Here's the beginning of a story I am working on... let me know what you think.
* * *
"Hey!" Cole's sister, Ashlyn, shouted to be heard over all the racket in the garage. "Hey!"
Finally, Cole looked up from the motorcycle he was working on. "What?" he shouted back.
Ashlyn shook her head and rolled her eyes. Men! She located the blaring radio and turned it off. Her ears had a slight ring to them.
"You've got a phone call. It's that 'wild woman' everyone was talking about after the meeting last night."
Cole perked up. "You mean Sara?"
Ashlyn nodded. "Yep. She wants to know if her bike is ready."
Cole quickly started toward the store part of the gas station, which was adjacent to the garage. "Did she ask for me by name?"
Ashlyn rolled her eyes again. "Don't tell me you've got a thing for the crazy woman that blew into town yesterday."
Cole scowled. "She's not crazy. And she has a name, you know." Cole ignored the knowing look Ashlyn gave him as he scampered in to answer the phone.
Ashlyn followed behind Cole as he entered the store. Seeing her father at the counter waiting on customers, she quickly went around to help him.
"Dad," she said gently, "Go on home. You look like you could use some rest. Cole and I can manage here."
"Nah," Fred said with a wave of his hand. "Thanks, and come again!" he called to the customer leaving the store. He turned to his daughter. "Hon, I'm okay. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to keep coming up here everyday. Cole is here now, and he can take care of the garage while I take care of the counter. It'll work out fine. The Lord doesn't give us more than He can handle."
"I know, but I want to help you." Her brow wrinkled with concern. "Take some time off, Dad, just for a few days. When was the last time you did that?"
A shadow crossed Fred's face as he looked away from his daughter. "A long time ago." His voice was husky, and when he turned to face her again, his eyes shimmered. He cleared his throat, then looked down at the floor.
Ashlyn, suddenly ashamed that she'd provoked such a sad memory for her sweet father, backed off. She knew he was thinking about her mother's funeral three years earlier.
She put her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze. "I love you, Dad," she whispered, and lay her head on his shoulder for a moment.
Fred smiled at that, made happy by so simple a gesture. "I love you, too, hon."
The moment was broken as the bell over the door tinkled. Ashlyn glanced up to see who had entered. She froze in stunned silence.
She hadn't expected to ever lay eyes on Jeff Tate again.
"Hey, Ashlyn," he said, a grin on his devilishly handsome face. His sapphire eyes sparkled as he continued. "You look surprised to see me. Didn't you hear? I'm back in town."
Ashlyn remained speechless.
"To stay."
"You are not going to believe this!"
"Hi, Grace," Ashlyn said, smiling. Her long-time and closest friend, Grace Collins was always excited about something. Grace was the most upbeat person Ashlyn had ever known.
"The most unbelievable thing has happened!" Grace gushed. "Guess who is living in Steeple Hill again!"
Ashlyn's smile evaporated. "Jeff Tate," she said flatly.
"Uh! How did you know?" Grace sounded as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her sails. "He just moved back yesterday."
"He came by my dad's store to buy gas on his way into town yesterday," Ashlyn explained. "He told me he was moving back."
"Oooo, so he came to see you! You are sooo lucky!"
Frowning, Ashlyn replied, "No, he did not come just to see me. I told you, he was buying gas. I just happened to be there. That was it. It's over between us, and has been for a long time. You know that."
"Come on, Ashlyn! Are you telling me that you aren't interested in Jeff Tate, the hottest country music star in the nation? One who just happens to be your ex-boyfriend?" Grace sounded truly shocked.
Annoyed with the path this conversation was taking, Ashlyn sighed. "You know I don't care about his fame. And he is my ex-boyfriend for a reason. I don't care if I never see him again."
Giggling, Grace replied, "I doubt that'll happen, even if you don't pick up where you left off with him. His picture is plastered on every magazine cover in the supermarket, and you can't turn on the radio without hearing his voice."
"I can, since I don't listen to country music," Ashlyn retorted. She paused, hearing a knock at the door. Thank You, Lord, she thought, grateful for an excuse to end the conversation. "Look, I really don't want to discuss Jeff anymore, okay? He's history with me, and anyway, I have to go, there's someone at my door."
"Okay, okay. I won't say anything else... but if I were you, I'd be trying to patch things up."
"Gotta go, Grace," Ashlyn said, walking toward the door as the visitor knocked again. "I'll talk to..." she broke off in mid-sentence as she opened the door and saw who was standing on her porch. "Jeff!"
"You're going to talk to Jeff?" Grace asked, clearly confused.
"Uh," Ashlyn said, momentarily at a loss. She mentally shook herself. "Grace, Jeff is here... I will talk to you later."
She pressed the power button on the cordless phone, pretending she hadn't heard the squeal of delight that came out of it.
"What are you doing here?" she said, still holding the door.
Jeff shrugged, his beautiful eyes sparkling with amusement. Apparently he had heard Grace's squeal. "I came by to see why you ran out of the store yesterday. I wanted to talk to you."
"About?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. I just thought we could talk. I miss you, Ash."
"I'm kind of busy, Jeff. Maybe we can catch up later?" she said, forcing a smile as she attempted to shut the door.
A very large boot stopped her. "Come on, Ashlyn. I just want to talk to you! Can't I come in for a few minutes?"
Closing her eyes, Ashlyn was torn, knowing in her heart that once she let him in, she would never be able to shut him out again.
Sighing, she opened the door, and let him in.
"Let's talk."
* * *
"Hey!" Cole's sister, Ashlyn, shouted to be heard over all the racket in the garage. "Hey!"
Finally, Cole looked up from the motorcycle he was working on. "What?" he shouted back.
Ashlyn shook her head and rolled her eyes. Men! She located the blaring radio and turned it off. Her ears had a slight ring to them.
"You've got a phone call. It's that 'wild woman' everyone was talking about after the meeting last night."
Cole perked up. "You mean Sara?"
Ashlyn nodded. "Yep. She wants to know if her bike is ready."
Cole quickly started toward the store part of the gas station, which was adjacent to the garage. "Did she ask for me by name?"
Ashlyn rolled her eyes again. "Don't tell me you've got a thing for the crazy woman that blew into town yesterday."
Cole scowled. "She's not crazy. And she has a name, you know." Cole ignored the knowing look Ashlyn gave him as he scampered in to answer the phone.
Ashlyn followed behind Cole as he entered the store. Seeing her father at the counter waiting on customers, she quickly went around to help him.
"Dad," she said gently, "Go on home. You look like you could use some rest. Cole and I can manage here."
"Nah," Fred said with a wave of his hand. "Thanks, and come again!" he called to the customer leaving the store. He turned to his daughter. "Hon, I'm okay. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you don't have to keep coming up here everyday. Cole is here now, and he can take care of the garage while I take care of the counter. It'll work out fine. The Lord doesn't give us more than He can handle."
"I know, but I want to help you." Her brow wrinkled with concern. "Take some time off, Dad, just for a few days. When was the last time you did that?"
A shadow crossed Fred's face as he looked away from his daughter. "A long time ago." His voice was husky, and when he turned to face her again, his eyes shimmered. He cleared his throat, then looked down at the floor.
Ashlyn, suddenly ashamed that she'd provoked such a sad memory for her sweet father, backed off. She knew he was thinking about her mother's funeral three years earlier.
She put her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze. "I love you, Dad," she whispered, and lay her head on his shoulder for a moment.
Fred smiled at that, made happy by so simple a gesture. "I love you, too, hon."
The moment was broken as the bell over the door tinkled. Ashlyn glanced up to see who had entered. She froze in stunned silence.
She hadn't expected to ever lay eyes on Jeff Tate again.
"Hey, Ashlyn," he said, a grin on his devilishly handsome face. His sapphire eyes sparkled as he continued. "You look surprised to see me. Didn't you hear? I'm back in town."
Ashlyn remained speechless.
"To stay."
"You are not going to believe this!"
"Hi, Grace," Ashlyn said, smiling. Her long-time and closest friend, Grace Collins was always excited about something. Grace was the most upbeat person Ashlyn had ever known.
"The most unbelievable thing has happened!" Grace gushed. "Guess who is living in Steeple Hill again!"
Ashlyn's smile evaporated. "Jeff Tate," she said flatly.
"Uh! How did you know?" Grace sounded as if she'd had the wind knocked out of her sails. "He just moved back yesterday."
"He came by my dad's store to buy gas on his way into town yesterday," Ashlyn explained. "He told me he was moving back."
"Oooo, so he came to see you! You are sooo lucky!"
Frowning, Ashlyn replied, "No, he did not come just to see me. I told you, he was buying gas. I just happened to be there. That was it. It's over between us, and has been for a long time. You know that."
"Come on, Ashlyn! Are you telling me that you aren't interested in Jeff Tate, the hottest country music star in the nation? One who just happens to be your ex-boyfriend?" Grace sounded truly shocked.
Annoyed with the path this conversation was taking, Ashlyn sighed. "You know I don't care about his fame. And he is my ex-boyfriend for a reason. I don't care if I never see him again."
Giggling, Grace replied, "I doubt that'll happen, even if you don't pick up where you left off with him. His picture is plastered on every magazine cover in the supermarket, and you can't turn on the radio without hearing his voice."
"I can, since I don't listen to country music," Ashlyn retorted. She paused, hearing a knock at the door. Thank You, Lord, she thought, grateful for an excuse to end the conversation. "Look, I really don't want to discuss Jeff anymore, okay? He's history with me, and anyway, I have to go, there's someone at my door."
"Okay, okay. I won't say anything else... but if I were you, I'd be trying to patch things up."
"Gotta go, Grace," Ashlyn said, walking toward the door as the visitor knocked again. "I'll talk to..." she broke off in mid-sentence as she opened the door and saw who was standing on her porch. "Jeff!"
"You're going to talk to Jeff?" Grace asked, clearly confused.
"Uh," Ashlyn said, momentarily at a loss. She mentally shook herself. "Grace, Jeff is here... I will talk to you later."
She pressed the power button on the cordless phone, pretending she hadn't heard the squeal of delight that came out of it.
"What are you doing here?" she said, still holding the door.
Jeff shrugged, his beautiful eyes sparkling with amusement. Apparently he had heard Grace's squeal. "I came by to see why you ran out of the store yesterday. I wanted to talk to you."
"About?"
He shrugged again. "I don't know. I just thought we could talk. I miss you, Ash."
"I'm kind of busy, Jeff. Maybe we can catch up later?" she said, forcing a smile as she attempted to shut the door.
A very large boot stopped her. "Come on, Ashlyn. I just want to talk to you! Can't I come in for a few minutes?"
Closing her eyes, Ashlyn was torn, knowing in her heart that once she let him in, she would never be able to shut him out again.
Sighing, she opened the door, and let him in.
"Let's talk."
