Laura laughed. “No, you didn’t mention it. But why is that pertinent?” There was a teasing note in her voice.
“Honey, when any guy built like him has his shirt off, it’s worth mentioning. I noticed his abs even that day at Boomer’s, but I’m willing to admit it was hard to keep my eyes on his face today. And he had that sweaty look—he’d just come in from the fields.” I fanned myself with my hand.
“Don’t tease, Brian’s not going to be here for another week.” Laura sighed. “Did he freak out when he saw you?”
“A little, but then his sister jumped in and made us explain everything. She’s awesome, by the way. She’s not much older than you and me, but she’s definitely the one in charge here. And her little girl is adorable.”
“So what are you going to do?” Laura cut right to the chase.
I hesitated, thinking about our walk out to the stand earlier in the evening. For a few minutes, I’d thought he was going to be human. We’d had what passed for a real conversation, and then before I knew it, he was telling me that he’d stay out of my way. That I’d probably not see him very much, which was clearly stupid since we were going to be living in the same freaking house. Eating our meals together. Sleeping under the same roof.
“I guess I’m just going to take one day at a time. I like Ali and Bridget, and I’m here for the summer. I’m not going to run away just because I got assigned to a house where the guy hates me. That’s his deal. I’ll be as pleasant as I can be, and the rest is up to him.”
I tried to keep that in mind over the next few days. It wasn’t hard, because it seemed that Sam had been right: he was up in the morning before I came out to the kitchen looking for coffee, and only sat at the dinner table long enough to eat. Ali didn’t seem upset, and she explained it to me after I’d been there three days.
“We’re in the thick of onion harvest right now. It has to be done by hand, and we can only afford to hire help for a week. So they work as long as there’s daylight. As a matter of fact, I’ll probably go over tonight and tomorrow night. I know Sam’s a little nervous about getting them in, and he needs every hand.”
“Can I help, too?” I surprised myself by asking the question.
Ali raised her eyebrows. “Have you ever picked onions?”
“No.” I shook my head. “But you can teach me, right?”
She smiled at me over the rim of her water glass. “Sure. But you know, you don’t have to do this. You’re our guest.”
“I’m not doing anything yet but planning the classes. Believe me, I have plenty of energy. Unless you’d rather I stay back here with Bridget?”
“Nah, Bridge is going to come pick, too. She’s a pro.” Ali pushed back her chair and picked up her plate. “Okay, let me get these dishes rinsed off, and you go change. I suggest an old pair of jeans you don’t mind getting really dirty. And sneakers.”
I frowned. “Not shorts?”
“Not unless you want to get eaten alive. I’ll spray you down with bug repellant, but the mosquitoes are fierce. Cover up as much as you can. It shouldn’t be too hot by the time we get there.”
I was happy I’d followed Ali’s advice by the time we got to the field. I batted at the annoying whine in my ear and itched at my arm. “And I thought the bugs were bad in Florida.”
“Once you get some onion juice on you, they won’t bother you so bad. It’s just the walk over and getting started. Come with me, and I’ll get you set up.”
She grabbed us each a lightweight basket to carry over our arms and led me to a row that was empty of people. A few of the other workers looked at me curiously, but no one said anything. I spotted Sam at the far corner, moving in rapid and fluid movements. If he’d seen us, he didn’t give any indication. I turned my attention back to Ali and the ground, which looked like it had been turned over already.
“Why are they all dug up?” I toed a big clump of soil.
“Part of the process. The onions have to be undercut and the soil loosened a few days before we actually pick them. They air dry for about three days, and now our job is to get them into the baskets and then into the barn. We have people in there who’ll cut the tops and roots, then bunch and bag them.” She leaned to the ground, grasped an onion plant at the juncture of the greens and white top. Gently, she shook off the dirt and laid it on its side in the basket. “See, it’s easy, but you have to make sure you pick it up in the right place. Why don’t you take over from here, and I’ll do the row next to you in case you need anything.”