Scott watched with widened eyes.
I smothered a laugh at his surprise. “She’s not afraid of hard work. So don’t worry. We’ll do a good job.”
“I’m not worried anymore.”
Grant had pushed the wheel-barrow to the farthest point for the wall. He called back to Scott, “Will you supervise us until we’re comfortable with the procedure?”
Camarin sniffed, as if insulted by Grant’s request.
“Sure,” Scott said. He gave me a hug with his free arm. When he jogged over to the Beings, I headed for the patio bed.
It didn’t take long for Scott to be reassured about the Beings’ ability to complete their task. I met him at the truck, collected a cooler, and waited until he’d pulled away from the B&B to take them their water bottles.
My steps faltered as I drew near them. They stood practically toe-to-toe, arms crossed, eyes blazing.
Camarin was speaking with clipped intensity. “Did you mention me by name?”
“Yes, although I don’t see why it should agitate you.”
“I’m annoyed, not agitated.”
“Ah. My mistake.”
“Could you not have simply talked with me?”
“Perhaps so, but I find this reaction extreme. The question I asked was no reflection on you. It is my skill that I’m seeking to enhance.”
“Gratified as I am for your concern, I must ask that you not write for counsel again. I don’t wish to emphasize my location.”
“Camarin, if it isn’t wise for you to be here—”
She pressed a finger to his lips and inclined her head in my direction. They both turned toward me.
“What secret are you trying to protect?” I asked as I handed over their water.
She opened her mouth, closed it, then sighed. “My presence isn’t a secret, precisely.”
He grunted in exasperation. “Then why should I help you hide?”
“I’m not hiding. I’m evading curiosity.”
“Perhaps you will satisfy mine.”
She tightened her grip on the shovel. “I am ready to begin this task.”
He went still, nothing moving but his eyes as they tracked her ridiculously fast-and-perfect digging. With an exaggerated sigh, he grabbed the other shovel and stalked to the opposite end of the bed.
Oh, wow. Had I just witnessed some kind of courtship ritual? Was this the supernatural version of pulling pigtails?
Probably not. Unlike humans, Beings weren’t bombarded with relationship tropes from the instant they could focus their eyes on Disney movies. It was more likely that they were just sparring out of habit.
I crossed the lawn to the patio and my task. I surveyed the pungently composty dirt, the plants arranged with pleasing symmetry. Squatting, I picked up a trowel and became lost in my project.
It was the strain in my quads that reminded me to take a break. Rising to my feet, I stretched and looked toward the Beings. They’d made more progress than I had.
“Hello? Sara?”
I twisted around. The owner had come outside. “Hi, Mrs. Milton.”
