“Oops.” She glanced over at the cat. “Sorry.”
Shelby jumped back on the end of the bed and promptly attacked Toni’s foot.
“Ow!” She pulled her legs up. “Jeez, cat.”
The grey shorthair glared at her and let out another loud meow.
“Let me guess, a tiny portion of the bottom of your food bowl is showing.”
Shelby turned her back and showed Toni her tail, which whipped back and forth before she jumped to the windowsill.
Toni swung her legs over the bed and let her feet touch the newly refinished floorboards. The wood was cool to the touch, so she toed on her slippers and grabbed a thin cotton robe before she wandered out to the kitchen.
It was only when she got to the kitchen that she heard the distant sound of a gardening pick.
Toni closed her eyes and sighed. “Henry.”
She quickly checked Shelby’s food bowl, picked it up, and shook the kibble to the bottom of the bowl to cover the bare patch. Then she set it down and Shelby promptly began eating.
“Weirdo,” Toni muttered. She walked to the door and wrapped her robe tight before she stepped out onto the wide porch built onto the front of the house.
Her home was a Spanish-style bungalow; an ancient grapevine covered the open wooden porch, creating a thick green shade across the front of the house during the warm summer months. Now that it was fall, fat purple grapes hung over her head, and she could see the edges of the lush green leaves curling up as they started to get dry.
Across the front yard, between the stand of oaks and her peeling red barn, she saw Henry with his pick and a wheelbarrow.
She slid into her garden boots and walked across to the barn.
“Henry,” she said. “I told you I was going to do that.”
He looked up and wiped a thin sheen of sweat off his forehead. The smile he shot her was brilliant. “Hey.”
“I told you I could clear that out,” she repeated.
He leaned his pickax on the ground. “It’s not a problem. I told you and Nico I’d help.”
She squinted into the rising sun. “You don’t have enough to do at the farm?”
“Danny and the other guys already started processing. And if I want to clean up these old vines and get some cuttings to propagate them before next year, I need to get some healthy shoots going before it gets too cold.”
Along the east side of the barn, there were eight rows of ancient grapevines pruned in a goblet style. Nico guessed they were nearly one hundred years old. They’d gone completely wild in the past twenty years, but they’d survived rain and fog, so Toni knew they had to be hardy.
The small vineyard was in a part of the garden that was completely overgrown, and it wasn’t until she’d cut the long grass back that she even realized they were there. She called Nico to take a look to see if they were worth salvaging, and Nico had sent Henry, who’d become obsessed.
“You know these could be some of the original vines planted on the property,” he said, swinging the pick over his shoulder to dislodge a large chunk of concrete that had been tossed between the rows. “If I can get decent cuttings off them—and if the grapes are any good—we could propagate or clone the original varieties that were grown on this land.” He turned to her with a wide grin. “Don’t you think that’s exciting?”
She couldn’t help smiling a little at his schoolboy enthusiasm. “Hey, if you’re going to clean up my yard, I’m not going to argue.”
His eyes were dancing in the sunshine, and his smile was dazzling. His dark hair fell over his forehead, and she could see a little stubble on his jawline. His shirt was long-sleeved, but he’d opened it at the neck and the cords of muscle on his neck nearly had her drooling.
Oh God, he does look like a Disney prince.
“Uh…” She blinked and turned to look at the house. Must. Escape. Dazzle. “I was gonna make some coffee. Do you want some?”
Wait. Shit. Was she allowed to have coffee? Was that bad for the baby?
Don’t think about the baby.
“I’d love some coffee.” Henry put his fingers to his mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. “I should call Earl. He’s been gone a while.”
“You don’t worry about him getting lost?”
Henry looked at her like her head was damaged. “No.”
Earl was the dog of mysterious origins that Henry had adopted. Within seconds of the whistle, she heard him crashing through the brush as he raced across the oak grove that led down to the dry creek bed.
Toni braced herself.
If there was anyone more enthusiastic about life than Henry, it was Earl. He was the size of a small horse, with a ruddy tan coat and floppy ears. He looked a little like what Toni imagined would happen if a yellow lab and a quarter horse had a baby.
“Hey Earl!” Toni put her hands out. “Sit. Sit!”
Earl, who was mostly legs and panting tongue, managed to stop just before he ran into Toni’s legs and knocked her over like a bowling pin.
“Hey, buddy!” Henry grinned and spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “Sorry. He loves you.”
The waves of happiness were impossible to resist. It was early in the day, and Toni’s emotional receptors were wide and clear. Joy and affection rippled off Henry, then bounced off Earl and onto her. It was nearly enough to make Toni light-headed. Earl stuck his head under her outstretched hand and woofed. It was impossible not to be charmed.
“Hey, buddy.” She picked a foxtail off his ear. “You need to be careful with him.”
“I check him every night.” Henry propped his pick against an old vine and walked over to pull another foxtail off Earl’s shoulder. “I don’t suppose I could ask you for a bowl of water. He’s still afraid of Enzo and won’t go in the barn.”
At the sound of the Enzo’s name, Earl whined.
“It’s okay.” Toni rubbed his ears. “I know you were only trying to be friendly. He’s a cranky old man.”
“Don’t let him in the house,” Henry said. “I’m fairly sure he rolled in something.”
“Okay.” Toni patted her leg, and Earl followed her while she walked back to the house. “You’re going to have to pine from a distance then.”
Earl trotted ahead of her and promptly sprawled in front of Shelby’s favorite window.
As if she’d been waiting for her cue, the grey cat jumped into the window and paced back and forth with her tail held high as Earl let out excited yips.
“Chill.” Toni opened the door and yelled at the cat. “Stop teasing him, you hussy.”
Shelby and Earl adored each other in a way only possible between divergent species. Shelby bestowed her presence upon Earl, and Earl whined helplessly and cast her longing stares from outside the house.
Toni got a large bowl of water and took it out to Earl before she went back in the house and put on the electric kettle for coffee. She could make a couple of pour overs. That way she could give Henry caffeine and she could drink the decaf she got for her mom until she found out what was and wasn’t on the “bad food” list.
No alcohol. No coffee. No sushi? Was that still a thing? It had been a few years since either of her sisters had been pregnant.
So far, pregnancy sucked hard.