“I don’t know! I woke up to find all this.” Ottis gestured weakly. “Her digging sent dirt all over my face.”
Doc peered at Ottis more closely, swiping the dirt off his eyelids. “Did you swallow any?”
Ottis groaned. “Yes.”
“You poor thing.” Doc was grinning again. But unlike every other day, Ottis could see his smile through the translucent lace. It was amazing.
This unwound the anxious knot in his stomach. He drew his first deep breath in minutes. “Your smile looks good.”
Doc froze. Then he patted his own face, his fingers freezing over his lace mask. He looked self-conscious for a second. “You think so?”
Ottis nodded. Doc flashed a quick smile and pulled Ottis onto his lap, wrapping his arms around Ottis’ waist.
“I think we need a shower after having all this dirt scattered on us,” Doc said. “Marcie too.”
“My dirt is falling off me and getting all over you,” Ottis said awkwardly.
“It’s nothing compared to what’s already on me.” Doc gestured at the lawn holes on his side. “We’ve both been generously... sprinkled.”
“Like wedding rice,” Ottis blurted. “But with dirt.”
Then he slapped his hands over his face. It was one thing for Doc to talk about them being in each other’s futures, butgetting married?That was way beyond the relationship they had right now.
“Um, I said nothing,” Ottis squeaked.
Doc was silent for a few moments. Then he hugged Ottis tighter, his voice warm. “We can fix the holes together.”
“Oh, thank Mother Moon,” Ottis breathed. “I was gonna suggest plugging them next. Not like my hole, but you know, close.” He cringed at himself.
Doc laughed.
Marcie chose that moment to stick her head out of her current hole, barking excitedly.
“What is it, hon?” Ottis asked.
She climbed out of the hole and began to dig in a fresh patch of grass.
“I think she beat you on this,” Ottis said morosely. “Marcie: 2, Doc: 0. Remember what I said last night? I said she was gonna destroy your lawn. Maybe I jinxed us.”
“It doesn’t matter, either way. I’ll have it fixed.”
“That can’t possibly be cheap!”
“Eh.” Doc shrugged. “I could turn this into something else. It was getting boring with just grass everywhere. We could plant some shrubs in these holes, maybe wolfnip.”
Ottis’ breath caught. “Really?”
“Yes.” Doc looked thoughtful. “Maybe we can plant something different each time she digs up the lawn.”
That made Ottis’ heart stutter. “You don’t mind her... doing this again?”
“I don’t mind.” Doc grinned. “I was due for a change of pace, anyway.”
It was so kind of him. Ottis swallowed hard. “Well, you might be tied with Marcie on this, then. Marcie: 2, Doc: 1.”
“Sounds good to me—”
Scarcely had Doc gotten the words out of his mouth, when Marcie climbed out of her half-dug hole, her little body wriggling with excitement. She looked tired, but she wandered back to them with a happy grin.
