Knotted Roots (4 page)

She
shook her head at me and was about to open her mouth again, but luckily I was
saved by the plump waitress who arrived, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt as
well.  At least hers seemed to be in better repair than the doctor across the
room.

“Evening
Betty.  Haven’t seen you around in a while.  How’s it going?” the waitress
asked as she smiled down at my Grandma.  I looked at her name tag and found her
name to be April.

“It’s
going great, April,” she said as she returned the woman’s smile.  “This is my
granddaughter, Roxanne.  She’s visiting me for the summer, all the way from New
York City.”

April
focused on my face and smiled at me.  It wasn’t one of those forced smiles
either.  Hers seemed to spread from ear to ear, reaching her eyes and making
them seem to sparkle.  It was the one of the most genuine smiles I had ever
seen in my life.  “Welcome to South Carolina, darling.  You helping out your
grandma this summer on the farm?”

I
looked over at Grandma with a look of confusion on my face.  Farm?  She had a
farm?  “Um...I didn’t know she had a farm,” I replied.

April
looked over at Grandma and shook her head, deciding that to continue that line
of conversation was not going to end well for anyone at the table.  “Do you
ladies know what you would like for dinner?”

We
ordered our food, but I never saw April write anything down on the pad in her
hand.  Instead, she stayed a few more minutes to chat with Grandma, before
leaving with our orders stored somewhere in her head.  I looked out the window,
watching as a truck pulled into the small parking lot out front. 

“I
don’t expect you to help on the farm Roxanne,” she spoke as I stared out the
window. 

“Good. 
Because I don’t know the first thing about working on a farm,” I spoke to the
window, not bothering to turn to look at her.  For some reason I was offended
that she hadn’t mentioned anything about a farm since I arrived.  Did she think
I wasn’t capable of hard work?  I may have led a pretty privileged life so far,
but I was far from soft.  Guess that was another thing that she didn’t know
about me.

I
watched as the truck in the lot turned off their lights and the two front doors
opened.  Moments later, two young men stepped out of the cab.  I was taken
aback by the one who had been driving.  He was tall, but not overly so, and his
light blond hair was just long enough to fall in his eyes as he stepped around
the hood of the truck.  He wore a pair of dark denim jeans that clung to his
body, almost like a second skin.  His plain white t-shirt was crisp and clean,
free of smudges, as if it was fresh out of the package.  I could tell, even
from this vantage point, that he was stocky, but his body was all muscle.  I
had a hard time dragging my eyes away from him. Grandma followed my gaze as I
continued to stare at the incredible specimen who was now walking towards the
front door of the diner.

“You
wouldn’t be interested in that one,” Grandma spoke firmly.  I shook myself from
my reverie and turned to look at her.

“Who
said I was interested?” I replied with feigned indifference.

“The
drool on your chin tells me everything I need to know,” she laughed and I
jumped as the door opened behind me.  I couldn’t bear to turn around.  I had
already stared at him, and evidently drooled, as if he was a piece of choice
prime rib about to be served. 

“Who
is he?” I whispered, scared that he would be able to hear me.

No
sooner had the words left my mouth than Grandma threw her hand in the air and
waved at someone behind me.  She had an evil grin on her face, almost as if she
was enjoying torturing me.  I heard heavy footsteps grow close as someone
approached.  I looked up as the two young men from the truck stood beside our
table, both of them smiling at Grandma.

“Hey
there Chase.  Brian.  I would like to introduce you both to my granddaughter,
Roxanne,” she said as she waved in my direction. 

My
jaw dropped as I looked at her for a moment, then I snapped it shut quickly
before looking up into the face of one of the most beautiful guys I had ever
seen.  His angular face, startling blue eyes, and sweet smile caught me off
guard.  I swallowed, determined not to start drooling now that the object of my
intense study stood before me.

“Nice
to meet you Roxanne.  My name is Chase, and this is my brother, Brian.  We work
for Betty on her farm,” he extended his hand to me, but all I could do was
stare at him, mute.  I wanted to say something, reach for his hand, anything.  
But all I could do is continue to stare, slack-jawed like a fish, its mouth
gaping open. My brain had apparently gone into shock as well.

He
awkwardly cleared his throat and lowered his hand, looking at Grandma who was
giggling behind her napkin.  His brother paid very little attention to our
table, his gaze locked on a pretty young waitress who was serving the doctor
his dinner. 

“Sorry
Chase, it seems that my granddaughter has gone mute,” she said as she laughed
heartily. 

“No
worries Betty.  I’ll see you in the morning, right?  Still wanting to get to
work bright and early?” he asked as his gaze moved between Grandma and me. 

“Yes
indeed.  Got a lot to get done tomorrow.  Go, enjoy your dinner.  I would
invite y'all to eat with us, but I’m afraid it doesn’t look like we would be
very good company,” she said as she glanced over at me. 

I
watched all of this as if behind a glass wall.  I wanted to be witty and
charming, show this Southern boy how lucky he was to be in my presence, but all
I could do was smile and stare at him.  I had never had this happen before, not
even with Ethan Perry, the most popular and good looking guy in school. 

Chase
said goodnight to Grandma as April brought our food to the table.  I couldn’t
wait for her to walk away so I could grill Grandma about Chase.  As soon as
they all walked away I was finally able to form a coherent thought.

“Oh
my goodness!  What just happened?” I exclaimed as I smacked my head down on the
table, my embarrassment evident on my face.  “I just sat there, staring at him. 
He probably thinks I’m an idiot!”

“Don’t
hurt yourself child.  Chase is a good guy.  I’m sure he’ll forget about all of
this by the next time you see each other,” she spoke before digging into the
meatloaf in front of her.  “Besides, you might not see him again at all. 
During the summer he works almost around the clock.”

“Yeah,
but he works for you!  That means I might actually see him again,” I replied,
chancing a glance at their table.  Chase was laughing at something the young
waitress was saying as she nonchalantly touched his shoulder.  A clear sign of
flirtation.  Great, I was no competition for an older woman.

“He
works on my farm.  Ya know, that place that you want nothing to do with?” she
replied as she returned her attention to dinner. 

There
was only one thing to be done then.  I would definitely be working on Grandma’s
farm.  I could not spend the entire summer watching Chase from afar.  I felt
drawn to him, like the proverbial moth that dives head first into the open
flame.  I knew I would get burned, badly, but my senses wouldn’t allow me to
think clearly.  My new goal for the summer?  Spend as much time as possible on
the farm, working side by side with the guy of my dreams.

* * * *

As
we pulled back into the well-groomed yard I could barely sit still, hoping to
make a quick retreat to my room to daydream about Chase.  I know, pathetic, but
I couldn’t seem to focus on anything but him.  I had this insane urge to call
Amber, but I quickly squashed that thought.  It had been less than 12 hours
since she ditched me. 

Grandma
turned the truck off and looked at me, a sad smile on her face.  “We need to
talk.”

“About?”
I asked, looking over at her. 

“Chase. 
I want you to stay away from him,” she said as she turned to open her door.

“Whoa,
what?” I grabbed her hand before she could climb out of the cab of the truck. 
“Why?”

She
sighed, shaking her head back and forth.  “He’s not like the guys you know back
home.  He’s a sweet boy and I don’t want...” She struggled to finish. 

“Don’t
want
what?
” I snarled.  I knew where this was going, but I wanted to
hear the words.

“I
don’t want him to get hurt.” The look on her face turned cold and serious.  She
honestly thought the worst of me, didn’t she?

“Seriously?
You think
I’m
going to hurt
him?
  Aren’t you supposed to be
warning
him
not to hurt
me?
” I asked incredulously.  Was she
serious?  She’s my grandma, not his, so why was she more worried about his
heart? Oh yeah, I forgot.  It’s hard to feel that fierce protectiveness for
someone you don’t really know.

“You’re
only here for three months Roxie.  It’s not fair to him for you to breeze in,
steal his heart, and then shred it into a thousand pieces.  He’s already been
through enough hell for the last year, so please don’t make it worse,” she said
as she got out of the truck and shut the door. 

I
chased after her, my head swimming with questions.  I had a feeling that she
wouldn’t be very forthcoming with the answers, but I was determined to find out
what had happened to him that was so traumatic.  I followed her into the living
room where she was straightening up the couch pillows.

“Did
he get dumped?  Did some girl already break his heart? ‘Cause that’s not what I
had in mind for him,” I said as I flopped down on the loveseat across from the
large couch she insisted on fluffing up.

“No,
Roxie.  Just forget I said anything,” she replied as she sat down on the
couch.  “Are you all done unpacking?  Need any help up there?”

“No
way are you getting away with that answer.  What is going on?” I leaned forward,
my attention focused solely on her.

“It’s
not my story to tell.  Just please, heed my warning.  I wouldn’t say anything
if it wasn’t important.” She stood up and walked out of the room.  I slumped
back on the loveseat and stared around the pristine room.  Everything in its
place, not a speck of dust to be found.  I had a fleeting thought as to how she
kept the house so clean and ran a farm at the same time, but it was quickly
pushed aside as I kept thinking about what she told me.  He couldn’t be much older
than me, so what could have happened that was so terrible?

CHAPTER FOUR

I
awoke the next morning to the sounds of birds chirping loudly and a breeze blew
through my room.  I couldn’t remember leaving the window open when I went to
bed.  I shot up and looked around the room.  There was nothing out of place, at
least not from what I could tell.  The room was still in a state of disarray,
boxes scattered all around and clothes stacked on top of the dresser.  I had
unpacked everything, but I hadn’t had a chance to put it all away.

I
went downstairs, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and then retreated once again to my
room.  I sat on the bed and ate in silence, the heat from outside causing a
fine sheen of sweat to form on my brow.  Once I finished I got to work.  As I
was putting my things away my phone rang.  I grabbed it and found my Dad’s face
flashing across the screen. 

“Hello?”
I answered as I sat down on the bed.

“Morning,”
Dad’s voice crackled through the line.  “I’m guessing you made it there in one
piece.”

“Sorry
I didn’t call last night.  I was exhausted by the time we got home from
dinner.”

No
way was I going to tell him that I had been preoccupied with thoughts of a
hunky Southern boy.  He would have me on the next plane home so fast my head
would spin, regardless of the divorce.

“Are
you getting settled in?” he asked.  His voice was laced with hints of guilt and
worry.  Good.  He deserved to feel guilty for sending me here.

“I’m
unpacking. Does that count?”

“Depends.
Are you actually putting the stuff away or piling it on random pieces of
furniture?”

A
loud snort escaped, causing both of us to laugh uncontrollably.  It had always
amazed me how well my father knew me.  If he could see this room now he would
probably have a fit.  He’d always been anal retentive about cleanliness, which
meant I was always grounded because my room usually looked like a tornado had
gone through it. 

“Totally
counts,” I reply as the laughter slowly subsided. 

We
spent a few more minutes talking, but we both skirted the most important topic:
the divorce.  I told myself it was better this way, that way I can at least
pretend that it wasn’t happening, especially if I didn’t have to talk about
it.  As we hung up I heard a soft knock on my door.  I walked over and opened
the door.  Grandma was standing there, her clothes completely filthy.

“Eww!
You’re disgusting!” I backed away from her and brought my hand up to cover my
nose. “And you smell terrible!”

She
sniffed herself and shrugged.  “I don’t smell anything.  Do you want lunch?”

“After
that nostril invasion? No thanks,” I replied, my nostrils pinched between my
fingers to ward off the offensive odor.

“Suit
yourself.  I’m heading into town to eat,” she said as she walked away. A cloud
of funk hovered in the air even after her departure.

I
closed the door and turned to look around my prison cell.  It’s a pretty room,
but it was nothing like mine back home.  This one was all hugs, kisses, and
rainbows, while mine was mature, made up of dark pinks, browns, and teals. 
Maybe I could talk Grandma into letting me redecorate.  Bored out of my mind, I
decided to go downstairs and watch a movie.  Distraction was the key to
surviving my Southern hell.