“Mornin’, Rowen!” she greeted, skipping into the room with her braids bouncing up and down. She saw I was still in bed and sleepy eyed. “Were you still asleep?”
I nodded and yawned. “Yep. I didn’t sleep very well last night.” After the night I’d had with Jesse, I didn’t care how little sleep I got or how tired I was. Last night was worth it. After making out to the point both our lips and hands were practically rubbed raw, he nestled beside me in bed, wrapped those strong arms around me, and we fell asleep together. Fully clothed. Even though we didn’t have sex, I’d never fallen asleep more satisfied and content in my whole life.
“You’ve got a silly smile on your face,” Clementine said, giggling as she pointed at me.
I was still smiling. That’s how great last night had been.
“Did you need something, squirt? Or were you just making sure I was awake?” I threw the covers off and headed for the dresser. I was about to open the first drawer when I remembered my dilemma from last night: I didn’t have any clean clothes.
That would make today challenging, if not impossible. I couldn’t very well whisk about the kitchen and the chicken coop in nothing but a white, oversized tee.
“Could I borrow that pretty purple scarf you wore last night?” she asked, coming up beside me and grabbing my hand. “Purple is the color of royalty, so if I’m wearing purple, everyone will know to bow when I walk by.”
The purple scarf was perhaps the only thing clean in my room. I grabbed it off the dresser and kneeled down beside Clementine. “Of course you can borrow it,” I said, winding it around her neck. “And if anyone doesn’t bow when you walk by, just wave your flamingo croquet mallet and say, ‘Off with his head.’”
Clementine’s face squished up on one side. The kid had no idea what I was talking about. She knew fairy tale princesses, but not Alice in Wonderland. I’d been the other way around at her age. Finally, she giggled again when I tickled her neck after tying the scarf into a pretty bow.
“You’re weird, Rowen,” she said, smiling up at me.
“Believe me. I know.” I patted her head, turned her around, and led her toward the door. I couldn’t solve my no-clean-clothing situation with a little girl bouncing around the room. “You know what? That scarf looks so good on you, I’m giving it to you. Okay?”
“What? Really?” If a seven-year-old could look more thrilled, I hadn’t seen it.
“Really, really,” I said as we got to the doorway. A gift bag with a black and white polka-dot ribbon tying the handles together sat just outside. “What’s this?”
Clementine shrugged. “I saw Jesse put it there early this morning when I was going to the bathroom. Then he walked away all quiet and quick.”
So Jesse had snuck out of my room, snuck back to drop the bag off, then snuck off to somewhere else. Not to mention when he’d snuck into my room last night. He’d done a lot of sneaking in twelve hours.
Once Clementine was bouncing down the stairs, I grabbed the bag and hurried back inside my room. I didn’t get presents often. Mom had resorted to pulling out her wallet and handing me a couple hundred dollar bills at breakfast on my birthday since I’d become a teenager. I wanted to take my time untying the ribbon and pulling out the tissue paper.
The moment my fingers tugged on one end of that ribbon though, that bow was untied and the tissue paper was flying. I could have cried when I saw what was inside.
Clothes. New with the tags on them and in my size. A few pairs of jeans that, knowing Jesse, would still hug my butt but hopefully not as bad as Lily’s had. A few tees in different colors, two airy button-up shirts with those pretty, pearly button snaps, and a pair of boots at the very bottom of the bag. Again, they were in my size, a Western style that wasn’t overt about it, and chocolate brown and lavender colored. They were functional for life on the ranch, but still round-toed, didn’t have a heel, and mid-calf like my trusty combat boots.
My clothing problem was miraculously solved by a man. Go figure.
Rose had offered all week to take me into town to pick out some new clothes, but I’d put it off and borrowed Lily’s since the only spare time we’d had was last night, and I didn’t want Rose to miss the rodeo because she was helping me pick out clothes.
I was just about to tug a shirt over my head when a white folded note nestled in the tornado of tissue paper caught my attention. I’d been in such a hurry, I’d missed it. I grabbed it and opened it up.
I picked these up for you last week, but since I was scared you’d bite my head off if I did anything but stay silent and avoid eye contact, they’ve hung out with me in the attic. You know, that place right above you? Where I sleep? Sometimes naked?
My throat went dry when I visualized that. My legs went weak when I thought of me joining him in that na**d state.
That was a joke. Kind of . . . Anyways, you needed some clothes, I wanted to help, problem solved. And while I’ve got your undivided attention . . . You remember that date I asked you about last week that you were about to say yes to before someone I shall not name really messed that up? Yeah, well, since you got me to sleep with you last night, I think the least you owe me is a date. Tonight? 8ish? You. Me. Food. Sound okay?
P.S. You can still kick serious ass in these boots.
I read the note once more. It made me laugh. As much as I wanted to read it again, I smelled breakfast. That meant I was running late.