City Girl Pt. 03

Sarah was sitting in her living room with Stacy. The two of them had been taking some time to warm up until the snowstorm outside had subsided. Stacy was the forecast on her phone to try and figure out when that might happen.

"Damn." She said.

"Hmm?" Sarah responded.

"Looks like the weather's supposed to get cold enough tonight for the roads to freeze." Stacy explained, "I'm not sure I'll be able to drive home."

"If you need to you can stay here for the night." Sarah offered in response.

"I might just do that." Stacy said with a smile. "I'd better let my dad know where I am and that I'm ok first."

"Probably a good idea." Sarah replied. She looked outside at the still falling snow. "I'm glad we're not still stuck out there." She thought out loud.

"No kidding." Stacy replied, "We're lucky Randy was able to get Chase to help us out. Otherwise we'd probably still be waiting."

"Yeah..." Just hearing his name was enough to make Sarah start daydreaming.

"Hey, you there?" Stacy said after a few seconds.

'What?" Sarah said as she snapped back to reality.

"You were daydreaming again." Stacy explained with a chuckle.

"Oh..."

Stacy laughed, "Don't worry, I can't blame you." She paused for a second to read a text. After replying she looked back to Sarah. "So are you gonna find a way to talk to him since he literally lives right across the road from you?"

"Maybe..." Sarah responded.

"What kind of answer is that?"

"Good question."

"Good grief Sarah." Stacy teased, "You're really gonna just live right next to him, knowing that he's single, and not even try to get to know him?"

"I'd like to but I'm pretty sure I don't know how to talk to guys."

"You've seriously never tried to get with a guy before?" Stacy asked.

"Not really. Most of my time in the dating scene was spent avoiding guys who just wanted to get laid." Sarah answered. "I'm used to the guys chasing me, not the other way around."

"Interesting." Stacy said before thinking for a few moments. "Hey, I have an idea for an icebreaker."

"Hit me."

"You're going to make some pies for your family's thanksgiving this week right?"

"Yes?" Sarah asked confused where she was going with this.

"Why don't you take him some of your leftover pieces? You could say they're a 'thank you' for helping us out." Stacy suggested.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"I mean at the risk of sounding a bit cliché," Stacy began, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Sarah laughed. "Do you really think that would work?"

"It'll be an excuse to start a conversation if nothing else."

"I guess that's fair." Sarah agreed. "I might just do that."

"If you do, let me know how it goes." Stacy asked.

"Ok."

The two were quiet for a moment before Stacy spoke again. "Ok, we started talking about food and now I'm hungry" She said with a giggle.

"I mean it is about dinner time." Sarah agreed. "Do you have anything you want since you're stuck here?"

Stacy thought for a moment. "I could go for some chicken tonight, not gonna lie."

"I actually think I have some frozen chicken breasts. I could steam some broccoli to go with it too."

"Sounds good." Stacy agreed. "I'll help you out."

Sarah got up and went to her refrigerator, she opened the freezer, got out a bag of broccoli and set it on the counter. Then she opened the refrigerator, pulled a pack of chicken breasts out and set them on the counter.

"What all are you gonna need to cook?" Stacy asked looking through the cupboards.

"I was just going to sauté the chicken so a frying pan should be fine. As far as the broccoli, that can just be cooked in the bag; all it'll need is a bowl when it's done." Sarah answered.

"On it." Stacy replied. Meanwhile, Sarah found some vegetable oil, salt, and pepper and set them with the chicken and broccoli. "Will these work?" Stacy asked, holding up a pan and a bowl.

"Those should be fine." Sarah answered. "Would you mind putting a little oil in that pan and put in over a medium-high heat?"

"Sure thing." Stacy responded as she did as asked. Sarah set to opening the chicken and she sprinkled them with some salt and pepper to add a little taste to the meat.

"Where are your plates and utensils at?" Stacy asked after starting the stove.

Sarah pointed to the cupboard she needed. "They should be in there."

"Ok." Stacy said as she got out a plate, cup, and set of utensils for each of them. Just then, Stacy's phone started ringing. Sarah turned to her as she pulled it out to see who was calling. "I should probably take this." She said.

"There's a room down the hall on the right if you want some privacy." Sarah said, sensing the mild urgency in her voice.

"Ok, thanks." Stacy said as she answered the phone and headed down the hallway.

Sarah then turned her attention back to the task at hand. She looked over to the pan on the stove and noticed ripples forming in the oil, indicating it was ready for the chicken. She took the chicken breasts and laid them out in the hot oil. As she waited for them to cook she put the broccoli in the microwave and set the timer. At that point she had a few minutes to relax before the chicken needed flipped.

Her mind wandered a little in the idle time. She thought about her family's upcoming Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. She would get to see her mom again for the first time since she'd moved out in the summer. Sarah found that she missed cooking for someone other than herself. After her dad had passed away, her mom found a job in order to make ends meet while she finished school. Since her mom wouldn't get off work until well after she was home from school, Sarah had taken to cooking and some of the housework to ease the burden on her mother. She thought about how now her mother was on her own and she wondered how well she was holding up.

"I guess I'll get to see her Thursday." She thought to herself. She was sure that her mom was fine but she still missed her after being away for three months. Most of the time, her mom wasn't even able to text her, courtesy of her hours at work having changed soon after she'd moved out.

After letting her mind wander for a couple minutes, she decided it was time to flip the chicken pieces. As she did so, she heard Stacy from the hallway.

"Ok, bye, love you." She said as she hung up the phone. "Ok I'm back." She added as she walked into the kitchen.

"Everything will be done in a couple minutes." Sarah told her.

"Oh ok."

Sarah paused for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking," she began, "Who was that on the phone?"

"It was Randy." Stacy explained. "He was calling to make sure we were okay. He's just now getting home because of a crash on the highway."

"Uh oh..."

"He wasn't involved, thankfully." Stacy added. "I told him what Chase told me about my car and he said he'd look into next time he could."

The microwave beeped, indicating that the broccoli was done. Sarah went and retrieved it and poured it into the bowl. Again, she sprinkled it with some salt and pepper to add some flavor.

"You know," Stacy continued as Sarah began to stir the broccoli. "According to Randy, Chase had just gotten that tractor running today."

"Really?" Sarah asked.

"Apparently." Stacy replied. "We got lucky on that one."

"We also got lucky that he actually came out to help us." Sarah added. "Hell with the roads like that, I wouldn't have been surprised if a towing company would have made us wait."

"They'd probably just now be getting to us if we'd called them." Stacy responded. "The joys of living rurally."

"Yeah." Sarah thought to herself. She went over to the chicken and turned the heat off. "I've definitely noticed that things are much less convenient out here."

"I wouldn't know," Stacy admitted. "I've never lived in the city. Not that I think I'd want to, I like it out here."

"I do too," Sarah agreed, "For the most part. Sometimes it can get a little lonely."

"Well hey, you've got a new single neighbor..." Stacy teased.

"I know, I know." Sarah replied as she began making their plates.

"I'm telling you," Stacy continued, "Take him a couple slices of pie."

"Maybe." Sarah replied as she turned with their completed plates. "Here you go." She said.

"If you don't do something, you're sure to miss out Sarah." Stacy told her.

"I know..." Sarah thought to herself. Stacy did have a point, Chase seemed like the kind of guy who keeps to himself for the most part. As evidenced by the fact that hadn't really tried to talk to them much earlier when he'd helped them. "I'll take him some Saturday when I'm off work."

"Good." Stacy said with her "I win" look on her face. "Let me know how it goes." She added.

"Don't you worry about that part." Sarah responded. "I'll be sure to."

The two of them ate their dinner and spent the rest of the evening watching a movie before going to sleep for the night. When the next morning rolled around, the roads had nearly cleared from the previous day's snowfall.

"Well Sarah, I'd better get going. Thanks for dinner last night." Stacy said.

"No problem Stacy." Sarah replied, "I'll see you at work later today."

"Same to you." Stacy responded as she headed out the door.

After Stacy had left, Sarah began washing the dishes from the night before. As she worked, she began to look forward to the coming Thursday, and the Saturday after that.

When Thursday rolled around, she grabbed the pumpkin pies she'd made the night before, got into her car, and headed for her grandparents' house. When she arrived, the first person to greet her was her grandmother.

"Hey! Look who it is!" She said as she opened the door. "How have you been Sarah?" She asked as she held out her arms for a hug.

"I've been doing pretty well." Sarah responded while trying not to drop her pies as she returned the hug. "Where should I set these?"

"Oh, you can put those over with everything else." Her grandma answered as she pointed to the counter where the meal was sitting out.

"Ok." Sarah responded as she walked over and set her pies down.

"Hi Sarah." She recognized her mom's voice. She turned to face the direction she'd heard her from.

"Mom!" She said excitedly as she rushed in for a hug.

"Easy there." Her mother said with a gentle laugh. "How have you been out on your own?"

Sarah released her mom. "I'm doing just fine. How about you?"

"I'm doing alright." Her mother answered. "Although I won't lie, I miss your cooking sometimes."

Sarah's response was a chuckle. "I miss cooking for someone other than myself sometimes. I'm sure you don't have as much time to cook as you used to."

"Well," her mom replied, "I've actually been able to work less hours recently courtesy of not having a second mouth to feed."

Sarah felt some relief knowing that her mother's life had gotten at least a little easier now that she was on her own. "That's good to hear."

"Yeah." Her mom responded. "How have you been liking that house your grandparents offered you?"

"It's a nice little place." Sarah answered. "It's nice and quiet out there. The only things that took some getting used to were the lack of some conveniences I'm used to, and how far away things are."

"I can imagine." Her mom replied.

"Ok!" Sarah heard her grandma pipe up from across the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!"

"Sounds like we'd better go eat then, huh?" Sarah commented Her mom nodded in response and the two of them headed for the table, along with everyone else.

The dinner was full of the usual banter that surrounded her family's thanksgiving dinner. Everyone sharing some stories along with the typical teasing that comes with family members.

After a little over an hour, most of the group had left leaving Sarah, her mom, and her grandparents. Her grandpa got up announced that he was going to take a nap, and disappeared from the room.

"Sarah that was some pretty good pie." Her mom commented, "I told you I missed your cooking."

"Thanks mom." Sarah answered with a smile. "It's nice to cook for someone other than myself once in a while."

"That's what you need a boyfriend for." Her grandma teased.

"Well," Sarah began, "I'm sorta working on that."

"Woah hold up!" Her mother said. "When did this happen?"

"Well, I first met the guy at a bar Stacy suggested I go to." Sarah began, "But, apparently he bought the farm right across the street from where I'm living. He even helped pull Stacy and I out of the road ditch last weekend."

"Have you ever talked to the guy much outside of those two times?" Her grandmother asked.

"Not yet." Sarah admitted. "I was planning to do that this weekend."

"Good for you." Her grandma replied. "So who convinced you to actually go talk to him?" She added teasingly, "I know you wouldn't have done that."

Sarah felt herself blush. "It was Stacy from work." She admitted.

"Good for her." Her mom joked. "She might just get you a guy worth your time."

"I hope she does..."

"You said he bought that farm just across the road from you?" Her grandma asked.

"Yes."

"I assume he's planning to farm it then right?" She asked

"That's what I've heard." Sarah replied.

"Oh boy Sarah," Her grandma said, "You've stumbled on a hard working man." Her mom nodded in agreement. "If you manage to get with him, he'll take good care of you."

"Oh yeah." Her mother added. Her grandma got up and headed back to the kitchen to get started washing dishes, leaving Sarah with her mother. "So, you've finally found a guy you like?"

"I'd be lying to myself if I said I knew for a fact that I liked him. But he's most definitely easy to look at, and he seems nice to boot." Sarah answered.

Her mom laughed. "I know you've been frustrated with the guys you kept finding in the city."

"No kidding." Sarah agreed. "The only problem I'm running into is that I've spent so long avoiding guys that now that I want to get with one, I have no idea what to do."

"I know it's less than helpful," Her mom began, "But just be yourself and take things slow. Good relationships take time."

"Yeah..." Sarah replied. "I'm not sure he'd be interested in me seeing as how I know nothing about anything he does."

"You could try to help him out with some small things." Her mom suggested, "It'd be a chance for you to see how you like the lifestyle, and it's a good way to spend some time together without awkwardly wondering what to say."

Sarah pondered the suggestion for a moment. "That's not a bad idea mom... I might do that."

"You're welcome Sarah." Her mom replied. "Now let's go help your grandma get things cleaned up."

With that the two of them went to help wash and put away dishes, as well as the leftover food. As they worked, the three of them shared stories about things that had happened over the last few months. Before long, Sarah was headed back to her car with her leftover pieces of pie along with some other leftovers that her grandma had given her.

"Drive safely!" Her mother called from the doorway.

"I will!" Sarah called back.

"Text me when you get home." Her mom added.

"Ok." Sarah said as she loaded the food she was carrying and then got into her car.

With that she left and headed for home. When she got there, the sun had just barely disappeared behind the horizon. After getting everything unloaded, she texted her mom saying that she had made it home safe.

"Ok. Remember to take care of yourself and good luck talking to that guy this weekend, you'll need it." Her mom texted back.

"Thanks mom." Sarah replied, "You're really helping my nerves out."

"Lol goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight mom." Sarah then went and got ready for bed. Soon she was lying on her couch watching some TV before she went to sleep, then her phone went off.

She checked her phone, it was a text from Stacy. "Hey girl! How was your Thanksgiving?"

"Pretty good." Sarah responded. "It was nice to see everyone again."

"I'm sure it was." Stacy replied, "Did you tell them about your neighbor?"

"Maybe..."

"Lol so 'yes'"

"Shush."

"Yeah yeah. Speaking of, are you still going to take him some pie this weekend?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just relax and you'll be fine."

"I hope so."

"Sarah you'll be fine. Just don't overthink it."

"Easier said than done..."

"I know. You'll be fine."

"I hope."

"Well, I'm gonna go see Randy. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Have fun, and I'll see you there."

That night and the next day were fairly uneventful, save for Stacy teasing her some at work. Before she knew it, she woke woke up and it was Saturday morning. "Well..." she thought to herself, "Today's the day." She knew that the cool fall weather would pretty well screw her over as far as what to wear, so she opted to wear some perfume to try to get his attention in a different way. She also put on a little bit of makeup to cover up some dark spots and highlight her eyes a little bit. She didn't want to look like she was trying to get his attention.

After getting herself ready, she went to her kitchen and put two slices of pie into a container. Before closing it, she took a small index card and wrote "Thank You" on the front. Then, she flipped it over and wrote down her phone number on the back, along with her name.

As she was getting ready to leave, she got a text message. A look at her phone revealed that it was from Stacy. "Are you going to do it?"

"Leaving now."

"Good. Good luck, and have fun."

"Thanks."

With that, she headed outside and began her short walk to the house across the street. The weather was well above freezing, unlike the week before. It was still cold enough that she needed a jacket and sweatpants though. After crossing the road, she began making her way through the woods as she followed the driveway. The woods opened to a clearing and, for the first time, she saw the buildings that were normally hidden by the woods. The first thing her eyes went to was the barn straight ahead of her. Then she saw a shed of some description off to the left, and a house with a garage off to the right. The garage door was open and she saw a truck parked inside, so she headed over to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell. As she stood waiting, she heard a noise come from the shed. It sounded like an engine starting. She looked in the direction she'd heard the sound from and saw one of the sliding doors open, revealing the tractor Chase had used to pull Stacy out of the ditch. Once the door was open, she saw Chase walk back around and climb into the tractor. He was wearing the same jacket he was wearing when he'd pulled them out, but this time he was just in blue jeans.

"Hey stupid," she almost heard a voice in her head say, "He's not in the house. Why are you still standing here?"

Sarah then walked over towards the shed as Chase backed the tractor out and parked it around the corner from the door. As she approached, he saw her and got out of the tractor and walked over to meet her.

"You looking for me?" He said.

"Yeah." She answered. "I brought you a little something for helping us out last weekend." He held out the pie slices she'd brought with her."

"Aww you didn't have to do that." He responded as she handed them to him. He examined them for a second and said, "I'd better put these in the fridge. I'll be right back." He then headed for the house.

Sarah found herself standing there, entirely unsure what to do. "He did say he'd be back..." She thought to herself. As she waited, the tractor that was still running drew her attention. She walked over to the machine and began investigating it. Admittedly, she didn't really know what she was looking at. Hell, she hadn't even seen a tractor in person until the other day. As she approached it, she was reminded of just how loud diesel engines could be. The stack was also puffing out some bluish white smoke, something she remembered her dad saying blue smoke meant that the engine was burning oil.