Page 98 of Dove
“Did you invite him over to help with the truck?” The tightness in her voice implied Mitch showing up unexpectedly was somehowmyfault.
“Yeah,” I answered back sarcastically, voice pitched low. “I told him to wait until I was done eating you out, then he could come over.”
Her face flushed tomato red as she shushed me, whipping her head toward the entrance to make sure Mitch hadn’t overheard.
“Josh? You ’round?” came Mitch’s call again, even closer.
I cleared my throat, turning around to face the work bench to begin organizing the various tools spread across its surface, like that’s what I’d been doing instead of nearly getting blown by my stepsister.
“In the garage, Mitchy!” I hollered back, instantly scorched by the heat coming off the glare Dove aimed at my back.
“You could have waited until I left,” she hissed.
“He might have seen you leave and asked what you were up to.” I glanced back over my shoulder at her. “You’re a terrible liar, Dove.”
That only made her scowl harder, but she didn’t deny it.
Gravel crunched under heavy boots just outside, and a moment later a head with shaggy dark hair popped around the corner.
“Hey,” he greeted, his smile muted but genuine.
Mitch wasn’t very sociable or talkative, despite being one of the nicest guys I knew. He preferred to be by himself rather than running with a group, but there had been plenty of summers I’d gone over with Gareth to visit his family’s farm and we’d hung out while our dad’s had been busy. Even though he’d been a few years older than me, we’d become fast friends.
Seeing him now made me realize how much I’d missed him while I was gone.
“Hey, stranger.”
Mitch snorted as he entered the garage. “Me the stranger? That honor goes to you, I think. It’s been what, two years?”
“Three,” Dove piped up.
I glanced over at her, but her gaze remained on Mitch. I bit back the apology itching to leave the tip of my tongue, knowingit would take a while until the years I was gone stopped hanging heavy over both our heads. Instead, I placed a socket wrench back into its place on the pegboard in front of me on the wall.
“Hey, Dove,” Mitch greeted. His soft smiled slipped a bit as he condoled softly, “I’m sorry to hear about your mom.”
“Thanks,” she murmured just as softly back.
Mitch turned back to me with a measuring look, but he wouldn’t find the same sadness on my face from my father passing, and he knew it. He’d gotten front-row tickets to the shitshow that was my father’s and my relationship, and he’d seen firsthand how Gareth treated me, considering our fathers had been close friends.
They’d grown up together on neighboring farms and eventually took over the business from their fathers when they got older. When they became fathers themselves, they practically forced us together, hoping we’d follow in their footsteps. It was the only time Gareth ever willingly brought me along with him without me having to beg.
“You holdin’ up okay?” was all he asked me.
I nodded. Once I finished placing the tools in a neat row, I turned around to face him. “Did you need something Mitch, or is this a friendly visit? I got some beer we can crack open if so.”
Dove watched me out of the corner of her eye. I knew the last thing she wanted was for Mitch to stick around, but I had to act as I normally would. Or, how the me from three years ago would have normally acted. Which meant offering him a friendly chat along with a nice cold beer. Hospitality was just one of the many things my father had practically beaten into me.
Our worries were eased when he shook his head. “Nah, but thanks for the offer, Josh.”
I heard Dove’s soft sigh of relief and shot her a subtle warning look.
“I didn’t just come here ’cause I missed ya,” he started reluctantly. Releasing a deep, frustrated exhale he continued, “I’ve been having trouble with the combine again. Ongoing pain in my ass, ya know how it is. Always when it’s time to use ’em. Anyways, your dad was helping me work on it whenever it acted up.”
I knew exactly where this was going.
“I was wonderin’ if you wouldn’t mind coming to take a look at it.”
There it was.
