"Tim! Tim, get the hell up! Phone's for you – it's long distance."

"Billy, quit shouting! You're gonna wake the baby."

"Damn it, Mindy."

Tim was just sitting up in bed, having been awakened by the shouts of his brother and sister-in-law, when Billy came bursting into his bedroom.

"You could knock, you know," Tim grumbled sleepily.

"Phone's for you," Billy repeated, shoving the cordless at him before stomping out of the room. Glaring at his brother's retreating back, Tim flopped back on his pillows and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Nice to hear that some things don't change," came Jason Street's cheerfully mocking voice on the other end. Tim smiled.

"Hey Jay-Six. What's happening?"

"Not a whole lot, Riggs. Erin took Noah over to her parents' so I thought I'd call you up and see what's going on back home."

"You didn't go with 'em?"

"No," Jason said, laughing wryly. "No, Erin's parents aren't real big fans of mine. But they'll come around."

"Oh."

"So, seriously – what's new down south? I'm counting on you to keep me up to date on all the important gossip, Riggs."

"Not much, Streeter. They're fixing up the East Dillon field over the summer. There's a new bartender at Smitty's. She's a redhead, you'd like her. Fran's is getting remodelled but they're keeping your booth for you, 'cause I asked."

"Seriously? You asked?"

"No, I didn't ask."

"You're so full of shit, Riggins," Jason laughed. "What else?"

"Uh, well..." Tim said, scratching his head, "I guess I can tell you this, since it won't matter much to you one way or the other, but I'm kinda having a summer thing with Julie Taylor."

"Julie Taylor," Jason repeated, as though trying to place the name. "As in little Julie Taylor, Coach's daughter? Riggins!"

"She's not little," Tim replied resentfully, stretching to nudge his bedroom door closed with his foot so Billy wouldn't hear. "She's a year younger than me. Not even, technically. She just graduated."

"Hm," Jason hummed, considering this. "Did she lose a bet or something?"

Tim sighed, exasperated.

"All right, all right," Jason laughed. "What's the deal, anyway? I thought she was pretty serious with Saracen."

"He went to college last year, and the long-distance thing didn't work out."

"Right, so naturally, she turns around and hooks up with you."

"Kinda, yeah."

"Well, rebounds are always fun."

"I'm not a –" Tim frowned, perturbed by a sense of déjà vu.

"You're not a what, Tim?"

"Not a rebound," he mumbled.

"If you say so. Just be careful, okay? You don't want to get Coach on your bad side. Or Mrs. Taylor for that matter."

"Yeah," Tim replied, still frowning. "How're things up there?"

There was a pause. "Things are good. They're good."

"You sure about that, Streeter?"

"Yeah. It's just, you know, being with someone and raising a kid together... It's harder than it sounds. And there have been layoffs at work, so things are kind of tense right now."

"Mrs. Coach says she still thinks you shoulda gone to college."

"Well, she's not wrong about that," Jason replied, laughing mirthlessly. He paused again before speaking. "You know what's weird about not living in Dillon anymore?"

"What?"

"Before the accident, everyone knew who I was. Everyone. After the accident, people looked at me differently, but they still saw me. I was still Jason Street, you know? Now, everyone I meet is a stranger, and they look right through me. Did you know that people do that? When people see someone in a wheelchair, they either stare right at you like they can't look away, or they avoid looking at you at all so it won't seem like they're staring. Sometimes it's like I'm invisible or something."

Tim wanted to tell Jason he was sorry, tell him something to make him feel better, but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"You know," he said finally, after a long silence, "there's always a spot for you at Riggins' Rigs. Billy and I, well, neither of us is real good at the business end of things, and we could use a guy with a good head on his shoulders. Anytime you want, Jay. I mean it." He half expected Jason to tell him off, but instead, Jason just gave a short, sharp laugh.

"Thanks, Riggs. I may have to take you up on that one."

Another silence followed, and then Jason sighed. "I should go, Riggs. Long distance and all. Gotta call my mom and let her know I'm still alive up here."

"Okay, Jay. Tell your mom I said hey," Tim said.

"I will. Later, Riggs."

"Later, Street."

Tim hung up and dropped the cordless on his bed. Jason sounded lonely. In a strange way, Tim was glad to know he wasn't the only one.

He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before his rumbling stomach prompted him to get up. He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself some cereal. Mindy had gone into the master bedroom with Jordyn, and Billy was sitting alone at the counter.

Billy cleared his throat and Tim looked up, surprised to see his brother glaring at him.

"What?" he asked, putting the box of cereal down.

Billy stared hard at him, his hands resting on the counter. Tim stared back.

"A 'summer thing' with Julie, Tim? Really?"

"I know what you're gonna say," Tim said, not bothering to call his brother on his eavesdropping.

"Oh yeah?"

"PhD in stupid. Dumbass. This is gonna end badly."

"That about covers it, yeah."

"Look, it's not a big deal, Billy. We're just passing the time until college starts."

"I know I'm not in any position to be dealing out wise life advice, Tim, but think about it. Every time you've told me that sleeping with so-and-so wasn't a big deal, it's turned out to be a big deal. Usually just in time for you to use it as an excuse to go on another bender."

Tim glared at his brother. "No, you're not in any position to be dealing out wise life advice, Billy. As for me and Jules, it's none of your business."

"It's my business while you're living under my roof, damn it."

"Really? We're gonna go down that road again?"

Billy sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands in frustration. "Look, I just wish you'd thought this through a little better. Julie is not-"

"Julie?" Mindy exclaimed, suddenly appearing in the bedroom doorway, Jordyn on her hip. "You have got to be kidding me. A town full of women to screw and you pick Julie Taylor?"

"I'm going to the garage," Tim snapped, abandoning his cereal and going back into his bedroom. He dressed hastily and grabbed his keys, glaring one last time at Billy as he left the house.

Tim's aggravation didn't start to fade until he was out on the country road that led to the shop. The way he was starting to figure things, the less time he spent around people, the better.

***

Jordyn wailed mercilessly as Julie tried to hush her, doing what felt like her three hundredth lap around the Rigginses' living room. Jordyn was teething, and nothing Mindy or her mother had suggested was working. Currently, Julie had an ice cold wash cloth crammed in the baby's mouth. Jordyn gnawed angrily on it, her red face damp with tears.

"Any better?" Julie asked, leaning to look at Jordyn. The baby frowned at Julie and sighed miserably, her whole body shuddering. "I know; I can't possibly understand the depth of your pain."

Rubbing Jordyn's back as her sobs turned into gentle hiccups, Julie wandered into the kitchen. She was starving but it seemed that no one had gone grocery shopping in a while.

"What are we gonna do, Jordyn? What are we gonna do?" Julie cooed, patting her back and meandering back out into the living room. Stopping by the pile of junk mail on the coffee table, Julie spotted a flyer for Alamo Freeze. She stood and stared at the glossy photo of crispy, golden fries, and felt her mouth begin to water.

"I hear short road trips are just the thing for teething babies," Julie said, quickly beginning to pack a small travel bag for Jordyn and grabbing the car seat by the door.

Twenty minutes later, she and Jordyn were cruising down Grant Avenue, the air conditioning in Julie's car on full blast. The change in scenery seemed to be doing Jordyn some good, but Julie had brought along another frozen wash cloth just in case.

She and Jordyn went into the restaurant, and Julie endured a brief pang of nostalgia at the sight of the boy behind the counter, wearing the exact same dorky paper hat Matt used to wear.

Standing in line, she looked up at the menu and chewed her bottom lip contemplatively. It was the lunch hour, and the line was lengthening steadily behind her. A couple of construction workers came in, sweaty and tired, looking relieved just to be inside for a few minutes.

Julie looked back up at the menu. She knew someone else who was probably hungry right about now.

She finally made it up to the counter and ordered, managing to carry the food back to her car without dropping it or the baby. A couple of the customers looked at her a bit strangely, which confused her until she realised that they probably thought that Jordyn was her baby. She rolled her eyes.

Julie drove out onto the highway, sipping her chocolate Swizzler and sneaking fries from the bag of food on the seat beside her. Jordyn was blessedly quiet the entire way, her agony apparently on hold for the time being.

She turned onto a back road, with only a vague idea of where she was heading. A few yards down, a red sign in the shape of a bull told her she was heading in the right direction.

Julie pulled up in front of Riggins' Rigs and parked her car. She scooped Jordyn up out of her car seat in the back, trying to shield her eyes from the bright sunshine. Bypassing the front of the shop, she headed into the garage itself. A familiar pair of long legs were sticking out from under a rusting Cavalier. Tim was singing (if his low, off-key mumbling could be considered singing) along to the battered, duct-taped radio propped on a nearby chair.

"Hey," Julie said, reaching out with a foot and tapping one of Tim's boots. There was a pause, and then he pulled himself out from under the car, squinting. When he saw it was her, his lips curved up into a small, pleased smile. Julie looked away, back over at her car, to hide her own smile.

"Oil need changing?" he asked.

"Jordyn and I were going a little stir crazy, so I thought we'd come over and visit," Julie explained as Tim sat up, cleaning his hands off with a rag.

"Sweet," he replied. "Little Jay can go see her daddy, and you and I can go grab a bite to eat."

"I'm two steps ahead of you, actually," she replied, turning away and walking back towards the car. Opening her door and leaning in, she retrieved the food she'd brought with her. "I got Billy something, too."

Tim followed her, grinning. "You're gonna win him over yet," he said, taking the food off her hands. Julie frowned as Tim took the food into the office. Did she need to win Billy over?

After leaving Jordyn and a spicy chicken sandwich with a delighted Billy, Tim led Julie around the back of the garage to where his truck was parked in the shade of a giant old oak tree. He opened the tailgate and hopped up, patting the truck bed beside him, which was covered with an old tarp. Julie climbed up, accepting the hand he extended her.

They ate in silence for several minutes, sweating in the intense heat and listening to the raspy noise of grasshoppers in the empty meadow behind the garage.

"It's nice back here," Julie said, sipping her Swizzler. "It's very peaceful."

"I love it," Tim replied around a mouthful of fries. "I could spend all my days back here, just sitting."

Julie glanced sideways at Tim, studying him.

"Have you ever read anything by Henry David Thoreau?" she asked.

"Dunno," Tim shrugged. "Did we read him in school?"

"I did, a little, but we had different teachers, so I don't know if you did or not. You should check him out; I think you'd like some of his work."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Tim regarded her for a moment before smiling and looking away, back out at the waving grasses and wildflowers before them.

"People don't usually recommend books to me," he said, after a long pause.

"Do you like to read?" Julie asked.

He smiled at her. "Not really. But thanks anyway."

"Well, I think you'd like him," Julie said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and looking away. "Maybe I'll read something of his to you."

"Like a bedtime story?" he asked, squinting at her.

Julie laughed. "Something like that, sure."

Tim smiled and leaned towards her, cupping her jaw in one hand and pressing his lips against hers.

"Mmm," Julie said, pulling away a moment later. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Burger."

"Sorry," Tim said, not sounding remotely apologetic.

Julie watched as he dug back into his burger with gusto.

"Seriously, though, how can you eat that?"

"What?"

"Your burger."

Tim looked down at his lunch suspiciously. "Something wrong with it?"

"Nothing except that it's the remains of a dead animal."

Tim smiled at her before turning away and taking another bite. "Nah, that doesn't bother me."

Julie shrugged, sipping her Swizzler. "Hey, I've been meaning to tell you. I have to drive down to Houston this week to register for my classes, do all that stuff."

"You can't do it online?"

"I can, but my mom is convinced that we should go down there and check it all out so I'm not overwhelmed when school actually starts," Julie said. "Her words, not mine."

"So she's taking you down there?"

"Yeah, I think it's gonna be like a mother-daughter thing or something. It works out all right, though – we'll be gone for three days but Mindy told me she's not working."

Tim nodded, finishing off his burger and tossing the wrapper into the paper bag sitting between them.

"Thanks for lunch," he said. "That was real sweet."

Julie shrugged, self-conscious. She'd done it on impulse, but bringing him lunch was a pretty girlfriend-y thing to do. He didn't seem bothered, though, judging by the way he stretched back and reclined on the tarp in the back of the truck, closing his eyes and groaning.

"You gonna sit all the way over there, or are you gonna relax and get some sun?" Tim asked, his voice low and sleepy.

Julie looked at him, lying back with his hands behind his head.

"I'm not really wearing my best sunbathing clothes," she remarked.

"Whatever. Come here."

Julie moved and laid back next to him, closing her eyes against the filtered sunlight that came through the tree which shaded them. She relaxed as the warmth of the sun began to soak into her skin. Tim's arm came down and around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

It was a long time before either felt the need to speak again.

***

Two days later, Tim was on his way home from the garage, trying to think of a way to get Julie alone for more than an hour before she left for Houston. Billy would be home at the usual time until he went to pick up Mindy from work, and even though they both knew what was going on, Tim wanted some privacy for once. He loved Jordyn and Mindy both, but the Riggins household had gotten a lot more crowded in the last year. Besides, Julie had no idea that Billy and Mindy knew, so she probably wouldn't be real keen to be alone with them in the house.

Shifting gears as he pulled off the main drag and into his neighbourhood, Tim had a thought. They could go for a drive, couldn't they?

He arrived a few minutes later, parking his truck in the driveway. The sky above was blue and cloudless, and it promised to be a nice night, warm and breezy. Tim knew just the place to take her.

He entered to find Julie reading on the couch, and Jordyn playing quietly in her playpen.

"Hey," Julie said, not taking her eyes from her book.

"Hey," Tim replied, dropping his keys and heading over to say hello to Jordyn. "How was your day?"

"Same old. Yours?"

"Not bad," he said, walking to the kitchen to get a beer. "Listen, you're heading to Houston with your mom tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

Tim nodded, considering this. "Billy shouldn't be too much longer. Wanna go for a drive once he gets here?"

Julie frowned. "Won't that seem kind of weird?"

"Nah. He doesn't really care what I do."

Julie stared at him for a moment, looking confused, but didn't press the issue. She sat up, tucking a bookmark into her novel and setting it aside. They watched TV until Billy got home, Julie insisting on sitting alone in the chair rather than with him on the couch.

For Julie's benefit, Tim fed Billy some bullcrap about taking her to pick up an antique cabinet for her mom. Billy just rolled his eyes at Tim behind Julie's back and changed the channel to baseball.

They drove out to the cliffs on the western edge of town, although Tim was disappointed to see that the tumultuous prairie sky was beginning to darken, clouds gathering on the horizon.

As he parked the truck, Julie gave a short little huff of laughter and he turned to see her smirking at him.

"Is this like, your version of lover's lane or something?" she asked, glancing out the windshield at the cliffs. A few tiny raindrops spattered the glass.

"Nope," Tim shrugged. "I like to come out here when I need a little me time."

"A little you time? Why'd you bring me out here, then?" Julie was watching him, her voice amused. The rain fell harder, rattling noisily on the truck roof. So much for showing off his golf skills.

"Just wanted some privacy before you take off on me for three days."

"Take off on you?" Julie repeated. Tim sent her a sidelong glance. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. It bugged him when she said one thing but it seemed like maybe she meant something else, like she was probably making fun of him.

Not knowing what to say, Tim went with merely staring across the cab at her, pinning her there with his gaze, until she blushed and looked away, out the windshield, which was quickly growing foggy with their breath.

"Come here," Tim said softly, leaning closer to her. She looked back at him, her dark eyes watching him uncertainly. She shifted over until she was close enough to him that he could count the light freckles dusted across her nose. He smiled, leaning in to press his lips against hers.

They kissed that way for a while, gently, while listening to the sound of the rain. Julie shrugged off her unzipped hoodie and pulled him close by the lapels of his shirt. Tim slid his hands down her arms and sides to her front, giving the waistband of her jeans an impatient tug.

"Hold on," Julie breathed, sitting up and kicking off her shoes and jeans. Tim pulled her towards him, into his lap, wedged between his body and the steering wheel. Good thing his truck was roomy.

"Um, this is kinda... exposed," Julie whispered, the last word coming out in a breathless sigh as Tim pressed a kiss to her bare clavicle. Tim glanced up to see her looking worriedly out the driver's side window.

"No one comes out here except me and the jackrabbits, and even if someone did come by, the windows are all fogged up."

"Right, because that's not a dead giveaway."

"You know what they say. If the truck's rocking..." he said, laughing as he was interrupted by the sharp pinch Julie delivered to his side. Done abusing him, Julie pressed her lips to his again, breaking the kiss only to tug her shirt over her head. Sliding a hand down, she popped the button of his fly, her warm fingers brushing against him. He jerked, shivering at her gentle touch.

Reaching for her bag on the seat, she found a condom and rolled it onto his hard cock. Tim grunted, watching her serious face as she shifted her hips, wrapping her hand firmly around him. Julie Taylor was starting to surprise him.

"Always come prepared, huh?" he whispered.

She looked up at him, her eyes round and her cheeks flushed. Her brow creased, and she opened her mouth as though she was going to say something. Instead, she leaned in and kissed him firmly, taking him inside her with one awkward movement. Tim's head fell back against the back window with a thud. He buried his hands in her hair, groaning as she rolled her hips into his.

It went on that way, slow and silent and strangely tense, each of them breathing the other's air, Julie's eyes squeezed shut and Tim's wide open.

He watched her, loving the way she trembled and caught her lip in her teeth as she came, her hands gripping the back of the seat as she choked out a soft moan. He followed right after, holding her close and breathing hard against the sweat of her skin.

It was close and damp in the truck, and Tim could feel sweat rolling down his back. He reached over and rolled his window down, allowing the fresh, rain-washed air into the truck. Julie sighed and leaned into him, her head dropping to his shoulder.

"Hey," Tim said gruffly, nudging her.

"Hm?" He had discovered that he was fond of her when she was like this, right afterwards, when some of her attitude rubbed off and she became sleepy and a little sweet.

"Remember the last time we got caught up in a storm?"

He felt her smile against his neck. "Yeah. My hero." She shivered against him, and Tim felt goose bumps rise on her arms.

"Cold?"

"No," Julie said quietly. "Well, a little. I feel very... naked."

A beat. "You are naked, Jules."

She gave a tired little laugh. "I know."

"Here," Tim said, groping sluggishly across the dim cab to find her shirt. He helped her pull it back over her head, a little sorry to watch her bare skin disappear.

She shifted out of his lap and Tim watched as she retrieved the rest of her clothes from the floor and slowly put herself back together.

"We should probably get back," Julie said, running a hand over her messy hair. "I'm sure Billy already thinks this is totally weird."

Tim couldn't help himself, and chuckled.

"What's funny?" Julie asked.

"Nothing. I mean... Billy knows, Jules."

She blinked at him, her face colouring. "He does?"

"Yeah, he kinda overheard me talking to Street, and then Mindy heard us talking-"

"Street? As in Jason Street? You told Jason?" Julie squeaked, her voice rising. "Wait – Mindy knows? Tim!"

"What?" Tim laughed. "What's the big deal?"

"Oh my god," Julie groaned, burying her face in her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

"What's so embarrassing about it?" Tim asked, frowning.

"I'm the babysitter, Tim. It's just... It's gross. And clichéd."

"Gross and clichéd," Tim repeated.

"I don't mean you," Julie grumbled.

"Yeah." They regarded each other silently for a moment before Julie sighed wearily and looked out the windshield, her arms crossed over her chest. Tim started the truck, and they drove back into Dillon without speaking. The rain fell noisily the entire way, making talking pretty pointless, anyway.

Tim turned onto his street and pulled up alongside Julie's car, letting the engine idle.

"So," Julie said, looking across the cab at him, "see you in a few days?"

"See you in a few days," he replied.

Tim was about to lean in to kiss her goodbye, but she turned away, hopping out of the truck and into the rain. She dashed across the rain-washed street and into her car. Tim watched through the bleary windows as her headlights lit up, and she pulled away, disappearing into the night.

He stayed put, and didn't move to pull into the driveway until someone else turned onto the street, and honked.