Page 17 of The Apple Tree

I moseyed toward the fence, savoring every bite of the apple. Then I held it with my teeth and climbed the wood rails, straddling the top one. “Nothing about my grandma is flawed.”

His eyes widened as I ate the entire apple core.

“Why all the guns? Do you hunt?”

Kyle rested his arms on the rail in front of me. “Yes. But I like bow hunting best.”

“What about fishing? I like to fish.”

He nodded. “I have a fishing boat in the barn. Josh loves fishing.”

“I asked Josh where you lived before you moved here, but he just said you lived in a house.”

Kyle laughed. “He’s not wrong. We lived in Crested Butte, Colorado.”

“Why did you move?”

He gazed at my house. “We needed a change, but I still wanted to live in a small town, so when my brother suggested Devil’s Head, and there happened to be a job opening at the school, I figured why not try here.”

I nodded, but I was out of questions that didn’t involve quizzing him on the whereabouts and circumstances surrounding Josh’s mom. Yet, I wasn’t ready to go inside and call it a night.

“I don’t know if you bring your lunch to school, but the only decent meal they serve is chicken noodle soup with cinnamon rolls. Stay away from shrimp shapes. I don’t think they contain actual shrimp. And don’t be fooled by the beef burger. It’s a rubbery patty with a funky taste. Everything else is just a version of hot dogs. The fruit is canned in heavy syrup, the cookies are concrete, and the milk is sour. But sometimes they have chocolate milk, and it’s acceptable.”

Kyle eyed me, trying to restrain his grin. He wassohandsome. I couldn’t believe he was my neighbor. I never wanted him to move.

“Thanks for the tip,” he said.

“Oh, also, don’t shake hands with Mr. Dillinger.”

“The principal?” He squinted.

“Yes. He picks his nose all the time.”

Kyle cringed.

When crickets were the only ones talking, I hopped off the fence. “I’m glad you moved into the Tallmans’ house. We haven’t had good neighbors in a while.”

“What was wrong with the Tallmans?”

“They fought all the time. We could hear them from our house. Mr. Tallman threatened to cut off my hands if I took his apples. And they had a mean dog who chased me up a tree on more than one occasion.”

Kyle chuckled. “So the bar for being a good neighbor has been set low.”

“The lowest.”

“I’ll take that as a backhanded compliment.”

I smirked while walking away. “You can take it however yourpretty little headwants.”

“Touché, Eve. Good night.”

I waited until I felt certain he was on his way home, then I peered over my shoulder. But he wasn’t walking home; he was still at the fence, watching me. When I slowed my stride, he grinned, shook his head, and turned to head home.

I was obsessed.

CHAPTER FIVE

PRETENDERS, “DON’T GET ME WRONG”

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