In Strange Woods - Claire Cray Page 0,75
had such a hard time believin’ it, I went diggin’ into the details, and…” Her voice broke slightly, and she paused for a second to steady it. “I wish I hadn’t.”
Hunter put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You know, Ruth’s grandma Ava…” Deenie sniffed, taking a bandana out of her vest pocket and dabbing her nose and eyes. “Before she died, she said there was a curse.”
“Did she?”
“Mm-hm. Said every time a Woodstock left those woods, somethin’ bad happened. Even Ruth used to say ‘Every creature has its habitat…’” Deenie laughed weakly through her tears and shook her head, wiping her eyes once more before stuffing the bandana back into her pocket. “Anyway, what’s he like?”
“James? He’s, um…” Hunter searched for a more appropriate word than smoldering, intoxicating, brilliant. Shit. “Very, uh, interesting.”
“Good God Almighty, Hunter,” Deenie said in surprise. “You got it that bad?”
“No, I just…” Hunter was dismayed to learn he was this bad at lying. “I mean, he just showed up a week ago.”
“And you’re already smitten,” Deenie confirmed. “So? You makin’ your move, or what?”
“It’s not like that. Like I said, he’s just passing through.” Shit, it sounded a lot sadder this time. “I admit it’ll be a shame to see him go.”
“Well, then maybe we better not let him.”
“Yeah, right,” Hunter said drily.
“Yeah, right, what? He itchin’ to get back to New York?”
“Well, no,” Hunter admitted, uncertain. “I dunno what he wants to do. I don’t think he knows, either. I guess he’s trying to figure it out.”
“And what do you want him to do?”
Stay. “Deenie, I just met the guy.”
“So, what? You don’t care if he stays or goes?”
“Wouldn’t matter if I did.”
“Oh, don’t be a wimp.”
“A wimp?” Hunter laughed, taken aback.
“Hunter, honey.” Deenie took his hand and looked him firmly in the eye. “You can go ahead and tell me to mind my own beeswax. But if I die before I see you happy, you better believe I’ll haunt your ass.”
“I’m doing fine,” Hunter said, confused and wary of this abrupt turn in the conversation.
“No, you’re doin’ awesome, just like always.” Deenie paused, her dark eyes troubled. “I just don’t like you doin’ it all on your own.”
“Maybe I like it on my own,” Hunter said, sounding more defensive than he intended.
“Do you?” Deenie asked bluntly.
“Well, I’m not saying I wouldn’t…if there was a way to…” Fumbling, he quickly shook his head and started over. “Look, I’m not gonna get worked up about it. It’s my choice to live here. If I ever get desperate, I’ll figure it out.”
“That’s what I mean,” Deenie said with sudden vehemence. “You put up with more than you should, and you ask for less than you deserve. You’re in the prime of your goddamn life, Hunter! This is your time! And you wanna wait it out until you get desperate?”
Hunter stared at her, feeling deeply hurt. It took a second to realize it wasn’t her words that caused the hurt. It had already been there, set deep in his chest—he’d just trained himself to ignore it. He frowned and looked down at his lap, lost for a response.
“Oh…” Deenie’s voice softened with remorse. She reached out to smooth his hair and then patted his back like she’d done when he was a kid. “Honey, I didn’t mean that to sound so harsh.”
“You’re right, I guess,” Hunter said quietly, crossing his arms and staring dimly at the floor. “There just ain’t that much else to say. I worked hard enough to get where I’m at. As far as having somebody here, I dunno. There’s only so much I can wish for.”
“I know how hard you’ve worked.” Deenie was still patting his back, speaking gently now. “And I know what you’ve been up against. I think you’re a miracle, honey. I think about how proud I am of you every single day. You’ve built a better life than most people dream of. I just don’t want you to think you can’t have somebody to share it with. ‘Cause Hunter, you can have anything or anyone you want. You just have to know you deserve it.”
“Thanks, Deenie,” he mumbled awkwardly. “I’ll work on it.”
“Well.” Deenie leaned in and kissed his cheek, then stood up and tousled his hair. “It’s been a barrel of laughs, but I better get on into the shop. You tell James to call me, or bring him over. I don’t wanna leave this hangin’ any longer than it has to.”
“Yeah.” Hunter tried to shake off that