“Of course not!” I smile brightly up at him, tossing a strand of copper hair back from my face. “The start of the school year is just so busy. I had no idea how unprepared I was.”
That's kind of true, at least. There's plenty of stuff I wasn't ready for in terms of starting the year off, but that's not why I haven't been around.
Like I said, Bo’s problem.
“We miss your face at supper,” David says. “Promise me you'll come on by soon, alright? Us old folks have to see our loved ones as often as we can.”
I roll my eyes at him, a more honest grin spreading across my cheeks.
“Oh, please, you and Hailey are still spring chickens.” They're hardly in their fifties, and they're both in great shape.Old folks, my ass. “As soon as I get things settled up with this after school program, I promise I'll make some time to come by.”
David glances down at the stack of pamphlets in my arms before plucking one off the top to read. His brow furrows as he scans over the silly little infographic text boxes and cartoon animals scattered across the page.
“Trying to get the kids to do some real work?” he asks teasingly.
“Whatever keeps them out of trouble. I just figured it'd be a nice way to combine volunteer hours and actually learning something they can use in the real world, y'know?”
Windy River isn't exactly a bustling metropolis, but there are kids from all walks of life who go to this school. If they've got something to keep them busy—and the promise of signed volunteer hours to entice them to actually do it—they'll be less likely to waste their weekends getting drunk out by the lake.
“What exactly have you got in mind for this?”
“That's kind of where I'm stuck,” I admit with a nervous chuckle. “I was hoping to bring these to the principal and get her input on what activities we could sponsor and maybe where we could get this all set up. We have enough space for a little garden by the south parking lot, but I can't exactly petition the school board to budget for a few cows.”
David laughs, a big, booming sound that I've heard many times in his kitchen. He’s always been the type to take up space, but never the type to push others out to make room for himself. I was really grateful to have a male role model like him around when I was younger.
“I might just know someone with a cow or two,” he says teasingly. “Why don't you ask the principal if she’s alright with it being hosted on the farm?”
“The farm? I—you’d be okay with that?” I blink at him in shock as he beams and wraps an arm around my shoulder for a quick hug.
“You know we’d do anything to help you out, kiddo,” he says. “There's always plenty of work to go around with the livestock, and Hailey’s got plenty of plants in the garden that she doesn't have the patience for. It’ll be good for everyone.”
“You're sure you won't mind a bunch of high schoolers on the farm?” I ask hesitantly, hope beginning to bloom in my chest.
I desperately want this to be a success, and I was out of ideas of where to host something like this. I’ve been thinking about the time I spent on the farm as if it was a thing of the past, but the farm is still right here. The work I did with Hailey and David as a kid is still waiting to be done. If he’s really fine with it, my little passion project could take root and grow into something amazing.
“Oh, we've got kids out there all the time,” he says, waving my worries off. “I was just talking to Coach Daybreak about letting him use the pastures for some of the football drills. I have a feeling your group will yell less.”
A thrilled laugh bubbles up from my chest, and I tug David close into a proper hug. The papers get a little crumpled between us, but I don't care. I can always print more. He wraps his arms around my shoulders and squeezes me right, his chest rumbling with his own soft laughter.
“I take it that's a yes?” he asks as I pull away.
“I have to get it cleared with Mrs. Arthur,” I say breathlessly, smiling from ear to ear. “But absolutely, yes, one hundred percent. I can't thank you enough.”
“You just come by for supper,” he says, clapping me on the back. “That's plenty thanks for me.”
“Yes sir,” I promise. “I'll call y'all as soon as I get things settled with this and we can set up a day for a proper meal.”
David’s response is cut off by the ringing of his phone, and he sends me a sheepish smile as he fishes it out of his pocket.
“That'll be the missus,” he says with a grin. “I'm late coming home. You give us a call, alright?”
I wave goodbye to him as he answers the call, bustling off toward the doors as he makes his excuses to Hailey. They'vealways been my standard for how a relationship should look—nothing but mutual respect and affection for each other.
I always dreamed that Bo and I might be like that one day.
For a while there, I thought we were right on track for that too. Now, though? I don't know where we stand.
There's enough on my plate between work and keeping myself alive right now, but I can't help but wonder what will happen if I'm on the farm all the time. Bo’s been distant since he told me about Savannah, but maybe that’ll change if he sees me more often. Maybe things will get better between us again.
