Chapter Fourteen
Wade
Replacing the wooden fence is a two-man job minimum.
I need someone to hold the posts steady while I add the pieces and bang them in.
It’s impossible to do alone, so because Rhett and Gus are off eating lunch with Daisy, giggling like school girls, I measure the pieces to make sure they’re what we need.
When I’m done with that, I do it again… until my stomach starts to rumble.
I glance over at them, sitting on a pink blanket with a picnic basket opened, laughing and smiling with each other.
My stomach rumbles again.
I could shift into chicken form and dig around for worms, but those sandwiches look much more appetizing than worms do.
At least, while in human form. When I’m a chicken, worms are scrumptious.
Daisy’s head falls back and lets out a laugh that carries on the wind, and something in me stirs. My lips turn up in the corner, but I shake it off.
“Wade, you have to see this!” Gus calls out, waving me over.
Our eyes lock from the distance, and I have half a mind to give him my back and keep working. But the reality is there is no more work to do. I can’t do this alone.
And I’m hungry.
And because Daisy is stuck on being nice, I’m sure there is plenty of food left for me.
And maybe, maybe there is a small part of me that wonders how she is involved in this and how she helped Gus stay human.
It could all be a trick. Her needing something from us to turn us back…
but is there anything I wouldn’t give for my freedom?
We’re prisoners here. So maybe I should put my pride aside and see what she’s offering for my freedom.
Because I’d take it. So maybe I should pull my head out of my ass and jump on board with the rest of them…
because I’m the odd man out here, and I don’t want to ruin my chances of leaving.
If kissing a little ass is all I need to do to get off this damn land, I’ll do it. It’s a small price to pay.
With my head held high, I walk over to them and drop my ass into the open spot. There always seems to be an open spot left for me, no matter the situation.
“Watch,” Rhett says, pointing at Gus. “Ready?” he says. Gus nods. “Chicken!” Rhett shouts.
Daisy rolls her lips between her teeth to stop from laughing.
Gus’s cheeks puff out like there’s a bunch of air in there but… there is no ba-cawk coming out of his mouth.
“What the…”
“Chicken, chicken, chicken!” Daisy shouts, rocking back and laughing.
“Ba-cawk!” comes out of Gus, causing them to laugh even harder.
“I don’t understand,” I say, looking between the three of them.
“Gus isn’t as sensitive to the trigger word,” Rhett explains. “If we say it in passing, he’s good. He said he can hold it in.”
“But if we do it over and over, like I did, it just comes out.”
“But yours is still the same?” I ask Rhett.
He sighs. “Yeah, unfortunately. But Daisy said it’s cool for me to sleep in the house tonight, just to… you know, make sure it’s not the house.”
“It’s not the house,” Gus says with a huff.
I almost say the same thing.
“You don’t know that,” Rhett says.
Gus rolls his eyes.
“Are you hungry?” Daisy asks, looking right at me. “I have turkey, ham, and plain cheese.”
“Ham,” I say. “Please.”
She digs through the basket and offers me a sandwich on a napkin and a bottle of water.
“You’re more than welcome to stay in the house too, Wade,” Daisy says with a smile.
The sun beats down on us, making the highlights in her hair shine bright. Her eyes shine too, and I can’t help but notice how pretty she is.
“Thanks,” is all I say before tearing into my sandwich.
They keep on talking and messing with Gus to see how loud or how many times or how close they have to say chicken for him to ba-cawk.
I watch them carefully as I eat my sandwich, and when I’m done, without having to ask, Daisy offers me another, which I take and eat.
I could eat ten more. Something as simple as a sandwich is so good right now.
“Better than bugs, huh?” Rhett says, nudging me with his elbow.
I huff a laugh, shaking my head. When I look up, I see Daisy watching me with a small, sweet smile.
It’s hard to swallow past the lump forming in my throat, so I take a few swigs of water to wash it down. It doesn’t really help.
“Hi, there!” is shouted from behind me, the sound coming from a distance away. It pulls all of our attention, and I find that awful woman from across the road.
“Oh, goodness,” Daisy says with a huff.
“Tell me about it,” Gus adds with a groan.
The woman reaches us quicker than she should, considering she’s three times our age, maybe more.
“You have some visitors, I see?” she says, looking between all of us.
She’s got that look about her. One that makes you feel like you’re worth nothing.
“Is there something you need, Ms. Mathews?” Daisy asks.
“I was just coming on over to see how you liked that casserole I brought the other day. I hadn’t heard a word from you about it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Daisy says. “I should have gone by to—”
“It’s only good manners, Miss Daisy.”
“Of course. I apologize.”
“I suppose it’s not your fault, you know. Moving on over to the city with all them—”
“Is there something else you need?” I ask, getting to my feet.
I don’t intentionally use my height or size to intimidate her… but I don’t miss the step back.
Ellen Matthews looks up at me with wide eyes.
“I’ll take your silence as a no. So, you have a good day now,” I say.
“I, uh—” She lets out a frustrated sound. “You people are—”
“You’re on Daisy’s property, ma’am, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult anyone on it, no matter how nice you try to make it sound. Daisy appreciates the casserole. She said thank you. She apologized for not saying it sooner. I think you can go home now,” I add.
Fury fills her eyes. She stomps her foot, letting out a little screech, before turning and heading back up the road, muttering to herself the whole time. I stand there between her and the guys and Daisy, watching her go until she’s up beyond the hill.
When I turn back, Daisy is staring at me with a look in her eye that I can’t quite figure out.
Rhett’s gaze is curious, while Gus… he’s smirking as if he knows something I don’t.