This elicited a chuckle and a swat from Alice. "Hush, you're going to scare Eden away."
Bill turned and winked at Eden, letting her know he was teasing.
Well, I guess I know where Rudy gets his easy-going, joking nature from.
Before long, they were seated at the table, and Eden did her best not to stare at Rudy across from her. When she did happen to glance at him, he quickly looked away. Despite the mouth-watering roast beef that sat in the middle of the table, she could smell Rudy's shower gel, and it did funny things to her insides.
Light-hearted conversation flowed around the table as they ate, and Eden joined in the laughter when Rudy recounted how he spent his afternoon.
He shook his head and waved his arms as he talked. "I swear that forklift operator had no clue what he was doing. He knocked the first porta potty off the trailer when he put the second one on. Then it took him three tries to get the last one seated properly."
No wonder he was so eager to take a shower when he came home.
Bill then told them about the massive wasp nest he uncovered as he took down siding in preparation to build an addition onto an older home. His voice was animated, and he waved his arms almost as much as Rudy did when he told his story, but Eden didn't laugh this time. There was nothing funny about bees and wasps.
Rudy must have noticed her lack of a reaction because he looked at her until she made eye contact with him. Twin lines formed between his eyebrows as he regarded her.
Was he remembering her going into anaphylactic shock a little over a week ago? She couldn't decipher exactly what his look meant, but she recognized the empathy and compassion in his eyes.
"It's a good thing you weren't there, Eden," Alice said. "Can you imagine if you'd gotten stung again?"
"I would have freaked out at the first sign of a wasp." Eden shuddered. "I'm constantly on the lookout for them and bees, believe me. And nuts. I'm allergic to nuts too."
"I'll be sure to remember that," Alice said.
Eden half expected Alice to share her day next and explain how she dragged Eden home like a lost kitten. Thankfully, Alice said nothing of the sort, and no one asked Eden what she did that day.
"I took a bath," would sound extremely lame after stories of battling wasps and porta potties. Unless she included the part where her bath got interrupted by a shirtless man.
Rudy was the first to finish his dinner. He rinsed his plate and loaded it in the dishwasher, then he grabbed a set of keys off a hook and looked at his parents. "I'm going to run down to the hardware store and see if I can find some new locks for the bathroom doors." The tips of his ears reddened when his gaze slid to Eden.
She almost burst out laughing. Yes, she was still miffed about what happened this afternoon, but she found Rudy's embarrassment humorous.
Alice nodded. "Good idea. We don't want any more mishaps." As soon as Rudy walked out, she proceeded to tell Bill that Rudy had accidentally walked in on Eden when he came home from work. Alice brushed off the whole ordeal with a laugh and a wave of her hand.
Eden wished she could do the same. She wasn't sure Alice realized she'd been in the bathtub when Rudy walked in. And because she left Rudy's room so quickly, she didn't know that Eden confronted Rudy in his room wearing nothing but a skimpy towel.
Warmth flooded over her at the memory, and she picked up her water glass and drained it.
Once dinner was put away and the dishes were done, Alice followed Bill to the back door. "Would you like to come see our garden, Eden?"
"Um...sure." Eden had never taken much interest in gardening, but Kennedy had told her how she'd helped plant all kinds of fruits and vegetables in the massive plot behind the Wheeler's house. Her friend was anxious for the watermelons and cantaloupe to grow and ripen.
Eden's footsteps slowed as she followed Bill and Alice across the backyard that was every bit as colorful and beautiful as the front. She let her gaze roam over bushes, rows, and circles of greenery. This garden was huge!
While Bill pointed out all the different fruits and vegetables that they grew each year, Alice crouched near a large bushy, foot-tall bed of green leaves with little white flowers and began picking strawberries.
Eden followed Bill, listening for fifteen minutes, more amazed by the second. They grew such a large variety of produce, and the garden was immaculate. It's a good thing Eden had just eaten, or all this talk of fresh fruits and vegetables would make her hungry.
After her tour of the garden, Eden walked over to where Alice still picked strawberries. "Can I help?"
The older woman sat back on her heels and smiled. "I'd love some help." She pushed a bowl toward Eden. "Only pick the ones that are all red. And be sure to move the leaves aside so you can get the ones that are hiding down low." She demonstrated how to shift the leaves, revealing three fat, red strawberries.
Eden crouched then hesitated, remembering her last experience with fresh strawberries. She searched the leafy bed for bees.
"It's okay," Alice said softly. "The bees are most active in the mornings. That's why we pick berries in the evenings. Of course, we'll be fighting mosquitoes in about an hour."
"Okay." Eden nodded her head and reached for a ripe berry.
