Some of them Witches

Chapter 4

Marianne nearly jumped at the sound of the door knocker. Hometree had sounded its warning of someone's approach but she had assumed it was Lily or Violet walking around. Her phone assured her it was only 1:18 pm and there was no unread text message to announce his presence. Miller always texted first and chastised her if she did not. Perhaps it was payback for showing up out of the blue yesterday. She hurriedly put on her hat, made sure she looked tidy in the mirror hanging on the inside of the door, and grabbed her backpack.

"You're early," she said over the door creaking loudly and stepping out to avoid him entering.

He only nodded and looked at the door. "I could grease those door hinges for you."

Marianne decidedly did not want a silent entry point into her home. She channeled Miller's diplomacy. "Maybe later," and before he could insist, "I have some tools I want to load on the truck."

Nathan made his way down the trunk with natural nonchalance, as if it were perfectly regular to meet with young ladies in trees. At the base of the trunk, he stepped aside to let Marianne lead the way. Moving past him, she felt his gaze on her like a physical presence, like an inevitability that she should look at him. She risked only a small side-ways glance from under the brim of her straw boater hat at his legs, bare in the summer heat, and made a mental note to keep a literal distance between them.

"Are you meeting the person who booked you today?" She can tell without looking that he's looking straight ahead and not at her when he asks, making her feel free enough to answer.

I don't do that. "They talk to Violet and I do the work..." with Virginia, "when they're not there."

"Oh," his expression was difficult to discern in profile from under Marianne's hat but his voice had turned up a bit at the end of the syllable.

She was a little disappointed when he made no comment as they came to the tool shed. The outside was a little grassy hill with a wooden door that opened up to a cool space of bricked walls and a packed dirt floor, looking more fit to be a root cellar than what they actually used it for. Well, used was a strong word. The most use they had gotten out of it really was when Austin got a slight snowfall last new year's eve for the first time in years and they had sledded down it all night on whatever they could find, Marianne and Virginia supplementing the snow with their spells to Lily's rare delight.

Inside it was very orderly, to Virginia's specifications, everything in its rightful place. Despite the neatness of the arrangement, all the tools looked as though they had been put to good use for quite a while. She supposed they were purchased second hand to create just that effect. Marianne had already packed her sketchbook, laptop, and tape measure in her backpack, the only things she would actually need on this excursion, but went into the shed diligently and selected tools at random for Nathan to carry.

He studied each one as he helped her load the nearby truck bed. She stopped when she thought there were enough heavy things to warrant someone's assistance. Nathan didn't appear to be bothered by the manual labor but his extended silence which Marianne found comfortable when they were out in the open, felt oppressive once the car doors closed around them.

Miller always immediately DJ'd their rides but Nathan made no moves to break the silence Marianne attempted to mask with the radio. She was not even sure what station would be on since she usually selected a playlist for herself when alone, but any noise was welcome enough.

Their silence lasted the 20-ish minutes to the job site and she wondered if she would like it to last the rest of their time together. The only thing more awkward than this silence might be an awkward conversation. Marianne was almost fully resolved to keep this going when Nathan spoke.