Outside, Birdie lifted a sprig from her basket and held it toward Daphne. "Mint. Easy to grow, impossible to control. Like half the people in this town."
Daphne laughed. "Should I be worried that you're handing it to me like a warning?"
"Only if you plant it without a border."
I stepped into the doorway.
Daphne sat on the bench with her elbows braced on her knees, water bottle dangling between her hands. Her hair had come looser, soft brown strands curling against her damp neck. Dirt marked one forearm. Her sneakers were a mess. Her face was flushed from sun and work.
Tyler leaned closer. "Can mint win against compost?"
"Tyler," Daphne said, "I'm not taking life advice from a man who lost to compost."
"I'm in a growth period," Tyler said.
"Emotionally or agriculturally?"
"Both, maybe."
Gus walked over with a coil of wire. "That boy grows any more, I'm leaving."
Birdie patted the bench beside her. "We're all very proud."
I should've let them have the moment.
Instead, I watched Daphne's shoulders loosen. I watched her laugh without checking first to see who might judge her for it, and something in my chest pulled tight.
Daphne caught me looking.
Her smile faded a little. Not gone. Just quieter.
I lifted my chin toward the water bottle. "Finish it."
"Yes, supervisor," she called, but her voice had gone soft enough to make my jaw clench.
Birdie's eyebrows rose.
I went back inside the shed before she could say a word.
Work carried us through the next hour.
Daphne finished tying the tomatoes, then helped spread mulch along the east row. She didn't trust the mulch any more today than yesterday, but she handled the rake better.
She pointed at a low green stem near the edge of the bed. "Plant or problem?"
"Plant."
"Good thing I asked."
"Very good thing."
She aimed the rake at the mulch instead. "I'm choosing restraint."
"That's appreciated by the whole row."
Tyler leaned on his shovel and said, "Community service is cheaper than therapy, I guess."
Daphne bent over the mulch bag and smoothed the crinkled label with one gloved hand. "That depends on the quality of the therapy."
