Page 38 of Barefoot Lake

“Eli and I own the nursery together,” I gently correct. “But, uh, we’re both hands-on. So it’s really not abnormal. I’m happy to help.”

I’m grateful Alice can’t see Eli’s face from the shop side of the building. His expression would surely give away that I’m full of shit.

Since we hired a full staff, I’ve only helped haul pumpkins and worked the register once. That was because half the town and half our employees had the flu. She doesn’t need to know that, though.

We continue with our little assembly line until all of the pumpkins have been rung up.

“Well, thank you. I had fun. You’ll have to let me know what you think of my decorations when you get home later.” Her comment is innocent enough but hearing her say “home” as if it’s a place we share short-circuits my brain.

“Hmm,” is the noncommittal non-human response I deem appropriate to give. “I— uh, here.” I turn the credit card keypad toward her to show the total. I applied a very heavy discount, but she doesn’t need to know that, either.

We take a few trips to load the pumpkins into the back of her car.

“Thank you again, Jake,” she says once we’re finished. She’s fiddling with her car keys and absentmindedly walking me back to the door to the offices and greenhouse. “I’ll see you around?”

“You’re very welcome.” I’ve thankfully regained the ability to use words as I open the door and step inside. “I’ll see you later.”

Before she heads out, she squeezes by me to poke her head into the office space and conspiratorially says, “Bye, Eli! We’ll have to set up our chat another day!”

“Just say when and where,” Eli says and then cackles some more. He should consider a career change to being a damn clown.

I point aggressively at Eli.

“You, shut up.” I turn to Alice and usher her toward the door. “And you, quit causing trouble.”

Her laughter follows her all the way to her car. I only close the door after she pulls away. I look down at the mess of debris I let in, but it really doesn’t bother me.

“You’ve got it bad, man,” Eli says

I don’t disagree.

CHAPTER 18

Jake

It’s after eleven when I finally get home, much later than I’d intended. The wind had only gotten worse at the nursery as the day progressed, basically giving us a thunderstorm without the rain. Eli and I spent most of the late afternoon driving thick stakes into the ground around some of the younger trees and tying the fragile ones to the added support. We even dug up and re-potted some of the smaller plants to move them inside the greenhouse, having to rearrange a lot to make room. Even though Tim stayed late to help, it took hours. We did all that we could, so now we just wait and hope most of them make it.

I park in front of my garage and walk around to the front of my house so I can see next door. I am disappointed but not surprised when I see all the lights are out.

Was I going to use her decoration-viewing invitation as an excuse to see her again today?

No.

Maybe.

Yes.

It’s for the best that I couldn’t. I may have admitted to possibly liking her, but I’m still convinced pursuing her is a bad idea. She’ll leave, and it all will have been for nothing.

Nonetheless, a smile creeps onto my face when I see faint outlines of the pumpkins near her steps.

I suddenly think of the furniture we both have out back and hope it wasn’t thrown around during the storm. With enough wind, a chair can cause a lot of damage.

I quietly hurry between our homes toward the lake to see what kind of damage the day did to our patio furniture. At least I know the boats aren’t getting beat up. I come to a sudden stop when I clear the side of my house and see my table set on its side, with the tabletop angled against the back of the house and the chairs stacked and laid down. I look over at Alice’s patio and can see enough in the moonlight to know hers are similarly secured from toppling or flying around. I smile.

Alice took care of both of our homes.

I’m relieved when I wake up the next morning to a text from Eli saying that things at the nursery are better than we’d expected and almost everything made it. I’m supposed to be off today, so we’ll reevaluate what should be re-planted in the fields once both of us are there together. I slept in, but it’s still before noon, and I don’t have much on the agenda, so I’m not in a hurry to get anywhere. I put on some sweatpants and head downstairs.