Chapter Nineteen
Daisy
Only Gus has dinner with me tonight. Wade has been wandering around the property all day, looking for things to fix and fixing things that aren’t broken.
We’ve all let him be, giving him his space.
But I was surprised that Rhett didn’t show up, so when the dishes are all clean, I head out to look for him while Gus takes a shower.
I find him sitting against the tree by the tire swing, a melancholic look on his face.
He’s picking at the grass, looking out over the property. He doesn’t acknowledge me when I get closer, and I know he can see and hear me.
“Is it okay if I sit?” I ask.
He nods, so I sit beside him and look off in the direction he’s staring. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, just a view of the property.
“This was my favorite spot when I was little,” I say. “It felt far enough away from everything that I was alone, but close enough that I was safe. The tree gave shade, and the swing was there if I needed to do something other than sit in my sad thoughts.”
It’s silent for a while, just the animals off in the distance, and the occasional truck lumping down the road.
“It didn’t work,” he finally says, resting his head against the tree.
“What didn’t work?” I ask.
“I can’t leave the property. I’ve been trying all day.”
I’ll admit that makes me sad. I don’t like that he was trying to leave, but of course, it’s up to him what he does. I just wish he would have said something first. Maybe if he told us, we could have supported him. Helped him. Been there so he wouldn’t be stuck in his thoughts, the way he is now.
“I can’t even get to the property line before… you know.”
“I’m sorry, Rhett. I… don’t know why that is.”
How does this make any sort of sense?
Gus can shift as he pleases and come and go as he pleases.
Rhett can shift as he pleases but can’t control it off the property.
And Wade… Well, Wade doesn’t have any control over it.
What on earth did you do, Grannie?
“There has to be more to it,” I say.
Rhett huffs a humorless laugh. “Of course there is. Why would it be simple?”
I reach for Rhett’s hand, linking our fingers. He looks down at them, then at me.
“I don’t care how difficult it is, Rhett, I will help you. I will figure this out. I am responsible for this—”
“You’re not,” he says with a sigh. “You didn’t do this.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “Grannie did, and she isn’t here to handle it, so it falls on me. The same way all this mess fell on you.”
I let go of his hand and get up but offer him my hand again.
“You’ve been in the sun all day. Come in. Eat some dinner. Drink some water.”
He watches me before taking my hand and getting up. I don’t let go of it while we walk back to the house. Gus is sitting on the couch watching a movie. He waves at us, and I get out the leftovers and make up a plate for Rhett. He sits at the table to eat.
“Did Wade come in?” I ask Gus.
“He’s in the coop,” he says.
“Ba-cawk!” Rhett starts to cough, patting his chest.
“Are you okay?” I ask, getting to my feet.
He nods, reaching for his lemonade, and takes a few large gulps.
“I was swallowing,” he says, his voice raspy.
“Sorry!” Gus calls out.
Rhett waves him off, then goes back to eating.
“Should we get him to come inside?” I ask.
“Pushing him will only make him keep his distance,” Gus says.
“I thought I was making progress with him,” I say. “We talked. He stayed here last night… I thought things were good.”
“At this point, I think one of the only things that’s going to make him want to keep working at this, is getting into that safe.” Gus yawns, stretching out on the couch.
Sighing, I get to my feet. “I’ve been trying, but I just don’t know what it could be.”
There is a knock at the front door, and I get up to open it, but Rhett is already there. I see beyond him that it’s Devin, dropping off groceries.
“I’m getting better at this,” he says. “It’s a decent time this week.”
I huff a laugh and go for my purse that’s hanging in the closet behind the door. I take out the money I owe him and give a twenty for a tip.
“And the better you do, the more business you’ll get.” I offer him the money. “Keep the change. Thank you for delivering, Devin. This is so convenient.”
He tips his hat. “Thank you for trusting me. You’re still my only customer.”
“I’ll talk to the neighbors.”
“Thank you,” he says with a smile.
I close and lock the door once he’s in his truck.
Rhett and Gus are already putting everything away.
“You got more than last week,” Rhett notes.
“Well, you three eat a lot,” I say with a smile. “And… I want to try baking.”
“Baking?”
“Yeah, Grannie baked something every day. I never liked it much, but figured it’d give me something to do with you three working out on the farm all the time. Better than walking around aimlessly. Maybe I’ll get good at it.”
“We will gladly be your taste-testers,” Gus says, patting his belly.
I lean up on my toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”
When I glance at Rhett, I find him staring at us, a curious look on his face. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but it’s something… and I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough.