“That feels personal.”
“It’s a raised bed, Daphne.”
My name in his mouth wasn’t a fair thing to happen before nine in the morning.
He turned toward the shed, and I followed because my role now was simple: follow the tattooed mountain man, complete the hours, and avoid making things worse.
The shed sat at the far side of the garden beneath two tall pines. It was painted the same weathered blue as the sign, with hooks along one outside wall holding hoses, rakes, trowels, clippers, and tools whose names I didn’t know and feared I might be tested on.
Beyond the fence, Larch Bend rose in summer layers: the low roofline of Main Street, the dark green shoulder of the mountain behind it, the hard blue sky, and a flash of water somewhere past the trees. I’d lived in this town long enough that the view should’ve been background. Today it felt like every pretty thing in Montana had shown up to watch me pay for my worst twenty minutes.
Zane opened the shed door. “Bag?”
I held up my canvas tote.
“You can put it on the shelf. Phone stays in there unless there’s an emergency.”
“Define emergency.”
“Bleeding, fire, bear, probation officer calling.”
“What about emotional collapse?”
“Is it bleeding?”
“No.”
“Then hydrate and keep working.”
I stared at him.
He met my eyes, completely serious except for the faint crease at one corner.
A laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it. “You run a tight garden, Mr. McCrae.”
“Zane is fine.” He took a clipboard from the wall. “And yes.”
I stepped into the shed, which smelled like cedar dust, metal, old soil, and sun-baked plastic. I set my tote on the shelf between a bag of plant labels and a dented coffee can full of mismatched screws.
Zane wrote my name on the hours sheet. His handwriting was blocky and sharp, no wasted curves. Even the way he held a pen looked competent.
I hated that I noticed that.
No, I didn’t.
That was worse.
“So,” he said, “Nadine said you’d be with us for two weeks or less, depending on shift length.”
“Yes.”
“Any restrictions I need to know about? Medical, physical, schedule?”
“No.”
“Experience?”
“With gardening?”