Page 70 of My Heart to Keep
“Maiken will have a prom to go to at the academy. So you’ll have two.”
“You know parties, dances, and proms are bad for me and Maiken.”
She tittered. “What could go wrong? Come on. It’s our last hoorah in high school. We’ve got to go. And it will be cool to pick out an outfit for the Roaring Twenties.”
“Let’s get through the next couple of months.” I wanted to wait to plan things after my dad came home.
The roads were much clearer in town as Celia zipped through the side streets of Ashford. “Fair enough. Now, one more thing. I heard from Elise that Trevor’s girlfriend, Claire, has it out for you.”
My neck swiveled in her direction so fast I got whiplash. “Come again? That’s nonsense.”
“Sure, but put yourself in her shoes. You have been spending a lot of time with Trevor since you’re tutoring him, and then he gets a job on your farm. How would you feel?”
Oh my God.I wondered if Maiken thought the same thing. When he’d walked into the hospital, I’d been snuggled up to Trevor, crying. I’d also been bragging about how Trevor was a hero.
“What’s wrong? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost. Please tell me you and Trevor—”
“Hell no,” I said in a rush as my blood coagulated. “Maiken probably thinks the same.” I definitely had to talk to Maiken, although he’d given me no indication he was jealous.
Why would he be? Your dad just had a heart attack. You were distraught, and Maiken wasn’t the type to lash out in dire situations.
“After your tryst with Maiken yesterday, I doubt he thinks anything of the sort.”
She had a point. Maiken had shown me nothing but love, love, and more love. And if I knew Maiken, he would’ve broached the subject of Trevor and how he didn’t like him touching me or around me if it bothered him. I’d seen firsthand how he had dealt with Chase Stevens when Chase was interested in me. Not only that, he’d been cordial to Trevor when he’d met him. I decided not to bother Maiken about Trevor. He and I were in a great place, and I wanted to keep that momentum going.
The school loomed in the distance.
“Well, be on the lookout in case Claire confronts you.”
I shrugged. “She can, but I’m not interested in Trevor.”
I didn’t need any more drama in my life. I knew that was a tall order since high school wasn’t over with yet.
Isighed as I walked into the gym. Life wasn’t spinning out of control as it had been since the start of summer. Christmas came and went in a blur, as did school leading up to the holidays.
Daddy was on the mend, thank the Lord. Each day that passed, he got better and better. However, his mood was a different story. He barely smiled, and he seemed depressed. He tried to help Carter and me, but Momma threatened to tie him up if he so much as lifted a finger to do anything around the farm. Carter and I did the same—Carter more so than me. My brother was a lot like Daddy, not taking crap from anyone.
The farm was in good hands with my brother. He was staunch in his drive to make sure the farm was a well-oiled machine. He and I settled into a routine, much like Daddy and I had before his heart attack. We also had plenty of help. Trevor was in a groove and fitting in well with Carter, plus he was a hard worker. Apparently, he needed the money. He didn’t go into detail as to why, even though I’d tried to probe a little.
Trevor’s business wasn’t mine, and I had my own things to do. Noah and Dustin were also pitching in when they could, and Coach Dean had the basketball team working at the farm one morning a week.
“It’s good for your soul,” Coach Dean had told them one morning before they’d gotten started. “Plus, it builds character and teaches you what it means to work together as a team.”
I would never forget when Maiken had played for Coach, and the team had gotten up at the crack of dawn to clean out the horse stalls. Maiken hadn’t complained, but Chase Stevens sure had.
Regardless, it was nice to have help. I didn’t have to bust my butt as hard, so I could dedicate more time to my schoolwork or to making sure Daddy didn’t try to strap on his boots and gloves to lend a hand.
Shoes squeaked along the hardwood as Noah, Trevor, and the team played a practice game. Coach Dean was watching them intently with a scowl. He hadn’t been thrilled with their performance so far that season. They had played half of their scheduled games, and the team’s stats were five wins and eight losses.
On the other hand, Maiken was having a great season. He’d been instrumental in helping the team win thirteen games with only one loss.
Coach Dean blew his whistle. “Take five. Then we’ll finish up with some defensive plays.”
The team scattered to grab water and towels.
The cheerleaders were huddled on the far end, and Tessa was speaking animatedly with her hands. All the girls were listening to her intently except for Claire. Trevor’s girl zeroed in on me then on Trevor. I was surprised she hadn’t lashed out at me since Celia had warned me weeks ago.
Trevor had suggested that we use my kitchen as a place for tutoring, which made sense. He and I worked, and then I tutored him. Sometimes Momma would invite Trevor to stay for dinner. Daddy often insisted he did. Trevor and Daddy had bonded, and Daddy couldn’t stop thanking him for saving his life.
