Butterfly Ginger

by Stephanie Fournet

  That has to be a good sign, right?

  Mounting the steps to her front porch felt like travelling back in time. Nate was smiling when Calvin opened the door.

  “Well, this is a surprise,” the teen droned, any surprise at all noticeably absent from his voice.

  “Hey, Calvin. I see that cut healed nicely,” Nate said, gesturing to the small scar above the boy’s eyebrow. “How’s the dirt bike?”

  As Nate expected, the boy just rolled his eyes and turned back to the house.

  “Come on in. Blythe’s upstairs getting the last of her stuff out of my room.”

  Nate followed him, noting the boxes that crowded the foot of the stairs.

  “Where are your parents, Cal?”

  Blythe’s little brother had left childhood behind, but there was still something of the boy Nate remembered in him. He was now a little taller than Blythe — and he’d probably grow a few more inches before settling into manhood, but he was rail thin.

  “Dad’s working. Mom’s upstairs. Blythe’s pissed because Seth just bailed on helping her move,” Calvin said, climbing the stairs two at a time.

  Nate didn’t find this surprising. Even as a kid, Seth had been a punk. But his failing only made Nate’s help that much more valuable. Blythe didn’t need to worry about the job going undone.

  “Are you going to have room for this vanity in that little apartment, Blythe? I just don’t see how it will fit. Maybe you should just leave it here.” Nate heard Alexandra speaking as he stepped into the room. It looked almost the same as it had the last time he’d been there. Boxes lay everywhere just like they had the night he’d snuck in and slept in Blythe’s bed.

  Neither woman noticed his arrival. Alexandra stood with her hands at her hips, eyeing the piece of furniture doubtfully, and Blythe tried to ignore her mother as she placed her make-up and personal items in a cardboard box.

  “I’m taking it, Mom. I’ll make it fit.”

  Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she wore a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans. He’d never seen her in jeans. She looked good.

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when you’re tripping over it every second. Oh, did you get your linens out of the closet? Make sure you don’t take Seth’s jersey cotton sheets. He’ll never get over it. Oh my goodness! Well, look who’s here!”

  Alexandra, beaming, turned to Nate and clasped her hands, but Nate only saw the blush that came to Blythe’s cheeks.

  “Nate Bradley, so good to see you, dear! Blythe, why didn’t you tell me Nate was coming to say hello? Why, it’s been years! Come here, my dear!” Before he knew it, Alexandra Barnes had his bicep in her surprisingly strong grip, and she planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “Hello, Alexandra. It’s good to see you, too. The years have been kind to—”

  “And you, too! My goodness, what a strapping young man you’ve become. Blythe have you seen how much this boy has grown? I mean, he looks like a lumberjack or something,” she said, squeezing his arm and reaching up to pat his shoulder.

  Nate couldn’t help but laugh, even though Blythe’s face was now scarlet.

  “Mom, stop!” she hissed. She turned to him with an exasperated glance. “Hi. Thanks for coming. I’m afraid we need your help more than I realized.”

  “That’s okay,” he said, smiling just for her. “I’m glad to do it.”

  “You’re coming to help? How sweet! Blythe, I think he still likes you,” Alexandra said in a hoarse whisper. Nate watched Blythe wither at her mother’s words.

  “Mom, please! This is why I didn’t tell you he was coming. I knew you’d just embarrass both of us,” she said, wincing. She chucked the rest of the items from her vanity into the box and busied herself folding it closed. He knew she wouldn’t look at him, but he wished she would. Just long enough to see that he didn’t want her to squirm on his behalf.

  “Oh, Blythe, please! You’re not a teenager anymore. Stop being so dramatic. I’m not embarrassing him. Am I, Nate?”

  Nate felt his eyebrows leap.

  “Blythe, how about I start loading all of those boxes downstairs into the bed of my truck?” he asked, already stepping back toward the door.

  “Thank you,” she said, glancing up this time, wearing a look he couldn’t mistake for anything but relief.

  “Okay. I’ll come up for the furniture when that’s done.”

  Blythe eyed her brother then.

  “Cal, go help him.”

  “Anything that gets you out of here faster,” he muttered, heading out the door.

  Nate wanted to tell the kid to be nicer to his sister, but he knew he’d given up the right to scold Blythe’s brothers when he broke up with her. He aimed to earn it back, but for now, he figured it would be better to keep his mouth shut.

  He followed Calvin downstairs and hoisted two boxes. It might not be the right time to fuss at him, but Nate could certainly pump him for information.

  “So, when did Blythe move back home?” he asked, carrying the boxes outside.

  Calvin rolled his eyes.

  “Like a whole month ago.”

  “That was right after she lost her job?”

  “Nah, she lost that a few months ago, but I saw that one coming a mile away,” Calvin said, heading back inside. “I mean, who wants to read a magazine about New Orleans pets?”

  “New Orleans pets?”

  Calvin gave a snide laugh.

  “Yeah, Bête Mignon. It means ‘cute animal’ in French. I mean, really?” Calvin shook his head. “And I don’t think her bosses knew anything about publishing. You know? Rich people who want a hobby until it gets too expensive?”

  Nate frowned.

  “Well, was she happy there? Did she like it?”

  Calvin looked at him like he was crazy.

  “How should I know? She never came home, so I guess so.” He picked up another box, and his expression grew more thoughtful. “Every time I texted or called her, she was at that stupid magazine, so she probably loved it.”

  Nate had seen his fair share of disappointment, and he didn’t like the thought of Blythe losing out on a job she loved.

  “She told me she totaled her car,” Nate said, switching topics. “What happened with that?”

  Calvin’s eyes widened with interest.

  “Oh, man. You would not believe it. This fourteen-year-old kid stole a giant truck and went joy riding through New Orleans, and he pretty much plowed right into her! What an idiot!”

  Hearing Calvin’s version was even worse than listening to Blythe’s. How close had he come to losing her forever? Even if he could never win her back, he couldn’t imagine living in a world that didn’t contain Blythe Barnes.

  “How badly was she hurt?” he asked, feeling sick.

  “Just whiplash, but after that, she had to come home. No health insurance. No car. No job. She was pretty screwed.”

  Shit.

  “I had no idea…” Nate muttered.

  I would have helped her. Why did I let her disappear from my life completely?

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  GUILT.

  Blythe carried it up the steps to the second-floor apartment along with boxes from her parents’ house and bins from her storage unit.

  Despite her attempts to pitch in, Calvin and Nate insisted on doing all of the heavy lifting. Calvin was helping her move because he wanted his room back, but Nate was helping her move because he wanted to be with her.

  Or he thought he did.

  And this only fed her guilt. Because she was glad for his help, but she didn’t deserve it. Blythe knew she wasn’t simply using Nate as unpaid labor. A part of her was grateful that she had an excuse just to see him again. Despite the fact that she’d tried to discourage him when he’d driven her home, Blythe hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since.

  He passed her on the stairs, and she watched him ascend with a kitchen chair under each arm. There was no mistaking the fact that he had filled out over the years. Hi
s shoulders had grown broad and muscled, but his back tapered down to a narrow waist. Blythe followed him into the kitchen and found herself staring. She set down the box labeled “glassware” and tried to look busy when he headed back outside.

  “Should I go to Judice Inn and get everyone burgers?” her mother asked a few minutes later. “The trailer will be empty soon, and those boys have been working hard.”

  Blythe unwrapped a newspaper-covered juice glass and set it in one of the cabinets. She was hungry, too, and Judice Inn certainly had nothing she could eat but potato chips. But her mother would just do what she wanted, so it didn’t pay to object.

  “Sure. Whatever.”

  Nate stepped into the kitchen just then and set down her square butcher-block table.

  “Nate, would you like a couple of Judice Inn burgers? Seth always eats two or three, and you and Cal must have worked up an appetite. I swear, you unloaded that trailer faster than you could say ‘jack-rabbit!’”

  Nate glanced at Blythe and then at Alexandra.

  “I think everybody’s ready for lunch,” he said, meaningfully. “What if we order from Hub City? That way Blythe could get a black bean burger.”

  Blythe felt the stun of surprise. Her mother blinked in startled confusion.

  “But she always gets an egg sandwich when we order from Judice Inn…”

  Blythe rolled her eyes.

  “Mom, I haven’t eaten eggs since I left for college. Vegan, remember?”

  Her mother made a face as though what Blythe said couldn’t possibly be true.

  “We can get Hub City if that’s what you want — even though their burgers aren’t as good.”

  “Yeah, but they have curly fries.” Calvin offered, carrying in the last kitchen chair.

  Alexandra waved her hands in surrender.

  “Hub City it is. Somebody call in the order, and Calvin and I can pick it up.”

  Blythe reached for her phone.

  “I’ll do it,” she said, catching Nate’s eyes across the small room. Thank you, she mouthed.

  He held her gaze with half smile and nodded slightly.

  Blythe made herself turn toward to the kitchen sink. If she stared back at him for too long, she’d want to walk over and hug him, and that couldn’t happen. In her life, no one had ever been as sweet and attentive to her as Nate Bradley had been during the best and worst summer of her life. Clearly, he was still so sweet. And he still understood things about her that even her own mother didn’t grasp.

  Ten minutes later, they were alone in her tiny apartment, and her kitchen suddenly seemed smaller than when four people had filled it.

  “I found a box that says ‘plates and bowls.’ Should I put them up there?” Nate asked, pointing to the cabinet just to the left of her small kitchen window.

  “Sure.” Blythe lifted the box of cups and saucers and tried to immerse herself in the task.

  “So, you were right,” he said.

  “About what?”

  “Your family.” She looked up to see him wearing a knowing smile. “They haven’t changed all that much.”

  Blythe smirked and pulled her eyes back to the box in front of her.

  “No, they haven’t.”

  They worked in silence for a minute, but it wasn’t an easy silence.

  “You’ve changed a little, though,” Nate said softly.

  She resisted the urge to look at him.

  “I have… Not for the better.”

  “No, not in a bad way,” he added quickly. “You just seem… I don’t know… quieter.”

  Blythe didn’t know how to respond to that. She certainly couldn’t tell him why things were different. He said nothing for a moment.

  “And maybe you don’t smile as much… Is that because I’m here?”

  She jerked her head to meet his concerned eyes.

  “No… It’s not your fault,” she told him truthfully. “I’m not still angry with you or anything.”

  Nate blinked, a sad smile lifting the left side of his mouth.

  “But you were angry.” It wasn’t a question. Blythe thought back to the day he’d broken up with her.

  “Of course, I was angry — at first,” she said, choosing her words carefully and trying not to let everything show. “But things happened that neither of us expected… I understood your choice.”

  Nate frowned. She could see that her words distressed him.

  “Believe me, Blythe, it didn’t feel like a choice at the time.”

  She drew in a slow breath and released it.

  “It did to me.”

  Nate’s eyes winced, and she watched his grip tighten around the dinner plate in his hands.

  “If I could do it again, I’d—”

  Blythe held up her hand to stop him.

  “Nate, we all have regrets. I don’t care to revisit them.”

  He nodded and looked away.

  “Sorry. You made that clear the other day. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just…” He met her eyes again. “Maybe it’s ridiculous and… I don’t know, hopeless, but I want to… see where this could go… now that we aren’t so young.”

  She ignored his admission and made a joke instead.

  “We aren’t exactly over the hill, Nate,” she teased. “I mean, I don’t even think you’re old enough yet to rent a car, are you?”

  To her relief, he lost the tortured look he wore and laughed. The sound grabbed her around the middle and squeezed.

  “Just a few more weeks,” he paused, his eyes narrowing. “Your birthday was last month. Was it a good one?”

  Now, Blythe laughed at the irony.

  “Well, let’s see. I was jobless and living with my parents, so it wasn’t the best.”

  He gave her a consoling shrug.

  “Well, you’ve managed to turn that around. New job. New place. Speaking of, I have something for you.” He folded up the box he’d emptied and headed for the door. “I’ll be right back.”

  Blythe watched him go. She pressed her hands to her cheeks and found them hot and flushed. She could feel the stutter of her own heart that just a moment of playfulness with him had given her.

  That playfulness. It was something she’d never found with anyone else. Not the same way. And it was something she’d missed so much.

  Before she could remind herself to be careful, Nate was back in her apartment, carrying a gorgeous purple orchid.

  “Oh, wow… It’s beautiful,” she gasped. He thrust the pretty, jade green pot into her hands, and Blythe marveled at the majestic blossoms up close. “Nate, you didn’t have to do that!”

  “I know.” He smiled at her with a hint of pride. “I wanted to. It’s a housewarming gift.”

  The clusters of deep violet petals nearly stole her breath. She looked up at Nate and couldn’t hold back her smile back.

  “Thank you. It’s gorgeous.”

  “That’s fitting.” His voice dipped low as his eyes took her in. For a moment, under his gaze, time stood still. Nate seemed to lose his train of thought before speaking again. “It’s a Dendrobium Orchid, and if you want it to keep blooming, it takes just a little extra care.”

  “I want it to keep blooming.” Blythe nodded, relieved that the heated moment had passed.

  “Okay, so…” Nate took the plant from her again and scanned her apartment. He pointed to the window over her sink. “This window faces east. This is a good place for it during the day, but if you start noticing the leaves turning yellow, it’s getting too much sun.”

  “Got it.” She watched as he tucked the plant onto the windowsill. It looked perfect, and already, it gave her little kitchen a stylish, welcoming feel.

  “That will work for the daytime, but at night, it needs to be like twenty degrees cooler.”

  “Twenty degrees?” Blythe brows lifted.

  Nate nodded.

  “Yeah, so maybe open the window just a crack when it’s cool — like tonight, but in the summer, I’d move it into the living room by
your window unit — just at night.”

  “It’ll last until the summer?”

  He gave her an adorable grin.

  “It’ll last fifteen or twenty years under the right conditions.”

  “What? Seriously? That is quite a housewarming gift. But I really hope I’m not still living in this dinky little apartment in twenty years.”

  Nate watched her for a minute, heat again unmistakable in his brown eyes.

  “Me, too.”

  Blythe sucked in a breath, aware that only a few inches separated them as they stood at her kitchen sink.

  “Burgers and curly fries are here!” Her mother’s voice — unnecessarily loud — filled the apartment as she charged through the front door with Calvin. “I hope they remembered to give us ketchup. Blythe do you have any ketchup? I doubt you’ve thought about stocking up on things like that. Oh, look, there’s ketchup in the bag!”

  Blythe pulled herself away from Nate and went to the small table where her mother unloaded each order. She sighed at the interruption, and she told herself it was a sigh of relief. The time with Nate had taken a decidedly intimate turn, and Blythe definitely couldn’t deal with that.

  She busied herself with passing out Styrofoam containers and napkins before finding her burger. She needed to establish some boundaries for herself. This was Nate Bradley, after all. Blythe had dated a handful of guys in college before meeting Clayton Briggs, and none of them — not one — made her feel the way Nate had made her feel. For a while, she’d wondered if her relationship with Nate was special just because he was her first love, but now, being with him again, she understood that it had everything to do with him.

  So she had to be careful. Being alone with him was probably a bad idea.

  ****

  BY 3:00, ALL OF her furniture was placed around the apartment and most of her boxes had been opened and emptied. It didn’t feel like home yet, and nothing hung on the walls, but the place was hers.

  Blythe looked around the tiny apartment with satisfaction.

  “Mom, let’s go,” Cal said, clearly growing impatient. “If Blythe wants to play decorator, she can do it by herself.”

  She caught her little brother by the shoulders before he could disappear. Blythe looked him in the eye and tried to stare past his mask of teenage indifference. She knew better than ever that it was an act — one to protect him.