Free Autumn by Sierra Dean Page B

Her own mother hadn’t begun to search for work in town, making it impossible to compare notes on parental jobs. Sounded like the paper mill was looking likely, which was a heartbreaking idea since her mom was more the creative type than the worker-drone type.
    Cooper didn’t stop at the station, continuing their brief tour of her new hometown. They drove past an outdoor basketball court, a library and a small, sad-looking bar, then last but not least was the big white church. Aside from the school, it was the most impressive building she’d seen in Poisonfoot. The paint was brilliant and white, and the flowerbeds were neatly organized with red and white petunias.
    The truck turned away from the church and back towards Main Street. Cooper glanced at her and gave a small shrug. “I told you it wasn’t very impressive.”
    “It’s nice,” she said. “I think I might like it.”
    He laughed, a bright, warm sound. “You think?”
    “Maybe.”
    “Well, it’s a start. What do you want to do now?”
    Lou shrugged, her flirtatious bluster lessened by his closeness to her. “What do kids do for fun around here?”
    “Leave.”
    She chuckled at him, but his serious expression stopped her. “Leave where?”
    “If you’re not old enough to vanish completely? There’s a little lake about twenty minutes from here.”
    “Is it, like…the parking spot?” She put some extra emphasis on parking , hoping he wouldn’t make her spell out what she meant.
    “Yeah, I guess. But it’s a lot of things. Swimming hole, picnic place. There’s a nice gazebo. In the summer you can rent canoes and stuff, but they shut that down the last week of August.”
    “Oh, so it’s an actual hangout.”
    “Did you think I was going to drive you up to the make-out spot after knowing you less than a week?”
    She hoped he was too focused on the road to notice the slight choking sound she made when she forgot how to swallow. Her cheeks felt hot, so she leaned towards the window to let the fresh air waft over her. “No, of course not.”
    Cooper turned off the main street and onto a dirt access road leading into a stand of trees. She figured he was going to take her to the lake in spite of no official plan being made. She liked that he was decisive and didn’t wait for her to ask outright.
    “So you were talking to Archer,” Cooper said after a long pause. Since it wasn’t exactly a question, Lou wasn’t sure if he wanted her to respond.
    “Yes?” She turned from the window back to him. “What’s up with him? He seems like the All-American cowboy prototype. Like… too perfect.”
    Cooper laughed. “Too perfect? I think you might be the first person to ever say the word too in front of it. Usually he’s the poster child. Other parents say stuff like can’t you be more like Archer ?”
    “Your mom says that?”
    “No. I think she’s the only parent in town who isn’t madly in love with him.”
    “Isn’t that a bit weird? The sheriff not liking the town’s golden boy?”
    “Maybe it’s a women’s intuition thing?” He smiled at her and turned the car down a second, smaller road. “I tend to think my mom is a bit too judgmental, but she’s usually right. I don’t know what Archer ever did to make her not like him, but she’s not a fan.”
    The truck bobbled along, rattling on the dirt and gravel as they bumped their way towards the lake.
    “You didn’t answer my question though. What’s his deal?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “His story. Like…who is Archer?”
    “Senior. Captain of just about every sports team.” Cooper’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he spoke, and Lou watched as his knuckles turned white. “You could say he’s a popular guy.”
    “Just not with you.”
    Cooper cast a glance in her direction then returned his attention to the bumpy road. “No one really cares what I think.”
    “I do.”
    He slowed the car down, making the jostling sensation harsher, and Lou bounced in her seat