Forever More
Part 1 - Hope
Chapter Three
Rebecca set up her easel and stool about ten feet into the coral on the far side of the barn. Coming prepared with several canvases already smudged with charcoal outlines she readied her supplies. Scott had met her once again as she drove up. The place had more life than the last time she was there. A few more cars were parked about and she could hear talking and laughter and music from within whenever the glass panel doors would slide open. She could hear the splashing of water by the pool but from where she was seated the house was not in view.
Feeling a little uncomfortable with the presence of unfamiliar guests Rebecca tried to keep a low profile and hoped that when she was ready to leave no one would be outside.
The scent of chlorine being stirred drifted her way and she thought how nice it would feel to be in the cool water. The laughter died down after a while and she heard one or two cars drive off. She was deep into her painting by that time. The sun was starting to ease behind the trees at the far west of the pasture. She was thinking about calling it another day.
Rebecca turned when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.
"Just checking to see how things are going," Scott offered as he hunched down on the grass beside to her stool. "Am I going to bother you if I sit here?" he added suddenly realizing that maybe he was.
"Oh, no." she assured him thinking only to herself that she had been hoping he would come out to talk to her.
From where she was sitting she could look down at him and he would not even notice. And that was exactly what she was catching herself doing.
That day he wore another pair of faded blue, obviously well liked, denim cut offs topped off by a black sleeves tank. From her stool just slightly behind him she made note of the width of his back. Muscles on his upper arms glistened as the hot sun of the afternoon baked its way across the open pasture. His waist was thin and his hips narrow where the end of the shirt tucked into the back waistband of the shorts.
The long blonde hair was still damp from his obvious swim in the pool but was drying on the ends. Rebecca didn’t really know any men with long hair. Every man she knew had short cropped styles, but for some reason she couldn’t imagine Scott any other way. He just looked good with it long. Too good.
He was wearing sunglasses again, as she had very rarely seen him without, and she made a mental note to bring some for herself the next time.
Rebecca continued to lay some yellows on the canvas with a pallet knife as he pulled pieces of grass from the ground and ran them through his fingers. They sat and talked while Rebecca cleaned out a few brushes. She had to getting home soon, she mentioned, siting that her boys were at their grandmother’s and by now she was probably pretty tired from chasing after them all afternoon.
"You got boys, huh? Tell me what that’s like."
Rebecca took advantage of his interest no matter if it was truly intended or not. "Ethan is eight and Kyle is six. They’re a handful sometimes. But if it wasn’t for them, well, they keep me pretty busy." Rebecca glanced over, he didn’t seem particularly bored yet.
"So you do this," he continued referring to her painting, "as a hobby?"
"Well, sort of. Painting has always been a love of mine but I had a booth at that craft fair to bring in some extra money. Trouble is I spent most of it buying junk from other people that I didn’t really need."
He laughed. "Yeah, I know how that goes."
They chatted more and Scott continued squatting on the ground. Corky, the retriever, moved from her place in the sun and walked over to lick his face. Scott rolled on the ground with the dog and then knelt on one knee rubbing the dog’s belly.
Rebecca gathered up all of her supplies. Scott helped her pile the easel and paints into the back of the truck while she carefully slid the wet and partially finished canvas onto the passenger seat side of her truck. She had brought the truck that day because when she left there she was planning to stop at a place she knew to pick up some bales of hay for her own horses.
They said good-bye for the day and Scott had started back toward the house when he heard that the engine wouldn’t turn over.
"I don’t believe this." Rebecca muttered as she tried again and was getting more and more irritated with every turn of the key. Please just start. Please! Too late. Scott was back at the truck.
"Won’t start, huh?"
"Yeah, it does this. Look, I’m really sorry. Can I use your phone?"
He nodded but moved to the front of the truck and motioned that she hit the lever to release the hood. She sat there thinking, Great! How embarrassing. Scott Taylor is looking under the hood of my damn, stupid truck!
"Try it again."
She did. Nothing.
"You know, It sounds like your starter is gone."
Rebecca ran her hands through her hair and across her forehead and then sat covering her eyes. Now she had more than embarrassment running through her mind. I can’t afford a starter. How in the hell am I gonna get this home? I can’t leave my truck sitting HERE!
He dropped the hood. Rebecca got out and stood looking at her truck with indignation. "Just let me use your phone."
He could tell she was upset.
She followed him up to a door by the garage. Walking through a small hallway and entering the kitchen area Rebecca was struck by the stark whiteness and clean sharp lines of it all. The kitchen was large and except for a coffee pot plugged near the end of one counter the space was almost totally free of any type of normal kitchen clutter. The counters seemed to shine. She could see a formal dining room and the large living room lay beyond. She also saw that the large glass panels opened onto the pool not far from the kitchen.. She made a mental note of magazines laid in a perfect arc on a coffee table. Did people actually live here?
Scott handed her a cordless phone from a counter near the sink. She dialed.
She was still talking to her mother-in-law when she noticed a body coming down a stairway that extended up the back wall of the living room. It was the same woman that she had seen on the bluff that afternoon.
Though Rebecca was still trying to carry on a conversation into the phone she strained to hear what was said in the living room. The woman was questioning Rebecca’s presence in the kitchen. Rebecca heard Scott explain about the truck and that she was calling someone. While not totally apathetic to the visitor’s situation Rebecca was quick to pick up the feeling that the woman was not pleased that she was there in the first place. Rebecca surmised that the paintings where Scott’s idea and not hers. And as Rebecca looked about the professionally decorated and immaculate home she knew her paintings would never grace one of those walls.
Just get me out of here fast, she thought to herself as she tried to explain to Jack’s mother what had happened and where she was.
The woman, who Rebecca had learned was named Linda, had left again. Scott came back and stood by the counter. Her mother-in-law was now inquiring about the hay that she knew Rebecca had to pick up. Trying not to say too much Rebecca told her that she would just have to work something out later with a neighbor and what she needed right now was a ride home.
Rebecca went through the directions again but was not sure that her mother-in-law was even understanding. She was questioning Rebecca on a turn.
"No, just come the way I said." Rebecca hung up and walked apologetically to the door. Scott followed.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any problems."
"No problem. This shit happens. So somebody’s coming to get you?"
"Yeah, my mother-in-law."
"What was that about some hay?"
"Oh, I was supposed to stop and get some on the way home. That’s why I brought that damned truck in the first place!" Rebecca stopped and turned toward him. "Look, I’m really sorry, but I don’t know when I can get back to get the truck, unless I can get my neighbor to come and do something. I have to work in the morning and..."
"Hey, don’t worry." He looked at her seeing that she was visibly upset. "You know, better yet, why don’t I just run you home right now?"
"Oh, no, that’s OK, my mother-in-law is coming."
"Didn’t sound to me like she was sure where she was coming to."
Rebecca breathed an agreeable nod.
"Go back in and call her." He saw the reservation in her eyes. "It’s no problem. Really."
At that point all Rebecca wanted to do was get out of there and the fastest way seemed the best. She went back in and called. Jack’s mother seemed relieved since she was still trying to find Kyle’s left tennis shoe. Scott disappeared up those steps in the living room and Rebecca wondered what he told the woman.
Rebecca followed Scott back into the hallway off the kitchen walking a little further to a door that led into the garage, once again stark, white and dirt free. All three car bays were full. He walked passed a white 1966 corvette as Rebecca studied it very closely. He opened the door of a red 1971 Jag for her to slide in.
On the ride back to her place Scott talked of cars because Rebecca had taken the time to ask. She was hoping that her own lack of knowledge on the subject wasn’t that noticeable. If so, he didn’t seem to mind. Rebecca would occasionally have to stop him and point out a turn. About half way home she remembered that she had failed to retrieve the painting from her truck. Not that he would have wanted it in this car, she thought. But mostly on the ride home she was thinking of how she was going to fix all of this. Her biggest concern right then was to get her truck off his property. She would deal with fixing it later.
Scott sensed that she was still upset. Assuming correctly that it was because of the truck being there, he assured her that he was fine with it. Besides, he pointed out, he was going to be at the house a few more days and it would be no problem for awhile.
Rebecca pointed out her driveway beyond the next crossroad. Her mother-in-law still had not shown up with the boys so no one was home. She thought that Scott would just drop her off but he saw one of the horses stick his neck out around the corner of the barn. He had to go meet them. He mentioned the hay again. Rebecca had to confess that she was out, but she didn’t want to unload her problems on him. However, standing there while Koda nudged him she felt compelled to be honest.
"Look, the truth is that I don’t really know when I can get that truck. If it is the starter I can’t get that fixed this month and maybe not for awhile yet."
He gave her a half smile and she was sorry that she had ever said anything. He assured her again that everything was fine and now she didn’t have to worry about getting the truck out of there at all. She felt worse. Now he thinks I’m a dead beat. She just wanted to crawl in a hole.
They walked back to his car and he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, it’s OK. Really!"
He drove off and Rebecca went inside to call her mother-in-law. Then she sat down and cursed her truck and her life. A new starter? How was she going to pay for that?
