Fraying at the Edge by Cindy Woodsmall

Author:Cindy Woodsmall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2016-08-16T04:00:00+00:00

Abram’s face tingled from the cool air. The sun was hiding behind clouds, and he should’ve worn a coat, but he’d forgotten to grab it before leaving the café. The place was now closed for the day, but his sisters were still there, cleaning and reorganizing the work stations. He’d hurried out the door to go to Cilla’s without thinking about how cool it was outside.

The usually fleeting buggy ride to Cilla’s house felt more like a pilgrimage this time. Was it because he was eager to see her? He’d insisted she take off today except for going with him to the store to pick up supplies. The café needed staples, lots of them. But the need for supplies wasn’t why he’d asked Cilla to go with him. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to see her. He was almost glad Barbie had stood him up a few months back. Almost.

The scents of fall filled the air. The leaves had changed from green to reds and yellows, but now, on the last day of October, most of their beauty was muted by brown. Abram pulled his buggy onto Cilla’s driveway, parked by the shed, and walked to the front porch. Before he knocked on the door, she came out of the house.

Her smile was weaker than usual, and she moved slowly toward a rocker. “Good afternoon.”

“Hi.” Abram took her hand and helped her to the chair. “You all right?”

Her gentle smile didn’t falter. “Oh, definitely fine.”

“You don’t look it.”

She chuckled, and he heard a rasping noise. “I’ll give you a break, Abram, and pretend you didn’t say that.”

He grabbed a nearby rocker and turned it to face her before he sat. “You’re working at the café too much, aren’t you? And now you’ve agreed to go shopping with me.”

“Work has nothing to do with it. I arrive hours after you do and leave hours before. My lungs are giving me a bit of trouble today. That happens regardless of what I do.”

“Ya, maybe so, but you’re there from the time we open until we close, and work is tiring for those without breathing issues. You don’t have to do so much at the café.”

“Are you already getting tired of me?”

He smiled. “Not hardly. I just don’t want you doing too much.”

“I think overdoing it is going from having a full-time roofing job to working at a café and not having a social life.”

Abram gestured toward her. “This isn’t a social life?”

A hint of shyness briefly crossed her face. “Only a person who has never had a social life would have to ask.”

Abram laughed. “What about you? I don’t see you running around much.”

“My sister Barbie has enough of a social life for both of us.”

He’d rather avoid that topic. He studied Cilla. “Are you up to grocery shopping?”

She put her hands on the armrests and pushed, shakily getting to her feet. “Yep.”

Abram didn’t know whether to try to help her or not. Sometimes pulling on a person hurt more than helped.

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