Page 19 of There's Pumpkin About You
He shakes his head with its soft brown curls that have grown long enough that they move with the action. “No, no. It’s yours. I’ll grab one a bit later.”
I shove the cup towards him. “Take it. I can grab one when I stop by the flower shop.”
“Why do you need flowers?” Gus asks.
“I don’tneedflowers. I just thought it would be a nice way to brighten up my kitchen.” When the awkwardness begins to settle into the ever-shrinking space, I add, “So how is it going in here so far?”
“It’s going well,” my brother replies after a sip of cinnamon-flavored goodness. “I’m just looking around at the structure and everything to get a feel for it, but I’ve been talking to Gus at the same time. He’s a nice guy.”
I can’t control the way my puzzled expression moves from my brother to Gus. He frowns down at me which is no surprise. I turn back to my brother. “Really?”
Finn’s head tilts. “Why are you so surprised?”
“Your sister and I aren’t exactly best friends. You’ll find that she—ironically—finds me rather uptight.”
“Ironically? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Irony is when something happens in contrast to the situation’s expectations. You will usually find that it concludes itself with a hint of amusement for those observing its occurrence.”
“I know what irony means, you ass.”
“Then why did you?—”
“I was asking you, what you mean when you say it’s ironic that I find you uptight?”
He watches me blankly, but you can see genuine confusion swimming in his eyes. “You say you know what it means and yet to answer your question I would yet again have to explain the meaning.”
I open my mouth to respond, but shut it again at the last minute, instead closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. When I turn to my brother who is crouched down looking amused, I can feel the way my smile strains. “Do you think I’m uptight, Finn?”
“No comment,” he mumbles.
* * *
An hour later, Finn finishes up with his inspection. I sit myself on a hay bale, laptop on my lap as I look through backup venues as well as possible ways to cater the party, especially now that Oakleigh has sent me a first draft of the guest list along with who on that list has special dietary requirements.
“Well, I have good news and bad news,” Finn says as he packs up his tools.
“Start with the good news,” I reply just as Gus says, “Start with the bad news.”
Finn, for what feels like the fifteenth time since I got here, flicks between the two of us with evident uncertainty. After a moment of silence, Gus sighs and mumbles, “Start with the good news.”
“Okay,” Finn says hesitantly. “Well, the good news is that there is a lot of potential with the barn. I don’t see any mold and the wood that has been eaten away needs to be removed anyway, so all in all it’s possible to get it done without tearing the whole thing down.”
“And the bad news?” I ask.
I hate that his sympathetic gaze is directed at me. “I’m sorry, Wrennie, but the bad news is that I don’t see everything getting done by the date you need it. Especially since my team is only halfway through another project. It would literally just be you and me at the beginning.”
“You, me and Oakleigh.”
“I somehow rest my case even more than I did before you said that.” He cringes bitterly.
Can you tell Oakleigh and Finn have never really seen eye to eye?
“Well, how far out would we be?”
He avoids my gaze. “Maybe a month?”
A month? Surely it can’t need two whole months to sort out a few wooden beams and some paint?
