Dean shook his head and nudged her shoulder. “Put your bags away.”
Laura smiled as she walked away. The easy banter between them was always enjoyable. She felt like they’d known each other for years as opposed to the few weeks he’d been living in Cape Falls. He’d moved before attending the picnic.
She returned and found him on his knees over a recently turned patch of soil.
“Here,” he said and threw some seeds her way. Laura knelt beside him and looked at the packet—Wintergreens.
“Seriously, you’re preparing for winter?” she asked.
“As a writer, you must learn to take on many hobbies. One of mine is growing vegetables and fruit. This is a great place to grow them with plenty of room.”
She shrugged her shoulders and followed his direction, making sure the seeds were evenly spaced.
“So, away from writing, tell me more about Laura Cox,” he said.
She paused and glanced in his direction. “I’ll tell you more about me if you tell me more about you,” she suggested.
Dean stopped and leaned back on his haunches. “Are you trying to bargain with me when I’m teaching you how to write?”
“Actually, you’re not teaching me how to write. That comes naturally. You’re teaching me how to hone my skills to make me a better writer,” she argued.
He glared at her a second. “Teaching women how to argue was a grave mistake in male history.”
Outraged, she gasped. “That’s an awful thing to say. We’ve got a lot of goods things about us. You can’t tell me you’ve got the viewpoint that leaves us women barefoot and pregnant?” Laura couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe it.
“No. Not just barefoot and pregnant. You can cook and clean too.” Dean responded and laughed. “Almost had you there,” he teased.
“Don’t do that. I’d hate to think I’m being taught by a self-righteous pig who thinks a woman’s place is in the home,” she replied.
“I’m surprised you don’t have that exact opinion yourself. Since being in Cape Falls I've had the impression most of the residents still share that same thought process,” he said.
Laura thought then about her parents and the rest of the families in Cape Falls. Most of the women went to work after their children were grown. Her own mum refused to work and she’d heard her say many times that a workplace was for a man.
“I guess many folks here haven’t moved on with the times,” she offered as way of explaining everything.
“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t think you’ve got to walk the same path as everyone else. You’re free to make your own choices. Don’t let anyone hold you back. Not even me. Sprinkle the soil gentle over the seeds and be careful not to disturb them.”
She smiled and covered the tiny seeds. He placed netting over the freshly planted soil, which she learned helped protect the seeds from birds wanting to eat them.
“Tell me about yourself then, and I’ll tell you some bits about me,” she said.
“Okay. I promise,” he agreed.
“All right. What do you want to know?" she asked and sipped from the glass of lemonade he’d brought out. The sun was high in the sky and its heat was beating down on them.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you," she continued. "I got the job at the library. I work four days a week and only for a couple of hours each day. Should be fun.”
“Congratulations. I take it waitress work wasn’t cutting it?”
“Not even," she answered. "I hated it, and there’s this guy who keeps following me around, or at least he’s there wherever I turn. He drives me crazy,” she admitted.
Dean was quiet for a short time and she sat by him on the bench and gazed at their handy work. Most of the seeds had been planted and patches of the garden started to look structured.
“Do you think he’s got a crush?” Dean asked.
She couldn’t help but to burst out laughing.
“Why are you laughing?” Dean asked.