Ch.2 - The Stone Age
She emerged from the house about a half an hour later. He knew because he heard the screen door open and shut and the soft padding of footsteps come around the front of the house.
Not much had changed in Melanie’s appearance since he last saw her. She’d traded in her tank and thin pajama shorts for a thicker t-shirt and short short blue jean shorts, and her feet, adorned with purple painted toenails he must not have noticed before were slid into simple black flip-flops. He watched her for a moment, intrigued despite himself, and amused when she pulled out her phone and tried to find a signal.
He had his own reasons for hating city folk but he had told himself he would tolerate Melanie Stryder for Jeb’s sake since the man had become a second father to him. The girl was his flesh and blood after all. It was the least he could do.
Unfortunately for Melanie, she was quickly fulfilling all the bullet points on the mental ‘typical city snobs’ list he’d created for himself.
Snobby? Yes.
Germaphobe? Yes.
Phone-dependent? Bingo.
Easily irritable? You betcha.
The funny thing was he wasn’t annoyed by her, let alone hated her. He allowed for being amused because in general he was amused by anyone under the age of twenty. Melanie was seventeen, so it was understandable he felt that way. The intrigue though was unexpected. Curiosity clawed at him from the moment he met her and was growing more so by the minute – Who is Melanie Stryder? It made him realize he wanted to do and say all manner of things, just to see how she would react; at the very least to start conversations as often as possible without being too obvious about it. It was a complete unforeseen response to Jeb’s niece flouncing into his life for what he suspected would be three unforgettable months. That observation also annoyed him.
He shook himself out of the reverie as Maggie emerged from the distant barn and headed straight for Melanie. He turned back to where the nail was still jutting out between shingles on the roof and began again with the hammer. He had come here to work after all, not to worry about the already complicated feelings of intrigue he felt for Melanie Stryder.
“There’s no reception out here, Melanie,” Maggie called out to her niece, still well over fifty feet away.
Melanie lowered her hand and frowned at her aunt. On the roof, he smirked to himself.
“I was supposed to call Dad to tell him I got here okay and forgot last night. I didn’t see a phone in the house.”
“That’s because we don’t have one,” Maggie explained, only twenty feet away now.
Melanie’s jaw dropped. “You don’t have a phone? What is this, The Stone Age?”
The roofer’s smirk widened into a smile and apparently he didn’t hide it well enough. Instead of responding to Melanie, Maggie turned her attention to him and smiled broadly.
“Good morning, Jared,” she called out, bypassing her niece entirely to greet him on the ground. He set the hammer down once more and gave her his attention, which was somewhat difficult because Melanie’s reaction to her aunt’s sudden cheerfulness made him want to laugh out loud.
“So he has a name,” Melanie muttered behind her aunt, as she reluctantly followed a beat later.
“Morning, Magnolia, “Jared said with a nod.
“Oh Jared, I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to call me Maggie. Magnolia is so…so…formal. We are anything but.”
She was practically gushing. Melanie couldn’t believe it. She had never heard her aunt fawn like this over anyone. She half-wondered if her Uncle Jeb should be worried.
“I think it’s a beautiful name,” Jared said, turning the charm on.
Melanie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. The man was clearly a player if he could even make an aging would-be grandmother blush.
“Aunt Maggie-” She tried, but was cut off.
“Melanie, have you met Jared?” She turned to face her niece, eyes still bright with a laughing smile. It half scared her to death.
“We’ve met,” Jared said before Melanie could answer.
Her mouth was hanging open, but she shut it, thankful he didn’t give a full explanation of their first meeting. Up until this point she would’ve thought her aunt would disapprove of drinking water straight from the kitchen sink, but now she wasn’t so sure. Jared seemed to cast a spell of tranquility and jubilance over her aunt that could rival any drug.
Oblivious to what was going on in her niece’s mind, Maggie continued on.
“Jared occasionally does some work for us here on the farm. He lives in town, kitty corner from the farmer’s market. This summer he’s helping fix up the house, since I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s in need of repair.”
Melanie thought about the lack of air conditioning, but suspected that was not one of the “repairs” Jared intended to fix.
“That’s…nice,” she said instead.
Maggie frowned suddenly, strangely putting Melanie at ease, because this was the aunt she remembered.
“Those shoes aren’t going to do you any good in the fields.”
Melanie blinked. “Uh…what?” she asked, fighting to find her tongue.
“The fields. You did bring some tennis shoes at least, I hope. You’ll be out there for hours and I doubt if your feet will survive the abuse, especially those painted toes of yours.”
She cleared her throat, trying to come to terms with the reality she’d just been delivered and whether or not to accept or refuse it, especially with Jared taking the whole scene in with extreme amusement. She was saved from any response, right or wrong, when good old Uncle Jeb appeared behind his sister.
“Now Maggie, Trevor sent his daughter here to get her away from city life, not into farm chores.”
Maggie spun around to face him. “If she’s going to be staying here, she has to do her part.”
“She’s family, Magnolia, and we haven’t seen her since she was ten. Let her have a little fun, will you?”
Maggie turned back to face her niece, giving her a once over. She walked over to her as if prepared to duel.
“Is that what you expected to do here? Have a little fun?”
Melanie winced slightly. “It is called summer vacation.”
Jared cringed on the roof. Even Jeb held his breath.
Maggie drew herself up to her full height and tried to look as menacing as possible, which, Melanie decided, wasn’t all that difficult. This woman had the effect of a giant commandeering an ant army.
“You are my niece and I love you, but I will have you know that in my day—”
“Alright Magnolia, that’s enough,” Jeb said gruffly, coming between them. He stared her down. Melanie hid behind him. “She’ll be here all summer. I won’t have her working full time like Jared here that we pay, or the ten plus volunteers that are all working in the fields right now. While it’s true we can always use more help, having Melanie trade off from studies to grueling farming work hardly gives her a break at all. And that’s what her father sent her here for. A break. Isn’t that right, Melanie?” he asked, not turning around.
“Yep,” Melanie said, sounding more confident than she was feeling.
Maggie stared Jeb down for another moment and then finally relented, her lips pursed even as she gave in.
“Fine. But I don’t see what she’ll find to do around here that’s fun. We’re on the outskirts of town and she likely doesn’t even have her license. They have no use for such things in the city.”
“I’m sure she’ll think of something. Won’t you, Melanie?” This time he turned his head to look at her.
“Yep. Brought a book.”
Jared resisted the extremely overwhelming urge to snort. Better be a long one, he thought.
Maggie shook her head, abandoning the conversation and headed inside the house. Jeb followed her form till it wound around the house and he couldn’t see her anymore. Then he looked back at his niece.
“Don’t mind her. She’s just been working all morning, so when she sees fresh hands…”
“I get it.” She forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“Sure.” He switched his gaze up to the roof. “Jared.” He nodded.
“Morning,” the voice behind her boomed.
The brief greeting finished, Jeb made his way back into the house as well, saying he needed to refresh himself with some ice cold water.
When he was gone, the hammering did not resume, and Melanie knew Jared was watching her. She slowly turned around.
“What?” she snapped.
He smiled, unable to help himself now that the elders were out of sight.
“Nothin. You just amuse me is all.”
Melanie narrowed her eyes and stalked over to the house, as close as she could get without being right up against the outer wall.
“Is that so?” she asked, annoyed as could be.
He raised his eyebrows and smiled wider.
“Kids amuse me,” he said.
Her eyebrows narrowed further, clearly offended. Then an instant later, her eyes switched to a different expression. Another tactic? He wondered. Surely she couldn’t switch moods that quickly.
“Did you put on sunscreen?” she asked, concerned as she eyed his sweaty arms and face.
“Are you offering?” he countered, his brows raising again and laughter in his voice.
She flushed, which gave him immense pleasure. For some unknown reason though he felt guilty only seconds after.
“Relax,” he said almost mockingly, trying to smash down the guilt. “I’m not asking you to have sex with me.”
Melanie flushed again, a deeper red.
“I don’t burn,” he explained. “I tan.”
“Everyone burns,” she said, snapping out of her embarrassment almost as quickly as she’d fallen into it.
“Not me.” He winked, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m going inside,” she muttered, turning to head the same way her relatives had gone.
“Bring me some lemonade, will you? I’m dying of thirst up here.”
She didn’t respond to him and kept walking, but he had a feeling she would be back. From what he could tell, she was just as curious about him as he was about her.
Not much had changed in Melanie’s appearance since he last saw her. She’d traded in her tank and thin pajama shorts for a thicker t-shirt and short short blue jean shorts, and her feet, adorned with purple painted toenails he must not have noticed before were slid into simple black flip-flops. He watched her for a moment, intrigued despite himself, and amused when she pulled out her phone and tried to find a signal.
He had his own reasons for hating city folk but he had told himself he would tolerate Melanie Stryder for Jeb’s sake since the man had become a second father to him. The girl was his flesh and blood after all. It was the least he could do.
Unfortunately for Melanie, she was quickly fulfilling all the bullet points on the mental ‘typical city snobs’ list he’d created for himself.
Snobby? Yes.
Germaphobe? Yes.
Phone-dependent? Bingo.
Easily irritable? You betcha.
The funny thing was he wasn’t annoyed by her, let alone hated her. He allowed for being amused because in general he was amused by anyone under the age of twenty. Melanie was seventeen, so it was understandable he felt that way. The intrigue though was unexpected. Curiosity clawed at him from the moment he met her and was growing more so by the minute – Who is Melanie Stryder? It made him realize he wanted to do and say all manner of things, just to see how she would react; at the very least to start conversations as often as possible without being too obvious about it. It was a complete unforeseen response to Jeb’s niece flouncing into his life for what he suspected would be three unforgettable months. That observation also annoyed him.
He shook himself out of the reverie as Maggie emerged from the distant barn and headed straight for Melanie. He turned back to where the nail was still jutting out between shingles on the roof and began again with the hammer. He had come here to work after all, not to worry about the already complicated feelings of intrigue he felt for Melanie Stryder.
“There’s no reception out here, Melanie,” Maggie called out to her niece, still well over fifty feet away.
Melanie lowered her hand and frowned at her aunt. On the roof, he smirked to himself.
“I was supposed to call Dad to tell him I got here okay and forgot last night. I didn’t see a phone in the house.”
“That’s because we don’t have one,” Maggie explained, only twenty feet away now.
Melanie’s jaw dropped. “You don’t have a phone? What is this, The Stone Age?”
The roofer’s smirk widened into a smile and apparently he didn’t hide it well enough. Instead of responding to Melanie, Maggie turned her attention to him and smiled broadly.
“Good morning, Jared,” she called out, bypassing her niece entirely to greet him on the ground. He set the hammer down once more and gave her his attention, which was somewhat difficult because Melanie’s reaction to her aunt’s sudden cheerfulness made him want to laugh out loud.
“So he has a name,” Melanie muttered behind her aunt, as she reluctantly followed a beat later.
“Morning, Magnolia, “Jared said with a nod.
“Oh Jared, I don’t know how many times I’ve told you to call me Maggie. Magnolia is so…so…formal. We are anything but.”
She was practically gushing. Melanie couldn’t believe it. She had never heard her aunt fawn like this over anyone. She half-wondered if her Uncle Jeb should be worried.
“I think it’s a beautiful name,” Jared said, turning the charm on.
Melanie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms against her chest. The man was clearly a player if he could even make an aging would-be grandmother blush.
“Aunt Maggie-” She tried, but was cut off.
“Melanie, have you met Jared?” She turned to face her niece, eyes still bright with a laughing smile. It half scared her to death.
“We’ve met,” Jared said before Melanie could answer.
Her mouth was hanging open, but she shut it, thankful he didn’t give a full explanation of their first meeting. Up until this point she would’ve thought her aunt would disapprove of drinking water straight from the kitchen sink, but now she wasn’t so sure. Jared seemed to cast a spell of tranquility and jubilance over her aunt that could rival any drug.
Oblivious to what was going on in her niece’s mind, Maggie continued on.
“Jared occasionally does some work for us here on the farm. He lives in town, kitty corner from the farmer’s market. This summer he’s helping fix up the house, since I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s in need of repair.”
Melanie thought about the lack of air conditioning, but suspected that was not one of the “repairs” Jared intended to fix.
“That’s…nice,” she said instead.
Maggie frowned suddenly, strangely putting Melanie at ease, because this was the aunt she remembered.
“Those shoes aren’t going to do you any good in the fields.”
Melanie blinked. “Uh…what?” she asked, fighting to find her tongue.
“The fields. You did bring some tennis shoes at least, I hope. You’ll be out there for hours and I doubt if your feet will survive the abuse, especially those painted toes of yours.”
She cleared her throat, trying to come to terms with the reality she’d just been delivered and whether or not to accept or refuse it, especially with Jared taking the whole scene in with extreme amusement. She was saved from any response, right or wrong, when good old Uncle Jeb appeared behind his sister.
“Now Maggie, Trevor sent his daughter here to get her away from city life, not into farm chores.”
Maggie spun around to face him. “If she’s going to be staying here, she has to do her part.”
“She’s family, Magnolia, and we haven’t seen her since she was ten. Let her have a little fun, will you?”
Maggie turned back to face her niece, giving her a once over. She walked over to her as if prepared to duel.
“Is that what you expected to do here? Have a little fun?”
Melanie winced slightly. “It is called summer vacation.”
Jared cringed on the roof. Even Jeb held his breath.
Maggie drew herself up to her full height and tried to look as menacing as possible, which, Melanie decided, wasn’t all that difficult. This woman had the effect of a giant commandeering an ant army.
“You are my niece and I love you, but I will have you know that in my day—”
“Alright Magnolia, that’s enough,” Jeb said gruffly, coming between them. He stared her down. Melanie hid behind him. “She’ll be here all summer. I won’t have her working full time like Jared here that we pay, or the ten plus volunteers that are all working in the fields right now. While it’s true we can always use more help, having Melanie trade off from studies to grueling farming work hardly gives her a break at all. And that’s what her father sent her here for. A break. Isn’t that right, Melanie?” he asked, not turning around.
“Yep,” Melanie said, sounding more confident than she was feeling.
Maggie stared Jeb down for another moment and then finally relented, her lips pursed even as she gave in.
“Fine. But I don’t see what she’ll find to do around here that’s fun. We’re on the outskirts of town and she likely doesn’t even have her license. They have no use for such things in the city.”
“I’m sure she’ll think of something. Won’t you, Melanie?” This time he turned his head to look at her.
“Yep. Brought a book.”
Jared resisted the extremely overwhelming urge to snort. Better be a long one, he thought.
Maggie shook her head, abandoning the conversation and headed inside the house. Jeb followed her form till it wound around the house and he couldn’t see her anymore. Then he looked back at his niece.
“Don’t mind her. She’s just been working all morning, so when she sees fresh hands…”
“I get it.” She forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“Sure.” He switched his gaze up to the roof. “Jared.” He nodded.
“Morning,” the voice behind her boomed.
The brief greeting finished, Jeb made his way back into the house as well, saying he needed to refresh himself with some ice cold water.
When he was gone, the hammering did not resume, and Melanie knew Jared was watching her. She slowly turned around.
“What?” she snapped.
He smiled, unable to help himself now that the elders were out of sight.
“Nothin. You just amuse me is all.”
Melanie narrowed her eyes and stalked over to the house, as close as she could get without being right up against the outer wall.
“Is that so?” she asked, annoyed as could be.
He raised his eyebrows and smiled wider.
“Kids amuse me,” he said.
Her eyebrows narrowed further, clearly offended. Then an instant later, her eyes switched to a different expression. Another tactic? He wondered. Surely she couldn’t switch moods that quickly.
“Did you put on sunscreen?” she asked, concerned as she eyed his sweaty arms and face.
“Are you offering?” he countered, his brows raising again and laughter in his voice.
She flushed, which gave him immense pleasure. For some unknown reason though he felt guilty only seconds after.
“Relax,” he said almost mockingly, trying to smash down the guilt. “I’m not asking you to have sex with me.”
Melanie flushed again, a deeper red.
“I don’t burn,” he explained. “I tan.”
“Everyone burns,” she said, snapping out of her embarrassment almost as quickly as she’d fallen into it.
“Not me.” He winked, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’m going inside,” she muttered, turning to head the same way her relatives had gone.
“Bring me some lemonade, will you? I’m dying of thirst up here.”
She didn’t respond to him and kept walking, but he had a feeling she would be back. From what he could tell, she was just as curious about him as he was about her.
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