FRIDAY
"Excuse me miss, are you alright?"
"Do I look okay?" She asked in an angry tone.
Sara looked up from her phone and saw a stranger leaning out the window of his truck. He was attractive, more attractive than any of the guys who had been interested in her lately.
"I'm sorry, it's been a long day. I seem to be lost, and I blew a tire, and I can't get any reception out here."
He pulled his truck to the side of the road, killed the engine and got out.
"Have you got a spare?" he asked
Sara popped the trunk of her BMW, opened it up and began piling all of her suitcases and bags onto the ground. Pulling the floor of the trunk up, she looked at the guy standing next to her and sighed.
"I guess that's a no," she said in frustration and as dropped the board back into place.
The handsome stranger dialed a number on his phone and Sara thought that he must think she was crazy for coming all the way out here without a spare. The heels she was wearing sunk in the grass, and she sighed before pulling out a pair of flip flops from a bag she had just stacked back into the trunk.
She was changing her shoes when the guy come back to where she was standing.
"So, I called the garage, and they can tow your car for you, but that's the good news. The bad news is that they actually, closed fifteen minutes ago and they don't work over the weekend as it Founders Day weekend."
Sara closed her eyes and mentally counted to five not believing her luck before opening them again.
"Okay, thanks," she said giving him a strange look trying to remember if he had told her his name.
"Leonard, Leonard Snart" he provided.
"Thanks, Leonard. I'm Sara, and I guess it's pretty obvious the I don't belong out here."
"I wouldn't say that." he laughed, "But I think it's when we are stuck in unwanted situations we find out who we really are."
Sara gave him a curious look, confused as to why he would be telling her this. It wasn't like she had asked for any advice.
"Sorry, high school English teacher" he offered.
"Oh, well that explains it," Sara said with a laugh, "But you don't look old enough to be a teacher."
"I've only been out of college for a year. Just finished my first official year as a teacher."
"Here? In this small, nowhere town?" She asked him before noticing his face. "Sorry."
"It's fine, small towns aren't for everyone, but I swear after this weekend we will change your mind about us." He told her as the tow truck pulled up.
"So is there some kind of motel in this town that I can stay for the weekend?" she asked
"I'm pretty sure that they are all booked out for Founder's Day, but I'm sure my sister Lisa would put you up for the weekend. We can head to the garage and speak to Tom and I'll can Lisa on the way there."
"You don't have to do that," Sara said
"Sure, I do. Can't leave you stranded on the side of the road. Get in the truck, City Girl."
Sara smiled across at Leonard and grabbed her stuff out of her car before it was loaded onto the back of the truck.
They mostly rode in silence to the garage, a few questions here and there and the soft sound of country music coming from the radio. Sara stared out the window watching the world go by. She was consumed by her thoughts as Leonard pulled his truck into the lot at the garage.
Getting out of the truck, she made her way inside and spoke to Tom in the office. As he was entering her details, Sara turned and looked out the window. She could see Leonard laughing on the phone, and she was stuck by just how handsome he was. There was something about him that made her wonder if he was single, and if he was, how in the world was it possible.
Tom finished up with the paperwork and had Sara sign it telling her that unfortunately, she would have to stay in town until either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.
Tucking the paperwork back into her bag, she thanked the man and stepped out of the office. It was just after two in the afternoon, and the sun was shining down, brightly, and straight into her face. Sara pulled her sunglasses out and slid them on as she made her way over to where Leonard was leaning against his truck.
"So my sister says she is happy to have to you stay." he said
"I hope she is willing to have me stay until Wednesday possibly," Sara replied
"I told her as much; it's the car. We don't get a huge amount of BMWs around here. They have to order in a tire right?"
"How did you know?"
"I know things, and I used to work here part time in high school." he said with a shrug
Sara gave him a smile as her phone began to ring "Oh, sorry about this, it's my sister." she said digging it out of her bag.
"Hey, Sis," Sara said answering her cell with a cheerful voice
"Hey yourself, how far away are you now?"
"So I may have run into a small problem."
"What do you mean? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Laurel, I got a flat and didn't have a spare, stupid, I know. So I'm stuck in this small town somewhere between Central City and Star City."
"Oh, do you need me to come and get you?"
"No, I can't get my car until like Wednesday morning, and I'll need it for the summer anyway."
"What about Thea's wedding?"
"Laurel, I'll be there at the latest, like Thursday night. I'm not going to miss Thea's wedding which if you remember isn't until the following week."
"But you need to have you dress fitting and things."
"I'll still have a week and a half to do dress fittings. It's not going to be a big deal." Sara said with a sigh
"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Laurel asked
"The motels were all booked out, but I'm staying with the sister of the guy who found me stranded."
"You're what?! Sara, they could be ax murders of something."
"You have been watching too many horror movies; I'll be fine."
"This is exactly how a horror movie starts, stranded in a small town!"
Sara turned to look at Leonard "Are you guys killers? Are you going to murder me, and hide my body somewhere so I can't be found?" She called out to him.
Leonard gave her a confused look and shook his head.
"He said no."
"Yes, because the killer is going to tell you they are going to murder you!"
"Laurel, I will be fine, honestly. Just invite Tommy over and have a glass of wine. I'll call you tomorrow." Sara said, "I love you sis, but you're crazy."
"I'm not crazy, I've just worried. But wine and Tommy sound good." Laurel said, "Love you too Sare, be safe."
Sara hung up and headed back to Leonard with a smile, "Okay I'm ready to go," she said as he opened the door of his truck for her.
Leonard pulled back onto the road and looked over at her. The sun was streaming through the side window making her hair even more golden if that was possible. Seeing Sara sitting next to him the cab of his truck was something he could get used to, which was crazy because he had only just met this girl. Not to mention that with the way she looked she probably had someone waiting back home for her. He turned the corner onto a different road and saw her twisting her hair about her finger.
"Nervous?" he asked
"What? Oh! No, not at all. It's a habit I've had since I was a kid" she told him, "but maybe I am a bit nervous, not about being stuck here, more about finally moving back home from Central City."
"So what was all that back there, on the phone?"
"Oh," Sara let out a laugh, "my sister, she said that you guys could be murders and I was just going to stay with you."
Leonard smiled "It's nice she is worried, I'd be worried about Lisa if she called and told me she was staying with random strangers. What about your boyfriend? Will he be worried?"
Sara bit her lip and looked across the cab at him "It's that your subtle way of asking if I'm single?"
"Clearly not so subtle then," he said, "but yeah I guess."
"I am single actually. I broke up with my last boyfriend a little over three months ago now, when I found him in bed with my college roommate."
"Crap, I'm sorry Sara."
"It's fine. Honestly, it allowed me to move on and finished college without distractions, and now I'm going home to plan the next stage of my life. I'm actually happy about it, well I wasn't happy, but life has changes, and I'm sure that this one was for a good reason."
Leonard nodded "Wise words."
Arriving at Lisa's house Leonard helped Sara with her things and opened the front door.
"Lisa, we're here." He called out as he showed Sara inside to the guest room.
No, sound came from within the house, and Leonard moved back out into the hall. He walked toward the kitchen, and Sara followed closely as not to get left behind.
The house was, from what Sara could tell, a small two bedroom. It was probably something Sara would have chosen herself had she lived here.
"So my sister had to go out," Leonard said holding up a piece of paper he'd found on the counter. "She said she'll meet us in town for dinner later. If you want to hang out with me, you are welcome."
Sara thought about her options tapping her chin, "well I don't know anyone else in this town, so I guess you'll have to do," she said with a laugh.
Leonard gave her a smile and led the way back through the house and out to his truck.
The area was beautiful, and as they drove through the town, Sara couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to grow up in this kind of place, instead of a big city. Cities were all she'd known. She had grown up in Star City only to move to Central for college. For a place that had so little in comparison, it actually seemed so much bigger.
With no buildings blocking her view, the land appeared to stretch out in front of her, as if it had no end. She felt as if she could drive for miles and still free like she was in the middle of nowhere. There was something comforting and freeing about those thoughts because for the first time she didn't have to be anybody but herself.
All her life she had felt like she was somebody's daughter, somebody's sister, somebody's girlfriend, she never felt free enough just to be Sara, at least not until this moment.
She looked across the cab of the truck at Leonard who was tapping away on the steering wheel. They had fallen into a comfortable silence, almost as if they were just content to be together. That struck Sara as funny since they had only known each other for a couple of hours. She wondered to herself how it was that they just seemed to click, like an acceptance of each other. Sara didn't feel like she needed to tell Leonard everything, but even if she did, she had a feeling he would still accept her for who she was, not judge her for her past.
He pulled the truck off the main road, over a bridge, and headed up a long drive. Sara could see from where she was that a river ran across the front of the property, and out of sight. If she had to guess, she would have said it continued around to the back, and that you could still access it through the woods.
Sara glanced up at the house as Leonard killed the engine, and then turned to look at him.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"This is my house," he replied.
"Really?" she asked, surprised. It didn't seem to her like the type of house he would live in, appeared to be too big and like a family should have lived in it.
"It was my grandparents. When then died, Lisa and I got the house."
"So you live here alone? Didn't Lisa want to live here? Does it get lonely?" Sara asked, "Sorry, that's a lot of questions."
"It's fine. We did live together for a while but Lisa wanted to be closer to town, and I like the quiet, so we got her a place in town and I stayed here. She knows she is welcome to come back at any time and she does come and stay on weekends sometimes."
"Well that's nice," Sara said, opening the door of the truck and getting out.
A collie came racing across the field and jumping up on Sara, and she patted the dog trying hard to get it to stop jumping.
"Toby, down," Leonard said firmly, and the dog left Sara and moved over to where Leonard was standing. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine, he's a gorgeous dog, how long have you had him?"
"About three years, give or take," Leonard said, with a grin as he patted Toby on the head.
Sara's eyes scanned the vast property before they settled on the house again. It was gorgeous, like an old converted barn, but the white coloring and red door made it seem more like an antebellum home from the south. The house she had grown up in was large, all the houses on her start had been, but they had far less character.
Toby barking and taking off into the field broke her from her thoughts, and she looked over at Leonard.
"He's fast," Sara said.
"Yeah, he probably saw a rabbit or something," Leonard said with a shrug.
"Poor rabbit doesn't stand a chance."
She smiled as Leonard laughed at her comment and Sara brushed some hair behind her ear.
"I just have to bring the horses in, get changed, make sure Toby is inside and then we can head into town," Leonard said.
"You have horses?" Sara asked, ignoring the rest of his comments.
"I do. Well, they belong to Lisa and I but obviously, having the land and barn out the back, it's easier for them to live here."
"I always wanted a horse. When I was younger my dad used to take me to a stable about an hour from where we lived, and I'd spend all Saturday riding," Sara said, as she smiled at the memory.
"Do you still ride?" Leonard asked as he led Sara past the house and toward the barn.
"No. If fact I don't think I've ridden since I was maybe 14 or 15. Once I hit high school or just before that, I can't remember, but my mom was all about doing well in school and focusing on my studies. Basically, everything I loved doing was taken away. Then the divorce happened, and my dad got remarried-"
"Let me guess, step-mother from hell," Leonard said.
"Actually no," Sara said, with a laugh. "Donna is pretty much the opposite of that. Although, it doesn't hurt that she is the mom of my best friend."
"So you and your best friend, became sisters? Isn't that every girl's dream?" Leonard asked, pulling open the doors to the barn.
"Pretty much. My older sister Laurel and I have always been close, and then when Felicity joined the family, we were like the three musketeers or something, although dad used to call us the three stooges."
"If you are all so close, how did you end up in Central City?"
"I guess when it comes down to it, I was single," Sara said, with a shrug. "Laurel and Tommy have been dating since junior high and Felicity, and Oliver got together in our sophomore year. Tommy and Oliver are best friends, so I seemed to always be stuck as a fifth wheel. I felt that need to spread my wings and live outside the box, so to speak."
"It's good to be independent," Leonard said but offered nothing else.
Sara could help but feel comfortable around Leonard. There was something about him that seemed to make everything in her completely relax.
"So where are the horses?" Sara asked.
"In a field out the back of the barn, come on I'll show you," Leonard said, leading Sara through the barn and out the back. "No judgment is allowed on the names, Lisa and I named them when we were young."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Sara said.
They reached the fence and Sara could see for horses in the field, and she smiled brightly. All four horses were different colors, and as Leonard pointed out the white and the darker brown as his grandparents, Snowflake and Whiskey, Sara couldn't help but laugh.
"They were named clearly due to their color," Leonard said.
"So what did you and Lisa name yours?" Sara asked.
"Bare in mind Lisa was five, and I was seven when we named them.," Leonard said.
"You putting this off isn't helping me think that they are good names."
"Fine, Lisa's is the champagne colored one, and she named it Sparkle."
"That's not bad," Sara said, turning to look at Leonard. "So that means that black one is yours, what's his name?"
Sara watched as Leonard shook his head, she turned to look at the horse in question and then turned back to look at the man beside her.
"His name is Batman," Leonard finally said.
She could help the laughter that erupted from her mouth. Sara covered her mouth to try and hide it, but it didn't work. Leonard walked down to the gate to open it, and she followed him, still laughing.
"Leonard wait," she called.
"I knew you would laugh," he said, stopping just inside the field.
Sara placed a hand on his arm and shook her head at him. "I did laugh. I'll probably laugh again, but it's just so adorable. I'm totally picturing you at seven wanting to name your horse Batman, what did your grandparents say?"
"Our grandmother was basically the sweetest person ever; she was all for it. She was always encouraging us to do what we wanted in life, not like crazy things, but she would always talk about us following our dreams."
"She seems like she was a great lady," Sara said softly.
"She was, you would have liked her, everyone did," Leonard said, pausing for a moment. "I think she would have liked you too."
Sara smiled at the thought and wondered why his comment meant so much. She helped him move the horse into the barn and then followed him up to the house. Leonard gave her a quick tour that ended up in the kitchen, with him pouring them both a glass of water.
"I'm going to get changed, and then we can head back to town, help yourself to anything you want, and make yourself at home," he said.
"Wait," Sara said, "Should I have worn something else?"
She watched as Leonard looked her over. Her short denim cut-offs, off the shoulder black top, and flip flops suddenly made her feel underdressed. Where were they going? She hated not knowing. She could have thrown her heels back on and been fine. This place was the country. Surely it was more casual than Star City.
"You'll be just fine," Leonard told her before she watched him head out of the room.
She refilled her glass and sighed. This was the first moment to herself that she had since Leonard found her earlier. Sara sipped the water and walked through to the lounge. The furniture seemed old, and she wondered how long it had been there. She guessed it was probably left from when his grandparents still lived there. The flat screen on the wall was clearly new, or at least newer than everything else. It would have been great to watch games on, although Leonard didn't strike Sara as a football guy, or any sports for that matter.
She moved through to the study and breathed in the smell of the books, that lined the shelves. The room had an old desk in the corner. It was covered in papers, and Sara couldn't help but wonder how much of his time, Leonard spent in the room. A modem flashed away in the corner signaling to her that, although she seemed to be stuck in the middle of nowhere, internet reception could still be found. Walking over to the shelves on the other side of the room, Sara ran her fingers along the spines of the books. Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Jane Austen, to name only a few, and every one of them looked to be first editions.
"I see you found my grandfather's collections," Leonard said, causing Sara to turn around suddenly.
"Sorry, I was just looking," She said.
"It's fine Sara; I told you to make yourself at home."
She smiled at him, before turning back to the books. "This is just such an amazing collection, are they all first editions? They look like it."
"They are, you have a good eye," Leonard said, coming to stand beside her.
"I'm a little bit or a book nerd, I mean I love books," Sara said, with a laugh. "I wasn't necessarily book smart in school, but I loved to read, Donna always said I was street smart, but that I got a lot of that from the stories I read. This, of course, had my Dad laughing because she said I was book smart without being book smart, they are a strange couple, but perfect together."
Sara bit her lip; she had been rambling again, and Leonard probably couldn't have cared less about the information she was sharing.
"I think what she said makes sense, though, we learn a lot from the things we read. Books teach us more than we realize, it's something I love seeing in the kids I teach. That moment when they relate to something, and it causes an emotion that they can't explain, those are the teaching moments I live for."
Turning to look at Leonard, Sara studied him as he spoke, and she could tell how much he loved his job. As he was looking at the books, she took the chance to take him in. He was still wearing his jeans, but he'd changed his shirt. It was blue and white plaid, and as he turned to look at her, she noticed how it brought out the color of his eyes.
"I bet you're a great teacher," Sara said, looking up at him with a smile.
"Thanks," He replied, "We should probably head into town and meet Lisa for dinner."
She nodded at him and smiled again. "I'm ready when you are."
Sara washed their glasses and left them to dry by the sink, as Leonard fed Toby. She looked around the kitchen before she left the house, and followed Leonard back out to his truck.
The sun was settling low on the ridge ahead of them as Leonard pulled the truck onto the main road, and headed toward the town. Sara pulled her sunglasses out of her bag once more and slid them on.
"What are you thinking about?" Leonard asked.
Sara turned her head from where she had been staring out the window to look at him.
"What makes you think that I was thinking about anything?"
"You just have this look on your face, like conflicted about something."
"I was just thinking about home. My friend Thea is getting married in two weeks. I was meant to be back tonight and help with stuff. You might be right about being conflicted, though. I guess it's because I don't feel guilty about not being there and that in turn makes me feel guilty. I'm not sure that made any sense."
"More than you think it did," Leonard said, with a smile. "Maybe your flat tire was life's way of saying you needed some time to yourself before being home."
Sara shrugged, "Maybe? I can't say that I disagree with needing some space and time before having to deal with dress fittings, and seating charts and everything else Thea wants help with. After that's all over I'm sure to get questioned about what I'm going to do with my life now college is done, but the problem is, I don't even know what I want to do."
"What did you study?"
"Psychology and business. Dad always said it was perfect for me since I was always helping people. I did a counseling course in my senior year of high school too, so it was a follow on from that really. Donna suggested starting my counseling practice."
"Why don't you?" Leonard asked.
"I might. I guess a part of me just wants it to happen. I don't want to go hunting for locations, I don't even want to go hunting for apartments, but I can't move back in with my sister, and live there forever," Sara said.
"It sounds like, this unexpected stay here for a couple of days, is just what you need to clear your head," Leonard said as, as he pulled his truck into a space in town.
Sara let out a sigh as they got out of the truck, and thought about Leonard's words. He was probably right. Maybe this was exactly what she needed. She sometimes wished that she could have been like everyone else back home, but on the other hand, she was happy to be so different. If she had of had boyfriend she may have just been stuck in Star City her whole life, just like everyone else. Sara was too independent for that. She didn't want to be tied down.
"So where are we meeting your sister for dinner?" Sara asked as she met Leonard on the sidewalk.
"It's an Italian place down the street. She just text to say her and Mick are already there."
"Who's Mick? Lisa's boyfriend?" Sara asked.
Leonard let out a laugh as they walked. "No, he's a friend, we grew up together and more like a brother to her. He's a local firefighter."
"Oh, so I'm meeting one of your friends?"
"Did you not want to?"
"No, I mean yes, wait, what is the right answer?" Sara asked confused. "I mean I'm okay with meeting your friends."
"Good to know," Leonard replied, with a grin as they reached the restaurant and he pulled open the door for him and Sara.
A girl at a booth off to the side waved at them as they walked in and Leonard headed straight for the table. Sara suddenly felt nervous about meeting Leonard sister. She felt so comfortable with him, and part of her was worried that Lisa wouldn't like her.
It turned out that Sara had nothing to worry about. She and Lisa clicked instantly and Mick, although nothing like Leonard, was to Sara a breath of fresh air. He didn't mince his words, and he said exactly what came into his mind, so much so that Leonard had apparently felt the need to apologize for his friend's lack of filter more than once.
Sara had laughed it off and told Leonard not to worry about it. She found she really liked hanging out with them. It was easier to be with them in a way than with her friends and family, and she knew it was because when she was home, she felt out of it no being attached to anyone. Spending time with people who were single was so much easier. They had an unspoken agreement that no one was left out, and no one was left behind.
They stayed at the restaurant, chatting and laughing until it closed. Sara let out a yawn as they stepped out the door and onto the sidewalk, causing Lisa to yawn too.
"It's totally contagious," Lisa said.
"What is?" Sara asked.
"Yawning. I'm so ready for bed," Lisa said.
"I'm totally with you," Sara agreed.
"Like together?" Mick asked before Lisa punched him in the arm.
"Go home Mick," Lisa said pushing at him.
Sara laughed at them, turning her head to see if Leonard was watching them but she found him looking at her. She smiled at him and realized that this was were they said goodbye, at least for the night. A horn sounded breaking her focus, and she turned to wave as Mick drove off.
Lisa returned and threw an arm around Sara's shoulder. "You ready to go?"
"Yep," Sara said nodding.
She watched Lisa move to hug her brother goodbye and heard her tell him she would see him tomorrow. As they parted, Sara stared at him as Lisa headed toward the car. She had no idea what to do, but suddenly threw caution to the wind, stepped into his space, and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tightly,
"Thanks so much for today, for everything," she whispered.
"It was no problem," Leonard replied.
Sara stepped back and smiled before shrugging at him.
"It was just nice to feel like I wasn't alone in a strange town," she said.
"Sara, hurry up," Lisa called, down the street.
"She will leave without you," Leonard said.
"Okay, I'm going," Sara said, with a laugh turning and heading down the path.
"I'll see you tomorrow Sara," Leonard called out.
She turned as she was walking and smiled at him. "Tomorrow," she agreed.
She got into Lisa's car and smiled at her new friend. They waved at Leonard and Lisa pulled out of the parking space and headed home. The conversation was light and fun, and Sara knew that when she finally returned home the next week, she would miss these people.
"Your house is gorgeous," Sara said, as the two girls entered the house.
"Thanks, I used to live with Len, but wanted to be closer to town so got this place," Lisa said.
"Yeah, he said that when we were at his place this afternoon," Sara said, with a yawn.
"You were at his place? Interesting."
"Huh?"
"Doesn't matter, I'm heading to bed. Make yourself at home, you are welcome to anything you want," Lisa said, before hugging Sara quickly. "Night."
Sara returned the hug and then watched as Lisa made her way to her room. Sara walked through to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her brain was working overtime. Why had it mattered that she'd been to Len's? Flicking the lights off as she made her way through to the guest room, Sara sighed as she closed the door behind her. She got changed, climbed into bed and stared up at the ceiling. There was a full moon outside that shone through the crack in the curtain and gave the room enough light to keep Sara awake and dwelling on not only Lisa's comment but the whole day.
She rolled onto her side and let out a sigh, from what had been said at dinner it was going to be a busy weekend and she needed to get sleep. If only her mind would let her do so. She closed her eyes and the memory of Leonard's blue ones staring back at her flooded into her mind. There was something about him that made her happy, even made her think about moving to a small town.
Sara opened her eyes again, shaking her head. Where had that thought come from? She had never been a small town girl, although she'd also never been stuck in one before, especially not one with a guy who just seemed to get her. She rolled over and hugged the pillow beneath her head, closing her eyes, she willed sleep to come, giving in to the images playing in her mind of the day that had been.