“Haven’t yet. Lucky you,” he said, dropping her back down on the ground. “Besides, you’re too skinny for me,” he added, managing to twist away at the last second from an otherwise well-timed punch towards his arm.
“Hey, that was a pretty sweet move from a big, burly guy like you. Have you been practicing your ballet?”
“Nope, just getting good at dodging bulls out in the pasture.” He twirled again, throwing his arm out in a flourish like a bullfighter. Stacie broke out laughing. Dee was surprisingly light on his feet despite his size, but it still looked funny as hell in a John Deere ball cap and a faded denim shirt.
“Oh, please don’t do that again,” she said, holding her side against the pain of laughing too hard.
“Do what?” Josie asked.
“Make me laugh so hard I have to pee,” Stacie said. Dee’s antics on top of two Orange Crushes were a bad combination.
“You know where to go,” Josie said, pointing off to the left. “Third boulder on the right past the pine tree. Just watch for snakes.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Stacie sighed. “Maria? What about you?”
“I’m fine for now. I’ll just stay here and help Josie.”
Rowan piped up at the mention of a potty break, but when she realized what her mother meant her relief turned to a look of trepidation bordering on horror. That almost led to the second fight of the day when Rob hooted at her and pointed, obviously enjoying the distinction being a boy had over her current plumbing issue. Her cheeks flamed bright red and she looked ready to burst until Stacie took control of both the situation and her. Guiding her away from her brother, she pointed her in the direction of the nearest bit of privacy. “Come on. I’ll protect you.”
“Do I have to?” She whined.
“Unless you think you can hold it till you get home, yeah, you do,” Stacie informed her.
She wished there was another way, but unless they broke down and built an old fashioned outhouse, roughing it was the only way to take care of business. That wouldn’t take care of the snakes though, she thought as they walked, imagining how happy the local rattlers would be to hang out in a luxurious condo in the middle of nowhere. A longish branch along the trailside caught her eye and she bent down to snatch it. Pale gray and stripped smooth by the elements, it was just about the right length and width for an impromptu walking stick—or snake slinger. She flourished the stick like a sword, sweeping it in a wide arc a couple of times and earning a giggle from her goddaughter. “See? No harm will come to you while I stand guard,” she said, mimicking her favorite Musketeer so badly even she winced. Surprisingly, Rowan didn’t tease her. She just shook her head and raised one delicate gingery eyebrow at her in a very good imitation of her mother.
*
For all Rob’s claims of bravery, Stacie noticed that he didn’t sneak off into the woods by himself. He whispered in his dad’s ear and they both took off with Dee yelling back at the girls to not eat all the burgers before he got back.
“Why are boys always so much louder than girls?” Josie asked, watching their backsides disappear around a stand of trees. It was obvious she wasn’t just talking about her son.
“Hell if I know. I guess it’s in their genes. The good thing is, you know where they are at all times,” Stacie replied, wiping her hands clean with a Baby Wipe from the package Josie had tossed her. “Ugh. Baby powder smell. They should make these things for grownups.”
“That’s a good idea. Not everyone wants to smell like a toddler,” Maria observed, sniffing the air around her and making a face.
“I take it you don’t want any kids, Maria?” Josie asked, she pulled out a couple of beers and offered each of them one.
Stacie put her hand up, taking a pass on the beer. “I still can’t stand that stuff. I’ll just stick to my soda.”
Maria accepted hers, opened it and took a drink before answering. “It’s not that I don’t want them. I just don’t see it happening.”
“Me either,” Stacie chimed in, feeling suddenly restless. The conversation was taking an uncomfortable turn down a path she didn’t want to explore right now. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure.” Josie smiled, a brilliant, toothy sort of steel trap smile that Stacie would have caught if she hadn’t been watching Maria. They both knew why kids weren’t in either of their futures, and it reminded her of everything they did have in common. Dark brown, almost black eyes gleamed back at her with silent understanding and an underlying message that was becoming clearer every day. You didn’t have to be alone in the world.
Love was still an option, so was companionship. Everything that Dee and Josie had could be her’s, if she wanted it. Except for kids. You have Rob and Rowan, a small voice reminded her, and she had to admit that was true. Josie had been so adamant about her being their Godmother, but now the largely honorary position took on another layer of meaning.
“So, I was telling Maria about the deep pool,” Josie said, bringing Stacie back into the conversation with a tap on the shoulder. “Here. Take this,” she said, and pushed a plate into her hands.
“The pool?”
“Yeah. I thought you two might like to take a hike out there after lunch. Dee is here to help with the kids now, and that way you can escape cleanup duty.”
Well, that sounded perfectly reasonable. All neat and tied in a bow. Josie was doing her damnedest to push her together with Maria, and there was no way she could back out without either calling her on it or being
