by Kinney Scott
After they were out of range, Kels filled her friend in on Seth’s younger sister. She kept tabs on the town from her outpost at the sandwich counter. Sometimes this position of self-appointed authority over the town’s information got her into trouble, but she didn’t mean any harm.
In response to the information, Nate leaned over to Kelsey, “Wow, she does talk really fast. I could scarcely keep up with one question before the next was flying at me in mid-air.”
“Yeah small town life, everyone knows your business too well. All the old biddies worry about finding a match for the girls here in Ashwood. Maybe it’s their attempt at keeping the population growing. I know my mom worries that it’s only a matter of time before I find some out of town guy and decide to leave. The lack of options in a place this small can get stifling.”
Natalie felt sorry for Kels. At least she had choices. Ashwood was just a temporary summer vacation stop. Still, she looked forward to summer here, a change from the slightly standoffish city of Seattle. Seattle could be lonely. Now that her grandpa was gone, she couldn’t come up with any particular reason to stay.
The girls wandered up and down the aisles of the store, pushing their squeaky cart with a wobble in the wheel. Milk, eggs, bread, bananas, apples along with cans of tuna and chili all found a spot in the cart. Coffee beans to grind at home followed Nates favorite biscotti into the basket. Nearly every person they passed, whether a customer or an employee, tipped a hat, nodded or said hello.
Nate began to understand how tight this small community was. After bagging their own groceries, while hearing about a new litter of calico kittens from the checker, the girls stopped to grab a large bag from Amanda. “I put some of our fresh bread in the bag to go with your soup. It just came out of the oven.” Natalie’s mouth watered, it smelled delicious.
“Thanks Amanda. See you later.” Kelsey pushed the cart out into the pothole covered lot to load the bags into the truck. Natalie and Kelsey climbed back up into the red pick-up with Kelsey behind the wheel. Before they could escape onto the highway, a guy waved, flagging them down.
Kelsey pulled the truck toward them. One was wearing a baseball hat over his slightly long sandy-blonde hair. Walking a few steps behind, Natalie thought she recognized the taller of the two, the one with darker hair. It was hard to tell for sure, as he faced down looking toward the screen of his phone. She sunk lower in her seat when she realized she was about to meet Seth Michaels.
Kent yelled across half of the parking lot when Kelsey rolled down her window. “Hey Kels. Did you get a new truck while you were in Seattle?”
“Not my rig, Kent, its Nate’s truck. Come on over, so you can meet her,” Kelsey called back.
Oh no, not now. Natalie was hoping to look so much better than this when she met Seth. After five hours on the road, she suddenly felt very aware of her messy hair clipped into a bun and her complete lack of makeup. She said a silent prayer. Please don’t let him make the connection, not yet.
“Nate this is Kent, she’s the girl I’ve told you so much about from Seattle.”
“All great things. Hi Nate, nice to meet you.” His smile melted her a bit. Kent was keenly aware of the impact his smile had on women. Seth’s head popped up from his phone at the mention of a newcomer named Nate. He was expecting his new client with the same name to show up sometime this week.
Sunlight bounced off the windshield of the new truck, making it nearly impossible to see inside the cab. Three long easy strides put him in position to peer across Kelsey. Seated on the passenger side of the red pickup, not a guy, but a pixie faced girl with wavy, red-hair tossed on top of her head in a messy bun. Seth slowed his pace, confused by the conflict of visual information.
Kelsey continued, “Kent, I think you and Nate will get to know each other pretty well. You have already started work on her tiny home.”
“Which one, we have three in progress right now.” Kelsey turned to Natalie so she could answer the question, raising her eyebrows and mouthing, “you’re welcome” as Natalie attempted to come up with an answer that would wipe the confused look off Seth’s face. This dark devastatingly good-looking man was now standing directly behind Kent near the rolled down window of the truck.
“Hi, I’m Natalie, but my friends call me Nate. I’m not sure how far the work has progressed on my home. It’s the one that will also have a coffee shop in it. I look forward to working on it together.”
Kent turned up the charm, “Great to meet you,” then turning around added, “this is Seth, he’s the owner of Ashwood Homes. I’m sure you both have met through email, and talked about your place already. You don’t really need an introduction. Am I right?” An uncomfortable silence stretched, and his boss didn’t say a word.
Kent attempted to wrench a response from his mute buddy, “Seth this is Natalie. Nate when we get to know her better.” Kent flashed her that same devastating smile, designed to send a clear message. Kent definitely intended to get to know Natalie.
Shielding his eyes from the sun, Seth got a better look at Nate in the darkened cab of the pickup. “Nice to meet you… Nate.” The slow deliberate delivery of her name clearly sent a message to Natalie. He was aware of her deception, and seemed pissed. Seth chose not to say anything, not yet.
“Come on, we need to get to the hardware store. Later Kels. Nate, we will see you soon.” Seth moved away first, the younger confused man followed. They both ambled across the parking lot, heading to the Ashwood Hardware & Sport to pick up an order Seth placed earlier that month.
“Seth, I know where my paycheck comes from, and didn’t want to say anything, but you usually don’t try to run off our new clients.” Kent looked back as the girls pulled out of the Stop and Shop parking lot. In reply, Seth just made a growling sound. Kent knew to when to back off, but, hell, that was not how Seth usually treated a customer, or a gorgeous girl.
Natalie tipped her head to the side, bringing the passenger side rear view mirror into her view. She was able to get a look at Seth walking into the hardware store. Her stomach flipped. Should she feel guilty? It wasn’t like her to intentionally deceive someone.
Over the past month, she had grown to crave the easy email conversations she enjoyed with Seth. She worried that the open way he talked about the details of the build, the type of trailer, choice of counter materials, or options to maximize use of the square footage would come to an abrupt end if he realized Nate was a girl. Should it make any difference? Hell no, she had as much right to the information about the construction as any guy.
As they began to know each other better, Seth had even begun to suggest places to check out while visiting Ashwood. Not that she expected to go camping with Seth. Still she had looked forward to the possibility of a quiet hike on the type of trails that locals liked to keep to themselves.
His description of the deep cold lakes and remote stretches of the river where he preferred to fish had filled her mind with fantasies. She pictured Seth, tan and golden with no shirt. Just maybe a little sweaty from a hike hanging out with her on a hot summer day. Clearly, his cold reaction to meeting her put those fantasies to an end.
Kelsey broke Natalie out of the spell cast by Seth’s loose stride. “I see you checking out Kent, I thought you might. He is easy to look at and actually a great guy. In high school he was sort of a player, but now he seems to have mellowed.”
“Did you and Kent ever date?” Nate asked, pretending to be interested in Kent, but her thoughts still focused on Seth.
“No, we’ve known each other forever. Our families are pretty tight so he seems like a brother to me. Besides it would be awkward to even suggest that you date someone I’ve been with.”
Kelsey glanced again at Natalie, “What did you think of Kent? We will be meeting up with him and a few other friends tomorrow night at the Northside. All it will take is one night out at Northside Grill for you to meet half of the town. I can’t wait to show you off!” Then she waved at someone she recognized in a passing
car, “I know Elsa called my parents and told them to keep an eye out for you. My family can’t wait to meet Pete’s Granddaughter. I’m sure many of that old crowd already knows you are here.”
“The Northside sounds terrific. I look forward to meeting some of Elsa’s friends and your family. She’s talked about them so much that I feel like I already know them. I can’t wait to put faces to the names she has told me so much about. Are we still going up to the barbeque this weekend?”
“You bet. Mom would kill me if I didn’t bring you up to the lake this weekend.”
“Elsa has pictures at a lake with you in them, probably taken when you were about ten years old. Was that cabin in her photos where you grew up?”
“Big log cabin, with a barn? Yes, that would be my parents place. They have some very rustic guest cabins close by too. I thought about living there, but rent in town is too cheap to pass up. The lake is about a half hour from town. Plus, I like to have a little distance from my parents. Mom and Dad don’t need to know what time I get home.”
“So the river that runs through town, is that where you lead raft trips?”
“No, those rapids are class four, and far too difficult for family based float excursions. We try not to lose customers overboard.”
“When will you be leaving for your first trip?” Nate asked Kelsey. She hoped to have an opportunity to meet some people before Kelsey left for a couple of weeks. Slowing the truck, she turned off the paved road onto a gravel one-lane drive that wound uphill into dense trees and shaded undergrowth. Expertly dodging low spots and holes, she wove the truck down the familiar path. Dappled sunlight dotted across the hood of the truck. Fine dust floated up, covering the truck with fine grit from the gravel road.
“I head out in about a week. Don’t worry my family won’t give you a moment to be bored. If anything you will be craving alone time to curl up with a book in the sun.” Taking one last turn down a narrowing drive, Kelsey pulled up in front of a small one story older house, white with a red door and black trim. A small spot of mowed grass made up the front yard. Tiny white flowers covered much of the lawn, cheerfully seeking the sun.
As a child, Natalie recalled making chains with the same type of flower to wear as a crown in her hair. Struggling to recall those details, the memory flickered through her mind. She could have sworn that she gathered those flowers on the shore of a lake.
Kelsey stopped the truck and grabbed the large bag Amanda had put together for them. The heat of the soup had kept the fresh cooked bread warm. “We are home! Let’s just take in our groceries and eat dinner before we unload your luggage and boxes.”
Sitting at the small table in the kitchen, Kels pestered Natalie again, attempting to determine her interest in Kent. “The guys made it sound like you would be helping with your tiny house. That should be interesting with Kent showing you how to use power tools. Promise me that you will share all the dirt.”
“A fling at Kent’s work? That might get him in trouble. Maybe I shouldn’t work there after all? I brought up all my camera equipment, and wouldn’t mind spending extra time focused on photographing local landscapes.”
“Honestly, Nate, I don’t know what you mean? Just because Kent might flirt with you, that shouldn’t keep you from working over there. Please don’t write off a summer fling.”
Natalie wondered if she would still be welcome to help with the construction. She could tell Seth was aware of her deception, and didn’t know what he planned to do about it. “I hoped to learn as much as I could about my tiny house during the building process.” Taking her dishes to the little white porcelain sink, she mumbled to herself, “We will have to see how he feels about that now.”
Joining her at the sink in the cheerful yellow kitchen Kelsey added, “Learn all you can about your home, you never know when a repair might be needed on the road.”
“I’d need to learn how to take care of my house all on my own. I’m convinced this will be good.” Her voice didn’t sound quite as convincing as she added, “I’m up for the new challenge.” Moving on, after completing her come home seemed like a lonely choice. She was aware again, of how solitary her life was without Grandpa Pete
CHAPTER THREE
Dark wide plank wood floors, worn smooth by decades of customers creaked underfoot as Natalie and Kelsey entered the dim interior of Northside Grill. The grill had a slightly burnt aroma of burgers, onion rings, bacon and beer mixed with perfume and just a little sweat. This bar served those who worked long days, and wanted to relax to blow off a little steam. Small round tables with wobbly wood chairs surrounded a small dance floor. The mirrored wall of the long bar was crowded with bottles of whiskey, rum, tequila and vodka.
The owner, Iris, stocked an unexpectedly large variety of beer on tap. The craft beer markets in Washington and Oregon created that expectation no matter where you went. Dominating these, Mosquito Creek Brewing outnumbered the other taps, a local small brewer based just a few miles north of Ashwood.
Kelsey encouraged Natalie to dress up for their night out, to put on tight black jeans that hugged her curves. With the jeans, she chose a low cut pale green knit tank top to accentuate her red hair. The edge of lace on the low-scooped top beckoned eyes to take a second look. Black high heel sandals gave Natalie a little extra height, almost equal to Kelsey’s five seven. Natalie added dangling silver earrings and a silver necklace with tendrils on the chain.
Kelsey had on equally snug jeans but wore her favorite boots with turquoise stitching. Her black top dipped low in the back, cut to accentuate her perfect hard butt. Not that there was anyone in town that particularly interested her, Kelsey did like to turn heads when she danced, especially after she downed a few drinks.
As soon as the pair walked into the dark bar, a group seated near the pool tables yelled, “Hey Kels, get your ass over here – we haven’t seen you in weeks!” Kent was sitting with a group of three guys and two brunette girls who looked so much alike they had to be sisters.
“Hey, everyone, I want you to all meet Nate. She’s staying with me this summer. Nate, meet the crowd. Molly and Mandy are obviously twins. You already met Kent in town. We’ve got Rick and Justin playing pool.” A chorus of friendly greetings barraged Natalie, as Kent grabbed an empty chair and pulled it up next to him. His smile encouraged Nate to have a seat close, snugged up near his hip.
Rick and Justin joined the group bringing over pitchers of beer and enough glasses for everyone. “The amber pitcher is the local IPA. We got light beer if you want it. Chili fries and nachos are on the way, but the food will take another twenty minutes.” Rick grabbed a glass of the Light Beer, while Molly poured a couple of IPA’s, handing one to Natalie.
“Thanks guys, I’ll get the next pitcher,” Kent said as he slid an arm possessively across the back of Nate’s chair, leaning in to breathe in her vanilla scented perfume.
“How do you like Ashwood so far Nate?” he asked.
“I look forward to exploring the area. The scenery around here will be a joy to photograph,” she said to the group.
“My cousin Amanda is a photographer,” Molly shared. She’s really talented.”
“Have you met her, she works at the Stop and Shop?” Mandy added. The girls easily finished each other’s thoughts, as twins so often tend to do.
“At the sandwich counter? Yes, I met her yesterday. Amanda is your cousin?” The town seemed to shrink a bit as Natalie realized these twins were also related to Seth.
“Yeah, she’s the youngest of four kids, Seth’s little sister. Kent and Rick both work at Whitewater Homes for Seth.” Molly spilled more information. Natalie’s mind attempted to build the framework of connections between the families and friends in the small Ashwood community. Kent got up to grab two more pitchers of beer before the food arrived. While he was gone, the twins picked Natalie’s brain to learn all they could about Seattle.
Both Molly and Mandy had applied to finish the last two years of college in Seattle, having just com
pleted their Associates at Hood River. They peppered Nate with several questions. Molly wanted the location of the best dive bars, cheap restaurants and places to dance on the weekends. Mandy asked about places to hike, knowing she would need to escape the city from time to time.
“You really don’t think we should bring a car to Seattle if we move there?” Mandy asked Natalie.
“I need to drive. Don’t you think we would feel trapped without a car Molly?”
“If parking is that hard to come by, and really that expensive we may have to give it a try. Honestly, I think I’d hate riding a bus,” Mandy said.
After returning with foaming pitchers, Kent joined the conversation and leaned close to Nate. “Why did you have a truck if you always rode the bus?”
“I only recently inherited the truck from my grandpa. He used it primarily to pull his boat.” Nate said, noticing how easy Kent was to talk to, and almost as easy to look at.
“And you plan to pull your home with it?” he asked.
“It seemed like a good option, but I’m going to have to learn to pull a trailer. Just keeping that beast of a truck in the lanes on I-5 was challenging enough in Seattle.” Natalie admitted.
Leaning even closer Kent said, “I will help you get comfortable with the home. The most challenging part is backing, but I’ll be happy to spend as much time with you as you need until you get it down.” Natalie thanked Kent, but pulled slightly away, his arm now draped across her from shoulder to shoulder.
She had the distinct impression that someone was watching her. Trusting that feeling Nate scanned the bar and suddenly locked eyes with Seth sitting about half way across the dimly lit room. Had she felt his stare earlier? He tipped his head up in that gesture that usually conveys a friendly hello, but in this case seemed to carry so much more heat.
Nate broke from Seth’s gaze, and looked away in an attempt to join the conversation as Kelsey shared the details of their time spent in Seattle. Rick and Molly got up to join a small crowd on the dance floor. The hum of conversation and laughter increased over the twang of tinny country music.