Page 19 of Starved Until Sunset

“I don’t know, what’s it going to cost me?”

“Some conversation, unless you’re out here to avoid that.” Dave widened his eyes in an overly dramatic manner. “Are you and Demetrius fighting? Is that why you’re out here working in the yard?”

“You’ve been living with Ollie the intrepid boy reporter too long.” Cody waved toward the other end of the flower bed. “Start down there and pull up anything that looks dead or close to being on its last legs.”

“Like you?” Dave asked as he walked toward the back of the yard, leaving a lot of room between himself and Trevor.

“Have I told you to fuck off lately?” Cody made a thinking face. “I don’t think I have.” He smiled brightly. “Fuck off, Dave.”

“There’s my big brother.”

They worked in silence for a bit, Trevor keeping up a quiet patrol behind them, and somewhere down the block, a mower rumbled into life. When they had moved closer together, Cody paused to sit back on his heels again and look over at Dave. He’d grown a beard for the winter and it was full and nicely trimmed, the whiskers just a touch lighter than his brown hair, a lock of which had fallen across his forehead. Sunlight flashed off the lenses of his tortoise shell glasses, and Cody thought Dave looked more like a college professor than a data analyst.

“How’s the wedding planning going?” Cody asked.

Dave sat back as well and shrugged. “It’s good. Not going to be very big, so we’re trying to figure out venues that will work.”

“I’m sure the activity room at Parson’s Pines is available.”

Dave grinned. “I’m not that interested in copying my older brother. There’s a new place out by that subdivision they’ve been building for about ten years.”

Cody thought a minute. “Out on 118 toward Harriettville?”

“Right. Just about a mile past the Hollow Leg.”

“Oh, hell, that place? I thought that was a sporting goods store or something.”

Dave shook his head. “Dude, you think every place is a sporting goods store.”

Cody gave a half shrug. “Wouldn’t hurt.”

“Anyway, we have an appointment out there this week.”

Cody bent back to work then said, “What about the gym?”

“At the high school? No.”

“Why not?”

“Because this isn’t a movie, and I’m not sad about having not taken Oliver to the prom.”

Cody had to chuckle at that one, dammit. “Hey, I’m just trying to help.”

“I appreciate it, but we’re doing okay.”

“Still on track for a spring wedding?”

“Yep. May fifteenth.”

“I’ll wait until I receive my invitation to add it to my calendar.”

“Nice. You’re still up for being my best man, right?”

Cody feigned surprise. “What? Best man? Me? Really?”

Dave gave him a flat, unimpressed look. “You’re not at all funny, you know that, right?”

“Says you.”