Page 74 of Beyond the Hedge Maze

A body settled on the ground next to him, their bulky shoulder pressed against his own, and Jesse scooched even closer to his best friend. They were both sweaty and stunk after a morning of manual labor, but after so many years of working out side-by-side, that was hardly an issue. Jesse would snuggle with a sweaty Sean any day of the week if it meant they were together.

Over the past two weeks since they had decided to put a plan into action, their friends had been trickling in as their schedules allowed. Jesse felt like he was back in college again. Long days working on the estate led to late nights drinking and talking, and he loved having everyone together.

He and Sean had spent the last week working around the clock to spruce up the property, which unfortunately for them, meant spending most of their time inside the maze. The hedges needed significant trimming so they were safe for visitors. Jesse was thankful that Sean could take a break from his training to be there. It would have been impossible to finish this task by himself, and they weren’t willing to spend the money for professionals to do it.

“Why is landscaping so hard? My body hurts more now than it ever did rowing,” Jesse groaned.

“Like I said, out of shape.”

When Jesse’s foot finally made contact with Sean’s shin, another person joined them on the grass.

Isaac snatched the water bottle from Jesse’s hands and squirted water across his face. “She’s a tyrant.”

Sean barked out a laugh. “She’s your sister, mate.”

“Right. Which makes me the most qualified on the matter.”

Rachel had been their first call the morning after their kitchen table discussion, and the first to arrive not even twenty-four hours later. She showed up like a woman on a mission, declaring that she had plenty of vacation days to burn from her marketing job at a high-profile magazine.

After a long, teary eyed hug with Oliver on the steps of Chapman House, she whipped out a color-coded schedule of what needed to be done, and tasks assigned to individuals based on when they planned to arrive.

Jesse had lifted an eyebrow in question to Oliver when she explained how they were going to plan and execute their fundraiser in so little time, but Oliver only smiled and shrugged. She was magic, and they were grateful. That’s all they really knew.

Isaac came two days after that. He showed up with a giant suitcase late one night, several days ahead of plan, which irritated his twin, who now had to rework her entire schedule. Oliver, however, was thrilled to see him. But when Rachel pushed as to why he was there, and how he was able to get off work, Isaac had dodged her questions.

“Our event is in three days, people! I don’t see how laying about is going to make that happen!” Rachel loomed over the three men, clipboard in hand.

“Rach, cool it or I’ll snap that stupid clipboard in half and throw it in the lake.”

Jesse and Sean instinctively moved away from Isaac.

“Fine. Maybe I’ll call Mom and Dad and tell them their son is slacking off.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me. Have you finished setting up all the tents and tables?” Rachel made a show of looking around. “Oh, no, you haven’t.” She turned to Jesse, and he did everything in his power not to flinch, but her tone had softened as she spoke to him. “I’m sending Oliver and Michelle into the village to run some errands. Do you need anything while they’re there?”

“I’m good, thanks, Rachel.”

Isaac whined. “Why does Olive get to go to the village? I want to go.”

Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated.

Sean lumbered to his feet, ready to get back to work. “Mate, you’re going to get your arse kicked, and there’s no one here who’s going to help you.”

Rachel sighed. “If you finish the tables, I’ll let you help Tanvi and Rose in the kitchen.”

Last to arrive were Michelle and Tanvi, the former showing up several days before her partner. While Jesse, Sean, and Isaac were toiling outside, Michelle was inside with Oliver working on an article that detailed a brief history of the estate, the challenges it was facing, and information on the fundraiser. The article was published by a local online newsletter, and spread like wildfire. They had over fifty vendors and artisans signed up to participate.

Tanvi had only been able to arrive that morning, but had quickly familiarized herself with the kitchen and was bustling alongside Rose to prepare sandwiches and other baked goods to sell during their event.

Isaac held his hand out to his sister, and she rolled her eyes, taking it and helping him to his feet. “Deal.”

The twins headed off in the direction of the tables and tents, while Jesse watched as Oliver jogged over to them with a piece of paper in hand. He handed it to Rachel, who beamed as she inspected it with Isaac leaning over her shoulder. She handed it back to Oliver, and Isaac poked him in the cheek before ruffling his hair.

Jesse’s heart skipped watching the exchange. The liveliness of the house, all their friends together, it brought out a lightness in Oliver that he hadn’t seen since they were kids. Jesse was slowly beginning to realize that Oliver was never meant to be a solitary creature. He imagined their future and saw a full house, saw them both meeting and connecting with new people, saw the county kids running through the gardens.

Maybe there was a future where a fifteen-year-old boy asked his crush on a date to explore the maze. Maybe they’d get to see another love story unfold right before their eyes.