Page 15 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

MOLLIE

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Hu Gh

Where do I file a complaint? Tammy made my coffee wrong! She gave me decaf!

Comments:

Tammy Jane : I told you that I was cutting you off, you old coot. You’re eighty years old. Chill on the damn caffeine! And who brings a complaint like this to the group anyway? Post a review online like everyone else!

Marjorie Brown : Now that you mention it, my toast was burnt.

Tammy Jane : Now you’re just egging it on. I’m telling your wife.

Marjorie Brown : Please don’t. I’m sorry!

Hu Gh : How to post a Goggle review.

Tammy Jane : It’s called GOOGLE, Hugh!

I was in a post-work exhaustion coma when my door squeaked open.

“Psst,” a little voice said. “Come outside.”

“What?” I asked. “Eric? What are you doing?”

“I have a surprise!” He ran off without another word.

I didn’t know what it could have been, but my mind flashed to either bubbles or something radioactive.

It was later in the afternoon. I’d heard the door shut, which meant Cain was probably finishing up the work with the animals that he hadn’t done throughout the day. I thought Eric had been with him, but obviously not.

“I brought a chicken!”

True to his word, there was a chicken in his arms. And it was Hennifer, because of course it was.

She did not look happy to see me. She made a low noise at the mere sight.

“I’ve met Hennifer,” I said, putting up my hands to appease her. “And she does not like me.”

“What? She likes everyone.”

“Not me.”

“I’ll show you.” Eric put her down before I could beg him not to.

And she ran at me.

“No!” I put up my arms to meet the flurry of feathers. Luckily, her claws weren’t as sharp as a rooster’s would be, but they still hurt.

Then she settled on my shoulder.

“What the—” I stopped when I saw Eric giving her mealworms. “How did you do that?”

“She wants food,” he explained. “Feed her, and she’ll calm down.”

He grabbed my hand and held out the worms. Hennifer pecked at them .

So Cain had simply let me get attacked.

Fucking dick.

“Should she be out of her run?” I asked.

“It’s fine.” He sounded unbothered.

“Are you sure Cain is okay with this?”

Eric winced, and I knew that Cain did not know what was going down.

“Okay,” I said. “We need to get her back in?—”

Hennifer jumped from my shoulder and ran . I gaped, wondering if she somehow knew what I was saying.

“Wait!” Eric said. “I need to catch her.”

He burst into a run, and I realized that as the adult in this situation, I should probably help.

Hennifer yelled something in whatever language chickens spoke and flapped her wings as she saw me. She went over my head and onto the roof.

Eric gasped. “No. She’s trying to perch.”

We both looked up. “How mad will Cain be if she stays here?”

“Um, very?”

“All right,” I muttered. “Guess I’m going on my own roof. Is there a ladder somewhere around here?”

“Yeah, in the shed behind the house.”

Thankfully, the shed wasn’t locked, and I was able to easily find a ladder to get up there. I checked to be sure it was stable like I’d seen Wren do many times before climbing up.

“Don’t look down,” I muttered to myself. “Or else you’ll figure out really quickly if you have a fear of heights.”

I made it to the top and reached out a hand to her. “Come here, Hennifer.”

She glared at me, and I realized I hadn’t brought any worms.

“You’ll have to grab her!” Eric called.

“I have no food. ”

“I’ll throw you some!”

I waited, and then realized that this five-year-old did not have the throwing skills of a future baseball star. Worms rained on the side of the house. One went into the gutter that was several feet away.

“Thanks, I got some,” I lied as I climbed fully on the roof. Hennifer let me get close, but her glare told me I was on thin ice.

I tried to shuffle closer, but she flapped her wings and lunged at me. I yelped and lost my footing. My stomach went into my throat as I fell, and I was able to barely catch myself on the edge of the roof.

But that meant I was dangling.

“Fuck!” I finally looked and knew there was absolutely no way I could hop down. Not unless I wanted a broken ankle.

“That’s a bad word!” Eric called out.

“I think I have bigger problems!”

My heart pounded in my ears and my problem-solving skills evaporated into nothingness.

“Cain!” Eric yelled. “Cain!”

Why was he yelling for him? That grumpy asshole wouldn’t save me.

“What the hell is going on here?” His deep voice came only seconds later. “Mollie, what are you doing?”

“Hanging out,” I said. “You know, just for fun.”

My hands were tired, and I tried in vain to get back on the roof, but I had never been able to do a pull-up in my life, so it was no use.

“Just stay still,” he said, and I heard the ladder move.

“Please tell me you have a plan.” He sighed, and then an arm wrapped around my waist. “What the?—”

“I’m grabbing you.”

“You’ll drop me! ”

“No, I won’t,” he grumbled. “You’re gonna have to trust me here.”

“You don’t even like me!”

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna drop you.”

I closed my eyes and felt his arm tighten.

“Now let go.”

“No!”

“Goddammit, princess. I may be an asshole, but I’m also all you’ve got right now. Let go .”

The words were not nice, but they were soft, and his arm did feel strong.

Slowly, my grip went lax, and he carried me down the ladder.

“The ground!” I said, lying on the grass face down. “Thank fuck.”

“Bad word,” Eric reminded me.

“Give me five minutes to recover and then I’ll stop cursing.”

Then I felt talons on my back.

Fucking Hennifer was now perched on me. This damn chicken.

“Why is Hennifer here?” Cain asked Eric.

“Er, I wanted to show her off?”

“I’m fine, everyone,” I said, wanting to melt into the ground. “Thanks for asking.”

“Come here,” Cain said in a gentle voice. For a second, I thought he meant me.

But then he picked up Hennifer.

This was a new low for me.

“Eric, you can’t do things like this when it’s almost her bedtime. She’s tired.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just wanted Mollie to see her.”

“Hennifer doesn’t like her. ”

“Because I never have food ,” I said as I rolled over. “Which you never told me.”

“A seasoned farm owner would know that.” He shrugged like it was nothing.

“You’re such a di—” I stopped myself just in time. “Giant pile of cow patties.”

Eric laughed. Cain only rolled his eyes. I expected him to quip back. Even if it ended in a fight, I was used to it. It was nice dusting off my bantering skills.

“I’m getting Hennifer back to the run.” He was gone before I could annoy him again.

I sat back on my heels. I was enjoying trading barbs with him. Why had he quit so easily? Was this a new thing?

“Be honest with me,” I said. “Which one hates me more? Cain, or Hennifer?”

Eric tapped his chin. “Both don’t like you.” He patted my shoulder. “Sorry.”

“Wanna go do marble runs in the hallway?”

“But Cain said no.”

“Cain said I can’t make decisions for you, which means I can’t stop you if you start it.”

A slow smile spread on Eric’s face. “Race you to my room!”