Page 5 of Till The Cows Come Home
“Of course, but can we take a moment to just fantasize about how cute it would be if Asher had an Uncle Lumberjack,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“Out!” I laughed, playfully closing the door on her.
“Think about it!” echoed on the other side of the door as she made her way down the hall of my apartment building.
My love life was almost nonexistent, and I’d lost count of the amount of men that saw me covered in cow shit and decided not to stick around. I admit, it wasn’t a glamorous lifestyle, but I just didn’t have time to get dolled up for dates, even if I’d love the break. I was content navigating life alone if the only other choice was pretending I needed a man to survive. If he didn’t tick certain boxes, I chose not to waste my time, because I quite literally had none to waste. I wasn’t sure what type of man this lumberjack was, but he didn’t seem like the type who could handle a feisty woman, judging by his response to my verbal lashing.
I was desperate to shake the mishap from my mind, so I texted Jane.
Anything needed down at the library?
While waiting for her response, I made myself lunch, pulling out two slices of Beth’s forgiveness loaf. My mouth watered as I layered on a fresh tomato, salt and peppering it to perfection before adding a thin layer of mayonnaise. As I took the first bite of the masterpiece I’d created, I saw the bubbles appear at the bottom of our texts, the telltale sign that Jane was consideringmy offer.
I hate giving into your whole overwork as a coping mechanism thing, but I could actually use you. There was a birthday party today and the little gremlins unshelved so many things, it looks like a damn tornado went through here.
I giggled while responding.
Be there in twenty.
Jane was right. When I arrived, there were books everywhere.
“Jesus, where were the parents?”
“Chasing them,” she said, as if she was recollecting a horror scene. “We set things up as usual with a reading, and then when it was time for everyone to find a book to check out, all hell broke loose.”
Jane had already put in plenty of hard time with the youth of Lox, Virginia, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her as she rubbed her temples, taking in the scene before us.
“Why don’t you go home? I’ll take care of this,” I offered.
“Ruby texted me,” she said matter of factually, and the silence was deafening as she waited for me to fill in the rest. Refusing to bite, I decided to play dumb.
“Oh, yeah?” I asked.
“He comes in here, you know.”
“Who?” I asked, knowing damn well we both knew who she was talking about.
“You’re trying my patience, Sage. Don’t make me fire you.”
I cackled in response, knowing the threat held absolutely no weight. “What could he possibly be coming in here for?”
“He uses the resource section. When he first moved here, he mostly checked out books about the dairy industry, animalhusbandry, things you’d expect a farmer just starting out to need information on. Lately though, he’s been interested in their emotional satisfaction, reading more recent stuff about ways to improve quality of life.”
Slightly offended, I responded ruder than intended.
“I’ve read every book remotely involving cows, Jane. Not to mention the crusade I completed on the business section. I did everything I could.”
“I know you did, so it may be wise to recognize that you two may not be as different as you’re trying to make yourselves out to be.”
Stunned by her scolding, I sat in silence, allowing myself to feel the shame she intended for me, and after a few moments she squeezed my shoulder, coming to face me.
“We all know you're a tough cookie, Sage, but that doesn’t mean you should be stomping around, assuming you know things about people you don’t. You’re better than that sweet pea. I know for a fact, because this old lady is going home to rest thanks to you.”
I placed my hand atop of hers. “You’re right. I saw him being successful when I couldn’t, and I let my emotions get the best of me. I would have been better off ignoring him like I’d intended.”
“You’ll figure it out. You always do,” Jane called as she made her way out the library doors, leaving me in the toddler induced carnage.
I happily accepted the disaster with open arms, though, because it meant I could immerse myself in something other than the guilt of berating a man I didn’t know. The remorse settled in as soon as I knew he was even slightly attempting to take care of the girls the way I did. I wasn’t required to like him, but I also didn’t have to treat him like a monster if he wasn’t.
