The daphne bushes were all ripped up while we were all gone and, in their place, the gardeners planted boxwood. Easy, traditional, boring, reliable boxwood. They have grown into neatly-trimmed hedges about two feet tall now and I quite like the look. They border the largest fountain in the center of the space.
The floorboards creak behind me and when I turn, I see Nick coming into the living room from the foyer.
“Where’s Wendy?” I ask.
“Upstairs. Sleeping now.”
I nod and he joins me at the window. “Got something on your mind?”
“I do.”
“You wanna go walk in the gardens with me and we can discuss?”
“Sure.”
Nick and I go outside and the heat hits us both at the same time because we suck in air. I don’t know why people do this—especially people like me, who barely understand any kind of weather other than the stifling heat—but they all do.
We head into the gardens without speaking, but once we’re on the pea-pebbled path, Nick says, “Where’s McKay?”
“Is that a general ‘where’s McKay’ or do you need him to be here for the conversation?”
“Just general.”
“He’s in his workshop.” I nod my head to the big old barn. “He’s making something for the new house across the lake. Probably a gate. Or maybe a sign. Something metal, for sure.”
“Oh. Nice. He seems… handy.”
I chuckle. “Oh, he’s handy all right.”
I think Nick takes this the wrong way because he says, “So you two are… what? Lovers?”
And I don’t really care that his mind went there first. I like it, actually. “Among other things.”
“It’s one of those… ‘it’s complicated’ relationships?”
“Nah. Not really. It’s just unique. We fuck, we fight, we eat dinner together. Why are you asking?”
“No reason. Just curious about the guy.”
I shoot Nick a look. “You don’t need to be curious about McKay.”
Nick puts his hands up. “Got it. McKay who?”
I chuckle and we continue our walk. It’s odd that I find Nick Tate so easy to talk to. But odd in an expected way. Odd in a good way. “What’s on your mind, Nick?”
“Indie.”
I scan the area, looking for her, but she’s not around. My tone changes, becomes a little bit darker and more guarded. “What about her?” And I hate that. I really do. But how can I ever love her the way I used to back when she was small?
I don’t think I can.
I think it’s over.
“Is there any possible way,” Nick says, “that you could keep her away from Wendy?”
I sigh. It’s a long one, too. “If I had any control over Indie at all, I wouldn’t be plotting her ultimate demise.”
“Wow. You Southern people really like colorful expressions, don’t you?”
“Something wrong with how I talk?”
“No. I find it a little bit charming, actually. However, I never quite know if you’re fucking with me or being straight.”
“This is too true. We like beatin’ our way around a bush, Nick. Keeps conversation polite and people on their toes.”
I catch Nick smiling as we walk and I find that my feelings for him today are also unexpected. Quite contrary to the ones I was having just a few days ago. After all these years, it’s a small shock to realize there might be another person out there you can trust, and you never knew it until just now.
“This place is nice,” Nick says. “Not as nice as my shitty farmhouse in Nebraska, but…”
Now it’s my turn to smile. “McKay and I will have to take a trip west one day. We don’t get out there much. Even when I was running around with Maggie, I didn’t pay much attention to anything west of the Mississippi. Never seemed like there was a point to it.”
“Oh, fuck. Wendy and I won’t be staying at my place. It truly is a piece of shit. We won’t be settling anywhere, actually. Not for a long time. We’re going on a trip around the world.”
“No shit?”
“No shit.”
“That sounds real nice, actually. I’ve been everywhere, of course, but McKay hasn’t. I have found myself feeling bad about that lately. In fact—” I pause here. Because even though I’ve already admitted it to myself, it feels wrong to let Nick in on this realization before I say it to McKay.
But Nick presses. “In fact, what?”
“Nothin’. It just sounds nice, that’s all.”
I’m sure Nick knows I’m lying, but he lets it go. “So what do you think? Is there any possible way you can keep Indie occupied with something other than Wendy?”
“McKay and I are going out tonight, remember? So I can’t help you there. But I’m willing to offer up a tip, if you’re interested.”
Nick shrugs with his hands. “Sure. Why not?”
“Don’t push Indie away. She’ll be on to you like flies on shit. If you try to stop her from doing anything—and I do mean anything—she will do the opposite just to piss you off.”