Chapter Two
April’s bones creaked as she collapsed on her bed. Somehow, slow days at Jesse’s were more exhausting than the fast days. At least on the days when there were constantly people to tend to, she wasn’t standing bored on her feet for hours on end. After James left, no one came by until after the local schools were let out. Then, Laura came in and took over for April.
Still sprawled on her tough mattress, April kicked away her shoes and undid her hair from its tight ponytail. She sighed gratefully for the day off tomorrow. She would still have to go in and get her paycheck, but at least she didn’t have to worry about customers and staying on top of coffee cups. April loved the scenery in Aconitum, but the community was more than a little dragging when she was so used to the hustle and bustle of New York City.
April rolled to her side, looking out the dusty windows. Her place didn’t have much in it, yet. Most of her savings had gone to getting out of New York and landing somewhere far, far away. Whatever was left after that had been poured into the first few months rent for a small, dingy house.
The lighting was dim, and no matter how much she cleaned, the scent of lingering dirt clung to everything.
Despite that, April smiled as she curled into her cozy blanket. The sun was beginning to set, burning fiery orange and red across the hard, cracked dirt and the sparse, green plants.
Unbidden, April’s thoughts wandered to James. How was it that his family managed to keep an orchard of that size up and running so well? It was one of the benefits of living in Aconitum; there was always fresh fruit waiting to be had all year long.
April relaxed for a long time before hauling herself out of bed and hopping into a steaming shower. The water pressure wasn’t great, but it served to wash off the stress of the day. Hands foamy with shampoo, April dragged her fingers through her hair. Her thoughts ran amok. What would it feel like to have hands other than her own in her hair? Blunt nails against her scalp, gently massaging the skin and working out all the tangles in her hair.
In a flash, April turned the water as cold as it could get and ducked her head under to rinse away the shampoo. The cold water cooled her burning cheeks. There was no way to deny it. The hands in her imagining lead to strong arms with broad shoulders. The face of a God with sparkling brown eyes.
“Get yourself together,” April hissed to herself. She rinsed out the last of the shampoo and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her body.
April dressed and sank onto her bed once more. She was hungry, but the weariness that clawed at her bones was far more persistent than the grumbling of her stomach. Sleep pulled at her, dragging her down with little resistance.
That night, April’s dreams were plagued by images of wolves. One, in particular, trotted nervously, ducking through fields and trees as if there was something chasing it. It never stopped moving until it came across a spot that suited it. The wolf sat down in the dirt, staring after a pack that was miles away. It stretched out on its belly and closed its eyes.
April jumped awake at the blaring of her alarm. She groaned and slammed her hand down on the button to silence it. Her sleep had been peaceful and heavy until the alarm decided to go off. April scraped her hand over her face. How could she have forgotten to turn it off the night before?
Dismayed at the start to her morning, April stared up at the popcorn ceiling. It always managed to make her smile. The idea of houses that were so old they had popcorn ceiling seemed so strange to her. Popcorn ceiling was a thing of the past. Although, April had all but warped into the past when she set foot in Aconitum.
April went through the routine of getting up and readying herself for the day. She had no plans, but it wouldn’t hurt to look put-together when she went to pick up her paycheck.
The ride to Jesse’s was uneventful. Everyone was already in their respective positions, either in school or at work. In just a few hours, the sun managed to scorch the paved parking lot of the diner. April could feel the heat radiating through her shoes as she stepped out of her small car.
“Good mornin’ and welcome to—” Lisa cut herself off when she looked up from her spot at the counter, and the grin that broke out on her lips upon seeing April was anything but reassuring. “April, darling!” she cheered.
Lisa went around the counter to greet April personally, throwing an arm around her shoulders.
“It’s been a pretty boring morning without you around,” Lisa said with a dramatic sigh.
“I’m not here to stay, sorry to disappoint,” April replied. She patted Lisa’s back reassuringly. “Just think of it as payback for leaving me on my own yesterday. I was bored to death after about eleven.”
“What made it so interesting before eleven?” Lisa teased. “A certain rugged, handsome farm boy?”
April rolled her eyes and groaned to try and cover up for the pink that was certainly dusting her cheeks at Lisa’s implications. “I meant that I was bored without someone to talk to,” April corrected.
Lisa nodded, walking with April to the back of the building so she could grab her check. Lisa kept clicking her tongue, searching for gum that she didn’t have.
“You should check out the right side of the building,” Lisa suggested. There was something in her tone that made it sound like less of a suggestion and more of a demand.
“What happened?” April asked, assuming that something had broken or someone had left a crazy mess.
“Somethin’ real interesting over there,” Lisa said. “Kinda gloomy, really. But I still thought you’d want to check it out before leaving.” Her drawl was getting thicker as she spoke, and that could only mean trouble.
“What do you mean?” April asked. She furrowed her eyebrows at Lisa. For someone who was so open about her emotions, Lisa could also be astoundingly closed off and secretive when she wanted to be.
“You’ll see,” Lisa said with a Cheshire grin. She slinked away from the back of the diner, heading out front again where she was needed.
April was left with an excited kind of dread in her gut. Dying to know what Lisa was talking about, April headed out the back and into the front area of the diner.
It was a little busier than usual for this time of day, but nothing that one hostess and Jesse couldn’t handle on their own. April waved at a few of the regulars, the ones that recognized her even when she was out of her uniform. Aconitum was small, so it wasn’t surprising to her that people were starting to learn her face and name even though she hadn’t been there for very long.
“I thought you weren’t working today?” Gabriel, a gas station employee, asked. “I haven’t seen you all morning.”
“Oh, I’m not working,” April assured, pausing at his table to make a little small talk. At least the people here were friendlier than they were in New York. “I came to pick up my check, and Lisa told me to check out a little problem over here.”
“A problem?” Gabriel questioned. He raised his thick, dark eyebrows and glanced from side to side. “I didn’t see anything troubling when she sat me down. There haven’t been any fusses.”
April frowned. That was strange. “I’ll take her word for it and see what’s happening anyways,” she said. April put on a friendly, wide smile for Gabriel. “Have a nice day, Gabe.”
“You too, April,” Gabriel replied as he went back to his roasted chicken sandwich.
April left Gabriel to his food, seeing only one other person on this side of the diner. They were tucked into the back, staring out the window in what could have been a wistful way. April furrowed her brows at the sight. They had broad shoulders, tucked into a blue and green plaid shirt. Sun-kissed skin that was practically glowing lead into red hair that was flaming like hot coals in the bright sunlight.
Recognition struck through April, and she grinned despite herself. James? Although something seemed off, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Then April saw it. James’s typical Stetson was off his head, perched instead on the corner of the table.
His coffee cup was half-empty as April approached.
“No hat today?” April teased before James could fully turn around
He jumped in his seat, and April couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. When had anybody ever snuck up on James Sullivan before? The man always seemed to know where everyone was at all times.
James’s copper eyes raked over April, lingering for a long time on her face. April felt a little nervous; she wasn’t sure that James had ever seen her in her casual clothes before. His gaze made her feel exposed as if he could see through her clothing and straight to her body. April desperately tried to shake off the thought. That idea was beyond silly.
“April?” James asked. His voice was as deep and rich as melted dark chocolate, but April was positive that she heard the faintest note of shock mixed in with his intoxicating purr. “I thought—”
“That I wasn’t working today?” April interrupted, with a smile. James’s eyebrows shot up, making April laugh. “I heard it a few seconds ago from Gabriel. I’m not working today, just visiting.”
James almost seemed at a loss for words as he all but gawked at April. He tilted his head at her, in a way that was uncannily similar to a confused dog cocking its head.
“I’m amazed that I got over here without you knowing,” April said, filling in the stunned silence that James seemed to be trapped in. “Normally, I would open the front door, and you would already know about it before anybody else. Lisa wasn’t exactly quiet when she greeted me, either,” April explained.
James, after a few more moments, cracked a smile at April. It wasn’t the same as the one when he gave her the tip, but it was more than she usually got. The sight of it made light and fluttery butterflies dance in April’s chest.
“I was lost in thought,” James said. He cleared his throat a second later. James pushed aside the dirty plate and silverware, and snatched up his Stetson from where he had set it on the table. “Care to join me?” James asked. He popped his hat back on the top of his head. The look suited him, and it was more what April was used to from him.
April blinked in surprise at James. Was he inviting her to sit down? April glanced back to the center of the diner, making sure that Lisa wasn’t gawking at them before she gave a little nod. April sat down across from James, not quite sure what his plan was. She wasn’t particularly hungry, and just talking to James for a little while seemed nice enough to her.
“Thank you, James,” April said after a few moments of somewhat tense silence.
James melted away the awkwardness as he gave April a little tip of his hat. “It’s my pleasure,” he said. “I noticed you’ve been in Aconitum for some time now, what do you think of the place?” James asked. He rested his arms on the table, crossing them and tucking his hands against his elbows.
April gulped, her eyes drawn to the way the muscles in his forearms pulled and jumped with every move that he made. The short-sleeve plaid shirt did his arms wonders. He was perfectly tanned from working outside for days on end, and the blue made the golden tone of his skin pop. April darted her eyes back up to James’s, which had a playful glint.
“It’s different,” April admitted. “I come from New York, and Aconitum isn’t like any big city I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s not a big city,” James chuckled.
April flushed. “I know that,” she chided, but she was smiling all the same. “But, despite it is being different, it really is nice here,” she said. “The scenery is beautiful, and at night I can see every star in the sky.” April sighed. “Sure, it’s a little slow-going around here, but the change of pace can be nice.”
“It’s nice even when you’re trapped in the only restaurant in town for eight hours a day?” James asked. “I think I would go crazy being in here for so long.”
“It’s not so bad,” April argued. “Jesse and Lisa were the first friends I made here, and they’ve been nothing but kind to me. The guests are nice, too. It makes a long day worth it when everyone is nothing but polite to you. Back in New York, people would tear out their hair for having to wait more than ten minutes for food. Everyone is always busy and always running around like their lives depend on it.”
“I’ve never been outside of Aconitum before,” James mused.
He adjusted himself, propping his chin in his hand and his elbow on the table as he watched April. His stare was intense, but April didn’t feel the need to shy away from it. The look in his eyes made her heart race, but the feeling wasn’t a bad one. Rather, April welcomed the frantic beating in her chest as a good sign.
“Really?” April asked. “You’ve never taken a drive to a nearby city?” she asked. “Santa Fe isn’t too far from here.”
“Just half a day by car,” James said. “Besides, if I left there wouldn’t be anyone to take care of the orchard. Aconitum would fall apart without it.”
April nodded slowly as she listened to James. Curiosity burned the tip of her tongue as she watched him turn his gaze to the window once more. It was a perfect, sunny day outside. If it weren’t for the heat, it might have made an excellent day to take a walk or explore some more of what Aconitum had to offer.
“I don’t believe the stories that Lisa and Jesse said,” April began, unable to hold her tongue for any longer. “It seems ridiculous to me. Shifters are playground talk in big cities. It comes up in passing, but no one takes it seriously.”
James, though, took April’s words very seriously. His eyes snapped back to her face. April could have sworn that she saw the same golden shimmer in his irises as she did the day before.
“But, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you come to be the only Sullivan in Aconitum?” April asked.
James’s jaw worked back and forth. He furrowed his thick brows and looked away from April. He stared for a few, agonizingly long minutes at his coffee that had certainly gone cold. April took a moment to realize that Lisa hadn’t come by once to pester them, which was a miracle on its own.
“I do mind you asking,” James replied slowly.
April nearly recoiled, as if she had been hit in the face. Guilt pooled like ice at the bottom of her gut. The icy feeling bled through her body, turning her blood cold.
“James, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude,” April began, but James held up his hand. April fell silent.
“I do mind you asking,” he repeated, “but it is something I’m willing to share with you.”
Hope sparked in April’s chest once more.
“Some other time,” James finished.
April deflated.
James chuckled. The defeat must have been more than obvious on her features, but she couldn’t help it. James worked her up and then snatched it away at the last second.
“I would like to see you again, and talk some more,” James said. “Would that be okay with you?”
April grinned at James, doing her best to stay in her seat. “Yes, of course!” she agreed. “I don’t think we’ve ever talked like this before, but I really enjoyed it.” Part of April was upset that this was going to be the end of their conversation for the day. She knew that James was a busy man, but did it all have to end so soon?
“I enjoyed it, too,” James agreed. He stood from the table and offered a hand to help her stand.
April grabbed James’s hand without a second thought, a spark going through her body when they touched.
“Come by the Sullivan Orchard the next time you have the day off,” James suggested. “I’m there all day after about noon. Feel free to drive in when you get the time.”
“Of course,” April told him, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice. “Thank you, James.”
James released April’s hand to tip his hat once more. The butterflies, once dormant in April’s chest, sprung to life again. He left after that, paying his tab and heading out to hop into an old silver truck.
Lisa was at April’s side in an instant, grinning widely at her.
“You sat with him!” she squealed. “I can’t believe I got you to sit with him! What did you two talk about?” she asked.
“Not much, really,” April said. She was still half in a daze, thinking about the lingering effects touching James had on her body. “Just some little things about this and that.”
“You’re not getting away with that excuse, April,” Lisa said sternly, going so far as to point her finger at April. “You’re not leaving this place until you tell me everything.”