Page 123 of Make Me Swoon

Oh man, he’s going to fire me for sure.

I scurry into the kitchen. Maybe I can make him a big lunch and bring it to him and he’ll forgive me for this. I find a paper grocery bag in the pantry and start throwing things in. I remember how much food he ate last night and he’s such a big guy that he’s probably always hungry. I throw in a bag of chips and a granola bar before I go to the fridge and pull out some stuff to make him a couple of sandwiches. There’s a yeti water bottle on the counter and I fill that up and add it to the bag before I rush back to my room.

I change my clothes quickly, stuffing my feet into my worn tennis shoes before I heft the bag and head out toward the road. I don’t remember the exact route back to Stratton Lumber but the town isn’t that big so it can’t be that hard to find.

My old shoes kick some loose rocks as I hurry along the side of the road. I’ve only made it about a half a mile or so when an old pickup truck pulls up alongside of me. I haven’t seen many cars since I started walking. Probably because Heath lives so far out in the middle of the forest. His driveway alone took me at least five minutes to walk down.

“Hey there, little miss,” a deep voice says as the passenger window rolls down.

I stop and see a friendly older looking man inside. He’s wearing a worn looking plaid shirt and a gentle smile.

“Hi.”

“Where are you headed? Can I give you a ride?”

“Oh, I’m just headed up to Stratton Lumber,” I say, shifting the heavy paper bag in my hands.

“That’s where I’m headed. Hope in. I’ll give you a ride.”

I hesitate for a second. I know that I shouldn’t but he seems friendly and he looks a little familiar. I think I actually did see him at the lumber yard yesterday when Heath was dragging me to his truck.

“Thanks,” I say as I open the door and slide up onto the old seat.

“No problem.”

He waits until I have my seatbelt on before he hits the gas and we take off down the road. I sit close to the door but Glen, my driver, seems genuinely kind and nice. He makes small talk as we drive the short way to the lumber yard, telling me about his wife and kids and grandkids. He’s going to see them this weekend and I can tell that he’s excited to spoil the grandbabies.

“Here we are,” Glen says as we pull up outside the front office. I grab the paper bag, intending to thank Glen before I get out but before I can say anything the passenger door is ripped open and I’m dragged out.

I look up into Heath’s face, taking in the scowl and the glare that he aims at Glen as he takes the paper bag from me and pulls me after him up the stairs and into the office. He slams the door closed behind us and I spin around to face him.

SEVEN

Heath

“What the hellare you doing? Why were you in that truck with him?”

“Glen? He gave me a ride. I brought you your lunch,” she says, pointing toward the paper bag in my hand that weighs about ten pounds.

I send up a silent prayer that it’s not more of her spaghetti from last night. I’m not sure that I could stomach any more of that. When I woke up this morning, she was still fast asleep so I had left her. I made myself breakfast and packed my own lunch, making sure to add in lots of snacks so that I could eat them before I went home and had another meal made by my little minx.

“How did he know to give you a ride? Was he at the house?” I demand, growing anxious.

“No, I was walking down the road and-”

“And you just got into a truck with a strange man?” I roar.

“It was fine. Glen is nice. You don’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

I set the paper bag down and start to pace around the small office. This girl is too stubborn, too trusting. She needs a guy like me looking out for her so that she stays safe.

“Are you going to fire me?” She asks behind me, her voice coming out small.

“Never,” I say, spinning around and crossing the distance between us. “You’ll have a job with me for as long as you want one,” I promise.

She surprises me then, closing the distance between us and wrapping her arms around my waist, hugging me. Her cheek rests against my stomach and I try to think about chopping wood to get my own wood to stay down.

“Thank you, Heath,” she whispers into my shirt and my heart trips in my chest at the sound of my name coming from her lips.

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