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A look of determination washes over her and she bends down to grab the edge of the trashcan. Her face scrunches up as she attempts to lift the mostly-full can off the ground. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from chuckling.
“Juliette,” I say and she jumps, dropping the trashcan, getting more debris on my driveway in the process.
“Adrian,” she breathes out and an unwelcome tingle skips down my spine. “I amsosorry, did I wake you up?” Her green eyes rove over me. “Oh, you went on a run around the lake. I’m glad I didn’t wake you, but I feel so bad. The trash truck is about to come and I noticed you hadn’t brought yours down yet, so I thought maybe you didn’t know that Friday is pickup day. I didn’t want to knock on your door so early so I thought I would get it for you, but it fell over when it hit a crack in the driveway. Now there’s trash everywhere, but don’t worry I’ll clean it up! I just can’t seem to get the can upright.”
She takes a deep breath after her monologue and crosses her arms over her chest again as if she’s hugging herself. There are many things I could address in what she just said, but my brain is stuck on one detail.
“How did you know I went on a run around the lake?” I ask and she blinks at me.
“What?”
“You said you thought I was sleeping, and then you said I ran around the lake. How did you know?”
“Your shoes have lake sand on them, you’re wearing running clothes and your hair is mussed.” I look down at my shoes, confirming that they’re caked in sand. Strange how she caught all of that in one measly glance.
“Don’t worry about the trash,” I say instead of acknowledging the lake run. “I’ll clean it up and bring it down, thanks for letting me know when trash day is.”
“No, it was my fault, please let me help.” She starts grabbing the trash with her hands and I don’t miss the disgusted purse of her lips as she does.
“It’s fine. Just let me do it.” I try for a stern tone, but she continues on as if she didn’t hear me. “Juliette,stop.” My voice is hard, more of a command than a suggestion this time around. An empty takeout container tumbles from her hands and clatters against the concrete.
Slowly, she straightens to standing, her green eyes lifting. I expect to find them shining, perhaps a bit glassy, but I’ve braced myself for nothing. Her eyes are as serene as the surface of the lake I was just gazing upon moments ago. The silence between us is punctured only by the rustling of the wind in the trees as she regards me calmly.
“I wanted to fix my mistake,” she says, and I hate how her tone has changed but I hate even more that it bothers me. Earlier she sounded like a rushing waterfall, gushing and bubbling with life. Now, she’s flat as the ground beneath us. “But if that would make you more upset, I understand. I’m sorry.”
“It’s just that your help isn’t necessary,” I say, hoping that softens the blow of my earlier words.
I don’t want to be friends with her, but I also don’t want to be so rude that my mother would be shaking her head at me in Heaven.Great, now I’m thinking of my mom on top of dealing with this conversation. My fingers itch to rub the medallion that’s hidden beneath my shirt, but I resist.
“Okay, sorry again.” The side of her mouth hitches up in a half-smile.
She backs away from the trash can, then turns on her heel and walks across the dewy grass in her moccasins. It’s then that I notice Murphy sitting patiently by the door. As soon as she steps onto the driveway, the dog walks up to her and leans into her legs. She scratches behind his ears while walking to her door. I watch her disappear inside, relief and regret battling for dominance within me.
It’s good that she thinks less of you, I try to tell myself. That way, neither of us can get hurt. Trusting someone new isn’t an option.
“Uncle Adrian!” My twelve-year-old niece Maddie yells as soon as she gets out of MJ’s SUV.
“Hey, Mad Dog,” I say with a smile and let her attack me into a hug. She’s one of the limited few who get to hug me.
My sister MJ married Maddie’s uncle Sebastian last year, but Maddie views both Sebastian and MJ as her parents since she never knew either of hers. When I first met Maddie, it was at her dance competition where we showed up for moral support. My brother Grayson gave her the nickname Mad Dog, and she conned us into doing a TikTok dance with her. She’s had me wrapped around her finger since the moment I saw her.
“This is a nice neighborhood,” MJ says, shutting her car door. “Grayson wasn’t exaggerating when he said it had Hallmark movie potential.”
“Since when do you watch Hallmark movies?” I ask and she spears me with a look.
MJ has always had an aversion to the overly romantic, but her husband Sebastian softened her over the past few months. He dotes on her obsessively. While I think he’s a great guy, I can’t stand to be in the same room as them for long. It’s nauseating how much they love each other.
“I have a daughter now, she loves them.”
“One time I caught Mom watching one by herself,” Maddie whispers to me and I chuckle. Her whisper isn’t very quiet though, as evidenced by MJ’s scowl.
“I’m not going to make you hot chocolate tonight if you keep telling all of my secrets.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Maddie giggles as I open the door to my cottage for them.
I close the door behind us and let them explore the house, meandering behind them.
“Where’s Bash?” I ask MJ, using Sebastian’s nickname he got while playing football.
