Page 25 of As It Was (Strawberry Springs #1)

CAIN

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Hu Gh

Goggle, why is my butt still itchy??

Comments:

Kerry Winsor : It was YOU!

Tammy Jane : This still isn’t Google, Hugh.

Hu Gh : GODDAMMIT WHY IS EVERYBODY IN MY BUSINESS??

Jade Clark : @Henry Connor lol

Henry Connor : Hugh, stop trying to Google medical advice. I’m right here. Please just come into the clinic.

Marjorie Brown : Now THIS is what Facebook was invented for. @Henrietta Brown look at this.

When Mollie slept in late, I knew she had to be exhausted. But the weather was cooling faster than she could plant, so she couldn’t afford to lose a day.

“Hey, wanna come outside with me?” I asked Eric. “It’s nice.”

“Yes!” he said. “Are we gonna hang out with Hennifer?”

“Not this morning. Here. Put your jacket on.”

Once we bundled up, we walked out into the fields. Mollie had gotten more done than I’d thought.

“What are we doing out here?”

“I’m helping Mollie get this done so she doesn’t keel over.”

“Can I help?”

“I was hoping you would. I’ll dig and you plant.”

“Yes!” He pumped his fist, but then stopped. “I thought you didn’t like her.”

“I—it’s not that I don’t like her.”

“So you do.”

I scratched the back of my head. “Kinda, but?—”

“I knew it! She’s so fun. And nice. Tommy’s mom says you need nice.”

My heart jumped into my throat. “Tommy’s mom talks about me?”

“Only a little. I don’t listen too much because I’m getting ready for class, but she tells Ms. Rudder things.”

Fuck. I swallowed. “You know that you might hear something that’s not true, right?”

“About what?”

“About me.”

He frowned. “Why would someone lie about you?”

I knelt to his level. “Back when I was younger, I was different. Some people still see that side of me, even though I’ve changed.”

“I can just tell them they’re wrong.”

I patted his shoulder. “That’s very kind, but I don’t know if that’s enough.”

Eric huffed and crossed his arms. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I, but I’m used to it. It’s okay.” He didn’t answer, and I knew he needed a distraction. “Why don’t we help Mollie out? Don’t worry about those other people.”

“Fine,” he said. “But people need to know you’re a good person.”

“Maybe they will.” I doubted it. “All I can do is be me and hope it shows. Now, come on. If we finish this before lunch, I’ll make more garlic bread.”

What Eric lacked in efficiency, he made up for with enthusiasm. We finished half of a field by the time he got tired. I stopped to make lunch before getting back to it. The chickens and cows were going to be angry by the time I got to them, but they would deal.

It was just after noon when I heard a door above us fly open. Seconds later, Mollie ran down the stairs.

She was in pajamas and a robe. Her wavy hair was particularly unruly, and she had a crease from her pillow etched across her face.

It was more adorable than I could take.

“I messed up.” She talked fast, barely stopping to catch her breath. “I should have set an alarm. I should have turned my ringer on. Son of a bitch , I missed a whole day because I was too?—”

She had to stop when I shoved garlic bread in her mouth.

“Good morning, princess.”

She slowly chewed and grabbed the rest of the slice.

“It’s not morning, which is the whole problem.” She then realized what she was eating. “This is actually delicious.”

“I’m making more.”

She groaned. “Cain, I don’t have time ! ”

“Look out the window,” I ordered.

She rolled her eyes. “I know what I did last night. I still have?—”

I put my hands on her head and moved her. She tried to fight it for all of two seconds before she saw what we had worked on.

“What the—did I sleep plant?”

“No. Eric and I did it.”

Her eyes went wide. “But?—”

“He wanted to, and I knew you needed sleep. It’s not totally done, but the way I see it, I just have to work a little later with the animals, and you get sleep. It’s not a huge deal.”

“Of course it’s a huge deal. I mean ... you didn’t have to ... Why did you ...” She trailed off, looking totally lost.

“Hasn’t anyone ever done anything nice for you before?”

She blinked, cheeks going red. “Not as much as you’d think.”

I stared at her, wondering what idiots she had been around back in the city, but before I could ask, Eric came running down the stairs.

“Mollie! Mollie! Did you see what we did?”

“I did,” she said with a smile. “It looks great.”

“And we have garlic bread. This is the best weekend ever!”

He ran to the kitchen to check on the progress of the pasta. I gave Mollie one last look before I went to plate everyone’s food.

She was quiet as we ate, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her sneaking glances at me. I could have called her out on it, but I had no idea how to tell her that helping out wasn’t a huge deal.

Obviously, it was to her.

After lunch, she got dressed and went out to the fields to work.

She gave me a smile before running off. I let Eric play rather than help, though he came over to assist with planting when he felt like it. We were able to finish the second field and start on the third by the time the sun had begun to set.

“Okay, I have to stop,” I said. “I need to go feed the animals and milk them. They’re gonna kill me.”

“I’ll help,” she said, getting up.

“No, I?—”

“You spent all day helping me. So I’ll do the same.”

“Don’t you have another job to do?”

“It’s the weekend.”

I wanted to argue, but she was heading to the hose to rinse her hands before I could stop her.

I grabbed extra treats for both animals before we went back.

The chickens were always first, and Hennifer swarmed me when she saw me.

“Hey, quit!” I called. “I have?—”

But she was gone before I could finish the sentence.

“Wow,” Mollie said as she threw worms down. “She really is not herself when she’s hungry.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t let that attack go on for longer.”

“I’m feeling nice after you helped me. But what I saw was enough too. You’re not invincible,” she said as she poked my chest.

And I knew I wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

The cows grumbled about how late we were, but let me milk them while Mollie threw their favorite tubers on the ground.

“Okay,” I said. “Now seriously, I don’t need any more help. I’ve got it from here.”

“I could cook dinner.”

“No, you—” I checked the time. It was about the time I would normally start cooking.

“I make a mean burger.”

“Really? You’re gonna say that in front of the cows? ”

She winced. “Sorry!” she whispered to them. Moosley was the only one who looked up, but merely flicked an ear in response.

“Fine,” I replied. “Please start on dinner.”

“We make a good team,” she said with a smile.

I didn’t want to admit it. “We do.”

She laughed before running off, and I stared after her. It took a lot for me to get attached, but I was starting to like having her around, even when she drove me up the wall.

But things didn’t go well for me when I started to get attached, and though she was a staple to everything now, I didn’t know how long it was going to last.

I needed to distance myself and remember that all of this was temporary.

Yet I had no idea where to fucking start.