Page 3 of Protecting Clove
“You’re what, five?”
“Yes, ma’am. I was born in December, which puts me under the sign of Capricorn. I don’t think Ophiuchus and Cetus should be included. But since only twenty-seven percent of people believe in astrology, it really doesn’t matter.”
Andie cocked her head to the side. “I’ve never really thought about it. So are you the pianist?”
Neo nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I love the piano.”
“Let’s get the piano moved if you don’t mind,” Bud said.
Clove nodded. “Sure. I think it would be best in here. That means I need to move the plants.”
“We can take care of that,” Bud said.
She led the men into her bedroom, glad she’d made up the bed, and picked up her underwear. She couldn’t believe she’d told the movers to put the piano on this wall. It had been a huge mistake.
“I’m so sorry I got the wall wrong. I just don’t want Neo playing the piano at four in the morning. I’ll have to just trust she won’t.”
Rider chuckled. “She’s smart. I don’t think I knew what a percentage was until I was in fifth grade.”
Clove chuckled. “Yes, she’s very smart. I have a hard time keeping up. I had to brush up on my math skills, and she already surpassed me. I can’t keep up.”
Bud met her gaze as he picked up one end of the piano and set it on the rolling dolly they’d brought with them. “I know nothing about kids, but she seems challenging.”
Clove’s mouth dropped open. “You just picked that up like it was nothing. The movers had a very hard time with it.”
He shrugged. “It’s heavy. It wasn’t nothing.”
Rider picked up the other end, so it was fully supported and could be rolled. She shook her head.
“What moving company do you two work for?”
They both chuckled, and Bud answered. “We don’t. We’ve just helped friends move stuff too many times. The Navy hires movers, but we’ve had to deal with adjusting heavy furniture too many times.”
“Oh, you’re both in the Navy? You don’t look like Navy men. You know, all the high and tight stuff with the hair and no beards.”
Bud shrugged. “We follow regulations for our unit.”
“I’m sure you do.” She wasn’t going to guess what he meant by that. She hadn’t lived in the area long enough to know what types of sailors there were. She’d met a few officers and a couple of women who were in the Navy, but she didn’t know many military types.
They had the piano in the main room and were moving her plants. She mostly had herbs because she liked to add them to her cooking, but she had a few other plants, too. She had a green thumb and always had something growing in her space. When she’d left Keith, she’d had to leave her plants behind, which had pissed her off more than leaving some of her clothes and dishes behind. At least she’d gotten out with Neo. If Keith had fought her for custody, she would have never recovered.
Andie went over and picked up her potted basil from the shelf. “This looks nice. Basil?”
She smiled and took the plant, moving it to the windowsill at the front. “Yes.”
“Nice. And it looks like you have some dill and oregano.”
“I do. Do you have any herbs?”
“I just started with basil.”
“That’s good. I love having fresh herbs.”
“Mommy is a good cook. You all should come over for dinner sometime soon. She made coq au vin last week. It was good.”
Bud’s eyebrows shot up. “Really. You eat coq au vin?”
Neo shrugged. “I don’t like it as much as her chicken cordon bleu. It’s really good. You should try it.”
