Shoe Strings

Ann
tonight?”
    “Yeah.”   He
couldn’t possibly object to their seeing each other after all this time.
    “I’d told her I’d bring Ty back early in the morning before
I left, but I’ve decided to take him over to Cal’s.”   He winked and, with his head turned,
Bryce could only hope Ty hadn’t seen.   “Tell her to sleep in and pick him up there whenever she’s ready.”
    Nothing like the whole damn town knowing he hoped to get
laid that night.   “Sure thing.”
Bryce hoped he hadn’t blushed.   “See
ya around.”
    ***
    Lita’s nerves made a return appearance as she sat by the
cabin’s open window and watched a small, dark brown bird Cal had identified as
a winter wren forage along the ground for bugs.   She’d learned a great deal about the
bird from Cal after finding a white egg covered in rust-colored spots.   Her temporary landlord had vast
knowledge of the birds that occupied the woods around his home.
    He’d explained how the winter wrens, despite their petite
size, had exceptionally loud and varied songs.   Cal had hoped she’d be able to
distinguish their singing from the other birds, but she just couldn’t figure
out what kind of bird was singing when she happened to notice the music of the
forest.  
    He’d told her other facts about the winter wren she’d found
even more fascinating than their beautiful voices.   He’d said the male bird built four
half-done nests for the female he’d lured with his voice to choose from.   She’d then help the male complete the
nest of her liking.   It tickled Lita
to think of birds behaving like humans.   She thought of the homes of the few men she’d dated and the few she
called friends.   Their places were
sparsely furnished with what each had considered life’s necessities—big
screen televisions, massive stereo equipment, leather couches, and a bed.   Even the men with money to spend on
decorating seemed to be in wait for the right female to come along and bring a
little color and fabric into their lives.  
    Lita watched the small bird hop into one of the many fallen
tree stumps at the edge of Cal’s drive and wondered if that was his home.   Cal had said their technical names meant
cave dwellers because they make their nests in places that provide cover.   She hadn’t seen Jesse’s home and
wondered if he lived with barren walls and mismatched manly furniture.   Something told her he waited for no
woman to decorate his walls or his life.  
    She leaned her head against the window casing and
sighed.   She’d learned so much in
the week and a half she’d spent in the mountains, in a place that seemed her
life and problems in Atlanta couldn’t touch.   If only that were the case.  
    Her father had called several times over the last
twenty-four hours.   She hadn’t
answered, but knew she couldn’t put it off forever.   She could only hope Jesse had made some
headway with his friend at the paper.   After hours of racking her brain for ways out of the mess her father had
put her in, she found herself as stuck as when Jesse had forced the truth from
her.   What was is about him and his
ability to pry loose her usually tight lips?  
    Lita had heard him and Cal fighting after she’d returned to
her cabin.   She’d been shocked at
first and then saddened.   She hadn’t
heard the words they’d said to each other, but from the tone she knew they’d
been harsh.   She’d have known
something was wrong even if she hadn’t heard them arguing for Cal had spent the
day stalking and scowling around the grounds where he usually ambled and
whistled.   His mood had kept her
inside, watching the birds from the window where she’d sat to watch the sunset,
so as not to disturb Cal as he rocked forcefully on his porch.   Whatever he and Jesse had fought about
hadn’t been resolved and she wasn’t about to put herself in the middle of
another family situation.   Her own
was enough of a train wreck at the moment.  
    And yet she’d agreed to spend Saturday rafting with Jesse as
if she hadn’t a care in the world.   What had she been thinking?   But Lita knew underneath her fear and worry about home lay an undeniable
attraction to a man she barely knew.   It drove her to tuck away her problems and focus only on the man who had
taken up a large chunk of space in her brain.  
    A person didn’t have to know much about another person to be
attracted to him, but Lita anticipated that attraction leading to