Bryce woke up the next morning and jumped out of bed. He hurriedly dressed and looked out the window, half hoping Alli would be there on his lawn waiting for him. He felt like a teenager. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Across the stream, Alli was doing the same thing. She paced back and forth trying to come up with an excuse to see him. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but she didn’t want to waste any of the time she had left with him. Hesitantly, she pulled on her boots and coat and started the walk to his cabin. She was just about to cross the bridge when she saw Bryce heading her way.
“Good morning. I was just coming over to see if you needed any help with your projects.” It was the best she could come up with on the fly.
“I was hoping I’d see you today. Ed and Eliza called me this morning. They have a shipment coming in and need some help unloading. I’m going to head in to town for a bit, do you want to join me?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The autumn wind blew the fallen leaves wildly as Bryce and Alli drove down the narrow roads leading to town. The temperature had dropped and Bryce was worried he wouldn’t be able to finish the repairs before the weather turned. Alli secretly hoped he’d get stuck there for the remainder of her stay. The wind picked up and rocked the truck as they drove. An hour later they pulled up to Ed and Eliza’s corner store. The elderly couple grinned and whispered excitedly as the twenty-somethings walked in together. Ed went back to his newspaper, but Eliza was intrigued.
“Goooood morning to you two,” Eliza said with eagerness. Her eyes lit up and Alli felt an interrogation coming. She braced herself for a barrage of questions. Eliza left her post and wobbled over to greet Alli more properly. She linked her arm in Alli’s and asked, “You two drive in together?” Alli nodded. “Ohhh, that’s so nice. So nice to hear. I’m glad you two is gettin’ aquainted. Ain’t that nice Ed?” She yelled back in Ed’s general direction. Ed didn’t look up from his paper, but he waved at his wife in acknowledgment. Eliza clapped her hands together and kept repeating, “That’s so nice. So nice to hear”
Bryce disappeared into the back room and began unloading pallets. Alli grabbed a rag and a cleaning spray and started wiping down the counters and glass cases. Eliza started to sweep the store. Occasionally, she would take a break from her work long enough to give Alli an approving grin or a thumbs up. Alli chuckled and smiled back. Eliza pursed her lips and nodded in approval. Alli thought she heard her humming Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” as she swept around Ed’s feet. He put down his paper and goosed her as she passed. She swatted him lovingly with the broom and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. Alli loved watching their banter. The two seniors were obviously still very much in love after all these years. She wanted that kind of relationship when was old and grey.
Bryce popped his head out of the back room and beamed at Alli like a twitterpated teenager. “You can join me in here if you want.”
Eliza walked over and took the rag out of Alli’s hand and waved her away. “Go on. Go on. Ed can take care of that.” Alli willingly complied.
“I think they like you,” Bryce whispered. He handed Alli a box cutter and showed her how to cut the plastic off the wrapped pallets.
“They are sweet. They definitely don’t hold back do they?” Alli said as she unloaded boxes of cereal from her first load.
“My mom used to say ‘everyone in love wants love for everyone’ when she would set me up with random women she would meet at the store. Matchmaking is Eliza’s side job. It makes for good gossip, and all little towns need fresh gossip to survive.” He looked up at Alli and saw her nodding in mock agreement. “We should be done here in about an hour. Do you have any plans today?”
“Booked solid after this I’m afraid. I hear there’s a good lookin’ contractor in town and I was going to ask him over to my place to watch a movie. Might as well give the locals something to talk about.”
“Does this count as date two then, and the movie date three? ‘Cause my mom also told me not to kiss a girl before the third date,” he teased.
“Oh, I see. Well, I have a five date policy myself. My dad told me to watch out for guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
“Yep. Tall, dark and seemingly perfect. They get me into trouble every time.”
“Well, let’s see if I can give ‘guys like me’ a better reputation.” He made air quotes as he said “guys like me” and slicked his hair back like Elvis. He liked making her smile. She was different from any of the girls he had dated in the past. It didn’t seem like they had just met. They had the kind of instant connection that led to more than just a fling. It was hard to find girls that would spend their day helping perfect strangers clean their shop rather than shopping and primping. He hadn’t planned on meeting someone like Alli in a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere. Everything just flowed effortlessly. He hoped that Alli was feeling the same thing. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ears and decided he’d have to stick around for a few more days. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way. He was going to have to negotiate that five date rule.Eliza started to sweep the store. Occasionally she would take a break from her work long enough to give Alli an approving grin or a thumbs up. Alli chuckled and smiled back.
Bryce popped his head out of the back room and beamed at Alli like a twitterpated teenager. “You can join me in here if you want.”
Eliza walked over and took the rag out of Alli’s hand and waved her away. “Go on. Go on. Ed can take care of that.” Alli willingly complied.
“I think they like you,” Bryce whispered. He handed Alli a box cutter and showed her how to cut the plastic off the wrapped pallets.
“They are sweet. They definitely don’t hold back do they?” Alli said as she unloaded boxes of cereal from her first load.
“My mom used to say ‘everyone in love wants love for everyone’ when she would set me up with random women she would meet at the store. Matchmaking is Eliza’s side job. It makes for good gossip, and all little towns need fresh gossip to survive.” He looked up at Alli and saw her nodding in mock agreement. “We should be done here in about an hour. Do you have any plans today?”
“Booked solid after this I’m afraid. I hear there’s a good lookin’ contractor in town and I was going to ask him over to my place to watch a movie. Might as well give the locals something to talk about.”
“Does this count as date two then, and the movie date three? ‘Cause my mom also told me not to kiss a girl before the third date,” he teased.
“Oh, I see. Well, I have a five date policy myself. My dad told me to watch out for guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
“Yep. Tall, dark and seemingly perfect. They get me into trouble every time.”
“Well, let’s see if I can give ‘guys like me’ a better reputation.” He made air quotes as he said “guys like me” and slicked his hair back like Elvis. He liked making her smile. She was different from any of the girls he had dated in the past. It didn’t seem like they had just met. They had the kind of instant connection that led to more than just a fling. It was hard to find girls that would spend their day helping perfect strangers clean their shop rather than shopping and primping. He hadn’t planned on meeting someone like Alli in a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere. Everything just flowed effortlessly. He hoped that Alli was feeling the same thing. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ears and decided he’d have to stick around for a few more days. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way. He was going to have to negotiate that five date rule.
Check back tomorrow to see if Alli can keep her five date rule!
Across the stream, Alli was doing the same thing. She paced back and forth trying to come up with an excuse to see him. She didn’t want to seem too eager, but she didn’t want to waste any of the time she had left with him. Hesitantly, she pulled on her boots and coat and started the walk to his cabin. She was just about to cross the bridge when she saw Bryce heading her way.
“Good morning. I was just coming over to see if you needed any help with your projects.” It was the best she could come up with on the fly.
“I was hoping I’d see you today. Ed and Eliza called me this morning. They have a shipment coming in and need some help unloading. I’m going to head in to town for a bit, do you want to join me?”
“Sounds perfect.”
The autumn wind blew the fallen leaves wildly as Bryce and Alli drove down the narrow roads leading to town. The temperature had dropped and Bryce was worried he wouldn’t be able to finish the repairs before the weather turned. Alli secretly hoped he’d get stuck there for the remainder of her stay. The wind picked up and rocked the truck as they drove. An hour later they pulled up to Ed and Eliza’s corner store. The elderly couple grinned and whispered excitedly as the twenty-somethings walked in together. Ed went back to his newspaper, but Eliza was intrigued.
“Goooood morning to you two,” Eliza said with eagerness. Her eyes lit up and Alli felt an interrogation coming. She braced herself for a barrage of questions. Eliza left her post and wobbled over to greet Alli more properly. She linked her arm in Alli’s and asked, “You two drive in together?” Alli nodded. “Ohhh, that’s so nice. So nice to hear. I’m glad you two is gettin’ aquainted. Ain’t that nice Ed?” She yelled back in Ed’s general direction. Ed didn’t look up from his paper, but he waved at his wife in acknowledgment. Eliza clapped her hands together and kept repeating, “That’s so nice. So nice to hear”
Bryce disappeared into the back room and began unloading pallets. Alli grabbed a rag and a cleaning spray and started wiping down the counters and glass cases. Eliza started to sweep the store. Occasionally, she would take a break from her work long enough to give Alli an approving grin or a thumbs up. Alli chuckled and smiled back. Eliza pursed her lips and nodded in approval. Alli thought she heard her humming Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” as she swept around Ed’s feet. He put down his paper and goosed her as she passed. She swatted him lovingly with the broom and he pulled her in for a quick kiss. Alli loved watching their banter. The two seniors were obviously still very much in love after all these years. She wanted that kind of relationship when was old and grey.
Bryce popped his head out of the back room and beamed at Alli like a twitterpated teenager. “You can join me in here if you want.”
Eliza walked over and took the rag out of Alli’s hand and waved her away. “Go on. Go on. Ed can take care of that.” Alli willingly complied.
“I think they like you,” Bryce whispered. He handed Alli a box cutter and showed her how to cut the plastic off the wrapped pallets.
“They are sweet. They definitely don’t hold back do they?” Alli said as she unloaded boxes of cereal from her first load.
“My mom used to say ‘everyone in love wants love for everyone’ when she would set me up with random women she would meet at the store. Matchmaking is Eliza’s side job. It makes for good gossip, and all little towns need fresh gossip to survive.” He looked up at Alli and saw her nodding in mock agreement. “We should be done here in about an hour. Do you have any plans today?”
“Booked solid after this I’m afraid. I hear there’s a good lookin’ contractor in town and I was going to ask him over to my place to watch a movie. Might as well give the locals something to talk about.”
“Does this count as date two then, and the movie date three? ‘Cause my mom also told me not to kiss a girl before the third date,” he teased.
“Oh, I see. Well, I have a five date policy myself. My dad told me to watch out for guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
“Yep. Tall, dark and seemingly perfect. They get me into trouble every time.”
“Well, let’s see if I can give ‘guys like me’ a better reputation.” He made air quotes as he said “guys like me” and slicked his hair back like Elvis. He liked making her smile. She was different from any of the girls he had dated in the past. It didn’t seem like they had just met. They had the kind of instant connection that led to more than just a fling. It was hard to find girls that would spend their day helping perfect strangers clean their shop rather than shopping and primping. He hadn’t planned on meeting someone like Alli in a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere. Everything just flowed effortlessly. He hoped that Alli was feeling the same thing. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ears and decided he’d have to stick around for a few more days. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way. He was going to have to negotiate that five date rule.Eliza started to sweep the store. Occasionally she would take a break from her work long enough to give Alli an approving grin or a thumbs up. Alli chuckled and smiled back.
Bryce popped his head out of the back room and beamed at Alli like a twitterpated teenager. “You can join me in here if you want.”
Eliza walked over and took the rag out of Alli’s hand and waved her away. “Go on. Go on. Ed can take care of that.” Alli willingly complied.
“I think they like you,” Bryce whispered. He handed Alli a box cutter and showed her how to cut the plastic off the wrapped pallets.
“They are sweet. They definitely don’t hold back do they?” Alli said as she unloaded boxes of cereal from her first load.
“My mom used to say ‘everyone in love wants love for everyone’ when she would set me up with random women she would meet at the store. Matchmaking is Eliza’s side job. It makes for good gossip, and all little towns need fresh gossip to survive.” He looked up at Alli and saw her nodding in mock agreement. “We should be done here in about an hour. Do you have any plans today?”
“Booked solid after this I’m afraid. I hear there’s a good lookin’ contractor in town and I was going to ask him over to my place to watch a movie. Might as well give the locals something to talk about.”
“Does this count as date two then, and the movie date three? ‘Cause my mom also told me not to kiss a girl before the third date,” he teased.
“Oh, I see. Well, I have a five date policy myself. My dad told me to watch out for guys like you.”
“Guys like me?”
“Yep. Tall, dark and seemingly perfect. They get me into trouble every time.”
“Well, let’s see if I can give ‘guys like me’ a better reputation.” He made air quotes as he said “guys like me” and slicked his hair back like Elvis. He liked making her smile. She was different from any of the girls he had dated in the past. It didn’t seem like they had just met. They had the kind of instant connection that led to more than just a fling. It was hard to find girls that would spend their day helping perfect strangers clean their shop rather than shopping and primping. He hadn’t planned on meeting someone like Alli in a tiny town, in the middle of nowhere. Everything just flowed effortlessly. He hoped that Alli was feeling the same thing. He watched her tuck her hair behind her ears and decided he’d have to stick around for a few more days. He wanted to kiss her in the worst way. He was going to have to negotiate that five date rule.
Check back tomorrow to see if Alli can keep her five date rule!
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