as Sam came bounding through the brush. He stopped in front of Carly and dropped a dead rabbit at her feet.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Good boy, Sam!” Justin picked up the rabbit and rubbed a grinning Sam between the ears.
Carly hugged Sam tightly. “Good boy,” she said, though she wanted to scold him for taking off like that.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume you’ve never had rabbit for dinner, right?”
Carly shook her head.
“Then you may not want to watch this next bit. Why don’t you walk back to the creek and get us some water?”
“Where is it?”
“About a hundred yards that way.” Justin pointed. “You should be able to see the tracks I made in the leaves. But if you get off the trail, just yell. You’ll be within earshot.”
She found the creek and washed her face and hands before filling the bucket. Sam started lapping at the flowing water. “No! Don’t drink that until Justin purifies it.” Sam just looked at her with those eerily sentient eyes.
Justin had constructed a spit using two forked sticks with a parallel one across that held the cooking rabbit. It smelled delicious. Carly’s stomach growled, and Justin grinned at her. He had raked out some hot cinders upon which a pot simmered.
“Where’s the first aid kit?” Carly asked.
“Are you hurt?” He rose quickly to his feet and headed to the wagon.
“No, but you said Sam’s paws would be sore. I wanted to put some cream on them.”
Justin shook his head for some reason but got out the antibiotic cream. Sam was not happy about having the greasy substance smeared on his paws, but he submitted to it with a sigh.
Justin took the cooked rabbit off the spit and cut it up on their plates before adding a helping of canned corn from the simmering pot. “ Bon appétit. ”
“ Merci beaucoup,” Carly replied.
“ Parlez-vous français ?” He sounded a little surprised.
“I took it for two years in high school. What about you? I know you took Arabic, but do you speak anything else?”
Justin shrugged. “A couple of others.”
Hearing that made Carly feel a little better. Apparently Justin was one of those people who made everyone around them look dumb by comparison. Carly speared a piece of rabbit with her fork and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes widened. “This is delicious!”
“You sound surprised,” he said. She’d noticed that his eyes crinkled at the corners when he teased and it always made her smile too.
“I know it’s one of those stereotypes, but it really does taste like chicken.”
“It’s the secret ingredient.”
“What’s that?”
Justin lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in close. “Salt.”
Carly giggled and gave his shoulder a playful swat.
He glanced over at the book she’d left lying open on top of her sleeping bag. “A bilingual girl who reads Pynchon for fun.” He shook his head in amusement. “Why didn’t you go off to college, Carly?”
“I took some classes at the local branch campus. The thing is, I could never figure out what I wanted to do. I was happy where I was, and honestly, it didn’t seem worth it. My dad really wanted me to go, which is why I took the classes. Mom took my side and said I shouldn’t have to go if I didn’t want to, but Dad said he wanted more for me than being the manager of a souvenir shop and getting married to some guy who ran a fishing charter, or something. I felt like I let him down in that respect.” She took another bite and chewed it while she wondered about Justin’s education. As smart as he was, he would probably shrug and say he had a double doctorate in Sanskrit and particle physics. “What about you, Justin? Did you go to college?”
“No.”
Carly waited for him to elaborate but all he did was finish his food and take his plate over to the bucket to wash it. She finished her last few bites and brought him her plate as well. Justin washed them, and Carly silently dried them and put them back into the
“Well, I’ll be damned. Good boy, Sam!” Justin picked up the rabbit and rubbed a grinning Sam between the ears.
Carly hugged Sam tightly. “Good boy,” she said, though she wanted to scold him for taking off like that.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume you’ve never had rabbit for dinner, right?”
Carly shook her head.
“Then you may not want to watch this next bit. Why don’t you walk back to the creek and get us some water?”
“Where is it?”
“About a hundred yards that way.” Justin pointed. “You should be able to see the tracks I made in the leaves. But if you get off the trail, just yell. You’ll be within earshot.”
She found the creek and washed her face and hands before filling the bucket. Sam started lapping at the flowing water. “No! Don’t drink that until Justin purifies it.” Sam just looked at her with those eerily sentient eyes.
Justin had constructed a spit using two forked sticks with a parallel one across that held the cooking rabbit. It smelled delicious. Carly’s stomach growled, and Justin grinned at her. He had raked out some hot cinders upon which a pot simmered.
“Where’s the first aid kit?” Carly asked.
“Are you hurt?” He rose quickly to his feet and headed to the wagon.
“No, but you said Sam’s paws would be sore. I wanted to put some cream on them.”
Justin shook his head for some reason but got out the antibiotic cream. Sam was not happy about having the greasy substance smeared on his paws, but he submitted to it with a sigh.
Justin took the cooked rabbit off the spit and cut it up on their plates before adding a helping of canned corn from the simmering pot. “ Bon appétit. ”
“ Merci beaucoup,” Carly replied.
“ Parlez-vous français ?” He sounded a little surprised.
“I took it for two years in high school. What about you? I know you took Arabic, but do you speak anything else?”
Justin shrugged. “A couple of others.”
Hearing that made Carly feel a little better. Apparently Justin was one of those people who made everyone around them look dumb by comparison. Carly speared a piece of rabbit with her fork and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes widened. “This is delicious!”
“You sound surprised,” he said. She’d noticed that his eyes crinkled at the corners when he teased and it always made her smile too.
“I know it’s one of those stereotypes, but it really does taste like chicken.”
“It’s the secret ingredient.”
“What’s that?”
Justin lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in close. “Salt.”
Carly giggled and gave his shoulder a playful swat.
He glanced over at the book she’d left lying open on top of her sleeping bag. “A bilingual girl who reads Pynchon for fun.” He shook his head in amusement. “Why didn’t you go off to college, Carly?”
“I took some classes at the local branch campus. The thing is, I could never figure out what I wanted to do. I was happy where I was, and honestly, it didn’t seem worth it. My dad really wanted me to go, which is why I took the classes. Mom took my side and said I shouldn’t have to go if I didn’t want to, but Dad said he wanted more for me than being the manager of a souvenir shop and getting married to some guy who ran a fishing charter, or something. I felt like I let him down in that respect.” She took another bite and chewed it while she wondered about Justin’s education. As smart as he was, he would probably shrug and say he had a double doctorate in Sanskrit and particle physics. “What about you, Justin? Did you go to college?”
“No.”
Carly waited for him to elaborate but all he did was finish his food and take his plate over to the bucket to wash it. She finished her last few bites and brought him her plate as well. Justin washed them, and Carly silently dried them and put them back into the
Similar Books
