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Jesse doesn’t bother stopping "You want her to carry them all by herself?"

"I can norestoward the fence I’m forced to speed walk--aardly--to catch up

"I should probably bring these up to your place," he says, throwing his long legs over the old wooden rails

"That’s fine I cook dinner there anyway" Except for a few toiletries, a bag of oatmeal, and a tub of Nutella for Ginny’s daily breakfast and lunch, I would have brought it all up here

He slows, allowing me to pass and head to e and not visible frole as I lead Jesse into my apartment If he feels at all uncoht in until he’s standing in the very center, his eyes taking in the little that I have

"I’ll pick up a new alternator and get the truck running again for you," he offers, setting the bags down on the floor by the fridge

"You kno to fix it?" I ask, grabbing a pot to fill ater for the pasta, hoping it’ll coroceries away

"Yeah, I think I can handle it"

I glance overout the blue-and-red plaid wool blanket "I just got that today It’s so nice and--"

"Warm," he finishes for me I can see his Adam’s apple bob from here "I used to have one exactly like this"

"Well, Dakota got a dozen in this week, so you can always pick up another one" I pull out the small saucepan of pasta sauce and throw it onto the stove, fu with the dials "Thank you for your help with the truck I’m sure Ginny will appreciate it" In her own unorthodox way "Cars are coure out It’s like science"

I hazard another glance overat e look on his face What is it, exactly? Wonder? Curiosity? His attention shifts tomy hair fall to veil it "Any chance you’ll be able to fix it before ten tootta be soe Yard I work there"

"How do you like it?"

"It’s good Dakota’s really nice"

"She is I reh school I don’t know if she actually ever went to class, though She just sat up on the hill, s weed most of the time"

"I think she still does that, just not on a hill," I joke

The floor creaks with his approaching footsteps until he’s standing directly behindit here, Water?" he finally asks

"It’s great The reat" What must he think of me? I keep my eyes on the stove as I ask, "How et a luet into specifics

"I know enough" Sizzles sound fro over "It sood" Jesse takes a step closer and reaches around lance up to catch a wistful so God knows Ginny will skinyou in," I agree

I watch his back as he strolls out, a pang of so why I reacted to his proxi if it should have botheredwhy it doesn’t

"Where have you been?" Ginny’s voice gets exceptionally screechy when she’s upset It’s not pleasant

I check my watch "I’m only two minutes late, Ginny Come on"

She swats the air "I don’t care about dinner I’ve been sitting here, waiting for the truck to pull up for forty-fivehad happened to you!"

"Oh" I sigh with relief And then I smile Ginny orried about me

Someone is worried about , it’s just" I stifle my smile "The truck broke down It just died"

"Oh" She pauses, and then turns to the eet hoet you?"

I opento Ginny just doesn’t feel right, with all she has done for ave asps, you’d think someone had just informed her that a loved one had died in a fiery plane crash

And I start to think I should have lied

"I knew I heard that car of his!"

"He’s going to fix your truck and bring it back for us, Ginny He was really nice to ainst each other "I told you to stay away from that da hos?"

"You could have called Gabe and A a phone then, huh?" she barks

"He was really nice, Ginny, and he’s going to fix the truck for us," I repeat cal a smile That’s how I’ve noticed Meredith deals with her I think it’s the only way to deal with Ginny "I’ it wouldn’t be cheap to fix And tow to a mechanic" I know I can’t afford to fix the truck on e Froet, thanks to an inheritance from her parents and her quilt sales

"NoI suppose not," sheup some of the pasta The words carry their usual snip, but there’s no heat in them anyh her fingers twitch the entire time "I don’t want to see his Ginny’s better off not knowing She didn’t see hi to steer her away from the topic, I say, "So I met Chuck Fanshaw today He said to tell you ‘hi’ frorandfather showed up here ato scaaze shifts to the straw broo the cable guy with it that day he arrived to hook up ure of speech for Ginny

Though I know I’ it up anyway "Hehorses in the barn Have you ever considered that?"

"And have people traipsing all over my property? Over my dead body" She shovels a"You’d also have horses running in the corrals Wouldn’t that be nice to see again?"