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“I made you weed my grave.”

Nate’s mouth moved a little, but he didn’t quite smile. “You did.”

“And you nearly pulled up the flowers.”

“But I didn’t.”

“It’s a good thing I was paying attention.”

Nate gave a quiet laugh, and something loosened inside of Leo. He sat on the grass, and Nate lowered himself beside him.

“What did he say?” Walt asked.

Nate told him about the weeding. Leo listened as he described being corrected every time he reached for something, which was an exaggeration. It hadn’t been every time.

“He knows more about plants than I do,” Nate finished.

“Obviously,” Leo said.

Nate smiled at him.

Leo wanted to lean against him. He settled for sitting close, with Nate’s knee beside his, and looked back at the bed.

He’d counted out money for another week at the motel. He couldn’t remember doing it, but he must have thought they’d need the room. A whole week to look for work, to find somewhere else, to be together without anyone telling them they shouldn’t.

They hadn’t even needed it for another night.

He didn’t want to think about the men who’d come to disturb their peace. He couldn’t remember their faces, and he didn’t want to start imagining them. He wanted to remember the morning before they came. What they’d talked about. Whether Walt had been happy.

Behind them, Walt took something from his pocket and blew his nose.

Leo turned. “Tell him he can stay for a while. If he wants to.”

Nate looked back toward the steps. “Leo would like you to stay.”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Walt folded the tissue in his hands. “I haven’t got anywhere I need to be.”

“Good,” Leo said.

He wanted to ask him about that morning, but it could wait. Walt sat back on the step, and Nate stretched his legs out on the grass. For a while, nobody spoke.

The bee came back. Or maybe it was another one. Leo watched it work its way along the flowers until something near the base of a stem caught his attention.

“You missed one.”

Nate followed his gaze. “Where?”

Leo pointed. “There. Between those two.”

Nate leaned forward and took hold of it, then glanced at Leo to check.

“Yes, that one. Get the root too.”

Nate worked it loose and laid it on the grass beside him.

“Better?”

Leo looked at the small space it had left between the flowers.