“He did,” I admit, avoiding eye contact and giving the dining room wall a good stare down instead. “But he got halfway there and passed by one of the biggest nurseries in town. And they were running a sale on apple trees. Had them on display right out front,” I explain, annoyed about how this story ends.
And even more annoyed I have to tell it.
To Holly.
“And then he remembered how the kids were listing all the things they wanted to plant in the garden in the back, and how apples were high on the list. And now,” I stop to sigh dramatically, “here we are. With Jovi in the backyard planting three different types of apple trees with the kids. And blowing off a work thing to do it.”
Holly looks like she might burst if she holds back her grin any longer. “That must really piss you off.”
“I’m done talking to you.”
“You say that now,” she teases. “Wait until I’m gone and Jovi’s the only one left to talk to.”
“Do you wanna go to the airport now?” I offer, pointing at the door. “I know you have, like three days before your flight leaves, but I wouldn’t mind getting you there early if you’d feel more secure about making your flight that way.”
She just laughs and brushes by me on her way to the kitchen, and I’m guessing the back door. “Ah, Liz. One day, you’ll be laughing too. You’ll see.”
“Uh-huh.” The only thing I can see at this moment is the trail of dirt someone tracked in from the back door to the pantry. And then back again with a detour to the counter by the sink where the box of trash bags has been abandoned. Jovi then. Because he’s the only one who could have reached that box where it was in the pantry.
JOVI
“You look pissed,” I observe the second Liz steps outside to join us in the garden. “Is it because I tracked dirt through the kitchen?”
“So you were aware of it,” she clarifies what she undoubtedly already knew. “And you did nothing about it.”
“I did know,” I admit, grinning while I pick up the hose. I take a moment to fake her out, pretend like I’m about to spray her and thus earn another scowl before I go on, “And I didn’t do anything about it because I still have to go back in one more time. Figured I’d wait to clean it up until after I was done making a mess.”
Liz’s brow climbs half an inch up her forehead. I’m tempted to remind her she’s begging for wrinkles giving me that look, but I zip it for the time being and take her scolding. “Oh, you’re not going through the kitchen in your muddy boots again. Uh-huh. Not happening.”
“But I need to go get the labels to mark each tree,” I go on calmly, knowing it makes me sound like the reasonable one while I’m pushing her buttons. “I left them on the kitchen table.”
“So, just—” she’s barely into her response when Gavin takes off running, dirt and leaves and a plethora of natural debris falling off of him with every step while he yells, “I’ll get them.” All before Liz can finish with, “take off your boots.”
I’m not even the first person to laugh at her.
Holly beats me to it, cracking up so hard she’s about to fall over if she leans any deeper into that shovel she’s using to help Remmi dig the next spot for our final tree.
“You’re sweeping the kitchen this time,” Liz grumbles, stomping my way to take the hose from my hand. “And I don’t trust you with this,” she hisses, twisting the nozzle to shower the first of our trees with water.
“Is sweeping the kitchen really my job? I mean, sure, if it were my mess. But Gavin clearly falls under your responsibilities around here. Any mess he makes seems like yours to clean up.” I have every intention of sweeping the floor. And I’m well aware I’m spewing bullshit. But it’s too damn easy to piss her off. And way too much fucking fun to do.
“If that’s how you want to play this, go right ahead. Just know that I’m perfectly happy to make time to come out to the barn and return the favor,” she says, spraying the garden hose with a bizarre sense of superiority.
“It’s amazing the level of haughtiness you can bring to such a basic task,” I tease. “It’s a fucking hose. It doesn’t require any sort of exceptional skill to point the thing. It doesn’t even require a great deal of accuracy.”
“No?” The second she says it, she turns, spraying me full-on in the face and soaking me from my hair down. Before I can react, she directs the water back at the trees. “Oops.”
“Oh, it was an oops alright,” I warn, wiping my face with both hands. Then I shake my head, sending my own spray of water about and leaving my hair a tousled mess.
Behind me, I can hear Remmi squealing with anticipation while beside me, Holly is making tracks to get out of the spray’s reach.
“Are you threatening me?” Liz asks, not bothering to look my way. She’s busy adjusting the settings on the hose, stopping when she lands on the laser stream. She directs the intense surge of water at the ground before it can start to tear up the plants. “That doesn’t seem wise, Jovi.”
“You think I’m scared of a little water?” I start to move toward her.
“I think you’re scared ofme.”
I almost let out a laugh. Instead, I drop my voice down low and give her a taunting smirk. “Hardly.” Then, I dart for her.
