Black Rose

As my work shift came to an end, I removed my apron and began gathering my belongings. My coworker stuck her head out from the back, “Leaving already?”

I threw my purse over my shoulder and smiled her way. “You know it.” Quickly, I text my mom to let her know I was on my way. “See you on Monday, April!” She gave me a drawn out goodbye before I began my short walk home.

As I walked home, you could see the transformation from Summer to Fall because the leaves were slowly turning orange and red. The Fall breeze made me wish I had my jacket with me. Since I didn’t have my jacket, I crossed my arms and picked up my pace.

As I approached the house, I saw my mom engaged in a conversation with an unknown stranger. Mom never has company so I was unsure of what was going on. As I got closer, I also noticed a blue work truck in front of the house. I knew it had to be a work truck because the truck bed was filled with a ladder, lawn mowers, paint cans, and more.

Just as I stepped into the driveway, the passenger door swung open. My feet stopped as I waited for a body to emerge. Before, I hadn’t even known someone was in the car.

“Liana!” My mom called out to me catching my attention. “Come here.” I glanced at the truck once more before making my way towards my mom.

“This is Mr. Blackley.” She introduced as I stepped onto the first step of the porch. I put on my best smile and shook his large hand.

He was a rough looking man with an unshaven beard. The white of his eyes had visible red lines but despite his appearance, he wore a nice smile.

“I’m Liana,” I introduced, pulling my hand back. He gave me a simple, “Hi.”

“Liana, they’re going to do some work on the house.” My mom told me. My eyebrow lifted a bit.

“Ah, let me introduce you to my son.” Mr. Blackley nodded as he signaled towards the truck.

I didn’t quite get a chance to look at him earlier so I turned. He wasn’t much older than I, lean but perhaps well built underneath his black wifebeater. His hair was almond brown which curled slightly around his ears and hung over his forehead with two strands falling into his eyes.

“This is my son, Jamie.” Mr. Blackley informed us as he stopped next to his father.

Jamie immediately held his hand out to my mom. “Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

When he turned to me and held his hand out, I hesitated before taking his hand. “Nice to meet you, Miss.”

The corner of his mouth lifted revealing a faint dimple. Quickly, I tried pulling my hand back but he wouldn’t release his grip. He just stared mischievously at me. It wasn’t until his father spoke that he released me.

“We’ll work on the lawn today.” Mr. Blackley nodded, looking around. He seemed to nod a lot. “Tomorrow we can paint the side of the house like you requested.”

Jamie and I made eye contact. “Uh,” I quickly looked away. “I’m going inside now, Mom.”

She patted my shoulder as I walked by her. For some reason, I felt eyes staring at me. I wanted to look back but didn’t want to take a risk of making any more eye contact.

Just before I shut the door, I looked out one more time. Jamie had walked away.