Say It's Not Fake

“Are you like fifty?” she grumbled, ignoring my hand before resuming doodling skulls and tombstones on her notebook. She was such a cliché it had cracked me up. Even if she was a little on the crusty side, she must have felt bad enough for the new kid to invite him to eat lunch with her and her friends. I hadn’t been sure what to expect when I showed up in the cafeteria. I figured Skylar’s friends would be just like her. Miserable and pissed off.

Color me surprised when I saw her sitting with a guy that looked like something out of a clothing catalog—full-on jock with perfectly groomed hair. He introduced himself as Adam Decate. The pretty girl with fire red hair opposite him said her name was Meg Galloway. I sat down next to Skylar and instantly felt I had known these kids my entire life. After that, we were an inseparable foursome. And what I thought was going to be a horrible move turned into something pretty great.

“Hey, boss man,” Todd Vandy called out as I crossed the road to the square. My second in command was unloading bags of mulch from the back of his truck and piling them up beside the old oak tree that stood in the middle of the green space.

The day promised to be warm. We had been blessed with a mild spring so far, and it seemed we were well on our way to summer weather. Which suited me well, considering my line of work had me outside all day every day. Nothing sucked more than having to work when it was pouring down rain or snowing.

Since starting my business seven years ago, I had gone from being a one-man crew to employing five people. I hired Todd and Jeff Givens first. I knew both from high school and knew them to be hard workers. The three of us worked well together, but soon we had too much work to keep up with. I eventually hired Mary Childers, who used to work at Sweet Lila’s, the only decent bar in town. She was sick of working night shifts and wanted more sociable hours so she could spend time with her kids. She recommended I bring on her brother-in-law Matt VanHorne who had recently moved to the area with his family. Lucky Seacole was the last addition.

“Hey, Lucky, did you get out to see your mother this weekend?” I asked the bronze-skinned older man who was digging holes for new posts.

Lucky looked up, his expression always guarded, as if waiting for a punch to the face. Which was most likely a result of spending the last twelve years in prison for breaking and entering as well as armed robbery. Adam had told me I was crazy when I hired him. “He’s not exactly the poster boy for trustworthy,” he narrowed his eyes and drawled when I told him.

Everyone in town knew Lucky. He was the local troublemaker. He was the black sheep of the Southport family. But my dad had instilled in me the importance of second chances, and I knew the man in his late fifties was down on his luck with no one willing to hire a convicted felon.

So, when I saw him doing community service that involved trimming the bushes around the town hall, I impulsively offered him a job. He thought I was kidding at first and threatened to knock my teeth down my throat if I was fucking with him. After I convinced him that I wasn’t, he joined my crew and quickly proved to be a hard worker and completely dependable.

Lucky stopped digging and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “I did. She loved the rose bushes. Thanks again for that. I helped her plant them in the backyard.” Lucky’s smile was tentative. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I inclined my head in acknowledgment. “I’m glad she liked them.” I didn’t make a big deal out of giving him the plants. I had offered them to him, saying they were extras from an earlier job. I suggested maybe he should take them to his mother, who he had a strained relationship with.

I took a cup from the cardboard carrier Mary had picked up from Coffee Cup over on Lane Avenue. I took a sip and made a face. I should have known it was herbal tea. Mary was always trying to get the rest of us off caffeine. We fought her every step of the way.

“Hey, man, how’s it going?” Todd saddled up beside me, his dark skin slick with sweat already. The bill of his hat was pulled down low over his eyes.

“Not bad. Sorry I’m a little late. Katie was a handful this morning,” I apologized.

“I can’t believe that sweet baby girl was anything but angelic,” Todd retorted.