Page 7 of Take Me Home

“Wrong answer. Boring! Get with a country boy! Come on! I never did. You have to do it for me. You were always the one into country music.”

“Yeah, like in the 90’s, when country was still good. Also, you’re in Kentucky. You could totally still get a country boy,” I retorted.

“Whatever. They’re different here. At least go into town and swipe on Tinder for a while!”

“And bring them back where? To the farm where they could kill me and no one would find my body until Monday, or until the dogs came looking for me to feed them?”

“You’re no fun. I get it, though. Have your little soul-search for now, but I think you should keep an open mind,” Brianna coached.

“You’re probably right,” I admitted.

“And open legs.”

“Brianna!”

* * *

I was doingmy best not to pour sweat before Jake and Caleb arrived. I strained, listening for an approaching car. I’d been holding the keys long enough for my hands to give off a metallic smell. The air hung heavy and hot around me, despite it being almost dark. It was that sweet space between the sun passing over and the bugs really starting in earnest.

I was close enough to the road and civilization for my phone to chirp, a modern miracle.

Caleb

Hey, sorry. I been helping my mom with some stuff and I’m still out here. I’ll prob crash here tonight. See you in the morning?

I had to smile a little at that. Caleb seemed like such a nice guy. It warmed my heart to think of him being close to his mom.

Yeah, sure. Thanks for letting me know. Drive safe in the morning!

With my phone still on, I swiped over to the search screen. A cruel reminder popped up: a suggested memory video of a hiking trip to Asheville with Rob. That was about a year into our relationship, when things were really good. I’d just gotten promoted at work, and he’d just started at Jointrex. We were happy, floating around boozy brunches, happy hours, and ball games with friends.

With a turn of guilt in my stomach, I pressed play on the video. Sentimental music tumbled out of the tinny speakers, accompanied by pictures of Rob: hiking up a mountain, goofily perching his foot on a rock, looking at me affectionately while we snapped a selfie. I’d always adored that picture of us. Because of looks like those, I doubted my decision to leave. But good moments on vacation do not a “you’re enough, full stop” relationship make. No matter what I did, I fell short of his lifestyle and expectations. The love I was getting in return behind closed doors couldn’t bridge that gap.

A cheddar cat leaped up next to me, making me jump. In a sort of apology, it raised its orange chin to my side, begging for a scratch. I’d forgotten about the farm cats. I certainly wasn’t feeding them, and this one didn’t seem bothered. They’d probably come get me if something was wrong, or at least that’s what I hoped. I’d ask Uncle Bill the next time we talked. Surely there were enough barn mice to keep them sated.

At last, the heavy gravel crunch announced an approaching car. I got a pit in my stomach as it dawned on me that I’d be alone with Jake. That had the distinct feeling of being a recipe for trouble.

4

JAKE

Athin puff of smoke drifted across the lab.

“Uh, Mr. Warren?”

I looked up from my own robot to see one of my students with panic in her eyes. Her engine sat in front of her, smoking and shooting out the occasional spark, making a higher and higher-pitched noise until it popped.

I swore under my breath. I was never going to get my own project done if I kept getting interrupted. I fixed on my pleasant, patient face and hurried over, fanning away the smoke and noticing the tears of embarrassment forming. Normally, I’m genuinely patient, but I had shit to do.

“It’s alright,” I said, blowing to clear the smoke again as I studied her work. “What happened right before this started?”

“It, um,” she started, voice wobbling. “I just turned it on after I put the final gears in. And it did this.”

I twisted my lips to chew on them, peeking into the device. “Did you grease the gears?”

She let out a quiet curse, then louder said, “I guess I forgot.”

“No big deal. Let it cool off and try again after you’ve greased it. It’ll be alright. Maybe check the parts to make sure nothing’s warped before you turn it on again. Anybody else need help?”

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