Serenity Falls(7)

As I enter the kitchen, I walk over to Sandy, who is standing in front of the sink peeling potatoes and singing quietly to herself. “Is there anything I can help you with?” I ask, coming to stand next to her.

She points the potato peeler towards the fridge. “Sure. Can you get the lunch meat and all the fixins’ for sandwiches out for me?”

Pulling open the fridge I answer, “Yes ma’am.”

“Hey, Mom,” Wes says from somewhere behind me.

“Hey, Honey. How was your trip in from Dallas?”

“It was good. I’m happy to be home though.” I turn around and search for a knife to start prepping the sandwiches while he envelops her in a big hug. Sandy’s blue eyes sparkle with love for her son.

Patting her on the back, he releases her. “I’m glad to have you home. Have you met Kenleigh yet?”

“Sure have,” he answers, grinning in my direction. “Sorry, I would have been in here sooner to say hi, but after I helped Kenleigh with her bags, and went back out to get mine, Dad found me. He started talking about how he bought two new mares and how he wanted me to see them. You know how he gets.” He turns to look at me with a grin.

I feel a blush coming on when I see a look wash over Sandy’s face. I’m not sure what it is, but it definitely looks like she is conjuring up something. Quickly busying myself, I wash the produce and start slicing them for our sandwiches. “Well, go on. Sit down while we get lunch made up for y’all,” she says.

“So, Kenleigh, what do you do?” Wes asks, taking a seat at the dining table.

Just as I look at him to answer, the screen door swings open, banging against the wall behind it. Walking in, Brantley yells, “Wes! My man!”

“Hey Brantley.” Wes stands to greet him, and they exchange some kind of fist bump.

“So, how was it? Did you ride Demon?” Brantley asks excitedly as he pulls out a chair across from Wes.

Demon? Intrigued, I try to pay attention to their conversation without looking like I’m eavesdropping. I look back at Sandy and quickly ask, “How many am I making?”

“I think ten should do it. Most of the volunteers won’t be here for another week, so it’s just us and Brantley for now,” she answers.

I look at her completely dumbfounded because I can’t seem to think of why we need ten sandwiches when there are only five of us. Noting my confused look, she chuckles. “You haven’t seen my boy eat. And Brantley can put away his fair share too.”

“What do they like on their sandwiches?” I ask.

“I know Wes will want mustard and all the fixins’, but I’m not sure about Brantley. He changes his mind so often that I can never keep up. One week he wants mayonnaise, and the next he wants mustard,” she answers, releasing and exasperated breath. “Hey, Brantley, what do you want on your sandwich?”

“Mayonnaise, please,” he answers looking at her over his shoulder. “Hey Kenleigh.” He waves, acknowledging my presence for the first time since he came back into the house.

“Do you want everything on your sandwich too?” I ask, looking between him and Wes.

“Yeah. Thanks.” Brantley turns back around to face Wes, and tries to pick up where they left off, but only gets a bunch of uh-huhs and yeahs from Wes.

I really want to hear about this Demon, but figure it’s best if I don’t. I don’t know Wes, and don’t want to feel like an intruder in his home. I can tell by everyone’s receptions to him that this is the first time he’s been home in a while. The last thing I want to do is feel like I’m stepping on anyone’s toes.

Putting the finishing touches on Wes’ sandwich, I feel like a hole is being burned through me. Slowly, I lift my head to see a set of clear, blue eyes trained on me. For a second, I stare back before quickly dropping my gaze from his. As I finish his sandwich, I turn away from the counter to look for a bag of chips. Opening and shutting just about every cabinet I can find, looking for the damn things, I’m startled when I’m tapped on the shoulder. “Here, I found them for you,” Wes says quietly over my shoulder, holding up a bag of potato chips. The heat from his body close to mine, and the smell of his cologne invades all of my senses in a good way.

“Did I really look that lost?” I ask with a nervous chuckle.

“Just a little. I figured these were what you were looking for.”

“Thanks.” I take the bag from him, but he doesn’t move away from me.

“Um… Can I get by?” I ask with a look of bewilderment.

“Jasmine,” he says with a faint smile.