Chapter 12
Renny sat out the back in the gazebo that afternoon, listening to a book while enjoying the summer air until a droplet of cold hit her leg.
Then another. Then she was sprayed completely from a distance from over the fence by Davis, who was having great fun watching her scream and jump around, sucking in sharp shocked breaths. She was soaked. She took out her ear buds, threw them to the side "You're dead" She deeply threatened, and bolted barefoot to the fence where she expertly jumped it to chase down now running Davis through his yard.
She ran around the house and back to the back yard before he held up his hands
She picked up the hose "Davis, you are going to be so sorry" She looked at the nozzle, and the settings, and turned it to a powerful thin streaming jet "see, you think you're so smart pickin' on a defenseless girl" she talked slow with a cute little country twang, and turned up the spigot the highest it could go.
Davis watched and panted "You wouldn't"
"You overestimate me" She said, as she pulled the trigger. A powerful thin stream of water slapped his skin, and he yelled
"Renny no, oh my god" he said half laughing half pleading "uncle, uncle" he said before being shot again with the zap of cold that burned "ow! Seriously"
She eyed him, still out of breath herself, her chest rising and falling under her now wet tank
His eyes were pleading, puppy dog "Renny, I'm sorry" He lowered his voice and took a step closer, his hands in surrender "I shouldn't have ruined your peace" he stepped again, almost 3 feet away now "and your ankle seems fine, by the way" step "running didnt hurt it?" he was almost at a whisper, and right in front of her, within reaching distance
"Nice try" and she let him have it, the stream like a whip on his skin, he yelled and rushed in to her and picked her up She dropped the hose and broke into laughter as he threw her over his shoulder, he walked her to the grass and brought her down to it and sat on top of her, pinned her down and looked at her
"I tried to be nice" he warned her
She struggled under him, she had some weight behind her but not enough to buck him off "Get off Davis" she grunted and giggled. He was in a pair of shorts, no shirt. She could smell his cologne
"You thought you could get me huh?"
"Davis i swear"
"I am the boss"
"No way" she twisted and turned
"Now, you say Uncle" he smirked, controlling her completely, he held her wrists and she squirmed "uncle" he whispered close to her face "say it"
And then she paused, his mouth so close, his eyes directly in front of hers. Her hair was splayed out around her, her neck wet with sweat
She held his gaze, long enough for him to loosen his grip for just a second, she swirled her wrist out of his grip, and grabbed both of his nipples and clamped down
His whole body tensed, he yelped and jumped off her
"Dirty!" he said rubbing them "ugh i can't believe you did that"
She sat up, with grass in her hair and a cocky look on her face "really?"
He gave her a stern look "you're right, I can believe it" and he laid beside her propped up on his elbow like her "you're nuts"
"Yeah well" she conceded
"What were you listening to?"
"A book"
"What book"
"a horror"
"Probably a romance"
"No" she furrowed her brows, but it was. "You changed the Ph level in your soil" she said, changing subject "the Hydrangeas are a different color this year
He was stunned, he had done it on purpose this year to change the flowers from pink to blue. Renny didn't garden, he did their landscaping too, so he wondered how she would know that showing no interest ever. He hadn't seen her pull one weed.
"Yeah, I was playing around with it. How?..."
"And your Basil needs to be trimmed, the flowers anyway" she added
"How do you know that Renny?"
"Pinterest"
Her grandmother loved to garden, and so did her ex, but she wasn't ready for a garden again, she could barely talk about it.
She remembered childhoods amongst the tomatoes, tall and ripe, finding cucumbers under their leaves, picking berries from the bush. Her grandmother's garden was a mass of well placed trees and shrubs, with pathways between them of little pebbles. Renny would place stray pebbles back on the paths meticulously, and walk around listening to each plant's name, when they'd bloom.
Her ex, Alex didn't garden but was pleased having Renny to design and grow an amazing patio garden in their townhome. There were torches in raised garden beds with japanese maples, Wisteria and fragrant Lilacs. He had made a bamboo privacy wall and a fire pit, a small BBQ and a patio set for six. They had a small patch of grass, with a border of Hostas and Lilies. She enjoyed being out there, connecting with her grandmother, maintaining the beauty.
She just couldn't bear the pain of the losses the garden now held for her, so she just stopped.
Her mother did a good enough job in their house though, nothing fancy, but nice and neat.
Renny had plans for it in her mind, she could picture sunflowers, a small pond or japanese garden, colorful flowers, but no, not yet.
"So, Melody?"
Davis looked blank for a second, then said "Oh, yeah" and picked at the grass. He couldn't help but notice her hourglass shape as she lay in the grass, her ample chest a distraction, and her long dark hair in wet strands. "She's nice"
Renny waited for more. "Nice?" she urged
"You know, Sweet girl. Pretty"
She was, she was trying to read him, watch him, catch things as he spoke, but he wasn't saying much to go by
"Are you going to ask her out?"
"Ah" he looked up in thought "don't know yet"
Renny was quiet
"Is there a ghost talking or something?"
"There is. His name is Reginald and he asked me to tell you its his house and to leave" She smiled
"Reginald?" he laughed, relaxed and easily.
"How'd you end up here?" She asked, her intuition bugging her to figure him out. There were things missing pieces and times that had holes in his stories. After all these years, she didn't even know how he came to be here.
He thought about telling her, now would be a good time but he held back
"Another time" He said
"Tell me" she urged, her voice a little lower
Her green eyes almost convinced him, but no. He wanted this moment to just be him and Renny, their playfight and their conversation. Talking about her, bringing her back always made the loneliness that much harder.
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll tell you why I'm here, if you go and knock on old Mr Howards door and ask for a cup of sugar"
"Ok" She sat up
"In a bikini"
"Forget it"
YOU ARE READING
Signs
RomanceRenny and her very proper but sweet southern mother had moved to the small Wisconsin town, and started fresh with new lives. They had started a cafe, made friends and their neighbor, a man called Davis and his dog Ruby had infiltrated her life. With...
