geometric shapes all over it, oddly out of character, and stared blankly at me. “Congratulations.” When she shooed me out, I took advantage of the space and smiled. Stevie was tough when she wanted to be, but her response now gave me hope that today might help me crack the shell she’d put around herself. “It smells incredible in here.” She grabbed the bag and jumped into the truck, ignoring my outstretched hand in favor of the bag’s contents.
“Yeah, no problem,” I mumbled to myself unnecessarily. I should be happy that she doesn’t stand on ceremony like that, but for some reason, it annoyed me. “You don’t like letting people help you, do you?”
My question stopped her movements and she stared at me, a little crinkle of confusion forming between her black brows. “When I need help, I ask for it.”
There was no point arguing the point because I realized she probably didn’t even realize I was trying to help her, so I started the engine and we got on the road. “Sure would be nice to eat that croissant while it’s still warm.”
“I know,” she said around a smiling mouthful. “You probably should have eaten yours before you started driving.” I turned and stared at her in disbelief for as long as I could safely keep my eyes off the road. Her laughter rang out and echoed inside the car. “Goodness, that look was totally worth the risk.” She chuckled to herself before breaking off a piece and holding it up to my lips. “Open up.”
I ignored her playful sing-song voice and opened my mouth, swiping my tongue across her fingertip when she lingered a little too long. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she bit out, hoping her anger would disguise the desire.
“It’s okay to feel it, Stevie. I feel it, too.” It was a risk, but that swift intake of breath told me more than the silence that followed.
“You know people who live here?”
“I’ll try not to take offense to your tone.”
She shrugged and ducked to take in every detail as we passed. “The Peace Community? You are definitely not the crunchy-granola-hippie type and, considering your reaction to me, I can’t imagine you’d think of them as friends.”
I hated to admit that she had me there. “This is a unique friendship that was born out of necessity.” We both stepped from the car and I watched her as she took in the farm, eyes darting from the flower garden on the sunny side of the house to the horses in a pasture in the distance.
Just then, Star stepped out onto the wide widow’s porch that I’d helped her paint one summer a few years ago. She looked every bit the crunchy-granola-hippie type Stevie had pictured, with her waist-length blond hair that now had more gray in it and a paisley patterned dress that fell straight to the ground, highlighting her rail-thin frame. “Scott, it’s so good to see you again. It’s been too long.”
I opened my arms and accepted Star’s hug. The woman was affectionate with everyone, though as beautiful as she was it was always maternal. But I still enjoyed the flash of jealousy I glimpsed in Stevie’s eyes. “It’s good to see you too, Star. Still getting too lost in painting to remember to eat, I see.”
She laughed and turned to Stevie. “I’m Star, and this is The Peace Community. Welcome.”
“It’s gorgeous. A lot of work, I’m sure.”
“Tons, but it’s rewarding to know that all of our sweat, and sometimes tears, is going towards nourishing our bodies and the community around us.”
I held my breath and waited for Stevie to mock Star the way I once had, but she merely shrugged. “Admirable. Do you notice a real difference in your energy and stress levels?”
Star’s eyes flashed with hope and happiness as she stepped closer to Stevie. “Absolutely. I’ll tell you all about my own transformation, but I’ll tell you what I tell everyone. Give it thirty days and if you feel good, give it another thirty. Keep going until it stops working for you.” She threaded her arm through Stevie’s and turned to me. “You brought a friend.”
“I did.”
“I hope that’s okay,” Stevie added. “He didn’t exactly give me any details.”
“Is that so?” Star’s lips curled into a mischievous smile that suddenly had me reconsidering my plan for the day. “Interesting.”
“What is?” Stevie asked, anger underlying those two simple words.
“Nothing,” Star said quickly. “Shall we go check on the animals?” Before anyone could object or ask questions, she herded