Louisa's POV
Having spent an hour in Colt's studio, I became overwhelmed by the large volume of his innovative ideas and his great craftsmanship.
Colt's really a man of extraordinary talents. He was able to bring basically everything in his mind to life through the dexterity of his hands.
At the same time, I had to admit that I didn't see any of them could be put to use in real life, though.
I wasn't sure if people would buy a pair of scissors that couldn't cut anything or a pair of roller skates that couldn't roll. I knew they could sing beautifully to you when you're alone and help you clean the floor faster than ever, but still...
The only thing I was sure of was Darren looked much more comfortable when he was around Colt. I could even see sparks of amusement in his eyes when Colt was showing off his designs in front of him.
That was definitely a good sign.
Anyway, the enthusiasm in Colt's eyes made me wonder if I was being too stereotyped and judgemental against his designs, which was exactly why I couldn't become a designer like him.
After wrapping up some tools in a giant toolbox, Colt disappeared a few minutes and then bounced back.
"Here, take it!" He said as he shoved me some clothes.
I carefully held them in my hands and frowned.
"Is this some sort of magic flying blanket in a form of dress?" I asked.
"Mmhm, interesting idea. I've never thought of that before..." Colt said while rubbing his nose.
It seemed that he had already gone into a dreaming mode. Apparently, he was really considering the possibility of making a flying blanket in his mind.
I didn't want to interrupt him, but I didn't know what to do with the clothes in my hands.
"So... What's this?" I asked in a quiet voice.
Colt abruptly woke up from his daydreaming and said, "Aha, sorry. That's just some of my clothes. If you don't mind, you can wear them."
"Colt, thank you very much, but you don't have to..."
Colt smiled and said, "You're lucky because yesterday was my laundry day. I washed and ironed them very carefully and I used my favorite lavender detergent. You can change behind the shelf. "
I nodded with appreciation and said, "I know what you mean, and thank you for being so considerate and generous. But the thing is, I'm making some ham now and I'm going to trade them for clothes in the village..."
"Yeah, you do that. But now, you're going behind that shelf and taking as much time as you can to change. So I can have a conversation with Darren." He winked at me and almost pushed me behind a shelf.
I sighed and quickly took off the rag, which barely covered my body, and put on Colt's shirt and pants.
As I was changing, I overheard fragments of Colt's speech.
"... Can you believe it? They do it in front of my face, as I wasn't there. It was outrageous! So I told them to stay away from Mrs. Flynn, but they kept coming back. They told me to stay away from this, but I was like, uh-uh, over my dead body. They're hooligans, but I can be bad, too. Like, really bad."
Darren's voice appeared, "She's going to be bedridden in a year or two. What are you going to do?"
Colt said, "I'll get the lease next month. As soon as I get it, I'll build a big house on this premise and I'll let Mrs. Fly move in with me. I'll never let her nephews hurt her... Zowie guacamole! Who is this?!"
I walked out from behind the shelf and stood in front of Darren and Colt.
Colt's clothes were oversized for me. I looked like a tiny puppet in baggy wraps.
Embarrassed, I tried to hide behind the shelf again but was tripped by the long pants.
Darren and Colt both grabbed each of my arms and pulled me against them.
I felt so awkward standing between them.
"Be careful, little she-wolf." Colt lowered his head and smiled at me.
Darren kneeled in front of me and tried to roll my pants for me.
"I'll do it myself..." I said and tried to step back.
But Darren didn't seem to listen to me and kept organizing the pants on my legs.
Colt stood behind me and helped me to roll up my sleeves.
I wasn't quite comfortable being dressed up like a doll by two men, but Colt blocked my way.
I got nowhere to hide.
"Ta-dah! Done! Golly, girl, you need to eat something. You look like one of those skinny boys working on the dock."
Colt looked at my bare feet and asked, "Where are your shoes, girl? I remember that you got a pair of boots when we walked here."
"They're broken. It's OK. I'll get another pair later..." I said.
Colt frowned, "But it's a long way home. What's your size? Let me run to the shoemaker's and get a pair of boots for you."
"Please don't do that, Colt. You've been so kind to me..."
"I insist."
"Colt, don't..."
As we were talking to each other, Darren held me up in his arms and put me on his back like a sack.
"Case closed," he said.
I didn't want to be handled like a rucksack, so I struggled a bit and said, "Put me down, Darren. I can walk. I've got feet..."
"But you don't have shoes," Darren said.
"Darren, you can't carry me up like this and take me to places. It's not fair." I placed my chin over his shoulder and protested.
He turned his head slightly and said, "Sorry, Lisa. I won't do it next time. But today, you have to let me carry you home. Please stay put, so I won't drop you."
I sighed and wrapped my arms around his body.
Darren pulled my legs and shifted me up a bit.
Then he looked out of the windows and turned to Colt.
"You'd better get an umbrella," he said.
"OK... But if my shoes are broken later on our way, can you carry me like that as well?" Colt asked with a pair of puppy eyes.
"I might carry you if you don't have any feet. So you can cut them off if you want." Darren said and walked out of the shed.
Colt exclaimed, "Hey, you don't have to be so cruel! Whatever, I'll make myself a flying blanket to carry me around instead!"