Page 21 of Twister

“Sorry! Sorry!” Rose said as she darted around the island to get a towel from the space under the sink.

“Give me a second to get… this!” She held up her ragged prize in one hand and then chased Bucky around the wide-open space to dry him.

Barking happily, he led her on a merry dance until she dove over the corner of the sofa and grabbed him, wrapping the cloth around him like a burrito when he wriggled to get away from her.

“Thanks, Bucky,” Daniel said dryly as he flicked stray water droplets from his arm. “I didn’t think I needed another shower today, but I appreciate that you’ve given me one anyway.”

I chuckled as I placed my cup on the counter, grabbed two clean cloths from the same space Rose had found hers, and tossed one to Daniel. Bucky hadn’t gotten us too badly, but there was enough for us to need something to pat ourselves down with.

One thing I was certain of was that staying with a twelve-year-old and her dog was never boring. My questions about everything else would just have to wait.

When the rain finally decided to settle in for the day, we collectively made the decision to stay inside and play classic two-player games like Connect Four and Battleship.

Whoever wasn’t playing would work on the thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle Rose had sourced from somewhere and set up on the otherwise-empty dining table.

By the time night had rolled in, the jigsaw was about a quarter of the way complete, and Rose and I were on equal footing as leaders on the overall game count.

I had a sneaking suspicion that Daniel had been purposely losing so he could work on the jigsaw more.

Popular music had been playing quietly in the background as we battled it out, which meant Rose would occasionally get up and dance, either with me or Bucky, in the middle of her games.

Daniel would laugh and roll his eyes at us, claiming he was “too old for such shenanigans,” preferring to sit and muse over whatever game he was playing or the puzzle. When it got closer to six, he got up and started making dinner, waving me off when I offered to help so I could keep Rose occupied.

It was honestly one of the best, most relaxing days I’d had in recent memory. It reminded me of when I was a kid and used to play games with Anderson, until he’d turned fourteen and deemed such things as “too childish.”

Maybe they were, but I missed those carefree days. I missed that connection to another person.

Daniel hadn’t told Rose about getting the kitten. I assumed that he wanted to surprise her or that he was still tossing up whether to get him or her. I figured time would tell.

I wondered if I’d still be around to find out. A growing part of me was telling me that I would be, but the logical part of me was adamant that I needed to talk to Daniel before making any decisions.

It wasn’t until later that night, once Rose had gone to bed, that I had a chance to bring my thoughts up with Daniel. We were sitting at the dining table, poring over the still-unfinished jigsaw, when I started with, “Were you serious about letting me stay longer? Once my Jeep is fixed, I mean?”

He paused, hand hovering over the puzzle, ready to test the fit of the piece he held in his fingers. “Of course. You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you like. Rose and I would be thrilled to have you here.”

Concentrating on the random pieces of the puzzle still littering the outside of the frame, I nibbled on my bottom lip nervously. “But only for a few days, right?”

He sucked in a breath and sat back, his hovering hand dropping to the tabletop with a slight thud. He turned the piece over with his thumb and forefinger before he responded, “How long were you thinking of staying, Marshall?”

Purposely not looking his way, I leaned over the table to grab a random piece from the other side.

“I don’t know.” I tapped the edge of the piece as I settled back in my seat, carefully studying the puzzle so I wouldn’t chance seeing any alarm or worry on his face.

“It’s one thing to stay for an enforced holiday.

It’s something else entirely if I stuck around for a few months. ”

I felt the air shift as he sat up straighter. “You’re thinking about staying for a few months?”

I shrugged, testing the piece in my fingers against what had already been fixed in place.

Unsurprisingly, it didn’t fit, as I honestly wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing.

“I’d need a job if I did that. Plus, a place to stay…

. I know you said I could stay here for as long as I liked, but I can’t imagine that meant a few months…

.” I trailed off with a chuckle and a shake of my head.

“Do you know of anyone who’s hiring? And if there are any rentals available? ”

“Do I know anyone…?” he muttered under his breath. “Marshall, you can work here. With me. On the farm.” He paused for a moment before continuing with an unsure, “Unless you don’t want to work outside…? I know farmwork isn’t for everyone.”

For the first time in the conversation, I raised my eyes to look directly at him, only to find hope clear on his face mixed with a heaping of hesitancy.

It was obvious that he wanted the help so very badly, but he was positive I’d turn him down.

I really wanted to take him up on the offer, but I needed to know more.

Would it be the same as what I’d been doing over the past couple of days?

I couldn’t imagine that it would be because what he and I had worked on had felt calming to me and not like work at all.

Admittedly, I hadn’t seen the entire hundred-acre property yet, as we’d been focused on the small herd of beef cattle that were currently corralled in an old vegetable paddock that he’d cycled out of rotation to allow the soil to renew.

But after discussions I’d had with Daniel yesterday, I knew that the rest of his land held a whole bunch of different vegetable crops in other separate paddocks, each at their own stage of development and needing a variety of checks at different times of the week.

He’d touched on the habit of diversifying when it came to Honey Maize, and it was clear that belief held true here on his “little hobby farm,” but in keeping to that ethos, there was an unpredictability to his everyday tasks that meant he had a habit of always chasing his tail and was never quite able to keep on top of things.

Especially when it rained like it had today.

The unpredictable nature of the past few days reminded me so much of looking after the frat house that my heart ached at the memory.

But where I had a lot of help looking after my frat brothers, here Daniel was doing everything on his own.

The way he’d described the farm having been set up, I could easily understand two people being able to manage it all, only hiring seasonal help as needed, yet Daniel was trudging along and doing it all himself.

No wonder he was overwhelmed and desperate for someone to help.

But that begged the question as to why he hadn’t hired people to help him.

By his own admission, he had the money to do so.

Was he trying to punish himself by doing it all alone?

And if so, what exactly was he trying to punish himself for?

Or had he thought he could do it all himself and slowly discovered it was too much, but by then it was too late to ask for help?

But those were questions for another time. Right now, I needed to understand more about what he was offering. And how it would impact whatever relationship was growing between us, personal or professional.

“What would working here look like?” I asked, then smiled when he blew out a sigh of relief that I wasn’t shooting him down immediately. “What sort of things would I be doing?”

He leaned forward, dropping the puzzle piece so he could lean his elbows on the table, his fingers interlacing.

“Honestly? Much like what you were helping me do yesterday. And this morning before the rain hit. Checking things are working the way they’re supposed to, keeping an eye on the cows to make sure they’re staying healthy, mucking out the barn, pest control on the crops—that sort of thing.

Basic stuff, really. With most of the crop work being automated, there’s some mechanical work as well, but if it’s anything more than a simple fix, I get a professional in.

” Looking off into nowhere, he lifted a hand to scratch his chin as he thought.

“There’s more, but that’s what I’d be comfortable getting help with from someone who wasn’t used to being a farmhand.

At least, until they found their feet. That alone would free me to work on the more involved things I’ve let slide recently. ”

I nodded slowly as he talked, absorbing everything. To be perfectly honest, it felt ideal. Sure, there was a set roster of tasks, but the work was outdoors, and I knew it had the potential to be changeable at a moment’s notice, which would keep me interested.

Best of all, it wasn’t in a cubicle.

This was honestly sounding brilliant. “Hours?”

Daniel winced, obviously convinced I wouldn’t like his response. “It can be up and down, depending on the seasons, but it’s never really nine to five. I’ll admit that the days can be long, but that wouldn’t be the norm all the time with us both working.”

I was liking the sound of this more and more. “And you wouldn’t mind if it was only for a few months?”

His eyes widened, again surprised that I wasn’t instantly dismissing him. “Obviously, I’d love to have someone for longer, but even help for a couple of months would be a godsend. I could finally get back on track….” He trailed off wistfully as he wrung his hands.

“Okay.”

His eyes snapped to mine. “Okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We’ll obviously need to talk about wages and stuff, but let’s do it.”

The sheer relief and happiness that appeared on his face was a joy to behold. “Are you serious? You really want to work here? With me?”

I chuckled and leaned forward to ease one of his hands free.

“Daniel, I know I’ve essentially been stuck here because of my Jeep being damaged, but the last couple of days working alongside you out in the fresh air?

They’ve been exactly what I needed after busting my ass the past four years on something I was only doing to make my family happy.

I think they can give me a few more months for myself. ”

He squeezed my hand. “Your parents won’t worry?”

I was shaking my head before he even finished getting the question out.

“They’ll be happy that I’m only a couple of states away rather than the other side of the country.

Visiting me here will give them a reason to use their camper.

” When I thought about how my brother would react to the news, though, I grimaced.

“Anderson won’t be happy, but only because he’s been expecting me to drop everything to become his loyal lapdog ever since I finished my exams. It’ll be good to remind him that this is my life to live, not his. ”

Truth be told, I wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.

I’d already declined a bunch of Anderson’s calls today and ignored the progressively worse voicemails he’d left for me.

He’d started the day calm and calculated, trying to coax me back to Chicago with promises of a corner office and top-of-the-line software and hardware to do my work, and ended it by shouting creative expletives at me and promising to make my life a living hell if I didn’t use any means necessary get my ass back home by the close of business Wednesday.

Considering that today was Tuesday and Kajir had told me yesterday that it would be at least a week to get my Jeep fixed, I was going to miss that deadline, as there was no way I was going to abandon my only means of transportation.

Also, he wasn’t doing himself any favors for making me want him as a boss by leaving me unhinged messages. Sometimes, I had to wonder at my brother’s intelligence and ability to rationally argue.

“All right, with the job situation basically sorted, the next thing to worry about is accommodations,” I went on, shelving the thought of the future call with Anderson, as it was making my eye twitch. “Do you know of anywhere in town that will cater to a short-term rental?”

Daniel tilted his head to the side and withdrew his hand from mine, hiding it beneath the table. “You don’t want to stay here?”