Page 3 of Out on a Limb
“I meant what I said.” I stared him down. “You can either start acting like you’re in charge here,” I swallowed down the bite of fear trying to keep me from continuing with a threat I knew I could never follow through on, “or I will.”
I disconnected the call before he could say anything else.
I was done arguing with him. Done trying to make my grandfather act like the man I used to believe he was.
Because maybe my grandma wasn’t the only one gone forever, and if I didn’t come to terms with that, then a lot of people I cared about were going to suffer.
I turned, scanning the office that used to intimidate me. Now the chaos it contained just made me want to pull out every strand of hair on my head.
It might be too late to fix the mess I was up to my knees in. Too late to save the garden I used to be so proud to claim.
“Shit.” I pressed one hand to the front of my head, squeezing my skull as I turned to walk out the door.
I would give him the rest of the day. If Wilfred didn’t get his wrinkled, Viagra-dependent ass in here, then first thing tomorrow morning I was going to have to do what needed to be done.
Whatever that might be.
“Oop.”
It was the only warning I got.
A second later I was flat on my back, sprawled out on the dusty floor, staring up at the man who used to occupy the space in my head now inundated by more problems than I could count.
Or solve.
“Are you okay?” Andrew was immediately on his knees at my side, one hand coming under my shoulders to lift me up to a sitting position. “I didn’t expect you to be coming out of there.”
“Neither did I.” I tried to ignore the cedary scent hanging in the air around him and the careful way he touched me. “What’s wrong?”
Andrew was moving too fast for everything to be fine. No doubt there was yet another fire that needed putting out.
And once again it looked like I was the only one in my family willing to pick up a damn hose.
Andrew’s honey-colored eyes went toward the office I’d just attempted to leave. “Where’s your grandfather?”
“You don’t want to know.” I grunted as I pushed up from the floor.
“Are you sure you’re ready to stand up?” Andrew stuck close, holding me tight.
Like he expected me to drop again.
“I’m good.” I worked a smile onto my lips. “Did you need something?”
Andrew’s eyes went to the office again, hanging for just a second before coming to meet mine. “There’s an issue with the back fence.”
Of course there was. “What’s the issue?”
We’d been fighting the construction going on behind the garden for months. Dealing with new runoff patterns, busted water lines, and the general noise pollution that really fucked up the relaxing ambiance we were going for.
“A few of the pickets are gone.”
After everything else we’d dealt with, this seemed like a small problem. “Can we just buy some more and nail them in place?”
“We can…” Andrew shifted on his feet.
Like there was more to the story.
“But?” I lifted my brows, hoping he would just spit it out. Make something easy for me for once.
