Page 55 of Ghost
“Sure, looks that way,” Mason answered.
There were several long tables set up with chairs.Tiki torches and more coolers.
“Hey, Mason...Mitch,” Nick called out.
Mason and Mitch walked over to where Nick and Paul were.“What’s going on?”Mason asked, looking around again.
“When you ask folks to help, it’s usually a good thing to at least feed them, don’t ya think?”
People, mostly women, started coming in from the side gate, setting things on the table.Following them, were a few guys carrying Mason’s bed.
“Nick, who are all these people?”Mason asked quietly.
Nick clasped Mason on the shoulder.“These are your new neighbors, Mason.They are all wanting to meet you too.”
Mitch wandered over to one of the coolers and lifted the lid.He was about to reach for a beer when Molly slapped his hand away.“There’ll be no drinking until the workday is done.”
Mitch blinked a few times and then smiled sweetly.“But it helps me work better.”
Molly raised her eyebrows in a not-very-friendly manner.
Mitch sighed.“Okay.Okay,” holding his hands up in surrender.
“And you’d best not let Patty walk in and you not be working, so I’d get back to it if you know what’s good for you,” she said, putting both hands on her hips.
Nick set about lighting the grill while Paul, Mitch and Mason measured out how much tile they had left.They decided they had enough to do the entire shower to the ceiling, the wall where the vanity would go and partway up the wall where the toilet would fit.Mason had an idea of what to do for a vanity that he was secretly excited about.
They decided that since Paul was the biggest of the three that he would be in charge of cutting the tiles this time around, while Mitch and Mason placed the tile in the small room.They were pushing things, they knew it, but were afraid to stop in case Molly came back in and started fussing at them again.
Mason had just put the last tile on the floor when there was a loud bell ringing.“Quittin’ time!”
Mitch groaned as he stood up.“Damn, I’m exhausted.That woman is a slave driver.”
“You got that right,” Mason agreed.
They walked out and Patty was standing there with a cowbell in one hand and a beer in the other.
The ladies known as the three ‘M’s’ handed each of them a beer.Molly smiled sweetly at Mitch.“You deserve a cold one; you’ve been working hard.”
“Thank you.I sure do need this.”Mitch tipped the bottle and drained it.He handed the bottle back to Molly.“Can I get another one?”He smiled.“Please?”
“Yes, youmayhave another one.”She took Mitch’s hand and led him over to the cooler.
Mason looked at Paul and Paul looked at Mason, then they both started laughing.
“I have a feeling that Mitch may have just met his match,” Paul said grinning.“I want to see how this plays out.”
“It will be interesting,” Mason agreed.He also tipped his beer and drained about half of it.“I’m with Mitch, though; I needed this beer.”
“Alright, y’all,” Patty yelled out.She was standing on one of the coolers so she could be seen as well as heard.“I want to thank y’all for stepping up for our new neighbor, Mason Montgomery.I think he is going to be a great asset to our little community!”
There was a round of applause.Patty waited a moment before shushing them.“Let me introduce you.Come here, Mason.”
Paul pushed Mason towards her.Mason was looking around at all the people, his courtyard nearly full.Everyone’s eyes were on him.
“Come on, now.Don’t be shy.”Patty pulled him up to stand next to her, although it was a tight fit for them both to be on top of the big ice chest.“This is Mason, y’all.If you need any work done on your homes, you’ll need to be calling him, but only after he’s all done with my house first.”
There was another round of applause and some whistling.
