Eternal (Fragile Web 2)

Eternal (Fragile Web 2)
Mychael Black
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2024 Mychael Black

“Samuel!”

Sam shut his car door and forced himself to smile when his mother approached. “Hey, Mom.”

“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up,” she chattered as they headed for the house. “Your father hired a young man to help out for the next few months since you don’t come around as much anymore.”

Sam ignored the attempt to make him feel guilty. At this point, he was used to it. “Good. Guess I should meet him if he’s gonna be around.”

“His name is -- oh! There he is.”

Sam looked in the direction his mother waved. The closer their new farmhand got, the more Sam wanted to go the other direction before his interest became very apparent.

Tall. Tan. Long, golden blond hair. Dark blue eyes drew Sam in and wouldn’t let go.

“Morning, ma’am,” the hunk said. He met Sam’s gaze and held out his hand. “Cole England.”

Sam mentally kicked his brain into gear and shook the man’s hand. “Sam McIntosh. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Cole turned his attention to Sam’s mother, releasing Sam from the otherworldly spell. “Mr. McIntosh said you had an order for me to pick up at the co-op.”

“Oh, yes.” Sam’s mother tugged a piece of paper from her pocket and gave it to Cole. “Samuel, go with him. I’m sure he’ll need the help.”

Before Sam could argue, she hurried off to the house where his father stood at the door. Sam sighed and turned back to Cole.

“She always like that -- constantly on the move?”

“Worse, usually,” Sam said. “Guess we should head out.”

They went to the garage, and Sam grabbed the truck keys off a ring on the wall. He got in and waited until Cole buckled before backing out.

“She mentioned you but didn’t say much,” Cole said after a few minutes of silence. “You live in the city?”

“Yeah, my band plays all over Atlanta, so we figured it made sense to live in the area. Otherwise, I wouldn’t. Too damn crowded.”

“What kind of band?”

“Gothic metal,” Sam said. “My parents do not approve. What about you? You got family here?”

Cole started to answer, then stopped. He stared out the passenger window. “None to speak of,” he said finally. “I, uh, I’ve been traveling a good bit. Came into town a few days ago and found work with your folks.”

Sam nodded. “They aren’t giving you too much shit, are they? They can be… well, close-minded is putting it nicely.”

“Nah. I keep to myself.”

Sam wanted to ask how the hell Cole even got the job. His parents weren’t the types to just hire someone without all the proper vetting, references, and the like. He glanced over at Cole. The man still watched the land go by, as if he was lost in thought.

“Word of warning,” Sam said as he turned onto the road leading to the co-op. “My mom has a thing against redheads, so make sure any chicks you bring back aren’t reds.”

Cole chuckled but didn’t look at him. “Noted, but not an issue. I prefer my guys with dark hair.”

Sam nearly missed the turn into the parking lot. Shit.