Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Laney
Hands on my waist and my feet firmly planted, I take a long breath in through my nose and exhale slowly. It’s a struggle, but I think I manage to not scare the man and child before me. At least I know the child isn’t horrified at my lack of cardio and inability to breathe properly. She’s too consumed with my rotten dog and his love for face kisses. Once my breathing is regulated, I look at the curly-haired little girl, her nose scrunched as Steve knocks her glasses askew. Been there, kid. I feel your pain.
When my eyes flick to the man standing with his hand on the door handle, I quirk my head and try to figure out what his expression means. Shock that a woman in her mid-twenties almost died from a light trot across the lawn? No. It’s a look less of surprise and more of horror. Or is it fear? Weird.
Oh no, I hope this family isn’t awful. Not that I wish for the groups of partiers that invaded my safe place over the summer but at least they were friendly. This man looks like he’s in his own battle of fight or flight. Something tells me he’s leaning toward flight. Until he drops his chin to his chest and adjusts his sunglasses. It is pretty bright out here but the polite thing to do would be to lift those shades off his face and give me a little eye contact.
Shrugging off his weirdness, I turn my attention to the little girl. Her curly hair sways from side to side as she snuggles Steve into her chest, the tight grip on his neck causing me to grimace. So long as he doesn’t mind, I guess it’s fine. With a smile that most southern women possess, I dig deep for my manners and turn back to the man who has now turned so he’s angled toward the house.
“I’m sorry for Steve’s behavior. He’s normally more civilized but I think when he sees someone closer to his size, he can’t control himself.” My chuckle is not reciprocated. Instead, the stranger grunts and turns his back on me completely before turning the doorknob. I put my hand on his arm—a very muscley arm if anyone was curious—to stop him. He freezes, and either shivers or shrugs off my touch, I’m not sure which but it’s something, that’s for sure.
“I wouldn’t do that unless you want Steve to get the zoomies. He loves a good hardwood floor but hasn’t quite learned not everyone thinks his antics are adorable.”
He removes his hand with the door slightly open and looks down at his daughter. Her giggles have ceased and she’s staring up at him, her eyes wide and a slight smile on her face. Like his own kryptonite, the aloofness melts away as he pushes his sunglasses to rest on his head and looks at her adoringly. A little bit of envy flashes through my mind. I was a little older than this girl when my parents died but I remember those looks from my daddy. He had me convinced I hung the moon. I don’t need to see this man’s eyes from behind his sunglasses to know he’s wearing the same look.
Squatting down, I run my hand down Steve’s back and smile at the little girl. Her pink framed glasses are maybe the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. My first pair of glasses was not nearly as trendy or fashionable. Boring tortoiseshell has been my standard all of my life. Sure, my current frames have a little sparkle but only if you are up close. Which nobody ever is. Small town life and all that.
“Steve likes you. I hope you didn’t mind his kisses.” She shakes her head, that mop of curls in motion once again. “My name is Laney, and I live right there,” I say as I point to my house. Her gaze follows and she looks back at me. Okay, not much of a talker. I can respect that. “If you ever want to play with Steve, just let me know. He’d love someone to watch his zoomies.”
“Zoomies?”
I jump at the sound and stand quickly. Muscley stranger is staring at me, his brows furrowed and head tilted. Oh right. Not everyone has a little dynamo like Steve.
“Yep, zoomies. You’d think with those little legs he couldn’t move as quickly as he does but this guy,” I say thumbing over my shoulder like Steve has grown and is somewhere in the yard, “he loves a good cardio run around the house. Hence, the name zoomies. He zooms.”
I’m not sure what kind of response I’m expecting but his grunt with a side of snort laugh wasn’t it. His behavior is strange but I have to remind myself that not everyone is talkative with strangers. At least the little girl seems to be friendlier. Maybe she got that from her mom.
Shaking off the awkwardness, I put that smile back on my face and greet him. “Hi there. I’m Laney Whitfield.” I extend my hand but before he reciprocates, Steve scrambles off his new friend’s lap and squeezes through the small opening of the door.
“Oh crud. Here we go with the zoomies.”
A look of horror on the man’s face confirms he is not pleased with this change of events. I can’t say I blame him. Motioning toward the door I ask, “Uh, do you mind if I go in and get him?”
The way his eyes blink like a dragonfly’s wings, I would think he’s been shocked silent if he’d said anything more than a word up to this point. He steps aside and I move to the door, the younger of the new arrivals hot on my heels.
As expected, Steve is on a mission rushing from room to room while the wind he’s created blows through his long locks. I just love this guy. A few minutes of zoomies and he’s living his best life.
After two failed attempts, I manage to scoop Steve into my arms and chastise him for being a rude neighbor. My mouth lifts to a real smile, not the fake one I had outside.
“Sorry about this. We’ll have a long discussion about boundaries when we get home. Like I said before, I’m Laney and I live next door. If you need anything, just holler. Welcome to Magnolia Grove.”
“Thanks. And, uh, good luck with the boundaries talk.”
Ah, so he does speak. Good to know. Instead of responding, I smile and squat down eye-level with the little girl. “It was nice to meet you. Next time, we’ll make sure Steve lets you in on the zoomies.”
She giggles and I make my way to the front door. Pausing, I turn to the man standing behind me and give him a little wave before stepping outside and crossing the connected lawn to my own house.
Once we’re inside, I set Steve down and he resumes his afternoon laps while I move to the kitchen for a snack. When I get to the sink to wash my hands, I pause. Well, heck. No wonder the man looked at me with so much confusion. I’m a mess. Sure, I could wear an apron or maybe be a little more careful when I’m working but dirt doesn’t bother me. Even when it is deep in my cuticles and all over my clothes.
Scrubbing my hands, I watch the dirt slide down the drain and my cell phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Laney, girl! Can you hear me? Is this working?”
Uncle Freddy talks as though he’s an elderly man. He’s twenty years older than I am, not five decades.
“Of course I can hear you. Where are you?”
Familiar sounds of rock and roll music in the background are a clue that there is likely a bar involved. Good for him. He’s sacrificed so much and deserves to be living his best life.
“Grabbing some grub in a little beachfront bar. Hawaii is the shit, Laney.”
I laugh and prop my phone up and switch to speaker so he can catch me up on things while I put together my snack. If it’s mid-afternoon here, it’s still morning in Hawaii. See, living his best life. When my parents died, my grandparents took custody of me but it was Uncle Freddy who made the big sacrifice. He came home to Magnolia Grove and was here for all three of us. My gran and granddaddy were never the same after losing their only daughter. In many ways, neither was Uncle Freddy. When I went away to college, he finally began living his life, but it wasn’t until I came back home that he started taking these big surfing and fishing trips.
“Tell me what’s new in town. I’m sure there’s some sort of gossip.”
“Isn’t there always? Actually, I’ve been working on a few things in the greenhouse and haven’t been to town in a few days. Someone new arrived next door today.”
Groaning, he asks, “Partiers? They better not mess with you. Call Boone if they do. He’ll come over and have a talk with them. If he’s not home call Declan. He’s a scary bastard when he wants to be. I shouldn’t have left. Maybe we need to get another dog. No offense to Steve but he’s not exactly going to take down a grown man.”
“I love your tangents. Have no fear, I won’t need to call in the troops to save me. First and foremost, I’m capable of handling things myself. Besides, it’s a family. Steve has already fallen in love with the daughter. If anything, they’ll be calling for help because of him.”
Speaking of Steve, he’s now curled up in his bed with his favorite stuffed fish. When he’s done with his beauty sleep, we need to have that long talk about boundaries and rule following. Not that he’ll listen. He’s his own man, my little fur baby.
Relieved to hear there should be no shenanigans coming from next door, Uncle Freddy shares with me a few stories from his travels. I enjoy every single one but won’t lie that I’m not relieved when someone calls his name and his attention shifts. A female someone. I don’t need to hear any of that and end the call.
While I’d love to be like Steve and take a little nap, I’m going to push through with a Dr. Pepper and a little time with my hands in the dirt. I have another few days before I need to start pulling for holiday orders. This is the best part of my business. Not just the flexibility of my schedule but mixing my love of science with the simplicity of gardening. I know how blessed I am to have found success in an industry that isn’t mainstream nor is it understood by most.
I slowly walk to the greenhouse, listening for the sounds of those sweet giggles to greet me from next door but I’m only met with silence. Maybe Steve’s not the only one taking an afternoon siesta. I cross the threshold of the greenhouse and flip the lights, the blooms greeting me with their beauty.