Page 24 of Out on a Limb
I’d shamed.
I’d threatened.
None of it worked.
“You can start making the decisions he won’t.” Andrew stayed close at my side as we walked through the sliding doors leading into the main entrance and gift shop.
I snorted. “I’m sure he’d love that.” It was one of many empty threats I’d thrown out as recently as this morning.
But that was why it didn’t work. My grandfather knew I wouldn’t actually follow through.
“He’s not here to have an opinion, is he?” Andrew opened the side door employees used to access the main portion of the garden.
“He would be furious.” I carried Phillip to where my cart was parked beside the door. “He’d—”
“He’d have to show up to be furious.” Andrew worked his body into the seat beside me. “And if he shows up then he can make the decisions.”
It sounded good in theory, but I’d seen what happened when my grandfather got angry, and I didn’t necessarily want to do it again. “Maybe.”
We drove around to the back lot where the landscapers worked, and dropped off three of the meals before taking the last one to the building Andrew and Julia used as their offices and workspace. Julia was inside, marking spots on the laminated property map hanging on the wall. She turned our way as we came in with lunch. “I think I found all the spots that were damaged.” She pointed to the central lawn where we used to host concerts and events. “They seemed to primarily convene on the beds surrounding the grass.”
“That’s good, right?” I set Phillip down on the cement floor and went to the giant line of industrial-sized metal sinks lining the wall, switching on the water before adding a few pumps from the bulk bottle of heavy-duty hand soap balanced on the back ledge.
“It’s as good as it can be I guess.” Julia capped her dry-erase marker before going to the bag of food and starting to unpack the containers of chicken, potatoes, and slaw. “It’s still a pain in the ass.”
Andrew came in close at my side, adding his hands to the stream of water coming from the faucet. “We can manage it.” He added soap to one cupped palm before scrubbing away all the dirt and debris from the mess of a morning we had using one of the nail brushes sitting next to the container of soap.
My eyes started to burn as I watched his long fingers work up a thick lather that he then rubbed up each forearm in a move that looked more than a little suggestive.
A little similar to how he might work his hand up and down something else.
“How much slaw do you want?” Julia’s question was loud enough to pull my wide eyes her direction. “Just a scoop.” I shoved on a smile to cover up the horrible thoughts still trying to hijack my brain. “Thanks.”
“Thanks for getting lunch.” She added a scoop of slaw to each plate. “Grant gets his panties all in a bunch if I don’t eat.”
I snorted a little. “Panties.”
Grant was just as serious as Andrew. The kind of man who would be horrified knowing I was currently imagining him in a pair of pink ruffled panties.
“How’s Grant doing?” Andrew dried off his hands and came to sit at one of the steel stools surrounding the table at the center of the room.
“Busy.” Julia tipped the bucket of chicken and peeked inside. “He’s training Helen and looking for a new assistant.”
“Maybe I should go be their assistant.” I took a bite out of the biscuit Julia deposited on my plate. “I bet no one dumps chickens in Grant’s office just to fuck with him.”
Julia and Andrew both immediately looked my way.
Julia was the first to speak. “You’re not really thinking of leaving, are you?”
I lifted one shoulder. “I’m not sure there’s any reason to stay.”
I had a freaking degree. One I worked really hard to get.
Somehow cleaning up chicken shit didn’t seem like the best use of it.
“If you leave then we might as well close the damn doors.” Julia was a little too serious. “You’re the only reason they’re still open.”
“That’s not true.” I might be trying my best to put out the fires that constantly seemed to keep popping up, but I didn’t do much with the actual nuts and bolts of the business. “Alan’s the one handling all the important stuff.”
