The Easy Part of Impossible - Sarah Tomp Page 0,12
we have time right now. Please? I don’t have anywhere else to go.” It was the truth. Maybe with someone else, she might have worried about sounding desperate, or pathetic, but here with Cotton, she simply felt honest.
There was an excruciating pause while he stared at something behind her. She studied the way his fingers fluttered against his thigh, wondering if he was sending her a secret message and if she could crack the code.
“Is the cave closed right now?” she asked.
“Of course not. It’s not a commercial attraction. It doesn’t open and close.”
She waited, not wanting to push, but also knowing he wasn’t easily persuaded. She couldn’t make him do anything he didn’t want to do. He’d been so excited talking about the cave the other day. He had to want to go again. Even if it meant bringing her.
“So if it’s not commercial, does that mean it’s a wild cave?”
“Wild?”
“Yeah, wild.”
He finally looked at her. Tilted his head, and then, surprisingly, laughed. “Yes, it’s wild. It’s completely untamed.”
She laughed too, sensing she’d won.
“Yes,” he said. “Let’s go caving even though it’s not the weekend.”
He led her around the house to the backyard, past a crooked play structure and an open sandbox. He walked straight to a wooden shed built against their chain-link fence, dumping his backpack on the ground. The heavy door opened with a creak and he stepped inside while she waited nearby. The contrast of the sunlight and the dark of the shed made it hard to see what he was doing, but then he reappeared with a large duffel bag.
“You can’t go in a dress.” It felt like he hadn’t even noticed what she was wearing until that moment.
“Can I borrow something?” As soon as she said it, her words seemed ridiculous. Her head barely reached his broad shoulders.
“You’re about the same size as Leo,” he said, making her feel like she’d been measured. “You could wear his coveralls. They’re in our gear bag.”
He pulled two heavy green suits out of his bag. He handed her the smaller one, then said, “I’ll see if I can find you some shoes, too. Your sandals are impractical.” He started toward the house, then looked back. “Do you want to come in?”
Ria shook her head. She didn’t want to see his mother. Even though—or more accurately, because—she felt like she knew Mrs. Talley after seeing her on television, hoping for the return of Esther, she wouldn’t know what to say to her. “I’ll wait here.”
As soon as he disappeared inside, she kicked off her sandals and stepped into the coveralls. She pulled the thick canvas suit to her waist, then inched up her dress, slipping her arm out of it, then into the coverall sleeve. The second arm was easier, and then she pulled the dress over her head, slipping the zipper up with the same movement. She’d had plenty of experience dressing and undressing in public situations. The fit was surprisingly close to ideal. But rough to the touch. And heavy. So much fabric.
Cotton returned with a pair of old leather boots and blue socks, along with a couple of sandwiches. “Turkey or cheese?”
She shrugged, then took the cheese one.
He took a bite of the other one and half of it disappeared.
Ria turned the sandwich over in her hands. She took a tentative bite. The bread was incredible. She hadn’t even known she was hungry. She ate it slowly, taking bites in between putting on the boots, which felt slightly lopsided from wear.
Casually, Cotton picked up her dress from where she’d set it aside. He turned it over in his hand, examining it from different angles. She saw the moment he realized what he was holding. His eyes met hers, then ran over her body. She couldn’t read his look. It wasn’t like he thought she was being sexy or inappropriate. She felt more like something under a microscope than any kind of object of fantasy.
She took the dress from him and placed it on their back step with her sandals.
He stood and grabbed the large duffel, throwing it over his shoulder. “Let’s go.” He led her behind the shed, where he undid the combination lock easily with one hand and opened the gate. He was strong in an unfamiliar way. Because of his size, lifting and maneuvering seemed effortless.
He relocked the gate and headed down the trail. As she caught up, Ria glanced at him sideways. He moved easily, strolling, or even gliding, but his steps