Page 38 of The Bride
Boys and clothes and hair and who did we think was going to hook up this year. What was senior week going to be like? What was going to be the theme of the homecoming dance?
Meanwhile I was worried about beef prices, ranch expenses, being on my own once I turned eighteen… and well, just about everything they weren’t concerned about. It was sobering.
“You okay?” Jake asked me.
“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Frank’s. I hadn’t realized.”
“I know. I’m craving some chili.”
He got out of the truck and I followed. When we walked into the diner, heads turned. Jake got a bunch of chin nods and hat tips.
Me… I could feel it. The Weird Married Ellie vibe. Jake and I had been living together out on the ranch now for nine months. Something that had become totally normal for us. Except when I saw it through the lens that folks in town saw us through, we were weird again.
I wasn’t going to let it ruin dinner though. We picked a booth on the left and got in on either side. Just then Bobby MacPherson, who was dating Susan (having dumped Lisa again) passed us to pay for their dinner at the counter. Jake’s gaze on him the whole time was ominous. Dare I say deadly.
“Will you stop,” I whispered. “You’re going to make a scene.”
“I’m reminding him, it might be a new school year but the rules are the same.”
Right. I was officially not open for business. Which should have been super upsetting, but again it really wasn’t. Right now boys did not compare to the importance of cows in my life. How sad was that?
“Yep. Got it. I’m going to be a perma-virg,” I muttered as I opened the menu.
“Ellie, I’m not having—”
“This conversation with me, I know. I think I want pasta.”
“Hey Jake. Hey Ellie. Long time no see.” Kathy came to our table. She wore jeans and a nice T-shirt. Frank didn’t bother with waitress uniforms.
“Hey Kathy,” we said at the same time.
“I don’t think I’ve seen either of you two in here all summer. You two keeping busy at the ranch?”
It was such an innocent question, but as soon as the words left her mouth I could see her face turn red as she realized what a double entendre that was. It wasn’t intentional. She wasn’t trying to be salacious, but if you took it the wrong way, keeping busy had a whole knew meaning and Kathy knew it.
Jake, however, was impervious.
“Yep. Big ranch, a lot to do.”
Kathy quickly recovered. “Oh, that’s good. Glad it hear it. Coke for you, Jake and diet for you, Ellie.”
We both nodded and she left.
I looked at him then and wondered. Did he really not see it? Did he really think people weren’t a little suspicious of us?
Or maybe it was me, and I was the one overthinking it.
“Going to head out to the property this weekend. I want to check on the house.”
Thepropertywas code for Jake’s land, only he didn’t want to call it his land because technically it wasn’t his yet. It was like he was trying not to jinx himself.
“How was it last time?”
He grimaced. “Standing, but that’s about it. I only need four walls and roof, and it will do until I can get up on my feet. I’m worried about the condition of the barn, though.”
I had no doubt he would see to Wyatt’s comfort before his own. That’s the kind of cowboy Jake was.
“You should have taken the raise I offered. You could start fixing things up sooner.”
