"I've spent my entire life being judged and criticized by my peers."
"That's just people being ignorant," he said, tapping his long fingers on the table.
"Yeah, people can be that way without knowing the truth about a person," I quipped.
He held his hands up to surrender. "Fair enough. I'll admit I may have judged you unfairly. Your friends just rub me the wrong way, but obviously you're different."
I could have pointed out yet again that they weren't my friends. Well, except for Farrah, but I let it slide. "How do you know? When you first met me you were convinced I was there to destroy a whole nest of turtle eggs," I reminded him.
"That's true. I pegged you wrong that day too, but I apologized."
"You've pegged me wrong a couple of times," I pointed out.
He stared at me hard for a moment. "I'm sorry, Rain," he said as Buttercup approached with a tray loaded with tall glasses of lemonade.
We sidelined any further conversation since Buttercup and Butch felt it was a prime time to pepper Josh with questions about the area's ecosystem. I wasn't as gung-ho over it as the three of them, but even I couldn't help leaning in when he started talking about the sea turtles. Eventually, Buttercup and Butch stood up to go inside and prepare dinner after insisting that Josh stay. Butch waited until Josh's back was turned before he knowingly winked at me. Great. That was all I needed, for my parents to start acting like Cupid.
"Would you like to see one of the turtle nests?" Josh asked after my parents were in the kitchen.
"You're not afraid I'll stomp on them?" I taunted.
"I'm sure I'll be able to hold you back. We have to go at night though, so we can go after dinner."
I never really gave him a yes or a no. I found myself still confused about where we stood. Were we becoming friends, or was it just wishful thinking on my part? "You know, you don't have to stay for dinner," I said, trying to give him a gracious out.
"Are you kidding? It's been ages since I've had a home-cooked meal. My dad's idea of a gourmet meal is a box of macaroni and cheese."
"Where's your mom?" I asked, feeling it was only fair to pry since he had gotten an inside peek at my crazy family.
"In Hollywood waiting for her shot," he said glumly.
"She's an actress?"
"A wannabe actress. Over the last six years, she's had a handful of walk-on roles on sitcoms, but nothing with a speaking part."
"Really?" I said, surprised. It seemed strange that someone would willingly leave her kid behind so she could be an actress.
"Yeah, she's convinced her next big shot is right around the corner. Dad stopped asking her to come home three years ago. He packed up all her stuff and sent it to her. At first she used to talk about flying me to Hollywood so I could meet all the stars she claims to know, but I never put much stock in it," he said.
"I'm sorry. I thought I held the market on weird parents," I said, unconsciously reaching out to pat his hand.
As if he was expecting it, he flipped his hand over and captured mine in his. I probably should have pulled away, but I sat motionless, wondering why his touch affected me so much. He stroked his thumb across my sensitive wrist, making my skin tingle.
"Your parents, weird?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow and making me laugh despite the intimacy we were sharing. "I couldn't tell," he added, winking as Buttercup and Butch joined us with all the fixings for veggie burgers. The meal passed with the same easy conversation as before. If Josh was uncomfortable around my parents, he never let on. He chatted easily with them and laughed at almost every story they shared. He was a completely different person than the one I
had been working with. I was enchanted.
Butch and Buttercup kept Josh entertained until the sun began to set. I squirmed in my chair, wanting to slither away when they told him about the time when I was six and decided I wanted to be a boy. I'd practically scalped myself with scissors. I even rubbed dirt on my face and dressed in a pair of Butch's jeans that I had rolled up so they weren't too long for my short legs. It took months for my hair to grow out, but seemed much longer since I regretted my impulsive haircut almost instantly.
The moon was bright in the night sky by the time we finished dinner. I helped Buttercup carry the dishes back to the house while Butch and Josh continued to talk. Once the kitchen was clean, I collected Player from the gazebo and deposited him in my room. Josh followed behind me with a familiarity that should have made me uncomfortable, but for whatever reason, it didn't.
Chapter 9
"You two heading out?" Butch asked with a cheesy all-knowing smile plastered to his face. He and Buttercup were swaying back and forth on the swing on the front porch.
I shook my head slightly before he could say anything else that would embarrass me.
"Yes, sir. I thought I'd show Rain some of the turtles' nesting spots. Maybe if she gets lucky, one of them will be hatching."