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Woodson cocked one eyebrow, and Adam sucked down a healthy swallow of his cider before he elaborated. “Let’s just say you won’t be needing to employ a gravedigger anytime soon.”
“And you?” he asked Preacher.
“I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said with a wry grin.
Woodson looked inclined to pursue the matter but thankfully let it drop. Though Adam should have known that Woodson wasn’t done with him entirely.
“Fired him yet?” he asked Preacher.
“Actually, yes. About ten minutes ago.”
Adam scowled and Woodson chuckled, shaking his head. “Son, I don’t know how you’ve managed to get yourself fired from nearly every establishment in town. In less than two weeks.” He held his glass up and tipped it toward Adam. “But I think I’m impressed.”
Frankly, so was Adam. He’d known it was going to be tough, but even he hadn’t expected to do quite so poorly.
“No,” Sunshine said. “Surely it hasn’t been that many.”
Adam sighed. “You’d be surprised.”
“I know about Mrs. DuVere’s builder and Reggie there,” Sunshine said, nodding over at the bartender. “And Doc, of course. Who were the others?”
Adam grimaced but Woodson chuckled. “After he’d destroyed half the tavern’s new shipment, he tried his luck at the tanner’s. You lasted, what…a full day there before ruinin’ his whole inventory? Something about scrapin’ too aggressively?”
“It wasn’t the whole shop, just a few of the hides,” Adam said, chugging down more cider. Maybe he should have gotten something a bit stronger.
“After that, I believe he tried the butcher’s. Lasted an hour from what I heard. And the barber wouldn’t even let him in the door.”
“You’ve been paying attention,” Adam muttered. Lucky him.
Woodson shrugged. “This is my town. It’s what I do. And it’s a bit hard to ignore when someone is goin’ through destroying half the establishments.”
“Destroyingis a bit of a stretch.”
Woodson snorted. “Not by much.” He paused to take a drink, then nodded at Doc. “Then our good doctor here took pity on him and let him play nurse. I’m assumin’ that didn’t go very well, since it didn’t last more than a day.”
Adam raised his glass in a salute. “Your assumption would be correct.” Might as well embrace his mediocrity.
“You weren’t so bad,” Doc said, and Adam cocked an eyebrow.
Sunshine laughed. “If you call nearly blowing up your clinic not so bad.”
Doc just grinned.
“And now,” Woodson continued, “our good reverend is the latest to regret hirin’ him.”
“I don’t regret it,” Preacher said. “Though…he wasn’t quite as handy as I’d hoped. He does dig a fine hole, though.”
“I just need to work on where I deposit the dirt,” Adam said, lifting his glass to the preacher, who chuckled into his drink.
Sunshine grinned, probably just happy to see them getting along even if he didn’t understand the joke. “So, if you were happy with at least that aspect of his work, why not keep him on?”
Preacher shrugged. “There’s only so many graves that need to be dug, and we already have a good number more pre-dug than we need.”
“Besides,” Adam said, “the last time he gave me a shovel, I flung a pile of dirt in his face. Actions have consequences, my mother always says.”
“Wise woman,” Woodson said before turning to Preacher. “I’m surprised you didn’t bury him in one of his holes for that.”
Preacher shrugged. “They’re there if I change my mind.”
