.
I took my mug to the sink, rinsed it, then put it in the dishwasher. A pack of chicken was thawing in the sink. The corner of my mouth turned up at the thought of him cooking again. It was really sweet, and he was a good cook. But he had to eat, too so it was probably just as easy to cook for two than just himself.
I grabbed the sandwich supplies; it was past lunch, but I was starving and needed a bite if I was going to keep writing. Since he had cooked meals for me, I decided the least I could do was fix him a sandwich.
When I was done, I walked to the front porch, only to find Johnny wasn’t there. I didn’t recall hearing him walk back inside but I was in the zone so I could have missed it.
“Johnny?” I called to an apparent empty cabin.
Shrugging, I went to the back porch and looked around. I didn’t see him, but I did hear an odd sound, like a knock but not the way someone would knock on a door, but a slow, steady bump.
I walked to the edge of the porch and looked out into the wooded area. Still in sight, but a little walk from the cabin, I saw him. Oh, sweet baby cheezits.
That man was shirtless…swinging an axe.
From the way he stood I only saw his back, but it was still a glorious sight.
How long had he been at this? Surely, he was hungry. It would be a kind gesture to take him a cold drink and a sandwich. I most certainly was not just trying to get a better look.
I grabbed three waters from the fridge, some napkins, and the sandwich and found a grocery bag under the sink to carry them down in. After I got my goloshes I grabbed my coat from the hook by the front door then went out the back door and headed down.
It was pretty chilly out and drizzly rain filled the forest air. How he was shirtless chopping wood was beyond me, but I wasn’t complaining.
