Page 10 of Barefoot Lake

“There’s no way I’m letting you fuck with my spreadsheets just because your neighbor is a gorgon.” He must have felt the intensity of my look because he spoke without even glancing away from his monitor.

I shove my chair back from the desk.

“She’s not. And that’s the problem,” I basically growl at him.

At that, he does look my way.

“Oh, so you like her? That’d be something new.”

He barely gets the words out around his laugh. The fiercer glare I shoot him only makes him laugh harder.

“No.” The sound is more bark than word. Not wanting to continue this particular discussion, I throw my jacket back on before stomping outside and yanking the door shut behind me. I immediately feel like the petulant toddler I’m impersonating but continue out to the fields anyway. I’ll apologize to Eli later for being short with him.

The day is crawling by as I desperately search for things to do — I check the sprinkler and drainage systems, straighten signs that give directions to those in the fields, and make sure the pumpkins aren’t crowding one another and that there’s enough space to walk between them without crushing anything.

I must eventually lose myself in the work because I’m surprised to notice how far the sun has moved across the sky when I hear Eli hollering for me. I shout an acknowledgment back before heading toward him. As I near the lot, I see him standing by the open driver’s side door of his Jeep.

“Get in,” he commands. “We’re going out.”

Eli looks ready to go in jeans, his standard quarter-zip sweater, and very clean shoes. With his boyish face and blond hair, he could pass for a hometown football star. I look down at my dusty boots and dirty hands, ready to protest and feeling particularly feral-looking next to him, but he cuts me off.

“I’m not your date, and you don’t need to look cute. You do need to get out of your own head, though. So, get in the car.” Eli has always been a good friend to me, one of the only ones I have, and he’ll bully me into what I need, especially when I don’t want it.

I get in the car.

The short drive to The Corner Post bar is silent but not awkward. I think we’re both knowingly holding the conversation until we’re comfortably seated and armed with a mountain of food. I stop at the bathroom to wash my hands while Eli takes a spot at the bar. As I reach him, Penny sets down two glasses of water and lets us know she already put in an order of mozzarella sticks. I guess we’re creatures of habit and gluttons for fried cheese. It’s a weakness, and I am not ashamed. Once she’s brought back the two beers we order and we’ve each taken a long pull from our glasses, Eli turns toward me.

“So, what the hell is going on with you?” Eli has always been a straight shooter, so his words are sometimes harsh, even though he has a heart the size of Montana.

“She’s Rain’s daughter,” I huff out, like it explains everything.

Thankfully, Eli knows me, so it at least explains some. He knew Rain and I looked after one another for the five years she lived in Wilcox Grove and that I took news of her death hard. We didn’t talk much after she moved to Boston, but she’d check in on me from time to time. After not hearing from her in a while or getting a response to my call, I searched her name online and learned about her passing.

It felt like getting hit with a baseball bat. I thought I’d have more time. I thought I’d be able to say goodbye.

His whistle is low. “I didn’t realize Rain intended to keep the place after she moved out. What’s her daughter, uh —”

He looks to me assistance.

“Alice,” I fill in.

“Alice. What’s Alice doing up here? Is she going to sell?”

“I have no clue. Our conversation this morning wasn’t a long one.” I shrug.

“What did you do?” For my best friend, he’s suddenly very accusatory.

“Why do you assume I did anything?” I snap defensively. I really am a prickly bastard these days.

“Because I know you.” Eli is unfazed by my mood swings. I don’t deserve his friendship.

“I, uh… well, I yelled at her.” I’m a bit sheepish, feeling another wave of guilt as I replay my behavior in my head.

“How neighborly.” Eli’s voice is dripping with sarcasm. He shakes his head and then shoves me hard in the arm, and I have to grab the edge of the bar top to keep from tipping sideways. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I didn’t know she was Rain’s daughter at the time! I thought she was just some city girl here to trash the place.”

I can feel Eli rolling his eyes. “Then, what’s she like?”