Exmormon, a novel by C. L. Hanson

Gratuitous Love Scene

Interlude

All those phone conversations had given me the idea that I knew Rex well, but seeing him again in the flesh, it hit me that I really didn't. I'd only met him on that one brief occasion. He seemed taller than I remembered him, but it was probably because I hadn't really been standing next to him at all during that earlier visit to Jake's uncle's cabin.

Amy and Jake rushed to the back seat of the car and sat as close together as the seatbelts would allow, as I took the passenger seat next to Rex.

As soon as we were on the road, Rex turned to me and said "I'm sorry about the scheduling, setting out so late in the evening like this. My mom wanted to have a big family dinner for my first night back in town, and I couldn't get out of it. I had a hard enough time explaining why I wanted to sleep over at Jake's at my age, and I didn't want to push my luck."

"It's okay," I said.

"Perhaps I can take you out to dinner tomorrow night?"

"That would be lovely."

"We were lucky my uncle let us use the cabin at all," said Jake. "He almost didn't."

"You should tell him you want the cabin so you can go hunting," said Amy. "That would make him happy."

"Actually, that's what I told him."

"What?" asked Rex. "And he fell for that?"

"He believes what he wants to hear," said Jake.

"But he knows you've never done it," said Rex.

"Yeah, so what I told him was that you knew how to do it, and that you were going to teach me."

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EXMORMON

"What?!" asked Rex. "Jesus! Thanks for warning me! I hope he doesn't quiz me on it or something."

Rex thought about it for a bit, then smiled and said, "I know! If your uncle asks me about this later, I'll say that I had thought that you knew how to do it, and it was all a big misunderstanding."

Amy started laughing. "You guys had better watch it or he'll invite you both to go up with him one of these days and teach you both!"

"Hopefully I'll be back in California before that day of reckoning."

"Look, I'm sorry," said Jake. "It was the only thing I could think of off the top of my head when he was asking me why I want to borrow his cabin all the time."

"I'm not complaining," said Rex. "It's a fine excuse. It even explains why we have to bring these girls with us."

"I didn't tell him about the girls!" said Jake.

"After all," Rex continued still with a half-smile, "manly guys like us can't be expected to skin the carcass and cut it into cute little venison hamburgers and everything. That takes a dainty hand."

"I certainly do not know how to skin a carcass," I said.

"Me neither," said Amy.

"Hey, I thought you ladies claimed you were raised LDS," teased Rex.

"Yeah, but we're from Minnesota," Amy explained.

"Ah, well, in that case I guess we'll have to cross deer hunting off the agenda."

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