Page 11 of Till The Cows Come Home

Chapter Ten

Sage

W hen I said that sometimes a girl just wanted some cheese and crackers, I actually meant all the time.

If you weren’t seeking emotional support within the world of dairy, what were you doing?

Ice cream, cheese, things lathered in butter, I could go on forever, but the fact that I now possessed one of those items from my girls had me on cloud nine.

Miles Carver wasn’t so bad.

I wanted him to be. I wanted to hate him.

But the reality was, he was a big fluffy man who doted after cows, and chatting with him for a few moments each day sounded…

nice. Ruby was busy with the baby, and while she would always be my number one, she was my only one.

If she was busy my choices were the sixty-five plus community or stray cats that only stuck around if I had food, and while crochet club was a thrill, not even a perfectly stitched cardigan could ward off the chill of loneliness.

This weekend was one of the first times since we’d gone to the market together that Ruby was free.

“Knock knock,” Ruby called, but instead of waiting for an answer I heard my lock unbolt, and moments later her pixie black hair was poking around the door.

“Halt. Where's my baby?” I asked

“He’s right here,” she said, swinging her body into my apartment to reveal Asher balancing happily on her hip.

“There’s the most handsomest baby boy I ever did see,” I cooed.

“Now that’s just poor English. Coffee?”

“Well good morning to you too.”

“Not everyone has been awake for five hours already, not consistently anyway. If you’re gonna use me for baby snuggles, the least you could do is caffeinate me.”

As if compelled, my coffee maker hissed and a steady stream of breakfast blend began dripping into the pot.

“Excuse me while I add witchcraft to your list of skills.”

“You’re a coffee feign. I feel like a scheduled brew may not constitute witchcraft, but to each their own.”

“Sounds like something a witch would say,” she mumbled.

“Mommy better quiet down before I call her something that rhymes with witch,” I whispered to Asher, scooping him from Ruby’s arms.

“AUNTIE SAGE!” Ruby boomed.

“We better get out of here,” I said, grabbing his play mat before playfully fleeing from Ruby’s wrath.

Asher had always hated tummy time, but now that he’d gained head and neck control, he’d finally do it without screaming bloody murder, and I loved to watch his eyes get big as he surveyed all the unfamiliar things in my apartment.

I’d sit and follow his gaze, pointing out everything I thought he was interested in.

“Here Hermione.”

Ruby handed me my own mug, before plopping down on the carpet next to me .

“Did it take you the whole time you were in the kitchen to think of that?”

“It did,” she laughed, “it really did.”

“Is he starting to push up off the floor?” I asked, watching as he placed his palms flat onto his mat, mastering the tiniest little cobra pose.

“Yep, he started that a few days ago, before long I think we’ll have a crawler.”

“Damn, I feel old.”

“You are old, and speaking of your ticking biological clock, how’s the lumberjack doing?”

“I’d like to make it crystal clear that those two things have zero correlation, but we’re choosing to be cordial.

I decided to allow myself a sliver of companionship while you abandon me with your newfound responsibility,” I said, gesturing to Asher who was still attempting to push himself to his hands and knees.

“I think that’s a good idea. Unfortunately for you, this isn't going to be any less responsibility for about eighteen more years.”

“I love you guys, though.”

“And we love you, but you cannot spend the brief remainder of your twenties watching my child drool. Fifty percent of it, max, the other half you need to get a life.”

“Eighty-twenty,” I countered.

“Sixty-forty, and if you try to haggle anymore you’re gonna have to go cold turkey.”

“Fine.” I sighed.

“So what does cordial mean, anyway?”

“Just not ignoring each other. I update him on Blossom, he updates me on the farm. Nothing exciting.”

“Nothing exciting…yet.” Ruby winked.

She turned from me to face Asher, disabling my ability to protest as she cheered him on, and so I conceded in order to join in. Before it was time for them to go he had almost made it onto all fours.

“Promise you’ll send me a video when he gets it?” I asked, handing Ruby the last of Asher’s toys as she packed their bag to leave.

“I’ll promise if you promise to take a couple bricks off of the wall you’ve built. Three years of guarding was long enough, let a little light in.”

“You’d really withhold a milestone from me if I refused?”

“Try me.”

“I promise,” I grumbled.

“Auntie Sage is such a good girl, isn’t she,” Ruby cooed, waving Asher’s little hand goodbye as they left.

Waking up knowing that I was going to face Miles turned my stomach.

The sensation was butterflies adjacent, erring on the side of indigestion rather than excitement, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake it.

It wasn’t that I was nervous to see him, I saw him everyday, but I was nervous that the closer we became, the more he would see me.

Presenting myself a certain way was easy when it was all exterior, especially when cool and collective was my mantra.

But internally I told a different story, one that I attempted to keep on the shelf, and constant small talk threatened that security.

Part of me thought maybe he wouldn’t be there.

His chair would be gone and I’d take a seat alone with Blossom, sipping my coffee like I had since she’d been born, and that small part of me thought maybe it would be for the best. But as I pulled in the driveway something like hope flickered in my chest when I saw the barn lights illuminating the structure.

Usually the barn was asleep when I arrived, just the parlor light lit, but when I walked through the barn doors today it was alive, Miles’ husky voice reverberating through the wooden beams as he chatted with who I could only assume was Blossom.

My suspicions were confirmed and my doubt cast away as I rounded the corner. His chair was still there, and he was in it chatting away with Blossom.

“Morning.” I waved, and his attention diverted from the calf to me.

“Morning, Sage Baker. Blossom and I were just talking about you.”

“All good things I hope?”

He chuckled, handing me my coffee like he had the day before, and I took it, taking a sip before setting it on the table.

“Of course. She was going on and on about how she is absolutely starving.”

“Sounds like her.” I laughed, mixing up her bottle.

“So what updates do you have for me?”

“Not much, to be honest. She’s the same as yesterday. You?”

“I don’t have much either. The market went well, sold about three quarters of the stock.”

“Not bad,” I answered over my shoulder as I rinsed out the bottle that Blossom practically inhaled.

My expectation was that he would get up and go milk now that our promised update was exchanged, but he didn’t move, so when I was done, I did the only logical thing I could think of which was sit to finish my coffee.

“I didn’t really think this through. Not much changes day to day, weekly updates make more sense.”

“Agreed.” I sighed, but he still didn’t move.

After a couple moments he turned to me.

“What’s your worst fear?”

“Twenty questions? Really?”

“Humor me in the name of being more social. ”

“Uhhhh.” I paused. “Probably living a life with no meaning.”

“Oof. Who determines if it has meaning?” he questioned.

“Me, I guess.”

“Well that’s one tough critic, don’t you think?”

“Isn’t that the point? To hold yourself to high standards?”

“Are you asking me if the point of life is to critique yourself to death in the name of productivity?”

“I guess I never thought of it that way.”

“The power of perspective.” He smiled.

“What about you, what’s your worst fear?”

“Snakes,” he answered, and I swore a shiver went up his spine.

“Seriously? Snakes? I want a new question.”

“They’re disgusting murder worms, but go ahead. I’m counting it as your second question, though.”

“Whatever, you big baby.”

I couldn't think of anything profound, so after a moment I settled on prying. “Have you ever been arrested?”

“I have.”

“For what?” I yelled.

It was hard for me to believe he had a single bad boy bone in his body.

“You know you’re really bad at this game.” He laughed.

“I don’t care, answer.”

“I was a freshman in highschool and hadn’t gotten my license yet, but I had my permit, and I was really craving fresh McDonald's fries. Like being a pain in the ass and asking for no salt, fresh. So I took my mom’s car without telling her.

It was only a few miles up the road, but she realized it was gone from the driveway and didn’t know it was me, so she reported it stolen.

Cops pulled me over and took me to the station.

My mom was so pissed when she realized what happened.

Luckily she dropped the charges and it didn’t go on my record, but she did make me sit there for a few hours. ”

Tears were streaming down my face, I was laughing so hard.

“I cannot believe you got arrested over french fries.”

“I didn’t even get to eat them. They took them with all my other stuff when we got to the station. By the time I got them back they were soggy and cold.”

“Wow, that’s actually a tragedy.”

“It was, and unfortunately if I don’t milk these cows soon you’ll have to hear about another. Will you be able to wait till tomorrow to find humor in any more of my life’s misfortunes?”

“I thought we were switching to once a week?”

Miles stood, a grin stretching from cheek to cheek.

“Nah, Sage Baker, I still have nineteen questions.”