With my head on a swivel, I search the overgrown foliage around me for whatever creature made the creepy sound. Golden leaves obscure a brown and white fur coat, and I raise my eye line slightly.
Two beady eyes cut into me as the creature chews on its cud.
Goat.
It’s a goat.
That’s not too bad. Goats are friendly, right? People do yoga with them and shit.
I can see my sister, Simone, rolling her eyes at my overreaction.You’ve lived in the city for too long, half-pint. Goats are nothing to freak out about.
Sure, goats don’t usually justhappen,but she’s right. I’m Jack Parker. I play hockey and get paid to ram into people for a living. Simple farm creatures don’t faze me.
My heart settles a fraction, and I finally bring myself to rap on the door, still very aware of what’s transpiring over my shoulder. If that goat comes for me, I’m busting through this door with no fucks to give.
The giant oak barrier creaks open, and Gus greets me, his eyes trained on his laptop, and brows furrowed. “Why did you knock?”
So, knocking was the wrong move. Noted.
“I—uhm.”I panicked. Aulie hasn’t talked to me in days, and I can’t handle her being mad at me. And, oh yeah, that goat in the bushes fills me with a significant sense of dread, and I don’t know why.
Nope. Can’t say that.
“I couldn’t open the door with my hands full.”
And yet, I knocked on the door…with my hand. Gus raises his gaze for half a fraction. He’s a literal genius, so he’ll see right through me.
“Whatever.” He shrugs. “Just come in. The last time Gio got into the house, he shat everywhere.”
“Gio?”
“Mr. Martin’s goat. You know, the farm by your sister, Simone’s house.” He nods over to the bush. “The thing keeps getting loose and wandering the town.”
“Ah.” I step over the threshold, and Gus shuts the door behind me.
“Did you get the ring?”
“Oh, yeah. Hold on.”
I fumble with my pocket, again proving I had a free hand, and pull out a box. The ring is a family heirloom that belonged to his Memere. Gus gave it to me when he picked Aulie up from Boston this summer, leaving me responsible for finding a jeweler who could refinish it before Aulie’s birthday. His Memere lost the stone in a grocery store years ago, and he couldn’t replace it then. But now, we’re both in better places financially, so we got it cleaned, resized, and added new diamonds and emeralds to it.
The jeweler at the store congratulated me on my upcoming engagement and complimented me on my taste. I didn’t correct him because that would have required further conversation on my part—a horrifying notion.
I glance around for Aulie, not wanting to spoil her surprise. “She’s in the family room playing the piano,” Gus says, sensing my hesitation.
I pass the black velvet box over to him. He peeks inside and breathes a sigh of relief. “Memere was so upset when she lost the stone,” he says. “I wish I could have gotten it fixed for her, but Aulie will love it. Thanks again for helping.”
“Oh, yeah. No problem.” I shift my weight.I’d do just about anything to make your sister smile.
“Aulie did a lot for me this summer, and you two have been through hell. Just happy to help.”
“I should probably go hide it while she’s distracted. Be right back.” He turns briefly. “Beer’s in the fridge. Aulie said dinner would be ready in an hour.”
Inhaling, the smell of cloves and allspice fills my lungs. God bless the Desfleurs’s family cooking. It is a genuine weakness of mine. When Aulie was over this summer, I basked in the scent of it blanketing my apartment with a warm coziness. Whenever I’d wake up from a heavy nap, onions cooking in butter or some other comforting smell would welcome me and I would escape into a momentary piece of paradise.
She gave me heaven, and I threw it away with one lift of the stick.
The thought sinks like a stone in my stomach. I need to make amends somehow. Even if the pizza isn’t enough, I’m stuck in Chawton Falls for forty-some-odd days.
