Maybe This Time(29)

“Yep. Welcome to country life, sir.”

I thought he might object, but Andrew, nice suit and all, moved to the other side of the box and said, “Ready?”

I nodded. We slid the box and immediately felt the pressure of resistance. We kept pushing and moved it a couple of inches at a time around the tables.

“Does this happen often?” he asked.

“Never at a wedding. At least not one I’ve been to.”

“But at other events?”

“I once found an opossum in the shed behind the flower shop. And at Grandma Harris’s ninetieth birthday, a raccoon tried to eat her cake.”

“What a rude raccoon.”

“She thought so too.” We made it past the reception area to the grass, but my heels kept sinking into the earth. “Hold on a second.” I kicked them off.

Andrew stood straight and stretched, then slid off his jacket. “It’s hot.” He started to put his jacket on the ground next to my shoes but I stopped him.

“What are you doing? It’ll get dirty.”

“I’ll get it dry-cleaned.”

I held out my hand. He looked confused but gave me his jacket. About thirty feet to the left of us, the chairs from the ceremony were still set up. I could see their white silhouettes in the darkness. I jogged over and tucked my shoes under a chair and laid his jacket over the back. Then I returned and placed my hands back on the box. “Ready?”

He pointed. “All the way to the trees?”

“Yes, then it won’t come back.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

It took us another ten minutes to inch the box to the trees. When we arrived we both stared at the overturned box.

“It’s not going to attack us or anything, is it?” he asked.

“No, he just wants to get away.”

“Okay. Here goes nothing.” Andrew lifted his foot, placed it on the side of the box closest to us, and tipped it back. We waited for the creature to go scurrying, but nothing happened.

“Did we lose it somewhere along the way?” Andrew asked, looking behind us.

“No, I felt it.” I moved around the box slowly. There was nothing on the ground. I crouched down to look inside.

A loud hiss sounded before the creature scurried out of the box.

I screamed and fell back onto my butt. Andrew laughed, and the opossum ran into the trees.

I scowled at Andrew and he stepped in front of me and held out his hand. I thought about rejecting it, but that seemed worse than just taking it. So I did. He pulled me to my feet too quickly, causing me to trip forward. My free hand used his chest for support. He kept hold of my other hand until I was steady.

“You good?” he asked.

I met his eyes to say yes, but couldn’t quite get my words out—his stare seemed so intense. I pushed off his chest, taking a step back. “Yes, fine.”

He turned and bent down. “Wait, is this …” He flipped the box, open side up. “Where did you get this?”

“I grabbed the first one I could find in the kitchen.”

“This is the box my dad stores his mixer in.” Andrew pointed to the picture of a red mixer on the outside and bit his lip. “He’s going to be ticked.”

“Oh.”

He held out the box for me to take. “Good luck.”

I groaned. “Thanks a lot.”





I’d seen a lot of scowls on Jett Hart’s face over the last several months, but this was the worst one yet.

“It’s filthy,” he said, his scowl now directed at the open flaps of the box. He was right. They were damp and streaked with dirt and grass.

“I’m sorry,” I said, wishing I had thought to grab my shoes before returning the box. I already felt stupid enough, and being barefoot wasn’t helping my case. “Speed was necessary, and this was the first box I could find big enough to trap the opossum.”

“There was a rodent in my box?”

“Not really in it. Sort of under it.” I looked around for Mr. Williams. He would put in a good word for me, or at least be the witness that kept Jett from annihilating me. Mr. Williams was nowhere in sight. He must’ve gone outside with the wedding cake. He often did.

“Haven’t I asked you before not to be anywhere near my things?” Jett was barking. “Can you not follow simple directions?”

“I really am sorry,” I said. “I can probably find you another box similar in size that would work for your mixer.” We received boxes all the time with flower deliveries.

“I don’t want another box! I want you to grow a brain so that you have at least a drop more common sense.”

I took a step back. Had he really just said that? “What?”

“Out! Now!”

I squared my shoulders and was about to say something—I wasn’t quite sure what—when someone pulled me out of the kitchen by my arm. In the hall, Micah turned me to face her.

“I know you’re mad,” she said quietly. “Cool off before you do something you’ll regret.”

“Like tell off that monster?”

“Yes.”

“Why shouldn’t I, though?” I shook my head, still in shock over Jett’s behavior. “I can’t believe I ever wanted his help for anything. There is no way he has any contacts because nobody could possibly like him.”