Page 18 of Till The Cows Come Home
A few moments later she delivered a few quick knocks before walking in, putting on a smile as she guided me alongside her.
Her mother met us immediately, engulfing Sage in a huge hug, and I couldn’t help but notice Sage’s arms firmly pinned to her sides.
Gale moved on to me a few seconds later, squeezing me into a tight embrace, and when she released me, I handed her the bag I’d stuffed with wine that was now dangling precariously in my hand from the unexpected affection.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Baker. This is just some wine for dinner.”
“Oh, Honey! Three bottles? How generous! I’ll go and find some glasses.”
As the sweet aproned woman disappeared somewhere into the depths of the home, I turned to Sage.
“Are you okay?”
”Just a lot to unpack,” she whispered, before leading me deeper into the house.
We reached the kitchen where Mr. Baker sat at the counter watching his wife zoom around, stirring various things while wiping out wine glasses.
“Mr. Baker,” I said, stepping forward as he stood to shake my hand.
“Nice to see you again, Miles. But please, call me Stu.”
“And me, Gale.” Mrs. Baker added, handing me a glass of wine.
I smiled, scanning the room until my eyes found Sage in the corner of the kitchen, sipping generous gulps from her glass. Gale followed my gaze, trying to mask her concern as she beckoned her over.
“Would you kids mind setting the table? ”
“No problem, mom,” Sage said, finishing her glass before handing me a stack of plates.
She led the way to the dining room with a handful of cutlery and napkins and we danced around the table, making sure each spot had its necessary means.
“Dinners done!” Gale called, and she and Stu began shuffling out various dishes from the kitchen.
Sage and I joined to help them, and once every side made its way to the dining room, we took our places around the table. Gale served us, shoveling spoonfuls of mashed potatoes and slices of prime rib onto our plates, and soon after she’d finished, silence overtook the room.
“Silent mouths means yummy food,” Gale quipped. “I’m so glad you guys could make it. I hope we’re not interrupting your farm duties, Miles. I know how busy it can be.”
“No, ma’am, I could use the break. Sage here has actually been saving my back over at the farm.
It’s been running smoother than it ever has, and to be quite honest, I enjoy her company.
” I shot Sage a wink, immediately noticing the blush climbing her neck, and in an attempt to save her from the attention, I quickly redirected.
“I’ve heard of Sunday dinner, but never Wednesday. What’s the story behind that?”
“Please no,” Sage moaned, but her father’s eyes lit up.
“It’s hump day.” He chuckled. “Every Wednesday we’d round up all the staff and inseminate any heifers ready to be bred. Chasing the girls was exhausting, so Gale would whip up dinner and we’d all share a meal together afterwards.”
“That’s brilliant!” I laughed.
Stu continued on with stories from his days on the farm and when the table was cleared, dessert was served.
Pride radiated from this man as he spoke and part of me hoped that I could be a fraction of the farmer he was.
As Gale began to clean, he excused himself from the table, carrying dirty plates to the sink .
“Want us to help with dishes, mom?” Sage called.
“If you wouldn’t mind, sweetheart, I’d love a hand.”
“I can help,” I interjected, rising a little too quickly.
My hips knocked against the table as I stood, causing my body to crash into Sage’s, spilling the wine glass in her hands directly into my lap.
Gale peeked her head from the kitchen to see what the commotion was, and as soon as her eyes set on the mess, she came to our aid, handing Sage a dish towel to pat the stain.
“Oh, sweetheart. Let me find you a pair of Stu’s pants so we can get some soda water on those right away.”
Before I could object, she disappeared.
“I’m sorry,” whispered Sage, her shoulders drooping slightly in defeat.
“These pants were one stain away from heading to the barn anyway,” I joked.
A few moments later Gale resurfaced, yielding a pair of sweatpants that I knew wouldn’t fit. Although Stu was a burly man, he was about half a foot shorter than me.
“Thank you,” I said, excusing myself to the bathroom to change, and after donning the pants, my suspicions were confirmed. They were too short.
The last thing I was going to do was act ungrateful, so I walked out of the bathroom strutting my new sweatpant capris, and to my surprise Sage was there waiting for me.
“Oh. My. God. This is amazing.” She giggled.
“Hush. It was this or seem like a snob to your mother.”
“Both were acceptable options, but I enjoy this much better. Ready to hammer out some dishes, or did you need more time to prepare for the flood?”
I placed my hand on her back, propelling her forward.
“Let's go, smartass.”
As we arrived in the kitchen, Gale was placing the last of the leftovers in the fridge .
“Are you sure you kids don’t want me to help with those?”
“We got it, mom. Go relax with dad.”
“Okay, okay, I’m going.”
Gale left us to it and as soon as she was no longer in the room, I watched a mountain of tension dissolve from Sage’s shoulders. With a newfound relaxation, she handed me a towel, washing each dish before handing it to me to dry.
“What’s going on with you two?”
“Who?” she asked, but I could tell she knew exactly who I was inferring.
She held out her hand, passing me a bowl and when I refused to take it, she narrowed her eyes at my persistence.
“What, you’ve never met a girl with mommy issues?”
“Not one that I couldn’t understand.”
“She took away my dreams. What else is there to understand?”
I took the bowl from her hand and began drying, and after a few moments, I looked at her again.
“She did it because she loves you.”
Sage stopped washing, meeting my gaze.
“Often people do horrible things and claim it as love.”
“Sometimes we make decisions to protect those we love and they get hurt anyway. That doesn’t mean we don’t love them,” I said, pushing a hair that had fallen from behind her ear.
“How do I get over it?”
“You don’t, pretty girl, you get through it. If that means I escort you to every Wednesday dinner wearing these awful sweatpants, so be it.”
“You’re a smooth talker, you know that.”
“I’ve been told that once or twice.” I chuckled, resuming my duty as designated dryer.
We finished the rest of the dishes in comfortable silence and as we approached the living room, we stumbled upon her parents nodding off together on the couch. Sage’s giggle startled them awake, and I pinched her for waking them.
“Sorry honey, the older I get, the earlier my bedtime is. Having you back in the house just made things so cozy.”
Gale yawned as she stood, pulling Sage and I into a group hug.
“Thank you for dinner, mom,” Sage mumbled into her mother’s neck.
“Thank you for giving us a chance,” her mother mumbled back.
After Gale finally released us, Sage sauntered over to her father, quickly engulfed in an embrace that seemed long overdue.
I stepped back, allowing them their privacy, trying my best to ignore the mumbled conversation they exchanged, and after a few moments Sage stepped back, nodding in what seemed like an agreement.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Stu offered, turning to lead the way.
After our final goodbyes we left, and in the rearview mirror was Stu and Gale, standing together on the porch, embracing each other as they watched us pull away. My heart warmed as we drove down the road, and I noticed a small smile illuminated by the moon dancing across Sage’s face.
When we pulled into my driveway a few minutes later, I parked, but neither of us moved.
It was Sage’s seat belt unbuckling that finally broke the silence, followed by the small commotion she created as she climbed over the center console onto my lap.
After successfully straddling me, she sat back just enough to scour my eyes for approval, and when I nodded she leaned in, pressing her lips against mine.
That same familiar hum vibrated against my lips, parting them slightly until her tongue swept across them, teasing.
“I’ll walk you in?” she asked, and my heart pounded as I nodded in agreement .
When we reached the porch, we weren’t quite ready to part, so instead we sat, appreciating the cadence of peepers while rocking idly on the porch swing.
“Show me,” she whispered.
“Show you what?”
“Show me everything you’ve been holding back.”