“That’s the extremely simplified version, yes.” I stab at my dinner with more force than necessary. “But it’s not like I had a choice. Either I help tree boy, or I get sued.”
“Tree boy?” Eila grins from across Esther’s dining table. “Is he cute?”
“He’s a pompous ass,” I say quickly, trying not to think about how he looked in those glasses. Or why I’m interested in his buttoned-up mad scientist vibe. “Rich, entitled, probably never worked a real day in his life. You should have seen him robotically calculating damages down to the cent.”
“Yikes.” Eva winces. “That’s cold.”
“Right? And now I’m supposed to spend the next week learning his precious methods because apparently my twenty years of actual plant experience doesn’t count for shit.”
“Twenty years?” Eila’s boyfriend Ben asks mildly. He’s very literal.
“Fine, ten. The point is, this guy thinks technology is more important than good goat manure.” I take an angry bite of pasta. “He probably waters his houseplants with a measuring cup.”
“Okay, but Liza,” Eden says carefully, “if you destroyed his work, isn’t it fair that you help fix it?”
I glare at her. “Whose side are you on?”
“I’m on the side of you not going to jail,” Eden shoots back. “This could have been so much worse.”
“Could it?” I gesture wildly with my fork. “Now I’m stuck working with someone who thinks I’m some kind of hillbilly who doesn’t know science from sheep dung.”
“Do you know science from sheep dung?” Eila asks, grinning.
“I know enough,” I snap. “I’ve been managing ecosystems while Mr. Fancy Pants was still trying to figure out which end of a plant goes in the ground.”
Esther sets down her water glass with a sharp clink. “Eliza Storm, you are being ridiculous.”
“I’m being realistic.”
“You’re being defensive,” Esther corrects. “You messed up. This man is offering you a way to make it right instead of destroying your credit forever, and you’re sitting here acting like he’s the problem.”
“He is a problem. People like him always are.” I cross my arms. “Rich guys who think money and fancy equipment solve everything. He probably has no idea what real work looks like.”
“You don’t know that,” Ben says quietly. Eila’s boyfriend knows a thing or two about being misjudged. “Maybe give him a chance before you decide he’s terrible.”
“I gave him a chance at the permit office. He was a jerk then, too.”
“Wait…” Eva straightens up. “This is the same guy from downtown? The one who was arguing about permits?”
“Yep. My luck is just that good.”
“Okay, now it makes sense.” Eden laughs. “You’re embarrassed.”
“I am not embarrassed.”
“You totally are,” Eila chimes in. “You had a bad day, took it out on some random guy, and now you have to work with him. That’s mortifying.”
“It’s not mortifying, it’s—” I stop myself before I admit… yes, it’s absolutely mortifying. “Look, the point is I’m stuck. Ten days with someone who thinks I’m an idiot, doing work I apparently don’t understand, all because my stupid animals got spooked.”
“How did they get out, anyway?” Esther asks.
I shift uncomfortably. “Chiron found a rip in the temporary fencing and pushed on it. I knew it was loose, but I didn’t want to spend money on new hardware when the old stuff still worked.”
The table goes quiet for a moment.
“Oh, Liza,” Eden says softly.
“Don’t. I know it was stupid. I cut corners, and it bit me in the ass.” I push pasta around my plate. “Story of my life. Pathetic.”
