Page 66 of A Light in the Dark
Joel’s presence on our street made sense; he’d wanted an affordable home with space in a tolerable location.
I couldn’t think of a single reason for the men to loiter in front of businesses that wouldn’t reopen for at least another month.
As I had a garden that wasn’t going to plant itself, I locked my front door, made certain my windows were also locked, and headed into the back to get my new collection of roses planted, my trellis installed, and my vegetables and herbs situated so I’d have a homey place to retreat. The courtyard amused me for more than a few reasons, but the lack of windows on the homes, except for mine, took the top spot.
The courtyard belonged to my lot, but I saw no reason for that to bar people from having windows to view my garden. Sometimes, the nature of people saddened me, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. On the other hand, I appreciated the illusion of privacy. Winged shifters could pay me a visit, and the rest of the world would pass me by as usual.
Several luna moths fluttered down to investigate my roses. As I had no way of knowing which one was Joel, if one was Joel, I would play hostess. I got up, washed my hands, and prepared a platter of fruit for their enjoyment before I went back to work on the trellises, assembling them and placing them in strategic locations around my new rose plants to create paths through my garden. The lightsinstalled with ease, clipping to the trellis and leaving me to deal with a tangle of electric cords between the plants. I made use of the recommended outdoor covers to protect myself and guests from tripping, bringing order to chaos before wrapping the plugs in a plastic bag and sealing it with tape until I could get everything else set up.
Joel would need to help me with the power bar and the numerous outlets to be protected from the weather.
By the time I finished, my counter was covered in skunked luna moths, the whole lot of them sleeping off their adventure with my flowers and their evening snack. I counted thirty-three of them, twelve of which were females if I judged from their smaller, slender antennae. I practiced using my new camera, photographing each one and taking portraits of them, an art that would provide me many hours of amusement. Once I’d satisfied myself, having taken a few hundred pictures, I put my camera away, got out my project holder, and went to work stitching, pausing every now and then to admire my visitors.
When my stomach demanded dinner, I relocated my guests to the table, and it amused me that most of them barely budged, although one or two fluttered, took flight, and landed elsewhere upon realizing I needed my counter.
I roasted a wild fowl I’d stashed in my refrigerator, and a few minutes before it was ready, I began the process of evicting the luna moths, bouncing them until they woke up and were able to fly off. A couple stayed to get another hit of roses, not that I could blame them.
I’d be spending a lot of time in my garden once I purchased my patio set. I already had the perfect spot picked out, and I planned to install a circle of patio pavers to enjoymy unobstructed view of my outdoor Joseph’s Coats and the myriad of other Earth roses. My herb and vegetable garden took over a corner, where I’d installed trellises to allow entry to the space. I would install a rock wall to give some roses something to vine over while separating the rose garden from the rest of my planting adventures.
After I ate, I cleaned up after myself, went to my reading nook, and discovered a new man in a suit wandering up the hill, investigating the shops across the street and taking notes on a tablet. I went to grab my phone to take a picture, but by the time I’d found it and returned, he’d disappeared.
I questioned what was going on across the street, and I decided I’d go pay a visit to one of the nosier neighbors down the way to see if she might have any insight on the situation.
An hourbefore I was supposed to leave for work, I knocked on the door of the neighbor at the very end of our row. A moment later, the older woman answered, beamed when she saw me, and thrust out a fancy baking dish in my direction. “You’re a marvel, Valerie.”
I accepted the dish, which was enameled white decorated with a flower and butterfly motif and still warm and indicated my neighbor had been about to pay me a visit. “Thanks, Elenora. I had a question, since you tend to be the one who knows the most about our street.”
“Oh, oh dear, do come in, lovey.”
Lovey? What the hell had happened to Elenora? Typically,she’d be asking for the details while leaving me on the steps, hoping I wouldn’t fall off by the time she finished with me—or contemplating jumping and hoping the impact with the street below would do me in. With a smile I had to force, I accepted her offer and stepped inside. “Is something the matter?”
“The businesses across the street are all selling, and there is a plague of men and women in suits just loitering around and being a bother! And some of them have been knocking at our doors and inquiring if we wanted to sell. I did you and that boy up the street a favor, and I told them there was no chance in hell either of you would be selling, not with how you baby those houses. And good on you for your hard work. We love what you did with the steps this year, and we’re seeing about if we can get them shored because they’re so nice.”
“They probably can’t be shored,” I admitted, allowing myself to express my disappointment in my tone. “But they’re quick and easy to install, and they’re cheap, so we can change up the color of stone and mortar we use each year if we want. This year, I went with the best available for stone and mortar, but if we plan for it before the floods hit, we can have our street’s order already placed.” That would save me a great deal of effort, too. I’d still end up hauling massive paving stones up and down the hill, but I bet I could have the installs done in a day if everything was set up and ready to go. “I can talk to everyone before the floods next year and get the preferences for colors of stone and mortar. I’ll go by votes and randomize the selection if there are any ties. That’s simple enough.”
“On this street?” Elenora cackled. “Keep telling yourselfthat if it makes you happy. Still, thank you for dealing with that mess. I was expecting a fuss again this year. Even that boy up the street has steps that matches ours. It’s a miracle. I was certain he’d go with concrete because they mass produce them for the size he needs, so they can just dump it on, level it, and it’s done.”
I could understand why Elenora would think Joel would go the expensive but easy route. “I didn’t even do his steps, but I probably will next year. I offered, and he seems keen on keeping the peace.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. That one doesn’t cooperate with anybody. You’re not sleeping with him, are you?”
I stared at the old woman, and my mouth dropped open while my eyes widened. “Me? Sleep withhim?”
“Two pretty little things like yourselves would make even prettier babies, and if you’re keeping the peace on the street, sleep away. It’s a free world!” Elenora turned around and hollered, “You hear that? I told you that sweet little Valerie wasn’t hussying it up just because we had a lick of peace for the first time! You owe her a damned fine roast now.”
Rather than say something I regretted, I went the safe route, lifted the dish a little, and said, “Thank you for the treat, Elenora. I’ll bring your casserole dish back next week.”
“You let that cool properly while you’re at work, okay? Keep the dish. I got it just for you this year as part of my thanks, and it’s a nice one for roasting just about anything you might like if you can’t figure out how to bake. You’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on, and I know how much you hate being late. If that boy up the hill doesn’t cooperate and offer his services, you just let us know, and we’ll make sure he gets the right idea. He’s been sweetenough he might even deserve you, especially with him doing the right thing this year.”
I would never understand my neighbors. “I’ll make sure it’s properly cool. Thank you!”
Before she could get another word in, I fled her home and returned to mine. I left the casserole dish on my counter and headed for work, marveling at the insanity that was my life.
TWENTY
We chose poorly.
The restof the week blitzed by in a blur, and by Friday morning, I held more than a few regrets. Had I been wise, I wouldn’t have worn my work clothes to the job fair. Within ten minutes of our arrival, hopeful people swarmed me and my boss, and they came armed with enthusiasm and resumes. Some were refugees, some weren’t, but they shared painful levels of desperation. When I had come to Stonecreek, I had been worried about my ability to secure work.
