Page 54 of Love… It's Wild

“You two know that just because your parents couldn’t be a good husband and wife to each other doesn’t mean they’re not amazing parents to you, right?” I tell them.

Molly nods. “I love my mom and dad. I wish they were still together, but I’m okay with the way things are. They fought a lot. Maybe they don’t talk now, but it’s better than the arguing. I was young, but I remember that.”

Jesse dips his sponge in the bucket, drenching it in the water and then squeezing it. He repeats the motion a few times. The six-year age difference between them is evident in the way they process their new lifestyle and memories of the past.

“What exactly is this place going to be?” Jesse asks.

I shrug. “I don’t know. What I do know is, it’s gonna be spectacular.”

Jesse nods his head while Molly scrunches her nose.

“I thought it was gonna be a playhouse?”

“It could be, but you’re going to outgrow that soon. We’ll think of something awesome. Maybe we’ll even see what your dad planned for it to be. In the meantime, this will be our little secret.”

* * *

The days pass quickly as we spend the better part of our week working on the castle. While Jesse’s at driver’s ed, Molly and I head to the garden center and pick out new plants for the garden and learn the ponds are going to take a lot more work to make them habitable for fish. By Thursday night, the three of us are bone-tired.

“You guys are sunburned,” Rob comments at dinner.

Tonight, he made a meatloaf when he came home, and I enjoyed helping, as the recipe reminded me of baking, except instead of flour, it’s chopped meat.

“We were out in the fields all day. Found the keys to your four-wheeler and had some fun with it,” I explain.

Rob twists his mouth. “Be careful on that thing. It’s not a toy.”

“I know …Dad,” I state sarcastically. “Be happy we were busy and not inside, playing on iPads.”

“You’re gonna run out of gas. I only have two canisters in the shed.”

“We know,” Molly answers him. “We went to the gas station, and I refilled them.”

Rob lifts a brow at his daughter. “You learned how to pour gas?”

“Tara showed us both. I did the car, and Molly did the canisters.”

Rob looks at Jesse, impressed. “How is driver’s ed going?”

“Good. Tara took me driving after class today. She said I’m a natural.”

“You let Jesse drive your convertible?” Rob’s surprise is evident.

I swallow my meatloaf and explain, “Yeah. His class was only an hour, so I let him drive us home. It’s all back roads anyway.”

His fork waves in the air. “With Molly in the car?”

“She was buckled up.” I push my fork against his and lower it. “When Jesse gets his license, he’s gonna drive her around eventually.”

“I’d prefer it’s after he has a few hundred hours in.”

Jesse drops his fork on the table in annoyance. I give him a staredown.

“Pick that back up. Your dad made this meal for you. Just because he’s worried about Molly getting hurt doesn’t mean he’s a horrible person.”

Jesse picks his fork up and starts eating again.

Rob glowers at me. “What else did you guys do today?”