Once there, I laid out a plaid blanket, served Della our birthday picnic, and when our fingers were sticky with muffin crumbs, I pulled out the only thing I could give her.
I had no cash as everything I made went to making her life easier. I had no income because I trusted the Wilsons to spend it better than I ever could.
All I had were my hands and snippets of time while Della slept softly beside me.
“That’s for me?”
I nodded. Guilt that it wasn’t something better and uncertainty that she might not like it rolled my shoulders. “It’s not much but—”
“It’s awesome.”
“You haven’t even opened it yet.”
“Right.” She smirked, stroking the orange striped dishtowel and baling twine I’d used to wrap it. “Can I open it?”
“It’s yours. Of course, you can.”
With her lip stuck between her teeth, she undid the bow and let the material fall away.
Inside, the carved horse gleamed from the hours I’d spent polishing it with saddle conditioner. The tiny girl atop the horse could’ve been anyone if it wasn’t for the long ribbon trailing behind from her long hair.
It’d taken me hours and multiple attempts after snapping the delicate ribbon so many times while carving.
No one knew I’d done it even though I’d borrowed John’s tools to make it happen. It wasn’t perfect, and I hated a lot of it with my clumsy cuts and annoying mistakes, but it showed how much I cared. It revealed just how proud I was of her learning to ride and how terrified I was of her getting hurt. She’d taken a tumble a couple of times, and my heart literally quit beating until I knew she was okay.
My fear of her falling off a horse was nothing compared to the sudden terror drenching me as Della switched from chatty live wire to quiet, subdued seriousness beside me.
Silence fell, interrupted only by the breeze whispering through the willow leaves. I waited for as long as I could, my skin prickling with unease, my heart racing with dread.
Her fingers trailed over and over, stroking the carved mane, touching slightly too long legs, and studying not quite perfect nostrils.
I couldn’t wait any longer.
Pinching it from her hands, I shoved it behind my back. “Forget it. I knew I should’ve asked John to buy you that laptop the school requests everyone to have. I’ll-I’ll tell him tonight. You might have to wait a few months while he saves up my salary to buy it, but I’ll make sure you have something of use instead of—”
She sprang into me, bowling me over, slamming both of us to the blanket below. “Give it back.”
My elbows bent awkwardly, my spine jabbed by the carved willow-wooden horse in my hands. “Wha—”
“My horse. Now. Give it back, Ren.”
I wriggled beneath her as she sat on my chest, her shorts riding up suntanned thighs and lavender t-shirt right in my face. The sun silhouetted her, showing a faceless girl with curling white-blonde hair with her hand straight out and reckless determination bristling all around her.
“Now, Ren.” Her voice turned sharp in the way she’d mastered from listening to Cassie telling me off.
Untangling my arms from behind my back, I lay flat and gave it up as a peace offering.
She continued to straddle my chest, snatching the horse and rider, the long ribbon sticking out between her fingers. “You can’t give it to me then take it away. That’s not how gift giving works.”
Propping my head up with my hands, I tried to tame the clenching in my belly and did my best to accept that she liked it. Liked it enough to attack me to take it back, anyway. “It’s not very good—”
“Zip it.” She grabbed my lips between tight fingers, forcing my mouth closed. “I love it. It’s better than all the shopping trips and all the ribbons.” She squished my lips harder. “If you say one more bad thing about it, I’ll…I’ll—” She pouted, looking over my head toward the forests and fields. “I’ll leave you here for something to eat.”
I shook my head, dislodging her hold. “And here I thought you loved me.”
“Not when you’re being a moron.”
“Hey, I just gave you a birthday present.”
“And then took it away again.” She scowled. “Not cool, dude. Not cool.”
“Dude?” I chuckled. “Where the hell did that come from?”
Her personality had evolved leaps and bounds ever since she started hanging out with Liam and whatever kids she’d befriended at school. I’d even heard her curse the other day and told her off for such language.
I was fairly sure she hadn’t picked that up from me seeing as I was super careful with how and what I said around her.
“Some girl in class.”
“A girl you like?”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “Stop changing the subject. Don’t touch my gift.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t take it again.”