modeling. I'm sure it pays well and it's gotta be easier than construction."
"I'm not going back to it. I didn't like it."
"Why? Are the hours long?"
He tenses up. "I just didn't like it. I don't want to talk about it."
He never wants to talk about it. He's told me very little about his past and almost nothing about the time he spent in California.
"So what were you talking about with that guy? Something about a youth center?"
"I'm volunteering for a youth center outside of town. It's for kids who are having trouble at school. Most are having trouble at home too. Some are in foster care. Some have a parent in prison. A lot of them have behavior issues as well as academic issues. I'll be working as a tutor, but also kind of a mentor, counselor, whatever they need."
"You must really like kids if you want to work with a bunch of out of control teenagers."
"They're not out of control. They're just angry and frustrated about their situation." I smile at him. "You seem to like kids. You were good with that little boy."
"I do like kids. And they seem to like me."
"You want your own someday?"
"Sure, once I'm finally settled somewhere."
"Do you think that'll ever happen? You seem to move around a lot."
"Because I haven't found a place I want to stay. None of the places I've been seem like home."
"I know what you mean. Now that my mom's not in Colorado anymore it doesn't feel like home. But her new place in California doesn't feel like home either. I'm not sure where I'll end up."
Our food arrives and I'm glad for the interruption because talking about leaving each other and moving on was making me sad. I keep trying not to think about it but the topic keeps coming up.
After dinner, Shayla brings the check. "The dessert's already on the bill so you don't have to come back in when you're done."
"Thanks," Tyler says, handing her some cash. "It's all set."
She smiles. "See you at the shop this week?"
"Probably not. I think I have all I need."
"So you're done with car?"
"It's getting close."
"Miss!" someone yells.
"I have to go. Maybe I'll see you around town." She walks off.
It's getting close? Meaning he's almost done fixing the car? Now I'm feeling sad again. I haven't asked him about the car because I was afraid I wouldn't like the answer, and I was right.
"C'mon." Tyler is standing by the booth, holding his hand out for me.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see." He keeps hold of my hand and leads me out the back door to the outside. Behind the restaurant are fields of prairie grass and off to the left is a fenced in area with two horses.
"We're not um…"
"Riding horses?" he asks as he walks toward the horses, pulling me along. "Yeah, we are. You're gonna love it."
"Um, yeah, it sounds good and all but I've never ridden a horse. I've never even been around a horse. I really don't think I should be riding one."
"We're riding together. All you have to do is sit there."
"What if I fall off?"
"You won't."
"It'll be dark soon. We won't be able to see to get back."
"Rusty comes with a lantern."
"Rusty?"
He points to the bigger of the two horses. "That's Rusty. He's the one we're taking."
"Who do these belong to?"
"Randy. He's a cook at the restaurant. His dad owns the place.”
"And he's letting you use his horse? Are you two friends?"
"More like drinking buddies. We used to hang out at the bar together."
"What bar? You never go to a bar."
"I used to. I'd go almost every night. Have a few beers. Maybe more than a few."
"Why'd you stop?"
He shrugs. "Didn't need to anymore."
"Didn't need to? What does that mean?"
He lets go of my hand and walks over to the wood fence where the horses are kept. Next to the fence is a hay bale with a crate on top of it. Tyler reaches in the crate and takes out a paper sack and hands it to me.
"What's this?"
"Dessert."
I open the sack. It's filled with chocolate chip cookies. They're still warm and smell delicious.
Tyler opens the gate along the fence, then looks back at me and smiles. "You coming?"
"I'm not sure. I'm a little worried."
He laughs and comes back to get me. "I promise you, you'll like it." He takes my hand and leads me over to Rusty. "He doesn't look scary, does he?"