Note: I do not own Georgia Rule or Beautiful War by Kings of Leon

Chapter Ten
I say, "Love, love – it don't mean nothing
Unless there's something worth fighting for."
It's a beautiful war

Lee stood behind the counter at Ashley's after she finished opening. She let out a small sigh and put her hands on her hips, admiring her work. She was getting used to doing things and knew just about anything. Now her day of fun was about to begin.

Luckily there was a chair behind the counter to sit in, something to spare her legs from standing up for six hours. She had shoved a piece of paper behind the cash register that usually took up most of her time. It was filled with doodles she had drawn the past week. Little cartoon comic strips that made no sense. Things that were funny to her, but probably not as funny to others.

The second half of her shift would be spent talking to Jessica. She'd tell her all about the talk she had with Harlan and schemed about when she might see him next. Since they were technically seeing each other, she didn't expect long until he would wander his way back onto her path and steal her away with his big, goofy, handsome smile. It always seemed to happen that way, anyway.

It was around noon and Jessica would be strolling in any minute now. Lee tucked her drawings back in their hiding place and made her way around the store for the umpteenth time. Even though there hadn't been any customers all morning she still wanted to make sure everything was in its place. She wanted to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

Lee heard the bell on the door ring and she glanced over to the noise. A blonde, middle-aged woman smiled politely as she came in. "Welcome to Ashley's, let me know if you need anything," Lee said, returning her polite smile.

"Thank you," she answered, making her way around the racks of clothes.

Lee finished organizing and walked back to the counter where she waited in case the woman made a purchase. A moment later she heard the bell ring on the door again and picked her head up to see Jessica hurrying inside.

"Hey," she greeted before disappearing in the back of the store.

Lee smiled to herself and looked at the clock. A little late, but not a lot.

The woman who was browsing stepped up to the counter and set down a couple blouses.

"Find everything okay?" Lee asked with a smile. She scanned each price tag into the register.

The woman nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Lee gave her the total before folding each shirt and slipping it into a shopping bag.

"There you are." Lee placed the bag on the counter with a smile after the woman paid. "Have a great day, thanks for coming in."

"Thank you," the woman returned. She grabbed her bags and walked toward the door.

Jessica came around from the back while putting on her nametag.

Lee watched as the woman disappeared outside and wondered how the weather was, noticing how sunny it was by the light reflecting off the cars passing down Main Street.

"She's really nice," Jessica commented.

"Hmm?" Lee asked, turning her head toward Jessica when she snapped her out of her daydream.

"Mrs. Wilson."

"Mrs. Wilson?"

Jessica nodded. "Harlan's mom."

"That was his…" Lee trailed off.

"What, you haven't met her yet?" Jessica chuckled.

Lee shook her head. "No…." She let out a small laugh and thought back a couple minutes. She hoped she made a good impression. She wondered if his mother knew who she was.

"Hmm," Jessica hummed. "Probably soon I bet." She nudged Lee's arm and Lee smirked at her.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Well you are practically boyfriend and girlfriend."

"We haven't labeled it though."

"Don't you want to be?"

Lee nodded. "…Well, I talked to him since Saturday, kinda. And…I told him I didn't want to move too fast, but we agreed not to date anyone else….So I guess we are seeing each other."

"See." Jessica rounded the counter to make her way through the store to straighten things up.

Lee smiled to herself. It was nice to be liked by someone. She was surprised by it actually. She wasn't really sure what Harlan saw in her, but she guessed it must be something if he wanted to stick around. She hated having crushes on people. If they didn't like her she'd be a little crushed and just lose interest altogether. If they did…she either realized she just liked the attention or she didn't trust them enough and hated playing games to see how they really felt about each other. She preferred being told bluntly and she liked being blunt herself.

…

The rest of her day wasn't bad. She and Jessica ended up horsing around in the store, nearly knocking over the display table of jewelry. They had fun laughing together and joking around. It was nice that they had few customers, or they'd have to be more mature and serious. Although Jessica was just a few years younger, she brought out Lee's childish side, and she loved feeling like she could have fun again.

Lee watched her feet as she leisurely walked down the shaded sidewalk on her way home. It was a beautiful day, cooler than the past weekend and a little breezy. She was grateful for that, not having a ride to and from work and all.

Her bag was at her side, hanging across her chest. She changed into cut-offs that came down to her mid-thigh before she left after work, knowing it wouldn't be appreciated while she was on duty. A white tank top was underneath her usual large, thin flannel, and her favorite pair of brown leather sandals were a must on a day like today. Lee's long, blonde hair was up in a bun, with thin pieces from her bangs lining the side of her face. She tucked them behind her ears occasionally when they bugged her, not caring to undo her hair and tuck away the annoyance for good.

From the sidewalk she stepped onto the lawn that led up to her front porch, pulling the lanyard that held her keys from the front pocket of her bag.

"Hey!" she heard a voice yell.

She turned her head quickly and saw Harlan's red Ford pick-up along the curb. Lee smiled.

"You busy?"

Lee shook her head. "Why?" She rested the side of her hand against her forehead to shade her eyes from the sun.

"Just get in the truck."

…

"Aaaaaaghh!" Lee screamed. "Nope. Nope nope nope nope. You do it—no I can't."

Harlan laughed. "Just put the damn worm on the hook." He'd already managed to attach his, and now he was watching Lee struggle with hers.

"But…but it didn't do anything to deserve such gruesome pain." Lee held the worm between two fingers and brought it closer to her face. She frowned. "You just wanna eat dirt and bury yourself into holes."

Harlan rolled his eyes, trying not to smile. "Gimme the worm." He held out his hand and Lee pouted at him.

"I used to have pet worms as a kid. This could be their brother."

Harlan chuckled. "They don't even feel anything."

"I could be murdering the brother of my pet worm!" Lee let out in a harsh whisper.

Harlan grabbed the worm from between her fingers and attached it to the hook she held firmly in her other hand.

"Sorry, worm," she said half-heartedly, now seeming as if she didn't care as much as she led on.

Harlan smiled at her, chuckling to himself. "Now cast your line." He demonstrated first, using his right arm to bring his pole back and throw the line as far as he could so it soared through the air and hit the water in a small ripple.

Lee tried next. She did exactly as he had shown, but landed a few feet short of his.

"Good job," he smiled, setting the pole next to him.

"So…what now?" Lee asked.

"Fishing's mostly waiting."

"Hmm…I still wonder if I'm the crazy one between the both of us."

"Hey, it's great for relaxation, and spending time with someone you care about."

"Aww," Lee smiled, laughing softly to herself and blushing faintly. She turned away before he noticed.

After ten minutes of waiting, Lee had given up and set her pole next to her as well. Harlan had been taking up most of the boat, lying back with his baseball cap covering his eyes.

"So this is what you do while you fish. Sleep," Lee smiled, nudging his knee.

Harlan smiled, keeping his eyes covered. "I meditate. Big difference."

"Uh-huh."

Harlan lifted up his cap to look at her. She smiled at him and he sat up a moment later, putting his hat on his head to shade his eyes from the sun. "Thanks for coming out with me."

Lee gave him a nod. "I'm open to new things. And this does seem relaxing."

Harlan smiled. "How was your Sunday?"

"It was fine."

"Sleep all day?"

She shook her head. "Read all day."

"Ahh, what is it this time?"

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

"Like it so far?"

"About half-way done. It's been intriguing."

"So it's not that great, then?"

"I like it. Lisbeth is a badass. But I'm dying to know what happens, so," Lee shrugged. "I like Stieg Larsson's writing too."

"I've never read it, but maybe I'll pick it up."

"You can borrow mine once I'm done."

"Thank you," Harlan smiled. The pole next to Harlan took a jolt and he grabbed onto it quickly, smiling to himself. "Got something."

Lee's eyebrows raised and she watched the water in front of them.

Harlan started reeling and she watched as he pulled and reeled. "Gotcha," Harlan grinned, grabbing the line and lifting up his trophy.

"…Slimy," Lee said.

Harlan smiled. The fish struggled and Lee leaned away as water splashed on her. "Well, Lee Jaymes, say hello to dinner."

"…Hi."

Harlan laughed and proceeded to take it off the hook and put it on ice so it wouldn't spoil.

Within the next few hours Lee had managed to catch her own fish and reeled it in for Harlan to put with the other. Fishing was fun, but she had to get used to the smell, and baiting, and the fish in general. She did like spending time on the boat with Harlan though. She could tell he didn't bring many people out with him.

It started to get dark when they made their way toward shore again. Once they were close enough Harlan rolled up his pants and climbed out, pulling the boat onto the sand and giving Lee a hand as she stepped out.

"What do you say to a bonfire?" Harlan asked as he grabbed the cooler from the boat.

"Sounds great," Lee smiled.

"I'll be right back, one sec." Harlan set the cooler onto the sand and jogged up to the parking lot where his truck was parked. Minutes later he was walking down the sand dune with blankets and a bundle of firewood.

Lee smiled and got up to help him. Once he reached her she took the blankets and laid them out while he set up the fire.

"Show me your Eagle Scout skills," Lee chuckled.

"Yes ma'am," Harlan said, glancing at her with his goofy grin that always made her feel like she was sixteen again.

This was turning out to be more romantic then Lee had originally thought. It had been a nice day fishing, hanging out together, and turned into a fire lit dinner by the lake. She wondered what else he had in mind.

The fire had started and he'd already cut up the fish, with Lee's help of course. For some reason she'd really liked it and had no problem watching it be cut open and sliced and diced.

"How're we gonna cook these?" Lee wondered, still cutting up fillets.

"Tin foil."

"Ahh," she smiled.

"Would you like some potatoes?" Harlan pulled tin foil and pre-wrapped potatoes from the cooler.

Lee narrowed her eyes. "You planned this."

"Duh," he laughed. "I thought it'd be a fun date idea."

Lee's smile widened. "It is pretty perfect, yes."

Harlan smiled to himself and set the bundled food by the fire to warm up. Once Lee was done with the fillets Harlan wrapped them up as well and set them beside the rest of their meal.

"Well done, darlin'."

"Thank you."

Lee and Harlan sat wrapped in a blanket together as they ate. It was—to Lee's surprise—very tasty. And once they were done eating Harlan set one more log on the fire.

"Thank you," Lee said softly, turning her gaze to Harlan while he watched the fire.

"You're welcome," he returned, meeting her eyes.

Lee smiled faintly, glancing at his lips that were only inches away. She'd never had a day like this with anyone, and no one had ever been this thoughtful toward her before. She wondered if it was really necessary to take things slow with him, considering his winning streak so far. He seemed harmless and trustworthy.

"I like you a lot, Lee."

"I like you a lot, too."

Harlan smiled and moved in for a soft kiss.

It seemed special. Like a kiss that wouldn't happen as often as she'd like it to. It wasn't a peck on the lips to say a goodbye, or one you'd give to greet each other. It was intimate and felt romantic and rare. And she knew after their lips were parted that she wanted special moments like this with him for as long as she could have them, and no one else.

Wow you guys, I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I just got done with another semester in college and I've been really tied up. Luckily I'm off for a couple months so hopefully (fingers crossed) I'll update a lot more until I head back to school. Thanks so much for your support and pleaseeeee let me know what you think. Thank you! :)