but I was glad Tom sent me out with Pepper. If I had stayed, I wasn’t sure I could have watched that for long without interfering.”
He nodded. “I know. I think Tom knew that too, and that’s why he sent you off with Pepper.”
I paused, feeling played. “Oh.”
In automatic movements, I turned off the hose, reached for a sweat scrapper, and started wiping excess water off Midnight. After I was done, I took Midnight to his stall and checked the time. Almost noon. I looked around. Garrett put Pepper inside her stall, but there was no one else there.
“Um, any idea where Tom is?”
Garrett shrugged. “He could be anywhere.”
“Well, I gotta go. Tell him I said thanks for letting me help.”
“I think he’ll be the one saying thanks. In fact, me too. Thanks for helping.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome.” Watching him, I gave a step back, and then turned to leave.
“Wait,” Garrett said. My heart skipped a beat and I faced him. “You’ll be back, right?”
“Yes.” If it depended on me, I wouldn’t leave this place—even with the potential of running into annoying Jonah. Hopefully, he wouldn’t come by too much.
Garrett showed me that cute lopsided grin. “Good.”
Chapter Ten
I made it back to campus with time to take another shower, stop by the coffee shop at the student center so I could grab a quick bite, and then step into the library. Phoebe and Jonah were already there, with their books and notes spread around a central table.
“Hi, Brazilian girl,” Jonah said, smiling, when I approached them.
I sat beside Phoebe. “I have a name.”
“I was about to call you,” Phoebe said. “Where were you?”
“I was …” I was about to tell them where I had been, but for some reason, I didn’t want Jonah to know I was at his father’s ranch. “I was busy.” I opened my books and notepad. “So, any ideas on topics?”
“I was thinking the Great Depression,” Phoebe suggested.
“How about the First World War?” Jonah asked.
I frowned. “But that’s not American history. I mean, not alone.”
“Yeah, but we can talk about how the Americans swooped in and saved the day.”
Typical. Americans and their super patriotism. Nothing wrong with that, until some people got sickly obsessed about it. I loved Brazil, but damn, I was the first one to point out all the bad things in my country without shame. Brazil had a bunch of flaws. Too many even, but I wasn’t going to pretend they weren’t there because I loved my country.
“Yeah, well,” I started. “I suggest we make a list of possible topics, and then we can vote on them.”
“I like that,” Phoebe said.
Jonah shrugged, clearly dissatisfied. “Whatever.”
After fifteen minutes, we had an extensive list. Each of us voted on the topics we preferred discussing, and we ended up choosing the Great Depression after all.
“That’s going to be depressing,” Jonah joked. Phoebe snorted, and I shook my head. “Come on, that was funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe a little.”
He leaned across the table and stared at me. “Confess. It was hilarious.” He reached over and rested his hand on my forearm, stroking his thumb over my skin.
Swallowing hard, I pulled my arm away. “We should make an outline of important facts from the Great Depression to present to the professor next class.”
“Right,” Jonah said, his tone not hiding his disappointment.
When Jonah lowered his gaze to his notebook, Phoebe widened her eyes at me. I shook my head, hoping she understood not to ask about it. Undoubtedly, she would ask about it later though.
We composed a two-page essay about the other, longer essay we were going to write as our project. Phoebe assigned topics within the Great Depression for each of us to research and write about. The idea was to put all those parts together later and go over it to make sure everything aligned. If it didn’t, she said she could smooth it out. So far, this group project wasn’t
He nodded. “I know. I think Tom knew that too, and that’s why he sent you off with Pepper.”
I paused, feeling played. “Oh.”
In automatic movements, I turned off the hose, reached for a sweat scrapper, and started wiping excess water off Midnight. After I was done, I took Midnight to his stall and checked the time. Almost noon. I looked around. Garrett put Pepper inside her stall, but there was no one else there.
“Um, any idea where Tom is?”
Garrett shrugged. “He could be anywhere.”
“Well, I gotta go. Tell him I said thanks for letting me help.”
“I think he’ll be the one saying thanks. In fact, me too. Thanks for helping.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome.” Watching him, I gave a step back, and then turned to leave.
“Wait,” Garrett said. My heart skipped a beat and I faced him. “You’ll be back, right?”
“Yes.” If it depended on me, I wouldn’t leave this place—even with the potential of running into annoying Jonah. Hopefully, he wouldn’t come by too much.
Garrett showed me that cute lopsided grin. “Good.”
Chapter Ten
I made it back to campus with time to take another shower, stop by the coffee shop at the student center so I could grab a quick bite, and then step into the library. Phoebe and Jonah were already there, with their books and notes spread around a central table.
“Hi, Brazilian girl,” Jonah said, smiling, when I approached them.
I sat beside Phoebe. “I have a name.”
“I was about to call you,” Phoebe said. “Where were you?”
“I was …” I was about to tell them where I had been, but for some reason, I didn’t want Jonah to know I was at his father’s ranch. “I was busy.” I opened my books and notepad. “So, any ideas on topics?”
“I was thinking the Great Depression,” Phoebe suggested.
“How about the First World War?” Jonah asked.
I frowned. “But that’s not American history. I mean, not alone.”
“Yeah, but we can talk about how the Americans swooped in and saved the day.”
Typical. Americans and their super patriotism. Nothing wrong with that, until some people got sickly obsessed about it. I loved Brazil, but damn, I was the first one to point out all the bad things in my country without shame. Brazil had a bunch of flaws. Too many even, but I wasn’t going to pretend they weren’t there because I loved my country.
“Yeah, well,” I started. “I suggest we make a list of possible topics, and then we can vote on them.”
“I like that,” Phoebe said.
Jonah shrugged, clearly dissatisfied. “Whatever.”
After fifteen minutes, we had an extensive list. Each of us voted on the topics we preferred discussing, and we ended up choosing the Great Depression after all.
“That’s going to be depressing,” Jonah joked. Phoebe snorted, and I shook my head. “Come on, that was funny.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe a little.”
He leaned across the table and stared at me. “Confess. It was hilarious.” He reached over and rested his hand on my forearm, stroking his thumb over my skin.
Swallowing hard, I pulled my arm away. “We should make an outline of important facts from the Great Depression to present to the professor next class.”
“Right,” Jonah said, his tone not hiding his disappointment.
When Jonah lowered his gaze to his notebook, Phoebe widened her eyes at me. I shook my head, hoping she understood not to ask about it. Undoubtedly, she would ask about it later though.
We composed a two-page essay about the other, longer essay we were going to write as our project. Phoebe assigned topics within the Great Depression for each of us to research and write about. The idea was to put all those parts together later and go over it to make sure everything aligned. If it didn’t, she said she could smooth it out. So far, this group project wasn’t
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