Blessed Bovines, this took much longer than I had thought it would :| Unfortunately, we're getting close to finals in college, and everything's become very hectic. The only great thing about that, would be that the semester's almost over. Not to mention, I have to get a root canal done on the 6th (guess which event I'm anticipating more -..-). Please bear with me. I am trying to write and organize more, but things have gotten really crazy lately. I'm still trying though :) So...
Please do enjoy...
Cassie turned on the lamp beside her sofa, and Stan set her down on the sofa. He then sat at the foot of the sofa and proceeded to massage her feet despite the sandy grit that covered them.
"What was it this time, Sis?" Cassie asked with a sigh as she gathered some damp paper towels from the kitchen.
After heaving a few long breaths, Joanna replied with, "Did you see them? All of them? They were enormous! And there must have been 50 of them all there."
"Oh, goodness sakes, there couldn't have been 25." Cassie rebutted, handing the paper towels to Stanley. He accepted them without looking at them and began cleaning off Joanna's feet.
"And they startled me..."
"You tend to get startled when you slip off into your own world so often." Cassie replied dryly.
"And they all kept staring at me."
"Only just the one... and, well... you are a chick, and an aesthetically pleasing one at that. You should get used to that reaction."
"Enough." Stan said at last, still not stopping from his task. He looked down the sofa's length at Joanna. "You want me to beat 'em up?"
Joanna looked at him bewildered before laughing softly. "No. And I only say that, because I know if I didn't give you an answer you would definitely try it." That had been something Stan had always offered to his sisters. If someone bothers you, just say so and I'll beat 'em up for you. He would ask them that all the time. Kids at school calling you names? Want me to beat 'em up? One of your brothers hurt your feelings? Want me to beat 'em up? Boys pressuring you to date? Want me to beat 'em up?...then again, he never really offered on the last scenario...he just went and beat Justin to a pulp without bothering to ask her. It was so strange yet so refreshing to have something constant in this new place. She shook her head, rubbing her forehead with one hand absently. "It was just...there were too many of them all at once."
"You really didn't think you'd get over your anxieties all at once, did you?" Cassie asked, her tone softening slightly. She sat on the arm of the sofa behind Joanna's head and began to stroke Joanna's hair comfortingly. "Ducky-Girl, you've had this problem for a long time... it won't just go away."
"Not to mention the stress of moving to a new place so far away, trying to make something of yourself, and trying to establish a healthy social routine ... well..." Stan eyed her. "That may have been a bit... ambitious."
Joanna stared at him somberly. "You don't think I can do it?"
"I think you can do anything you set your mind to." He said, setting down her left foot and going to work on her right before looking back at her. "But... if you try all these things and get enormous stress from all of them... something's going to have to give."
"He's right." Cassie said, rising to pace casually in front of the sofa. "You're trying so hard at too many things. And let's face it; you've never been a social person."
"I think you should work on one thing at a time." Stan said with a nod. "Settle yourself into your new home, and establish a comfortable routine with work... that will provide you with a bit of confidence once you've accomplished that."
"And if that doesn't work?" Joanna asked, hating herself for sounding so whimpery—if that was a word.
"Then you call me, and I'll go with you in all social environments, and if anyone scares you... " He smiled down at her. "I'll beat 'em up."
Joanna chuckled a bit before letting out a relieved sigh. "Do you two have a place to sleep?"
"We have a hotel room." Cassie said.
"I can stay, if you'd like." Stan assured.
Joanna only thought about that for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I'll be fine."
"Yes... You will." Stan said with a smile. "Do you need anything else?"
"No."
"I'm going to give that fence out there a final once-over, if that's ok." He said as he rose.
"You're the one who's going to fix it." Joanna said, sitting upright.
"Well, while you're doing that," Cassie said, grabbing Joanna's arm and hoisting her into a standing position. "You can show me around."
"You've already seen the place." Joanna reasoned.
"Yes, but that was before you moved in."
Stanley didn't bother listening to the rest as he strode outside. He circled the outside of the fence, eyeing the wood negatively. "Most of the wood's rotten...would be better to just toss all of this and start over." He grumbled to himself. He didn't seem to take notice of the penitent wolf that was watching him under the cover of the woods. "I'm guessing I'll just have to do it all myself..." with a final grunt towards the fence, he turned and retrieved his twin.
Joanna felt so lazy. As she slowly opened her eyes and took in the room, she couldn't help but survey the clock is disapproval. That made two days that she'd slept well past what should be allowed. It was 9:37 a.m. and she felt as though she could roll over and sleep more. Honestly, what was wrong with her? ... well, other than travel lag, exhaustive unpacking, and panic attacks? She sighed and forced the covers back viciously. She could just hear hammering, meaning Stan was probably working on that fence. After a brief trip to the bathroom, making sure she was presentably decent and her teeth and hair were brushed properly, she trotted into the kitchen. She hustled to put on the coffee, opting for a full pot. She and Stan were both coffee drinkers.
"Stan, I am so sorry." She said prancing out the back door. "I've been so utterly lazy. Do you need any help?"
Stand looked over his shoulder at her. He was currently holding up a board that was being put into the earth. "Nah. Embry showed up and we've been making quick work of this." He muttered. "Considering the past couple of days, I kinda figured you might be whipped.
Joanna's brow drew into a confused frown. "Embry?..."
A dark head leaned from around the other side of the fence, causing her to jump back a bit in shock. " 'lo, Miss."
Flashes of the beach brought a pink blush to Joanna's cheeks. The man from yesterday...his voice was very young though. She hadn't noticed yesterday... well, she hadn't noticed anything but how imposing and massive he looked.
Stan turned more so that he could half face her as apposed to looking over his shoulder at her. "Yeah, Embry showed up really early... wanted to apologize for yesterday and offer any help we may need as a sign of neighborliness." His eyes looked somewhere between amused and cunning. Joanna made sure to match that with a 'you couldn't have mentioned he was here before I rushed out here in my night shirt and sweatpants', look.
"Oh..." Joanna said lamely, realizing she had to say something. "I uh... I have coffee on now, and I was wondering if you'd like breakfast?"
Stan smiled, nodding. "Sounds good. I had some when I woke up, but I wouldn't mind a refresher." He looked over at his coworker. "How about you, Embry? You want breakfast?"
"Ah...uh. I wouldn't want to impose." Embry said carefully, looking nervously between Joanna and Stan.
"Not at all." Joanna said with a smile, reminding herself that this was important. "Mama ingrained breakfast feasts into me, so it'll be good to have someone to share with... really." She motioned to the fence. "Besides, you should be paid for your work, and right now it is the only way I could pay you."
A tiny smile tugged at Embry's mouth before he nodded. "I'd like that."
"Alright then..." She looked to Stan. "Will Cassie be joining us..."
"No. She's at the office." He said nodding as he looked down at the ground where the post was now resting securely.
"Good. Alright then. I'll holler when it's ready." Joanna said cheerfully before swiftly trotting inside. Once the door was closed she released a breath. Ok... she could do this. All she had to do, was pretend she was cooking breakfast at home.
Embry sighed, looking after her. "She's still scared of me." He mumbled.
Stan didn't bother to look up from his task as he set the screw in place and began working it in with the automatic screwdriver. "Absolutely terrified." He said with a nod after the noise was done, still not looking up.
Embry looked down at him. "That doesn't bother you?"
"It bothers you?"
"Of course." Embry said, making sure he was holding the post steady, though he wasn't sure why. The concrete had long since dried at the base... just something to do.
"Why for?" Stan asked setting another screw in place.
"Because... I've... never had a girl be afraid of me."
"Bullshit." Stan grumbled, firing up the electric drill again.
"'Scuze me?" Embry asked, once the noise died.
Stan sighed, rolling his eyes. "Alright, maybe you've never had a girl afraid of you before, but that's not why. Don't give me bullshit answers, because I'm more than willing to call you on 'em." Stan stood up, gathering a few more boards to place near them for easy access. Now that the metal piece was screwed into the post they would have to screw the stabilizing boards into place.
"She's just...special, is all." Embry said at last.
"Damn right she is." Stan grunted, lining up a small board. Embry squatted down to help hold the board in place.
"I mean... I don't know. I want to get to know her better... and she's special."
"And pretty. And new. And when you first laid eyes on her your heart went pitter-patter, and your stomach flip-floped, and hell...I ain't discussing anything below that."
"Yeah, and she's terrified." Embry reminded, frustrated. "Even if it weren't for all those things, it don't sit right on my stomach knowing some poor girl's afraid of me."
Stan let out a long sigh. "You seem like a genuine sort. You come off as a good man, and it can be right-hard to find a fella like that these days." Finally his eyes rose to meet Embry's. "You hurt her... and, boy, I'll put a mark on you hell fire wouldn't burn away."
Embry wasn't really afraid of many things. Living as a werewolf/shape shifter, fighting against hoards of newborn leeches, facing down vampire royalty... all that and he never flinched. He swallowed harshly at Stanley's words...the prospect of righteous fury form her brother was a bit on the frightening side, but no where near as frightening as the prospect of earning that fury by hurting her.
"Anything you would do couldn't possibly be worse than actually hurting her, Stanley." He said evenly, somewhat surprised that his voice didn't crack. His throat sure felt bruised.
Stan seemed to consider this, his eyes narrowed. "It still stands." He said, his attention turning back to the task at hand. Embry knew he wasn't talking about the post.
The two worked steadily and in relative quiet (save for the noise of the drill of course) for the next half hour. They managed to finish the entire North section of fence (which lined up with the wall of the house) and then some, when Joanna finally came out to retrieve them. She'd tied her hair back in a ponytail and was now wearing light jeans with a black tank top with long purple sweater over it.
"I figured I'd just make this buffet style." She announced, handing them both empty plates and motioning to her counter. She had laid out platters of several sorts of breakfast foods on it.
"Does that mean... all you can eat?" Embry asked carefully.
"It had better." Stan said with a smirk, not hesitating to move first.
"You realize you may regret that offer." Embry said to Joanna with a grin.
She lifted her chin theatrically. "You underestimate my breakfast feast skills." She said loftily.
Oddly enough, she probably could've fed four or five members of the pack on the breakfast she'd made. There were large platters full of eggs – some scrambled and some over easy – breakfast sausage – both links and patties – hash brows, pancakes, one plate of toast, and a bowl of …of..
"What is that?" Embry asked.
"Grits." Joanna replied. "There's a bag of shredded cheese next to that platter. I wasn't sure if you liked grits or if you did, how you preferred them." Embry just stared as Stanley made a round, filling his plate. "What are you drinking, Embry?"
"Huh? Oh. Coffee's good."
"Alright. Black?"
"Yeah." he murmured as she sauntered over to the coffee pot. "You know," he called after her. "even with as big an appetite as I usually have, there's no way the three of us will eat all this?"
"True..."
"Maybe those buddies of yours that are loafing around, spying on us would like some." Stanley said, sitting down on the sofa.
Joanna and Embry exchanged a confused look before spotting Quil and Jacob out the window. They were looking at the back yard, chuckling and probably wondering where Stanley and Embry were now.
"I'm gonna kill 'em." Embry grumbled.
"No, don't do that." Joanna said shaking her head. "Fill your plate with food and then wander out there, all surprised and ask what they're doing." She finished with a smile. "They won't be able to resist the lure of food, and then you'll have a few extra hands for the job."
He looked down at her before smiling. "Devious. I like it."
Embry's trip outside actually went as Joanna had said it would... sort of. The fence crew increased by two, even if it meant more people in the small kitchen. Luckily, Joanna didn't mind anyone eating in the living room. She survived the sudden intrusions by focusing on eating her breakfast and letting the 'men folk' discuss the work for the day. At one point she felt eyes on her and found Embry staring at her. Swallowing her food she asked, "What?"
"You just devoured three sausages... like they were candy." he said with a grin.
"A girl can't have an appetite?" she asked, pretending to be offended.
"I said no such thing. Just...admiring that healthy appetite." He said turning back to his plate.
Joanna scowled at him for a moment, but he seemed to be making a point of avoiding her eyes. After a second or two, she let it pass. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the idea of being watched by anyone... much less admired. The only thing helping her not to panic was Stanely's presence... she doubted seriously that she'd be in such a stable mood otherwise.
"Man!" Quil sighed. "I'm stuffed."
"Good." Stanley said, standing up and stretching his arms carefully over his head. He had to be careful...otherwise he'd hit the ceiling. "Guess that means you're ready to work."
"...right." Quil's face fell noticeably.
"So, does that mean you're paying us in food?" Embry asked Joanna.
Joanna thought that over. Why would Embry ask that when she'd stated it so obviously earlier? Then she caught the eyes of Jacob and Quil, not very curiously fastened to her. "It only seems fair. I've nothing else to barter with." she said, and it was true. A well stocked fridge and freezer were all she had...that and family connections.
"Please." Quil said, standing as well. "We'd do it for free if you asked us." he said with a goofy smile.
Joanna shook her head. "Men who work should be paid for their work. I can't pay yet, so it's only fair that I feed you. Besides, happy workers work well."
"And a man's hardly ever happier than when a beautiful lady's cooked him a good meal." Stanley said with a smirk. "We'd better get this job finished as soon as possible anyway. Weather's gonna change soon." he said looking out the window.
"It is?" Joanna asked. "I still don't have the cable or internet hooked up yet, so I haven't been able to check the forecast."
Stanley eyed her a moment. "I thought you said the house was ready."
"Cable and internet aren't a necessity, Stanley." Stanley grunted noncommittally.
"He's right though." Jacob said. "You can almost taste the change coming. I'd bet it will be here before the weekend."
"It'll be here Thursday." Stanley announced before glancing at Joanna. "Hope you got your winter clothes unpacked."
"...but...July's only just ended."
Embry chuckled. "That hardly matters here. It's rarely this sunny out, but when it changes it gets cold fast."
"Perfect weather... for you that is." Stanley said, smiling at Joanna. He then opened the back door. "No time like the present to start."
"Where do you want these?" Embry asked Joanna as he gathered up the empty plates.
"Oh, uh, I'll take them." She said, almost awkwardly accepting the pile of plates from him. She couldn't help but notice that once he'd made sure the plates were securely in her hands, he backed off straight away and followed Stanley and the others out. Once the door had been firmly shut, she released a heavy breath. She really needed to get over this personality tick.
She stacked all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, berating herself (again) for not being able to socialize on her own properly (again).
Her cell phone vibrated, humming the tune 'Me? I'm a scene! I'm a drama queen. I'm the best damn thing that your eyes have every seen!'.
"Hi, Cassie." She answered, leaning against the counter and watching the guys working out the window.
"Hey, little sis. Listen, I've checked around and found the best deal for internet and cable - it's a bundle deal so you'll only have to pay one bill."
"...Uh... Cassie, aren't you supposed to be at the office?"
"I can multitask, hon."
Joanna smiled, unable to help the warm feeling springing up inside her. Cassie wasn't very similar to her, but she still had her own unique way of expressing her affection. "Right. Of course you can. You are female."
"Exactly!"
"So, a bundle, huh? I assume you have all the details."
"Well, of course, but I took my lunch break early and, I've only got a little time left to actually eat. I'll be coming over this evening anyway."
"I'm sure the boys will look forward to that."
"Boys?"
"Embry showed up early this morning to help Stanley with the fence. Jacob and Quil are here now too, after Embry showed off my breakfast."
"Aw, my baby sister, all grown up and taming the local males with food." Cassie cooed.
"Funny."
"Well, I'll try to break away early. Maybe I can help you fix supper, what with the increase number of guests."
"Thanks... that'll really help."
"Alright then. See you this afternoon!"
"See you."
It seemed amusing how everything was gaged by food. Breakfast was the first break of course, but that had Joanna quickly thinking about lunch. Supper would probably come later, but working men needed food to keep on working. She surveyed all the things in her fridge and quickly came to the conclusion of corn dogs. Mostly because she'd brought an enormous bulk box in the freezer, but also because it was the easiest thing in the world to fix. They were precooked and you could pop any number of them into the oven for about 20 minutes and voila! She checked the fridge and found a large jar of queso cheese dip, because she preferred flavored dip to non-flavored. Gauging by what the boys ate at breakfast, and already knowing what Stanley would prefer, she set out five corn dogs for each of the guys...well, except for her and Stanley. They would only need two.
Now that that was settled, she had to think of supper. With a sigh, she eyed the door to her 'home office'. There was no helping it now. Today was obviously going to be a day spent mostly in the kitchen. With another sigh she decided to call Cassie back. Maybe she'd have some ideas for supper.
Emrby stood up, rolling his shoulders back, surveying their work. Both sides of the fence as well as the corners were up.
It was Quil who gave voice to his thought. "How the hell did we managed to finish this all so fast?"
"Once the posts are in place it's fairly easy really, as long as there's plenty of hands to work." Stanley said almost dismissively, stacking more small slats of boards where they would be placed next.
"Yeah, but, I don't remember those posts being there..." Quil said, scratching his head.
"Come by here often, do you?" Stanley asked, still not looking up from his work. He had a habit of doing that.
"Uh..."
"There are paths through the woods." Embry covered quickly. "Short cuts and stuff. This place had a delapitated fence just yesterday..."
"Hey, doesn't the cement take hours to dry?" Quil asked.
"Yup." was Stanely's only response. There was a pause as the three guys looked at each other.
"Damn, man. How early did you get out here anyway?"
"Four."
"...You were here at four in the morning?" Jacob asked incredulously.
"Yup. Had to have the holes dug, the cement poured in, and the posts put in."
"That explains why they were all set by the time I got here at 8 o'clock." Embry murmured. "D'you figure we can actually finish this today?"
"If we work while we talk." Stanley said, eyeing them over his shoulder pointedly. It was a simple statement, not snide or angry. It didn't really need to be.
"Wait a sec... doesn't it take about a day for cement to really set?" Jacob asked.
Stanley looked over at him. "Quick dry."
"Oh..."
A strange shriek came from inside the house, and Embry had half turned toward it before he could stop himself.
"That's a happy noise." Stanley assured. "What!" He boomed, making the other three jump. His voice was deep, but when he yelled it was startling.
Joanna half leaned out the door, beaming like it was Christmas morning. "Rhonda's coming! She'll be here Saturday!"
"Fantastic. She'll be bringing your little monster, huh?" Stanley asked.
"The text didn't say!" Joanna was practically prancing in the doorway. "It just said she'd be driving my car here with the rest of my things."
Stanley nodded, going back to work. "I'd lay odds she'll bring all the stuff you left behind along with your car."
"I'm so excited!" Joanna squealed. "Oh! And Cassie said she's bringing supper!" with that she shut the door.
"Marvelous." Stanley muttered.
"Hey, if it's anything like those corn dogs we had for lunch, I'll be fine." Quil said. "Never thought of using that cheese dip we buy for the chips on corn dogs. That made it totally different."
"Cassie'll probably raid a local grocery store or something." Stanley before sighing.
"You tired, Stan?" Embry asked.
"Nah. Not when there's work that needs doing." He said jutting his chin to the opposite end of the fence. "Quil, Jacob, why don't you two start on that side. Embry, you and I can finish this side. We'll help them out as soon as we're through."
"Oh, you think you'll manage to finish first, huh?" Quil asked, trotting over to the left side of the yard. "Common, Jake. Let's smoke these guys."
Stanley smirked. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get the boys working.
"So, Rhonda?" Embry asked as he held one of the base boards in place.
Stanley started fixing the board in place before screwing it in properly. "Rhonda's one of my sisters."
"...you sure have a huge family, man." Embry said.
"You've no idea." Stanley said, moving on the next slat. He eyed the house for a moment before saying, "I'm really only the oldest of six, but there's a ton of littles that have come and gone... Mother's been in the foster home business for a long time now."
Embry thought that over for a second. "Oh... oh." He looked back at the house and imagined Joanna before comparing her to Cassie and Stanley. The twins looked similar. Not so much so that it was obvious, but they fit together as a set. Joanna looked nothing like them. "So... Joanna's-"
"One of our foster sisters." Despite his size, Stanley could move like lightning when he wanted to. While they were talking, he'd already fixed three boards into place. Embry had the monotonous job of holding them up while Stanley did the affixing.
"How many foster siblings do you have?"
Stanley snorted softly. "Too many to count. Mother just got three new littles in too. Two boys and a girl. That's not counting the bunch that're already there. We all work around the same field… usually with children, but Rhonda's an exception. She works with forensics… Still, we take just about anyone in. That is if they can't find them a suitable home, we tend to all take care of them. Mother's built up quite a reputation 'round her ranch in Oklahoma..." Stanley grinned.
Embry's mind raced. There were so many questions buzzing in his mind, even the whirr of power tools couldn't block them out.
The back door opened and shut as Joanna came back out again. She had her cell phone hand, but she froze for a moment, her eyes sliding between the two groups of working men.
"What?" Stanley almost sang out.
"oh." Joanna blinked at him and looked down at her phone. "... uh. Cassie. She wants to know if you prefer peaches or apples?" she said almost timidly. Stanley only raised an eyebrow in response. Joanna smile. "I'll tell her both." She paused a moment longer after sending the reply. Then she darted back inside.
"...uh...is that normal?"
"Hm." Stanley shrugged. "She got bit."
"What?"
"Act natural." Stanley said with a smirk. "And keep working."
A few seconds more passed before Joanna reemerged with an enormous spiral bound book. She pulled up a stool and sat before opening the book. With a black pencil in hand, she studied the men at their work again before scratching furiously at the notebook. After several minutes of steady work, and Embry pretending not to notice her, Stanley finally elaborated.
"Joanna's an artist." He said with a fond smile, still not looking up from his work. "When the artsy bug bites, she falls into a zone." He shrugged. "Even the most mundane things can set her off. Looks like she found the fence building stimulating."
"huh... So she's an artist."
Stanley nodded. "Mostly sketch work. But she uses markers too... to give her work life, she says."
At this point, Joanna was deeply submersed in her 'zone'. Every so often, she would look up and eye the men again, but for the most part she was completely captivated by whatever image she was trying to create.
"Can she hear us?"
"Hearing and being aware are two different things." Stanley said. "She can hear, but nothing short of calling her directly will get her attention now." Stanley smirked. "Why? You wanna talk about her like she isn't here?"
"Uh no...I just...uh...well, I thought I might be able to ask you some questions..."
"Her favorite color's teal." Stanley reported blandly. "Mostly cause she loves the water so much."
"...teal, huh? That doesn't seem like a very crucial piece of information." Embry said with a smirk.
"She's an artist. Color is important." Stanley bit back.
Embry sighed, his eyes wondering to her again. In a split second, her eyes moved up and landed right on him. Their eyes met, and he was surprised when she held his gaze. But after a moment, her eyes slid back down again, a pale blush adorning her cheeks. Embry swallowed thickly, surprised by the strength of the pull towards her. The effort to do nothing at all was staggering... even though he had no idea what he would do if he could.
"Damn if you don't have it bad, kid." Stanley muttered softly. "Don't forget to breathe now. Breathin's essential." Embry nodded, turning back to the fence and trying to remind himself how foolish he looked staring at her like a love struck pup. Thank God they were almost finished with this job.
Joanna set her sketch book down in her little home office. She was looking out her windows and just breathing. There were just too many strangers around, even with Stanley and Cassie's presence. She could pretend all she wanted that it didn't affect her, but it didn't mean her heart wasn't racing or that she wasn't having a hard time breathing properly. They had all eaten their supper, and the boys were showing Cassie their handy work in the back yard (even though it was getting rather dark out). She tried to reason with herself that she had plenty of time to herself all day while the guys were working... but it just wasn't the same as being totally alone.
"Taking a breather?" Stanley's voice was startling in the stillness.
"...how do you managed to move so silently?" Joanna said, sagging a bit.
"I'm a ninja like that." Stanley said with a shrug.
Joanna smiled. "I'm just...not used to them." She said with a shrug, hating the excuse for sounding so lame. "I-I am grateful that they were here though...otherwise this job would have been much harder for both of us."
Stanley only nodded sagely. "You know... I don't really know these boys from Adam, but... that Embry kid's a good guy. I'd trust him."
"Stanley...are you saying..."
"What I am saying for certain..." He murmured, taking a few steps closer to her. "...is that we do not want another repeat of the incident that happened a few months ago... do we?" Joanna had to blink away the tears before shaking her head. Stanley's voice eased in its tone slightly. "Maybe some of our siblings will move nearer to here. Maybe they wont. Either way... you need to work on building up friendships in this community." Stanley eyed her neutrally. "I'm just saying... you may have a good place to start building right there."
Joanna weighed his words, returning his gaze. "I see." she released a heavy breath before nodding. "I... I'll try..."
"Good girl."
Stanley and Cassie got into Cassie's car, a sleek coal gray Toyota prius, and were pulling away as Cassie waved out the window. Joanna had no idea where or when Jacob and Quil had shoved off, but she didn't really care at this point. Right now, she and Embry were on her front lawn... just standing there awkwardly watching Cassie's tail lights drift away. Joanna could barely look at him, her nerves were so bad. She had no idea what to say or how to say it. And looking at him would only make it more painfully obvious. She glanced over at him from the corner of her eye and realized that he wasn't as close to her as she thought.
"Uh... well.." Embry began, shuffling away. "I guess I'll see you... you know, around."
"I!" Joanna swallowed, trying to get rid of the cotton-mouth feeling. "I'm not...brave." She stuttered at last. "In fact I-I'm a real coward." She clutched at her own fingers to keep her hands from shaking.
"You don't have to be afraid of me." Embry said. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting again. A solid moment of silence passed before Embry said. "Breathe, Joanna." Joanna took in a deep breath through her nose and held it before letting it slide from her mouth. He smiled at her. "Breathing is essential."
She blinked, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "You've... be around Stanley too long."
"There are worse fates." He said with a shrug. He took a step closer to her, but halted once again unsure of what he would do if he were close to her. "You were saying? About..."
"Yes,.. I... I'm not brave... and I have a lot of excuses that I use to justify it, but... But I'm trying to be better about ...being so reclusive." Her eyes slid down to her feet. "Mama, and Stanley and Cassie...and everyone... they all think I need to work on building up my own sort of...network of friends... instead of having my family who I always hide behind..."
"I'll be your friend." Embry said with an easy smile.
Joanna's eyes widened again as she looked up at him. She wondered why his sudden offer startled her so much. She took another deep breath and held it before slowly releasing it. "I...uh, don't exactly have...the best track record with friends." She admitted ashamedly.
"You don't have to tell me everything all at once." Embry said, with the same laid back smile. "I'm more than willing to take things as they are now and learn more along the way."
Joanna nodded stuntedly "Right...well, uh. I was wondering if you were available Friday." She stopped when she saw a grin creep onto Embry's face. "that is...uh!" she motioned franticly over her shoulder back at the house. "I-I-I like to draw, and I can't really just...visualize people well, so I like to have references." She explained hurriedly. "I usually ask one of my brothers or maybe an uncle, b-but I thought if you weren't busy maybe-"
"I'd love to help."
She took in that answer before replying. "You... you really don't mind?" He shook his head with a shrug. "And you're free?"
"Free as a wolf." He smiled, trying to actually contain his enthusiasm. "I may not be America's Next Top Model, but I'll be yours."
Joanna smiled - actually smiled! - and nodded. "That's... that's good." She said with a chuckle.
"yeah... good." Another awkward moment passed before Embry asked. "About what time were you thinkin' -"
"Oh, uh..." she said lacing her fingers together and twiddling her thumbs. "Ten-ish?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright then... Friday." she said with a nod.
"Ten-ish." he replied.
"See you then."
"yeah... yeah see you."
Embry felt like howling as he ran through the woods, and he wasn't even a wolf! It wasn't like much headway had been made, but still! Something was better than nothing.
Aaand, there's the second installment :) Hope ya liked.