Jeremiah pushed the lawn mower around his parents’ yard, thinking a few steps ahead to get the job done. He didn’t edge every week, but he’d skipped it last week so he could take Shannon to dinner. He’d have to get the w**d eater out and make sure everything was neat and trim.
Besides, he wasn’t seeing Shannon that night. Or much at all lately. She’d broken their last three lunch dates, and while they used to walk Hercules every evening together, she’d begged out of the last two.
So he hadn’t seen her for three days now, and his heart felt like it might be made of lead. The smell of oil and gasoline filled his nostrils, along with the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass, and sweat poured down his face as he worked.
Afterward, he trimmed and weeded and cleaned up all the tools. Back i
