“You guys ready to do this?”
“Yep,” Mia said.
“Yes. The sooner we can get started, the sooner we’ll be done,” Dani said.
“I know we talked about starting with my boat, but this morning I was thinking we should start with the other places while the weather is good and then make our way back here. Mine can wait, if we have to, plus I have the covered boathouse to protect from the elements a little. Does that work for you guys?”
“Whatever you think. Isn’t that right, Silver?”
Her daughter looked like she would rather be anywhere else on earth. “Fine,” she mumbled.
“Where do you want to go first?” Dani asked.
“Let’s start at the Millers’ house. The graffiti seems a little darker there and might take two coats of paint to cover. I talked to Mary this morning and she was able to find matching paint cans from when they had it repainted two years ago, so that should make things easier. I’ve got some painting supplies from when we redid this place. Rollers and paintbrushes here and a couple of trays.”
“And I found a few things at our place, too.” Dani gestured to a box at her feet.
“Great. We should be good, then. Silver, why don’t you help me with this crate while I grab a few other things.”
“That big thing?”
“Yeah. I think you can handle it.”
He handed her the heavier of the two boxes, not out of spite but to again reinforce the message that her actions had consequences.
He picked up the other box, gave his usual orders to the dogs to behave, then closed the door behind him.
“You’re not taking your dogs?” Mia asked. “They’re cute. Maybe they can help us.”
“Not today. I’m afraid they would mostly get in the way while we’re trying to work. We kind of have to hurry to get two coats of paint on while the sun is shining.”
“It is a beautiful day,” Dani said. “One of the nicest we’ve had in weeks.”
She was right, the weather was unseasonably warm for December, predicted to get into the high fifties, with no snow in the forecast for at least a few days. The morning sun felt almost warm on his shoulders.
“I’m glad. If it wasn’t so nice, we would have to wait until spring to repaint. As it is, we might have to use some industrial space heaters so the paint will dry. We’ll see how things go. I’ve got a couple buddies in construction who might be able to loan us some equipment for a few days.”
Dani gave him a look he couldn’t read, as if she couldn’t quite figure him out. “You’re going to a great deal of effort on Silver’s behalf. I’m still not sure why.”
He glanced at the girl, who walked with her head lowered as they made their way down the street toward the Millers’ house.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, which was absolutely the truth. “I guess maybe this is one little way I can give back to repay all those who’ve helped me throughout my life. Besides that, around here, neighbors help each other. It’s what we do.”
She didn’t look convinced but he changed the subject before she could press him for answers he couldn’t provide.
“Have you met the Millers?” he asked as they approached the house.
“Briefly, when we first moved in. Mary brought us a pie with apples from her tree.”
“That was her?” Silver asked, eyes shocked, as if she hadn’t made the connection between a woman who would welcome them to the neighborhood with pie and the people whose property she had vandalized.
“Yes. Mary and Tom Miller,” Dani said.
“They’re very sweet,” Ruben said. “She used to teach math at the high school and Tom worked at the post office for years.”
“The man who lives here yelled at us once,” Mia said with a frown as they approached the house. “Silver and me weren’t even doing anything. Just walking Winky past their house. It scared me.”
Is that why Silver had picked this house to tag? Because the man who lived here had scared her little sister?
If it wasn’t random vandalism, Ruben had to wonder again what he had done to earn her ire.
“He had a stroke a few years ago and sometimes he can be a little grumpy. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Silver met his gaze, shock in her eyes. “Oh. I didn’t know.”
“Sometimes when people have health problems, they become so focused on that, they aren’t always aware of how their words or tone impact others.”
“That must be difficult for Mary,” Dani said, compassion in her voice.
“Yeah, but she’s a trouper. I told her we were coming over. Silver, I thought you might have something you want to say to her.”
Silver looked back down at the box in her hands and mumbled something he couldn’t hear.
After he knocked on the door, Mary Miller answered wearing a ruffled apron with Christmas trees and candy canes on it. Out of the house wafted the delicious scents of sugar and cinnamon and butter.
“Hello, Ruben, dear.”
He leaned in and kissed her wrinkled cheek. “Hi, Mary. I understand you’ve met Dani Capelli and her daughters, Mia and Silver. We’re here to paint over the graffiti.”
Her face softened and she reached both hands out and grasped his much bigger one in hers. “You told me on the phone you were coming but I wasn’t sure you’d be able to make it. You’re so busy! This is so kind of you, Ruben, but I’m not surprised. You’ve always been such a good boy.”
He managed to refrain from rolling his eyes at Dani, who was watching this interchange with interest and, if he was not mistaken, considerable amusement.
“Who’s here?” a gruff voice asked from the other room.
“Go back to your show, Tom,” she said, her voice patient. “It’s Ruben Morales here with that nice veterinarian who moved in down the street with her pretty girls.”
Dani’s amusement quickly shifted to discomfort when she seemed to remember why they were there. “Silver, don’t you have something you want to tell Mrs. Miller?”
The girl mumbled something incoherent, looking down at her sneakers.
“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t hear as well as I used to. Could you repeat that?”
Silver looked up. “I’m very sorry I sprayed graffiti on your shed. It was a dumb thing to do. I made a mistake and I’m sorry.”
As apologies went, that one was nicely done, Ruben had to admit.
“Well, you’re making it right again. That’s the important thing. We all make mistakes, choices we wish we hadn’t. Why, just this morning, I poured buttermilk in my coffee when I meant to grab half-and-half. Let me tell you, that was quite a nasty surprise.”
Ruben had to smile. Grabbing the wrong container out of the refrigerator didn’t quite equate to vandalizing others’ properties, but he appreciated her trying to make Silver feel better.
“It shouldn’t take us long to paint over it, then we’ll get out of your way.”
“Thank you. The cans are right inside the shed. I don’t know when I would have had the chance to clean it up myself, and you know Tom likes the place to look tidy.”
Silver winced a little, looking even more guilty. Good.
“Wait a minute. Before you go there to start work, you’d better try these snickerdoodles that just came out of the oven. I tried a new recipe this time and you would really help me out if you would taste them for me and give me your opinion.”
“Oooh. I love snickerdoodles,” Mia declared. “They’re my favorite.”
The elderly woman smiled down at the little girl. “Then you’ll be the perfect one to try them out and tell me how you like the recipe.”
She shuffled out of the hallway, shoulders bent from age and arthritis. A moment later, she returned with a plate piled high with cinnamon-and sugar-dusted cookies.
“They’re a little more flat than
my snickerdoodles usually turn out. I might need to add a tad more flour. Try them and tell me what you think.”
Ruben took a bite, which was fluffy and sweet and delicious, as far as he could discern.
“Perfection,” he said.
“Very tasty,” Dani concurred.
“Yumalicious,” Mia declared.
Silver nibbled hers, still with an odd expression on her features. “It’s, um, really good. Thank you.”
The woman beamed at them. “Oh, I’m so relieved. Here. You take these with you, to keep your strength up while you’re painting.”
She pulled plastic wrap over them and handed the plate to Mia, the only one of them who didn’t have her hands full of painting supplies.
“That was nice of her, wasn’t it?” Dani said to her daughter when they walked outside.
“I guess,” Silver mumbled, her eyes still filled with confusion as they made their way to the shed.
Here, the vandals—he would never believe she acted alone—had covered the side of the shed with multiple huge spray-painted smiley faces and the words Be Nice.
“Oh, Silver,” Dani exclaimed.
“I was dumb. I know. I don’t need you to keep harping on it. Can we just move on now?”
“Good idea,” Ruben said, taking pity on her discomfort. “We have a lot of work ahead of us. I brought some wire brushes. I think they’re in the box you brought along. Our first step should probably be seeing if we can scrape some of it off before we try painting over it. Why don’t you grab them, Silver?”
She didn’t look thrilled at the assignment but nodded and started digging around in her crate until she pulled out the brushes.
“Is this what you wanted?”
“Exactly. Just start scraping away at the graffiti. I’m not sure if any will come off, but we can try.”
They all went to work, Dani on one side, Silver in the middle and Ruben on the end.
He didn’t mind painting and considered himself something of a pro. He’d spent many hours of his childhood earning spending money by helping his dad paint the concrete walls of the veterinary clinic. Those had been great times, where he’d been able to talk to his dad about girls, about life, about where he wanted to be in the future.
There was actually a Zen-like calm in the process, painting over the old and bringing in the new.
“Mommy, can I have another cookie?” Mia asked after a few moments. She was sitting on a garden bench, keeping watch over the cookies as if she expected Mary’s garden gnomes to come to life and snatch them away.
“Just one. Let’s save the rest for later.”
Silver frowned as she continued working the wire brush against the wooden shed.
“What’s wrong?” Ruben asked. “You seemed upset earlier about the cookies. Didn’t you like them?”
“No. It’s not that. They were great. It’s just...” She looked down at the plate of cookies in her sister’s hand then back at the tidy little house. “Why did she give us cookies?”
“She said she needed testers,” Mia reminded her sister.
“But...I did a stupid thing and vandalized her property. Why is she so nice about it? I thought she would yell at me.”
She gestured to the mess she had created on the shed. “I mean, if this were my place and some stupid kids, um, a stupid kid messed it up, I’d be seriously pissed.”
“I suppose she sees that you’re trying to make amends,” Dani said. “That’s what today is all about, to show our neighbors you’re sorry for what you did, right?”
“I guess. I still don’t get it.”
“I don’t care why,” Mia said. “I just like the cookies. I’ll eat them all if you don’t want them.”
“I never said I didn’t want them,” Silver protested, which made Ruben smile.
“She’s a nice lady,” he said. “Just like Mrs. Grimes, once you get past her gruff shell. After you’ve been in Haven Point awhile, I think you’ll find most people here are kind.”
“If you say so,” she muttered, looking not at all convinced.
“I do. In fact, in my experience, most people everywhere are kind. Sure, there are the selfish jerks out there. People who don’t care about anyone but themselves and who are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead, but they’re usually far outnumbered by those willing to step up when they see a need.”
“Wow. Do you need me to clean those rose-colored glasses for you?” Dani asked, looking at him as if he had just arrived from another planet filled with do-gooders.
He smiled. “I already polished them this morning, thanks. You can borrow them anytime you want, though.”
“No thanks. I prefer to see the world as it is, not as some pretty picture with all the harsh edges blurred out.”
Who had hurt her and left her so cynical? The girls’ father? He wanted to ask but didn’t dare with her daughters looking on.
“Mommy, if Silver doesn’t want another cookie, can I have hers?”
“I said one more. Put them away for now. Maybe after lunch you can have another one.”
She pouted but was easily distracted when Ruben told her he needed help holding the tray while he poured paint into it.
The little girl was adorable and he was thrilled she seemed to have lost her shyness with him so quickly.
With her curly dark hair and light olive-toned skin, she looked like something out of a Renaissance painting. Her mother and sister did as well. Throw their pictures up in a Venetian chapel and they would fit right in.
Okay, maybe they wouldn’t fit in so well right now when they were wearing clothes suitable for paint and cleanup work. And Silver might need to lose the purple hair first.
“Do you have a ladder?” Dani asked a few moments later. “I can’t quite reach the top.”
“Over at my place. I’ll grab it if necessary, but let me see if I can reach first.”
“Use my brush. It has a longer handle.”
She handed it over and their hands briefly connected. He attributed the little burst of heat that flared between them to the wire bristles of the brush conducting electricity. It was a nice theory but didn’t quite explain the rosy blush climbing her high cheekbones.
Was it possible Dani was attracted to him, too? It was a fascinating idea, one he desperately wanted to explore, if not for her daughters looking on.
“Watch out,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to shower down paint flakes on you.”
She moved out of the way while he finished scraping the high spot and brushed off the flakes. When he finished, Ruben stepped back to look at the wall again.
“Good work. We might be able to get by with only one coat, which is good since it has to dry completely before the temperature drops tonight. Winter isn’t a great time to clean up graffiti.”
He didn’t miss the guilt that flashed across Silver’s expression. Good. Maybe if she felt guilty enough, she would come clean about who else had been involved with her in the vandalism.
“What now?” Silver asked, a new urgency in her voice.
“Brush off any remaining paint flakes, then you can start rolling on one side and I’ll do the other. We’ll meet in the middle. This shouldn’t take us long.”
“What can I do?” Dani asked.
“I’ve only brought the two rollers. You and Mia can be our cheerleaders.”
She rolled her eyes, which led him to the not surprising conclusion that she probably wasn’t the sort of girl who went in for short skirts and pom-poms.
“When we knocked earlier, I saw the woodpile close to the house is running a little low. Maybe you and Mia could grab the wheelbarrow and move some of the split logs closer to the house so she doesn’t have to,” he suggested.
Dani brightened at the suggestion. “That’s a great job for us. Come on, Mia.”
“Can I ride in the wheelbarrow?”
“Maybe on the way back from the house,” Dani said.
For a few moments, he and Silver worked in silence.
“I don’t get why we have to paint over the whole thing when the graffiti is only on part of it. Couldn’t we just paint that?”
“If we only paint over the markings on the wall, we’ll end up with a splotch of new paint that will look almost as bad as the graffiti. Painting the whole wall will hide it better.”
She seemed to accept that, though it was obvious she didn’t necessarily like it.
“Tell me about where you came from,” he said after a few moments. “Boston, wasn’t it? Did you like it there?”
“I guess. It was okay. My friends are cool.”
“How long did you live there?”
“Since I was nine. That’s when we moved from Queens so my mom could go to vet school.”
Dani had loaded the wheelbarrow full of wood and was heading toward the house with Mia in the lead. He wanted to ask directly about Silver’s father but didn’t want to come across as too obvious.
“Just the three of you?” he asked, as unobtrusively as possible.
“And Winky. Her full name is Winky Stinksalot. The Winky part is from Harry Potter.”
“Oh, right. The little house elf. You’ve had her a long time, then.”
“We got her when I was a little girl. I found her in a park near our apartment in Queens. She was starving and dirty and didn’t have a leash or anything. We put a sign up in the park but nobody ever came forward to claim her so Mom said we could keep her.”
That was the most she had ever talked to him, the longest string of sentences he’d heard out of her mouth. He asked a few more questions about the things she liked to do in Boston and New York. Once Silver started, it was as if he had uncorked the bottle. She chattered as much as Mia had earlier, though mostly about her friends and the movies she liked and some of the places they liked to hang out in Boston.
In no time, they were finished with the wall and he had a much clearer picture of their family. They seemed to love each other very much, a message that came through in Silver’s conversation.
He had also noticed the girl went to a great deal of effort not to mention her father, in what was an obviously deliberate effort to leave him out of the conversation.
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