AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER4
david
By the time I spread the tarp over my mower, I’m drenched from head to toe. I look over to the porch and Tori’s standing there with a towel clenched in her hands.
I hate I didn’t get her yard finished, but I don’t regret spending the last few minutes with her inside, even if it was tending to her foot.
I know we’re not supposed to question why things happen the way that they do, but I can’t help it. Why couldn’t it have been me, so Kyle’s life could’ve been spared? Tori and Kyle were so happy together and they were on the verge of starting a family together.
“I’m so sorry,” Tori says and extends the towel to me.
“For what?” I inquire and rub the towel back and forth over my wet hair.
“That you had to get wet.”
“Eh, it’s no big deal. Just a little rain.” I take off my cap again and rub the towel over my face. The sweet scent of the fabric softener Tori uses wafts through my nose, reminding me of the way our clothes smelled when I was a kid still living at home. My own mom took extra care when she tended to the laundry and it was always such a clean, refreshing aroma. I wonder if Tori would be up for doing my laundry?
“Why don’t you come on back inside? I can fix us a late breakfast or an early lunch. I’ll let you decide,” she says, a hopeful gleam on her face.
“I’d love to, but maybe I should go home and change first,” I suggest and look down at my wet clothes. “I could use a shower too. I’m pretty dirty.”
“I can probably find something of Kyle’s. If you’re okay wearing his things. I still have some stuff put away that I haven’t been able to part with.”
Sadness is clear in her voice by mentioning his name, and if I weren’t so dirty, I’d reach over and wrap my arms around her. “I don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable doing. Kyle’s things—”
“I get it,” she admits. When she looks up there’s moisture in her eyes. “I’m not sure how I would feel either seeing you in his t-shirt.”
“I’d love to do lunch though,” I say and place my finger underneath her chin. To be completely honest, I’d like to steer the subject away from him…for now. “I tell you what. I’ll go home and get cleaned up and then I’ll swing back by, and we can go grab some lunch somewhere. How does that sound?”
“I’d like that. A lot. I guess I should get myself ready too.”
“Want me to call you before I head back over?” I’m not sure how long it’ll take her to get ready and I don’t want her to feel like I’m rushing her.
“Thirty minutes, maybe?” she says and pushes her hair behind her ear.
“I’ll see you in thirty then,” I reply, and she follows me out onto the porch.
“Are you sure you want to go somewhere in this mess?” She holds her hand out towards the steadily falling rain.
“Positive. Mind if I use your towel though?”
“By all means,” she says and folds her arms across her chest.
“I guess I should go ahead and load my mower back up while I’m at it. Even if it slacks up, the grounds too wet to finish cutting today.”
“Just leave it.”
“Are you sure? I really don’t want to leave it sitting in your front yard. Especially with a tarp over it.”
“Why don’t you leave the trailer here. You can always load it up when we get back from eating.”
“I can do that. And since I’m already wet,” I grab ahold of the bottom of my shirt and give it a shake. “It won’t matter getting wet again while I move it over to the driveway.”
“Alright. I’ll see you soon, David.”
* * *
I race home after unhooking the trailer and hurry inside. I don’t know why I’m so anxious to get back over to Tori’s—we’ve shared meals before, so I’m not sure why this time is any different than the others. But something about today feels special.
