Divine Mortals Read Online Free Page B

couldn’t be angry, she was only doing what she thought would make things easier for me. I guess it couldn’t hurt to make a friend here.
    I was sitting outside a little later, sending a text message to Julia, when a beat up old red Mini Cooper come between the stable and the shed.
    Flicking my phone into my bag I took a deep breath.
    “Time to meet the locals.” I muttered.
    Sally swung out of the car, she was tall and very pretty with long blonde hair and a lean athletic figure, I was starting to wonder if all the young people here were some sort of super race where only the attractive thrived and the plain were tossed out, ha, not long till I would be deported then, the thought was strangely appealing.
    I stood, meaning to go and greet her, but her attention was caught by something off to her left, a smile instantly lit her tanned face and she seemed to carry herself a little more elegantly as she danced towards the cattle pens, my eyes moved in the direction she was heading.
    Robert was herding a number of large irritated looking red cattle into the far side of the pen. I hung back, watching from the porch, a little amused at the way Sally was ‘casually’ stepping onto the bottom rail of the pen so that she could look over towards Robert.
    “Hi Rob,” her pretty sing song voice traveled easily on such a still afternoon.
    I craned my neck until I could see Robert between the rails, I was guessing he wouldn’t ignore Sally, not many guys would.
    Robert looked up, he hadn’t noticed her arrive, or he had pretended not to.
    “Oh Hi.” his tone was a little reluctant but not rude, a step up from my greeting.
    “I haven’t seen you around much?” Sally was trying to keep it friendly and casual, but she didn’t completely succeed in hiding the desperation in her voice. I wondered if she knew before coming that Robert worked here and if so I guessed coming to meet me had probably more than appealed to her, perhaps her mother hadn’t had to pay her after all.
    “I’ve been busy here.” His answer was short and he was already swinging the gate shut behind the last of the cattle.
    “Oh yeah, my brothers have been busy at home too, it’s that time of year I guess?” she giggled flirtatiously, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes and smile, she was putting in a great effort, most guys would find it hard to resist.
    Robert, apparently, was not most guys.
    “S’cuse me,” he muttered, stalking off in the other direction. Sally watched him leave, her expression unshaken. Jumping down from the rail she headed back towards the house finally noticing me on the porch.
    “Oh hey,” she swooped in and hugged me, I froze instantly, I had always been a little awkward with hugs, especially from strangers.
    “Hi…” I sounded a little off after the surprise of her embrace.
    “So I was thinking,” Sally carried on unperturbed, “Maybe we could go to the diner for something to eat and I can fill you in on the boredom that is this small town.”
    Her smile was infectious and I felt myself returning her broad grin.
    “Sure sounds good.”
    I followed her back towards her car. The thing was even more decrepit on the inside, but it was also kind of cool, in a retro sort of way.
    I wasn’t given much opportunity to talk on the way to town, which suited me fine. Sally did more than enough talking for the both of us, pointing things out as we passed, telling me about the school. It was a lot to take in but I tried to remember the details she gave, I didn’t know yet how useful they might turn out to be.
    We pulled up right outside the diner, no problems with parking in the main street of Huntington, and piled out of her tiny red car. I hadn’t been into the diner for a few years now and could have laughed out loud had I not been nervous of being in new company.
    It was like something from a bad western movie, the tables were all square, set with blue and white checker cloths, a small salt and pepper shaker in the centre