Page 36 of Where You're Planted

He knelt back down, reaching for the hat but not pulling it from her hands. “I have a few of these,” he said, sensing that the offer was a big deal. “If you want to keep this one…”

“Oh.” Briar frowned, her shoulders caving in a little.

Tansy mouthed,Take it, even though he could have sworn she’d just tried to talk Briar out of offering it back in the first place.

He gently lifted the hat from Briar’s hands, studying herreaction. Her fingers twitched as if to grab it back, but then she clasped them together and offered a firm nod, as if to say,There. It’s done.

Jack fished into his pocket. “How about a trade?” He pulled out the pin and let it rest in his open palm, extending it to her. He gave her an encouraging nod when she hesitated.

Finally, she picked it up, studied the engraved boat at the center of the circle, and asked shyly, “Can you put it on me?”

Tansy seemed fine with the request, although now he really couldn’t read her expression. Her lips were parted, eyes soft. She looked slightly shell-shocked.

The door opened behind them, and out came Omar. “There you are. Thought you were really gonna leave my a—” He stopped himself from swearing, catching sight of Briar, and flashed a big smile at them. “Hi. How are y’all doing?”

Tansy blushed and clung to Briar’s shoulders, steering her out of his way so Omar could jog down the steps.

Jack was still trying to figure out what that look of hers had meant and why it made him reluctant to part from her suddenly. “Would you like dinner?” he blurted. “Both of you. With me?”

Omar’s eyes made a slow sweep from Jack to Tansy and back, the corner of his mouth lifting. He didn’t wait for Tansy’s reply before turning on his heel, heading back toward the door, and calling over his shoulder, “I’ll catch a ride. Later.”

“Can we, Mom?” Briar begged, tugging on Tansy’s hands.

She shook her head at Jack, clearly confused and maybe annoyed that he’d put her on the spot like this. One of her hands drew up to the buckle of her overalls strap, prompting him to take her in fully. Buckles instead of ties. That seemed like progress on the risk of her clothes unraveling in front of him. He forced his eyes up from her chest to her hair, piledchaotically on top of her head, but he could have sworn she had dirt streaked down one side of her throat, and, well, his eyes were apparently no longer under his control, lingering on the smooth skin there.

Luckily, she was focused on her daughter, a silent conversation happening between them until Tansy sighed and said, “Fine.”

—

“What is this place?” Tansyasked, walking up to meet Jack in line.

“Best tacos in town. They have kid food, too,” he added, suddenly aware that he had no idea what the two of them liked to eat.

“Never heard of it,” she said, surveying the place.

Letty’s was a food truck that had been parked just off the historic part of this suburb for several years. In that time, the owners had added a canopy structure with picnic tables and fans and then some playground equipment and lawn games. It was a short hike from a shallow, beachy stretch of the creek. During the summer, families would venture down onto the sandy banks, play in the water and build castles, then trudge up the hill here for lunch. Right now, though, only a handful of adults sipped margaritas in clear, plastic cups while their kids ran around the play structure.

“Mom, I know her,” Briar whispered, pointing at one of the kids.

“Do you want to go play?” Tansy asked.

Briar gave it serious thought but said, “Maybe later.”

They ordered and carried their paper plates of tacos to oneof the tables, where Briar promptly pulled out a book about cicadas and tucked in.

“Big reader, huh?” he commented. Because he had no idea how to talk to this woman or her kid and wasn’t entirely sure why he’d invited them to dinner in the first place.

Tansy looked fondly at her daughter. “I guess it’d be weird if she wasn’t.” She gestured at herself.

He chuffed a laugh. “I never really read much as a kid. Still don’t,” he confessed.

She nodded slowly, like she was trying to parse whether this was a subtle barb against her job or just a completely random thing he’d blurted because he was terrible at small talk.

“Your last name is literallyReid,” she pointed out, her mouth curving into a smile.

Heat spread across the back of his neck. Something was shifting between them lately. He couldn’t tell if she genuinely despised him, or if she was…flirting with him. “I don’t have much time to read.”

“Oh,” she laughed. “Yes, I’ve heard how busy you are.” She took a bite, and half the contents of her taco spilled out onto the paper plate.

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