Page 25 of Big Britches
Titus cocked his head. “I’m impressed. You see the dogwoods, though they’re long past blooming.”
“Of course. You have several. And that fence around the perimeter… I would consider a mix of shrubs and trees—depending on how much you want to spend—all along the length of it, every other post. Many, many more azaleas, too, for sure.”
“Money isn’t a problem. I like the way you think, Pedro. I also like?—”
“Daddeeeee!”
A small towheaded boy ran up to Titus, embracing him. A girl, the same size and as dark as he was white, followed.
“Well, hey there, kiddos! How’s your day going? Have you had lunch yet?”
“Just finished,” said the girl. “Momma asked us to check and see if you needed anything.”
“We’re just fine, sunshine. Pedro, this is Shelly, and my son Tucker.”
“Hello. Pleased to meet you two.”
“Are you the new gardener?” Tucker asked.
“Yardman,” Titus corrected.
“I am,” said Pedro. “Are you going to help me plant some flowers?”
Tucker nodded, but Shelly shook her head. “Not now. We wanna go swimming.”
“Nope,” said Titus. “You just ate. Have to wait an hour.”
Both children gave disappointed groans.
Roz came up behind them. “I told you two not to linger. Just to see if they needed anything. Hello, you must be Pedro. I’m Roz. We met on the intercom.”
“Hi, Roz. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Same.”
“How’s the refrigerator now?” Titus asked.
“Much better. You got the magic touch, BB.”
“Not always.” He looked at Pedro. “But sometimes things just work out.”
Roz cleared her throat. “All right, kids. Let’s let these guys talk grass.”
Again, the children protested.
“Tell you what,” Titus said. “Give it an hour, and I’ll even go swimming with you. We can do cannonballs and I’ll throw you as high as I can.”
Tucker’s eyes grew wide. He looked at Shelly, who was equally excited. “Awesome.”
“Awesome,” Titus repeated. “Now, run along.”
They did, Roz following. “Nice meeting you, Pedro.”
“You too. And thank you for lunch.”
She waved over her shoulder.
“Sorry about that,” Titus said.