The One Place by Laurel Curtis

seein’ a lot of you.”
    Done with this conversation, I smiled and spoke cheerily. “Ok, great! Well, I’ll just go put your order in then. Let me know if you need something else.”
    I managed to serve his food and finish waiting on him without having any more awkward conversations. When he left, I had a little lull so I caught Ruthie in between a couple of her tables.
    “Oh, Ruthie, by the way, I wanted to say thanks for the phone. Tuck gave it to me yesterday.”
    Ruthie looked confused and said, “What are you talkin’ about Nattie?”
    I continued talking, not even acknowledging what she said. “I know I shouldn’t have been wandering around this long by myself without a phone, even in a relatively safe place like this. And I get that you were worried and all but I’ll pay you back-”
    She cut me off by saying, “Geez, Nattie. For somebody so smart, you can be really dense sometimes.”
    Okay. Now I was really confused. How had I offended her? I started to shake my head when she said, “Nattie, I didn’t get you that phone.”
    “What do you mean you didn’t get it for me? Tuck said-”
    “Yeah, Tuck said. Nattie. Tuck got you that phone. Tuck’s gotten you everything. The apartment, the furniture, the phone, everything. I can’t believe you didn’t figure this out by now.”
    “But, I don’t get it. Tuck doesn’t like me. I annoy him every time he comes in here. Sure we play with each other, but we’re just messing around. Why would he do all that for me? He just met me for God’s sake.”
    She rolled her eyes. “You think that’s Tuck not likin’ you girl? You’re crazy. You see him payin’ that much attention to anyone else?”
    Actually, no. Tuck never paid attention to anyone else. He always sat in my section and always seemed to enjoy goading me thoroughly. He also spent the day with me yesterday, getting to know me but not pushing me too far. All the conversations we’d had started to flash through my head like a slideshow.
    Natalie Jenkins. I’ll be sure to remember that.
    It’s just that you’re awful cute when you get on a tear.
    Always make time to come see you, Babe.
    Though, I’ll say, whether you’re wearin’ those shorts or not, guys are starin’ at your ass. I know I am.
    Well, I missed you, Talie.
    As long as you weren’t lookin’ for me and thinkin’ I stood you up.
    Ah, a man after my own heart. You have no idea.
    Well, I’ve gotta go around to a few different spots helpin’ people with stuff I promised I’d help ‘em with, but I thought maybe you’d wanna go with me.
    Looks like you met your match, honey. She took your shit and fed it right back to you. Get over it.
    I think I might’a underestimated you a little bit. I like it.
    This is Hatch. He’s a gelding, he’s not too temperamental, and we had a talk about him bein’ real careful with you.
    No problem, Babe. I don’t ever wanna do anythin’ that’s gonna make you react like that.
    Oh my God. Tuck liked me?
    “I see the light’s starting to dawn. I tried to talk to you about this the first time you met him, but you kept brushing me off. Tuck used to be playful all the time. Always bustin’ on people and havin’ a good time, until his sister left. I hadn’t seen him like that until the day you walked in here.”
    Wow. That was huge. I probably should have listened to Ruthie a long time ago. Oh well, wouldn’t do me any good to dwell.
    “He comes in here almost everyday-”
    She nodded. “He comes in here for you.”
    I had to see him. I didn’t even know what I would say, but I knew I needed to see him. “Where is he? Where would he be right now?”
    John, who had obviously been listening in on our conversation (and so had everyone else, I noticed when I took in the room) answered, “Heard one of his horses broke through the fence, so I reckon he’s out fixin’ it.”
    I looked out the window and then back at John. “But it’s pouring outside.”
    He shrugged and said, “Don’t