thought of the life she’d missed because of her mother’s selfishness?
The message created more questions in her mind, more questions than she had answers for.
“Where are we going for lunch?” Etta asked as they walked out of church an hour later.
Alyson was still lost in the words of a song, still trying to make sense of peace, and her grandmother was moving on, as if this was all normal, as if everyone should understand and get this faith, this God that seemed to be such a part of these people’s lives.
They assumed that everyone got it, that it was easy, but it wasn’t. Maybe that was her, overthinking again.
A hand touched hers, fingers lightly brushing. She looked up, and his eyes held understanding. He winked.
“You with us?” He leaned into the crutches and his mouth tightened.
“Should you go to the emergency room?”
“For what?” He really looked confused.
“You fell off a horse, remember?”
He laughed, “I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t know why I’d go to the E.R. for that.”
“Because that’s what people do when they’re hurt.”
“Not this cowboy. I’ll take some aspirin, put some ice on it and tomorrow be good as gold.”
“While the two of you are talking, I’m going into a diabetic coma here.” Etta sighed.
“You aren’t diabetic.” Jason took an easy step forward. “And if you’ll join me at the Mad Cow, I’ll buy lunch.”
“I’m not a diabetic, but I’m definitely tired of waiting.” Etta pulled keys out of her purse. “Alyson, can you drive him?”
“I got myself here, I think I can drive myself to the Mad Cow.”
“And you’ll wreck your truck and hurt someone.”
Jason held his keys in a tight fist. “Etta, have you ridden in a five speed with your granddaughter? I bet she can’t drive a stick shift.”
“She needs to learn and who better to teach her?”
“Might as well drive my truck.” Jason handed over the keys and Alyson didn’t want to take them. “She won’t give up.”
“I can’t.”
“You’ve got to.” He winked and walked away. As Alyson stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out what to do, he was tossing crutches into the back and opening the door.
Okay, she was driving a truck. She opened the driver’s side door and stared at the cowboy sitting in the passenger seat, a cute grin on his too handsome face. Smug. He definitely looked smug.
She climbed in and sat behind the wheel. Her feet were miles from the gas and brake, and the added pedal, the clutch. She felt queasy as she stuck the key into the ignition.
She started to turn the key and he stopped her.
“Foot on the clutch.” He clicked his seat belt.
“Foot on clutch. Anything else?”
“Once it’s started keep your foot on the clutch and shift into Reverse. And then give it a little gas and back up.Then you’ll put your foot on the clutch again and shift into first.”
“Got it.”
Alyson started the truck, remembering to keep her foot on the clutch and then forgetting as she put the truck into reverse. It jumped, choked and died.
“This is so hard on my truck.”
“We could sit here and Etta would get the hint.”
“She’s already gone.” Jason smiled. “We could go to my place and have a picnic.”
A picnic. Alyson tried to remember the last time she’d done anything like that. She was tempted, and she knew he was teasing. It was just suggested as a way to get back at Etta, not because he thought it might be a good idea.
“Do you want to go on a picnic?” Jason turned, resting against the passenger side door, his arm over the back of the seat.
“It would be fun, someday.”
He pulled out his phone. “We’ll invite Etta.”
He was serious. She tried to stop him but he held up a finger to silence her and dialed. She started the truck again, not sure what to do next, so she sat there. A car drove around them, the people inside it stared, shaking their heads.
And of course Etta didn’t want to go on a picnic, but
The message created more questions in her mind, more questions than she had answers for.
“Where are we going for lunch?” Etta asked as they walked out of church an hour later.
Alyson was still lost in the words of a song, still trying to make sense of peace, and her grandmother was moving on, as if this was all normal, as if everyone should understand and get this faith, this God that seemed to be such a part of these people’s lives.
They assumed that everyone got it, that it was easy, but it wasn’t. Maybe that was her, overthinking again.
A hand touched hers, fingers lightly brushing. She looked up, and his eyes held understanding. He winked.
“You with us?” He leaned into the crutches and his mouth tightened.
“Should you go to the emergency room?”
“For what?” He really looked confused.
“You fell off a horse, remember?”
He laughed, “I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t know why I’d go to the E.R. for that.”
“Because that’s what people do when they’re hurt.”
“Not this cowboy. I’ll take some aspirin, put some ice on it and tomorrow be good as gold.”
“While the two of you are talking, I’m going into a diabetic coma here.” Etta sighed.
“You aren’t diabetic.” Jason took an easy step forward. “And if you’ll join me at the Mad Cow, I’ll buy lunch.”
“I’m not a diabetic, but I’m definitely tired of waiting.” Etta pulled keys out of her purse. “Alyson, can you drive him?”
“I got myself here, I think I can drive myself to the Mad Cow.”
“And you’ll wreck your truck and hurt someone.”
Jason held his keys in a tight fist. “Etta, have you ridden in a five speed with your granddaughter? I bet she can’t drive a stick shift.”
“She needs to learn and who better to teach her?”
“Might as well drive my truck.” Jason handed over the keys and Alyson didn’t want to take them. “She won’t give up.”
“I can’t.”
“You’ve got to.” He winked and walked away. As Alyson stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out what to do, he was tossing crutches into the back and opening the door.
Okay, she was driving a truck. She opened the driver’s side door and stared at the cowboy sitting in the passenger seat, a cute grin on his too handsome face. Smug. He definitely looked smug.
She climbed in and sat behind the wheel. Her feet were miles from the gas and brake, and the added pedal, the clutch. She felt queasy as she stuck the key into the ignition.
She started to turn the key and he stopped her.
“Foot on the clutch.” He clicked his seat belt.
“Foot on clutch. Anything else?”
“Once it’s started keep your foot on the clutch and shift into Reverse. And then give it a little gas and back up.Then you’ll put your foot on the clutch again and shift into first.”
“Got it.”
Alyson started the truck, remembering to keep her foot on the clutch and then forgetting as she put the truck into reverse. It jumped, choked and died.
“This is so hard on my truck.”
“We could sit here and Etta would get the hint.”
“She’s already gone.” Jason smiled. “We could go to my place and have a picnic.”
A picnic. Alyson tried to remember the last time she’d done anything like that. She was tempted, and she knew he was teasing. It was just suggested as a way to get back at Etta, not because he thought it might be a good idea.
“Do you want to go on a picnic?” Jason turned, resting against the passenger side door, his arm over the back of the seat.
“It would be fun, someday.”
He pulled out his phone. “We’ll invite Etta.”
He was serious. She tried to stop him but he held up a finger to silence her and dialed. She started the truck again, not sure what to do next, so she sat there. A car drove around them, the people inside it stared, shaking their heads.
And of course Etta didn’t want to go on a picnic, but
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