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“All right. Since you insist, I’ll do that. Call me if you need anything.”
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Are you serious about not needing Sally?” He kept his voice low, and Sally didn’t turn, so he hoped she didn’t realize he was talking about her.
“Yeah. I was dead serious. She’s great, and I don’t really want to lose her, but my wife thinks it’s a good idea, and typically when my wife has an idea, it’s good.”
“I see. All right.”
They chatted for a bit more, and then Peter hung up. Thinking. About the time that Norma Jean figured out that Sally was in the house working, Norma Jean was going to come in and try to take over. Maybe it was the drugs talking, or maybe it was his grumpiness over the pain, but he could totally see that happening. And then Sally would be at the little office half a mile away from him, and Norma Jean would be in the house.
He hadn’t figured anything out when there was a knock on the door and Sally called, “Come on in!”
“You have no idea who that could be. You might be inviting a serial killer into the house,” he grumbled from the couch.
“Like a serial killer would knock,” Sally said over her shoulder, rolling her eyes but smiling with that patient way she had that soothed his soul, even while it irritated him, mostly because he knew he wasn’t nearly as patient as she was.
“Hey there. I’m not a serial killer, just in case I needed to say that before I was allowed in.” Miles walked in the door, closing it behind him and nodding at Sally in the kitchen before he walked into the living room and stood with his hat in his hands in front of Peter.
Miles and Peter had been helping each other on their farms since Peter moved in. Miles had a bad split with his wife, and Peter, while not new to farming, had never had his own spread.
From what he could see, they helped each other, and both of them had been satisfied with their arrangement.
It wasn’t going to be a fair split anymore.
“I can’t stay long. Norma Jean is watching Holly over at the office.”
“Norma Jean is watching Holly?”
“Yeah, Wanda didn’t show up for her again.”
“You didn’t have to come,” Peter said, although even as he spoke, he knew Miles pretty much did have to come.
Miles just lifted his brows. Both men knew Peter was wrong.
“Right,” Peter said, irritated at himself again. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s hardly your fault someone left the gate open. I haven’t figured that out. I was the last one through it.”
“I wondered about that but had too many other things on my mind,” mostly pain, but he didn’t mention that, “to think about it.”
“Yeah. It’s been bugging me. I specifically remember putting Chester down, making him wait while I shut the gate and fastened it. I know it was latched securely. I... I’m not sure exactly what happened.”
Peter supposed he would spend some time thinking about that, but it wasn’t something that bothered him right now. Sure, whatever happened was the reason he was laid up, but it didn’t change the fact that it had happened.
“I appreciate it. Sorry that Norma Jean had Holly all day.”
Miles looked like he was surprised. “They actually hit it off.” Miles fingered his hat. “I know you’ve been avoiding her some the last two weeks. Whatever happened, you didn’t really say. I just know you made excuses to be outside and not in the office.”
Peter looked away. He had. He’d managed not to complain about Norma Jean. He didn’t want to go around bad-mouthing people. He didn’t like spending time around people who never had anything nice to say about anyone and tried not to be that kind of person himself. But there hadn’t been any question that he’d been avoiding Norma Jean.
“I wasn’t going to let Holly stay with her, but Norma Jean did some letters with her, and they seem to be having a grand old time. She didn’t even want to come here to see you.”
Peter winced, ashamed. It galled a little that Holly liked Norma Jean better than she liked him. He wasn’t upset about that exactly, but it made him feel bad.
Maybe he was being too hard on himself. It seemed like everything he did irritated him today.
