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His lips lifted slightly. “Your popcorn’s done.”
“Oh.” I turned, realizing the machine was whirring but nothing else was spitting into the bowl. I flicked the button to turn it off and then held out the bowl. “Do you want some?”
“Sure,” he replied.
I got down a bowl and poured half out for him. Then I went to the couch, sitting on one end. He took it and followed me, both of us sitting on our own ends. For a moment, we ate the popcorn in silence.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked him.
His cheeks gained a little color. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to get yelled at for eavesdropping.”
I chuckled. “I knew you were listening to me and Maya at the shop.”
“Well then... The dollar thing. Where did you hear that?”
I bit my lip, not sure how much I wanted to admit to Fletcher.
“You can tell me,” he said gently.
So I took a deep breath. “When I went to college, I think the stress of moving away from home made my PCOS flare up. I gained way more than the freshman fifteen. None of my clothes were really fitting anymore, and I was really insecure about it. My first boyfriend in college wasn’t a good guy. He said a lot of things about my body that made me feel like I’d never get better than him. It made me feel like I’d never be good enough for anyone.”
He frowned, but before he could comfort me, I continued. “I went to counseling about it, and that was one of the things my therapist told me. I always keep cash in my wallet now to remind me that I have value, no matter what.”
He reached his foot out, covering mine with his, and he smiled gently. “If you ever need reminded that you’re beautiful, you can ask me too.”
My heart warmed, tugged. Because I’d wanted so badly for him to feel that way about me. But I could tell there was more. “What is it, Fletch?”
He looked down. “Do you think... you think that applies to everyone? That they’re worth something no matter how crumpled and ripped they are?”
I looked at him, wondering why this perfect, beautiful, caring man was even asking. “I think the secret is that no one’s ever really crumpled and ripped up. They just have trouble seeing themselves any other way.”
He was quiet for a moment, eating his popcorn. “I should probably get back to the house, in case Maya wakes up.”
17
Liv
The next day, I walked to the house preparing myself for anything. But when I got there, Fletcher smiled at me, making my heart beat faster.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice gentle, warm.
Maya said, “Morning. Can you do my hair in fishtail braids for swim lessons?”
I laughed. At least she got the good morning in there first. “Sure thing. And good morning.”
It struck me that when I was living alone and working at the feed lot, I might not hear anyone’s voice until I got to work. I liked waking up and hearing Fletcher and Maya’s words before those of anyone else.
We ate breakfast together and then Fletcher went to work, and we got ready for swim lessons. Maya seemed to be in such a better mood, which was a breath of fresh air. Still, I decided we’d go to my mom’s house after swim lessons.
Maya behaved so much better when we kept her busy. I think having time to sit around and think about her mom just made her sadder.
So after lessons, we drove toward my parent’s place. As the farmhouse came into view, Maya stared around. “It’s so close to Grampy’s house!”
I nodded. “Your daddy was my neighbor growing up.”
“I wish I had a neighbor to play with,” she said. “Dad says the closest house is a whole mile away.”
I grinned. “We’re about a mile from your Grampy’s house, but we always rode our bikes back and forth through the pasture so we didn’t have to ride on the road.”