drank in the scenery around me. I could never grow tired of the heavy salt air and the chilly wind blowing off of the ocean. I could hear the roar of waves against the cliffs below. A storm was rolling in from the distance, dark clouds surging ominously towards us, pregnant with majestic power and alive with electric danger. I threw back my hair and inhaled deeply, feeling vitally and vividly alive.
“We’d better get back,” Devin shouted back to me. “When this breaks, it’s going to break hard.”
I nodded, speechless.
The storm broke right before we reached the horse pasture. We quickly took care of the horses, and threw them some feed. By the time we raced back to the cottage we were both soaked to the skin. My sweatshirt clung to me in a sodden mass and my hair stuck plastered to my cheek and back.
Maura had a fire burning brightly in the fireplace when we came in. She laughed at our soaked state and hurried off to find us some towels. Kip looked up from in front of the fire and wagged his tail lazily, before flopping back down with a contented moan.
“Traitor,” Devin muttered.
“Don’t get too down on him,” Maura teased. She tossed me a blissfully warm towel and I sat by the fire to dry off. “He’s been working hard here, with me.”
“Working hard, huh?” Devin stared at his dog, disbelieving. “What, he helped you make dinner?”
“Something like that.” Maura’s eyes twinkled. “At least he took care of the scraps. Hot lentil stew tonight, once you two are ready. I had a suspicion it might rain.”
Something hot sounded delightful. My stomach rumbled hungrily as I changed in my room. I fought the urge to try to look nice for Devin. I admitted to myself that I found him oddly attractive—homely face and all—but it was blatantly clear that he had no interest in me whatsoever. I threw on a t-shirt and my favorite ratty jeans and padded back out to the kitchen in my favorite toe-socks.
Maura ladled out thick bowls full of a gorgeous lentil stew. She topped each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and passed them around. I inhaled the scent of beef, lentils, and kale. With Maura’s own homemade bread and butter, it was a perfect rustic meal.
We ate in silence: Maura, comfortably; me, too shy to speak up. Devin seemed perfectly happy ignoring my existence. I focused on the food instead, savoring each spoonful. I half-watched Devin as he practically inhaled two servings before slowing down to enjoy his third. Half a loaf of Maura’s bread had also vanished in his direction.
Maura smiled maternally at her offspring and started clearing the table, bringing out dessert bowls for berry cobbler and homemade whipped cream. I jumped up to help her, but she waved me away. “I can manage this little bit,” she laughed. “I grew up one of twelve siblings and as the youngest the dishes always fell to me. A few little bowls won’t trouble me at all.”
I stared at her, trying to picture a child Maura cleaning through stacks of dishes, with a loud boisterous family filling the room.
Maura’s smile widened, as if she could hear what I was thinking. “We were quite a clan, in those days. I’m the only one that stayed here. I had Devin’s father to keep my heart here, and then Devin. It does seem strangely quiet at times.” She laughed. “But Devin did his best to keep things wild, when he was a child. He was always getting into trouble and scrapes. We never thought he’d live to see double digits, let alone manhood”
She ruffled his hair as if he were still a boy. He smiled up at her for a moment, his ears turning red.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. I wanted what he had so badly. My father and I had been so close, but he couldn’t ever really replace a mother. Watching Maura dote on her dour son just made me all the more aware of what I had been missing my whole life.
After dinner I presented
“We’d better get back,” Devin shouted back to me. “When this breaks, it’s going to break hard.”
I nodded, speechless.
The storm broke right before we reached the horse pasture. We quickly took care of the horses, and threw them some feed. By the time we raced back to the cottage we were both soaked to the skin. My sweatshirt clung to me in a sodden mass and my hair stuck plastered to my cheek and back.
Maura had a fire burning brightly in the fireplace when we came in. She laughed at our soaked state and hurried off to find us some towels. Kip looked up from in front of the fire and wagged his tail lazily, before flopping back down with a contented moan.
“Traitor,” Devin muttered.
“Don’t get too down on him,” Maura teased. She tossed me a blissfully warm towel and I sat by the fire to dry off. “He’s been working hard here, with me.”
“Working hard, huh?” Devin stared at his dog, disbelieving. “What, he helped you make dinner?”
“Something like that.” Maura’s eyes twinkled. “At least he took care of the scraps. Hot lentil stew tonight, once you two are ready. I had a suspicion it might rain.”
Something hot sounded delightful. My stomach rumbled hungrily as I changed in my room. I fought the urge to try to look nice for Devin. I admitted to myself that I found him oddly attractive—homely face and all—but it was blatantly clear that he had no interest in me whatsoever. I threw on a t-shirt and my favorite ratty jeans and padded back out to the kitchen in my favorite toe-socks.
Maura ladled out thick bowls full of a gorgeous lentil stew. She topped each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and passed them around. I inhaled the scent of beef, lentils, and kale. With Maura’s own homemade bread and butter, it was a perfect rustic meal.
We ate in silence: Maura, comfortably; me, too shy to speak up. Devin seemed perfectly happy ignoring my existence. I focused on the food instead, savoring each spoonful. I half-watched Devin as he practically inhaled two servings before slowing down to enjoy his third. Half a loaf of Maura’s bread had also vanished in his direction.
Maura smiled maternally at her offspring and started clearing the table, bringing out dessert bowls for berry cobbler and homemade whipped cream. I jumped up to help her, but she waved me away. “I can manage this little bit,” she laughed. “I grew up one of twelve siblings and as the youngest the dishes always fell to me. A few little bowls won’t trouble me at all.”
I stared at her, trying to picture a child Maura cleaning through stacks of dishes, with a loud boisterous family filling the room.
Maura’s smile widened, as if she could hear what I was thinking. “We were quite a clan, in those days. I’m the only one that stayed here. I had Devin’s father to keep my heart here, and then Devin. It does seem strangely quiet at times.” She laughed. “But Devin did his best to keep things wild, when he was a child. He was always getting into trouble and scrapes. We never thought he’d live to see double digits, let alone manhood”
She ruffled his hair as if he were still a boy. He smiled up at her for a moment, his ears turning red.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. I wanted what he had so badly. My father and I had been so close, but he couldn’t ever really replace a mother. Watching Maura dote on her dour son just made me all the more aware of what I had been missing my whole life.
After dinner I presented
Similar Books
