Who Needs Boys

by Stephanie Rowe

  "No problem." Didn't look very hard.

  "Good." He pointed down the row. "Finish this row and then check in with me."

  The row? It was like seventeen miles long. It would take me all day to drive that far, let alone crawl along pulling carrots out of the ground.

  Tad eyed me. "Problem?"

  I wrinkled my nose at him. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no, I'm fine."

  "You think I want you to have a problem?" He handed me the shovel. "Believe me, I would be thrilled if you became self-sufficient within five minutes. Taking care of someone who doesn't want to get dirty isn't what I'm here for."

  I grabbed the shovel. "I get dirty."

  "Do you? Your shorts look pretty white to me."

  I glared at him and sat down in the field, white shorts and all.

  He lifted a brow. "Tomorrow you should wear jeans or get knee pads. Your knees will be hashed from kneeling in the fields all day."

  Again, so nice of someone to tell me this ahead of time. I wondered if Rand had a spare pair of knee pads on him. "I'll be fine."

  He shrugged. "If you need me, yell."

  Ha. I'd let myself get bitten by a rattlesnake before I'd admit to Tad that I needed help.

  * * *

  Ten hours later I looked at my watch. Then I shook it and looked at it again. Had it stopped? According to my watch, I'd only been working for thirty minutes. Impossible. I was melting from the heat, my muscles were aching, my knees were killing me and I was so thirsty I kept expecting to shrivel up into a pile of dust. Rand's gloves were so huge that every time I tried to grab something, the fingers folded over on the ends and got all tangled up.

  But when I tried to ditch the gloves, I totally mangled my hands. So the gloves were on and I was exhausted.

  I tossed another carrot into the crate and inspected my progress. Six? I'd pulled out only six?

  I sat back on my heels and looked across the field. Tad had moved much farther down the field and there were carrots flying through the air in rapid succession. He had headphones on and was whistling. Whistling. How could he be whistling? This was torture of the worst kind.

  "Allie!"

  My heart catapulted out of my body, and I screeched and jumped up, only to find Natalie standing behind me laughing. "You scared me!"

  "Sorry." She dropped a crate in the next row and then fell to her knees. "They're short on carrots, so I get to help you." Natalie was wearing jeans and knee pads, and she had on a new set of gloves that fit her hands. She also had a water bottle on her hip.

  "How did you know to bring all that stuff?"

  "What stuff?" She looked cheerful and happy, and her cheeks were already flushed from the sun.

  "The knee pads and gloves."

  "Oh. It was in Mr. Novak's e-mail last week."

  An e-mail that I hadn't gotten because I hadn't been signed up at the time. Nice.

  On the other hand, at least I didn't have to take it personally anymore. It was merely the price of being late to the party.

  Natalie started tugging at a carrot. "So, you have a cute guy, huh? Is he nice?"

  "He's a jerk." I watched Natalie's technique and tried to mimic it. "How'd you get the carrots out so easily?"

  "You have to give it a little twist." She showed me, but I still couldn't recreate it. So she came over to my row and showed me exactly where to put my hands and how to twist.

  "Like that?"

  "Almost." She aimed my shovel for me. "Just put this here like that and ... voila."

  "Nice job."

  We both looked up to find Tad standing over us. The sun made the red highlights in his light-brown hair stand out. I paid good money for highlights like that, and he just had them. I was so sure he didn't appreciate them.

  "I'm Tad."

  Since I already knew him, I guessed the intro wasn't for my benefit.

  Natalie stuck her dirty gloved hand at him, and he shook it. "Natalie Page. Allie's friend."

  Tad glanced at me, then back at Natalie, and I knew he was wondering what we could have in common. What? Because Natalie was so much cooler than me? Since when did Natalie get the attention of boys instead of me?

  Since dirt and harvesting carrots became important, apparently.

  "You're new, aren't you?" Tad asked.

  Natalie nodded. "First day."

  "How'd you learn how to do the carrots?"

  She shrugged. "I figured it out. Not too hard." She tossed a carrot into her crate. "They ran out of carrots at the stand, so they sent me out here to help."

  A look from Tad said that if I was faster, they wouldn't have needed to give me help.

  How unfair was that? I was trying!

  "Thanks for your help," Tad said. And then he smiled at her.

  Smiled!

  I didn't even think his mouth went in that direction, and Natalie got a smile?

  She grinned back. "No problem. It's fun."

  I stared at Natalie. "You think this is fun?"

  "Sure. Better than running up hills for two hours on a hot day."

  Tad looked curious. "You're a runner?"

  "Yep. Cross country and track."

  "Want to run sometime after work?"

  "Sure. Not today, because I don't have my running shoes. Tomorrow?"

  Tad nodded. "Sounds good. Nice to meet you, Natalie." Without even glancing in my direction, he walked back across the field to his wheelbarrow.

  "He sure seems nice," Natalie said. "Why is he a jerk?"

  I stared after him. "He doesn't treat me like that."

  "Like what?" Two more carrots hit the crate.

  "Like a human being."

  "Really?" Natalie rested her hands on her hips and watched him walk away. "What's he doing?"

  "Being mean." I swallowed and realized I sounded pathetic. "I mean, he's treating me like I'm some prima donna who doesn’t want to work hard, like I’m keeping him from more important things.”

  Natalie shot me a look. "Well, you did go pretty heavy on the makeup today, and that outfit isn't exactly what most people would pick to go work in the fields." She held up her hand before I could protest. "I know you work hard, but can you blame someone for getting the wrong impression?"

  I was not in the mood to give Tad the benefit of the doubt.

  "Who knows? Maybe his poor heart was broken by some gorgeous girl who didn't think working in the fields was dignified enough, and he has a crush on you already, but he's too wounded to believe there's any hope, so he's trying to push you away before you can break his heart."

  Despite my best efforts to continue to feel sorry for myself, I laughed. "Or maybe he's just a jerk."

  "Maybe. But I think he has the hots for you."

  I grabbed a green tuft and wedged my shovel in. "No way. I can tell when guys have the hots for me. They flirt, they smile, and they try to win me over by being nice. Tad definitely thinks I'm a loser." I glared at his back across the field. And I'm not a loser, for your information.

  "He doesn't think you're a loser." Natalie lifted a brow at my eyeroll. "You want to make a bet on it?"

  I glanced at Natalie, who was already on to her second crate. "What are you talking about?"

  "I bet you can get him."

  "First of all, you're the one he wants to go running with. Second, I don't pursue guys. They come after me or I move on." Translation: If I cared enough about a guy to pursue him, then he could hurt me. If I treat guys as trinkets that I could care less about, then I'm the one in the power seat, right? Chasing after Tad would put me in a way vulnerable position, even if it was merely for a bet.

  No way.

  Natalie rolled her eyes and tossed carrots in my crate. "All guys want to run with me. I'm a buddy. A friend. Not a girl. Doesn't mean he wants me."

  "Well, maybe you want him. I'm not getting between you two."

  Natalie stopped pulling and stared at me. "You're afraid."

  "Afraid? Me? You have to be kidding." I wasn't afraid of anything or anyon
e. "Afraid of what?"

  "Of Tad. Of getting rejected." She tapped my thigh with her shovel. "I don't want him. He's a runner, and I don't date runners. They sweat and get dirty and remind me of track practice. So that argument doesn't fly."

  I jabbed my shovel into the dirt. Hard.

  "You're afraid you've met your match in Tad." Natalie was grinning now, almost laughing.

  "I am not. I could have him if I wanted." But I didn't want him, any more than I wanted my dad. Okay, so I really did want my dad. But I was working on that, and I'd certainly learned my lesson. There would be no yearning for boys who didn't adore me from the first moment. "But why bother? There are other guys around who are better options. Like Rand. Have you met Rand? He let me borrow his gloves." Unlike Tad, who didn't even tell me about the crates.

  "Rand?" She sounded interested. "I haven't met him. Is he a runner?"

  I managed to distract Natalie into a discussion of Rand's merits, but I hadn't forgotten about our conversation. I kept sneaking glances over at Tad, who was moving farther and farther away as he powered through the carrots. Natalie would probably be able to keep up with him, except she kept putting her carrots in my crate. A true friend, despite the fact that she thought Tad would be a good match for me.

  No way was I going to ruin my summer by obsessing about a guy who didn't want me.

  So there.

  * * *

  I collapsed in the back of Blue's mom's Suburban at three o'clock. I closed my eyes, let my head flop against the seat and prayed the farm stand would burn down between now and tomorrow morning.

  My friends were busy chattering. How was that possible? Weren't they exhausted?

  Then I heard Blue mention a cash register and I sat up. "You're working the register?"

  She nodded. "I'm in training, actually. I only get to be on duty when it's quiet. Otherwise, I help Frances stock the shelves."

  "Stock shelves? You mean you carry stuff from the back room into the store?"

  "Yep. Do you have any idea how many cute guys there are working here?" Blue sighed. "It's almost enough to make a girl wish she didn't have a boyfriend."

  "So many?" I repeated. "I saw only two. Or one, rather. One cute one and one jerk. I spent the rest of the day chatting with dirt and carrots."

  "You also chatted with a cute guy named Tad," Natalie chimed in.

  Unfortunately, she was in the seat in front of me so I couldn't kick her. I made a mental note to remember to do it later. Frances was sitting next to me, and she tapped me on the shoulder. "Spill."

  "Yeah." Blue turned around and leaned over the back of the seat. "How come we're halfway home and we haven't heard about Tad?"

  "Because he's a jerk."

  Natalie shook her head. "I think he's madly in love with her and he doesn't know what to do about it."

  "No chance." Rand on the other hand, I wouldn't argue. Not that he loved me, but he at least realized I wasn't carrying rabies.

  Blue looked amused. "I don't know. Colin never had the hots for Allie. It does happen."

  "Thanks... I think."

  "Same with Theo," Frances said. "He even said he's not sure why so many guys are in love with you."

  Okay, so I wasn't really digging this turn of the conversation, even if they were agreeing with me in some bizarre way by stating that it was very possible Tad didn't like me. "I never wanted Colin or Theo."

  "So it was mutual," Blue said.

  "Maybe you didn't want them because you realized they didn't want you," Frances suggested. "A subliminal defense mechanism."

  I stared at her. "What are you, a psychiatrist?"

  "I'm thinking about it. Good idea, huh? Of course, that means medical school. My parents are beside themselves with glee at the thought of their daughter being a doctor." Frances rolled her eyes. "They're so weird."

  She was so wrong. My lack of interest in Theo and Colin hadn't been a defense mechanism just because they hadn't been interested in me. I hadn't liked them. If I had, I could have had them. But I didn't.

  Natalie looked thoughtful. "So, you're saying that there are boys who are immune to Allie?"

  Frances and Blue both nodded. "Absolutely."

  "I disagree. I think she could get any guy she wants." Natalie grinned. "Wanna bet?"

  I dragged my weary body into a fighting stance. "Not this again. No bet."

  "What bet?" Blue asked.

  "Allie and I will bet that Allie can win Tad over by the end of the summer. You two seem to think that there are boys who are immune, so I'm guessing you two would bet that she couldn't get him interested in her."

  "Natalie, that's a stupid idea. I'm not going to pursue Tad." Despite what Natalie thought, he really didn't like me, and I never wasted my time on guys who didn't like me. Not because I couldn’t eventually win them over, but why bother when there were plenty of others who required no effort?

  Blue and Frances huddled up and whispered behind their hands while I glared at Natalie. "I'm not doing a stupid bet."

  The twosome broke formation. "Okay, here's the deal," Blue said. "We know that some boys aren't into Allie, but we need to inspect this Tad guy first and see if he qualifies. We're not going to make a bet over some guy who has already asked her out."

  I snorted. "Trust me, Tad's not going to ask me out, unless it's into the street in front of an oncoming car." Frances and Blue lifted their eyebrows, and I scowled. "I'm not taking this bet. No way. Boys are about entertainment, not bets."

  They all ignored me, setting up plans for Blue and Frances to inspect the interaction between me and Tad tomorrow.

  How completely humiliating. A bet to see exactly how unappealing I actually was. There was no way I could let that happen. I did not want to be in a position of trying to force some guy to like me. Like I didn't have enough rejection in my life already.

  Tad was history. Rand was what I needed.

  Actually, what I really needed were knee pads, a water bottle and a pair of work gloves. After I found a way to get myself to the mall tonight to buy them, I’d think about tackling Rand.

  And I was not going to think about Tad or my dad or anything.

  Work gloves and Rand. The stuff of fantasies.

  Chapter Four

  Tad was loading up his wheelbarrow when I found him in the supply shack the next morning. I was wearing jeans and I had all my supplies, courtesy of a cab ride to the mall. Mom hadn't been around and my friends' parents had opted not to do carpool duty.

  No problem. That's why my mom left me cash when she went out.

  I was wearing a cute pink T-shirt and a pair of sneakers that were practical, but still very trendy. I decided my makeup had been right yesterday, so I did the same thing and fixed my hair.

  The perfect combination of cute and ready to work hard. Tad would see the error of his ways. "Hi, Tad."

  He glanced up and inspected my outfit. Then he nodded. "Better."

  Better? That's all he could say? No lingering inspection at all? Just "better"?

  "Don't you have a Sam's T-shirt?" he asked.

  "One of those thick unisex ones?" My T-shirt rocked. The V neck showed off my cleavage, and the fitted waist showed my curves. And he wanted me to put on that shapeless navy bag?

  Blue and Frances walked into the shed, squawking with completely fake surprise. "Oh my gosh," Blue said, way too innocently. "We didn't realize anyone was in here."

  I scowled at them, but Tad looked amused. Really? Amused? Why did they amuse him and I disgusted him?

  Frances and Blue quickly introduced themselves to Tad, and he was friendly. Until they said they were friends with me, at which point his demeanor changed. Not a lot. But I saw his eyes flick in my direction again, like he was trying to figure out how they could be with me.

  "What's that look for? Are they too normal to be friends with me?" I snapped.

  Tad looked surprised. "What?"

  "Every time you meet one of my friends, you give me a look like, how come you're ha
nging out with someone who's normal? What is so wrong with me?" I couldn't take it anymore. I was so uncomfortable with someone not liking me, especially someone I had to work with.

  Tad glanced at my friends, then back at me, then shifted his weight to his left foot. Then back to his right foot. Was I making him nervous? Good.

  "I don't think there's anything wrong with you," he finally said, but he was looking down at a dirt smudge he'd suddenly decided to wipe off his jeans.

  "No?" I didn't believe him at all. "Then why the hostility?" I didn't know why I was pushing him so hard, why I cared so much what he thought of me. But I did. I wanted him to think I was okay.

  Tad looked even more uncomfortable. "I'm not hostile."

  Again, not true. And I could prove it. "You certainly aren't like Rand is."

  "Rand?" His eyes narrowed. "You want me to be like Rand?"

  I lifted my chin. "He at least seems to think I have some value, and he doesn't expect me to be an expert on farm work on my first day."

  Tad shrugged, his face going expressionless. "Feel free to request that you get switched to him."

  I sure wished I could, but I couldn't afford to make Mr. Novak question his last-minute decision to add me to the staff. And why didn't Tad care if I left him? Shouldn't the idea of that make him a little bummed out?

  "Well, I'm convinced it's an insurmountable task." Blue swung her arm around my shoulder. "Looks like we're on. You and Natalie versus Frances and me."

  Oh… the bet. I'd forgotten about that. They seriously wanted me to try to get Tad to like me? It was bad enough when I didn't care if he liked me. If I started to care? No way. It would be awful. "I'm not doing it."

  "Of course you are," Frances said cheerfully. "Terms will be negotiated on the ride home." She grinned at Tad. "Have a good day, you two."

  I tried to melt Blue and Frances with my glare, but they sauntered out of the shed giggling instead of disintegrating into the dirt.

  Leaving me alone with Tad. What was I supposed to say to him? I didn't even know anymore. Me, the girl would knew exactly what to say to any guy, no matter what age, was totally tongue-tied? Nice.