Page 21 of A Very Grumpy Neighbor

“No. Not yet.”

“There are some crazy plants out there,” she says, leaning forward excitedly.

I can’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. “Like what?”

“Okay, did you know there are two trees found in Central America called the Chechem tree and the Chaka tree?”

Cameron returns with our glasses of water, and I watch as Jade takes a quick sip.

“The Chechem tree’s bark is so poisonous that touching it can numb your skin.”“A poisonous tree?”

“Yeah.”

“And what about the Chaka tree?”

“That’s the even crazier part. The cure for the Chechem tree poison is in the Chaka tree. And these two trees arealwaysfound next to each other in nature.”

“Really?”

Jade nods. “Yeah. According to a Mayan myth, the Chaka and Chechem trees came from two brothers who fought over the same woman. They both died in the battle, and she died of a broken heart. The kind, loving brother became the Chaka tree, while the cold, arrogant one became the poisonous Chechem.”

“Do you believe that?” I ask as our food arrives.

“I don’t know. It’s a cool story, but the cure for a poison being next to each other in nature isn’t new.”

“Yeah.”

“What about you? Do you believe the myth?”

“Crazy things happen. It could be true,” I say as I bite into my sandwich.

“There’s a fireproof tree in Hawaii,” she says, telling me all about it.

I smile as Jade shares some more plant facts as we eat. It’s obvious that this is her passion because she’s in her element. She looks so happy as she talks, like a kid at Christmas. I hang on her every word.

I pay the bill once we’re finished eating and follow her to her car.

“What are we working on today?” I ask as I buckle my seatbelt.

“I need to go to the park and check on a tree. It’s sick, so it may need to be cut down,” she says with a grimace.

“Okay, let’s go.”

No sooner do the words leave my mouth than the skies open and it starts to pour.

“Or not,” Jade says dryly.

“What now?” I ask as we watch the rain come down.

“The park will be closed, so I’ll head home to answer emails. Did you need anything from town before we go?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

She drives slowly, the windshield wipers working frantically to clear the rain.

“I could make us dinner,” I offer as she steers us down the rain-soaked road to our houses.

“You cook?”

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