Page 26 of Otto: The Hawthornes

“I gotta make sure everythin’ is okay,” I argued. I couldn’t explain the nagging feeling in my belly that something was wrong, but I knew better than to ignore it.

“Whatever you do,” Titus said, shaking his head. “Don’t fuckin’ ask for her.”

“I’m not a fuckin’ moron.”

“Recent events prove otherwise.”

“What if she’s not workin’?”

“Then go back later, or I’ll go. That would be better.”

We planned out what I would say if I talked to anyone at the nursery and how I could get Esther alone long enough to make sure she was alright. The next day I called in to work saying I was going to be late, and drove the Mustang over to the Allen nursery, my stomach in knots.

What the hell would I do if Estherwasn’tfine? Tell her to come with me? That wouldn’t go over well. We barely knew each other. I could maybe convince her to go to my parents’ place. I knew without a doubt that my mom would step in to help. She’d never seen a person she wasn’t willing to jump in front of a bus for and she had a soft spot for kids with shitty parents.

The nursery was pretty quiet when I got there, only a few cars in the lot, and I slipped off my cut before getting out of the car. While the sight of the Aces leather wasn’t any kind of novelty in our area, I still figured it would be best not to advertise who I was. Wiping my hands on the thighs of my jeans, I headed toward the front gate area.

The nursery wasn’t huge and there wasn’t a lot of stuff to choose from, probably because it was winter—but the place looked like it had pretty steady business still. The gravel-covered aisles were tidy and the shelves were covered even if they were lacking in variety.

“Can I help you?”

I turned to face the speaker and was relieved to see Esther’s brother, Ephraim. He’d always been quiet and a little strange, but he was nice enough.

“Ephraim?” I said, putting my hand out. “Hey, man. Haven’t seen you since school.”

“Hey, Otto,” he replied, shaking my hand. “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“This your place?”

“My family’s,” he said, confirming what I already knew. “You looking for anything in particular?”

“Flower beds at my house are lookin’ pretty pitiful,” I replied, following the script that Titus and I had planned out. “Not sure what to get, though.”

“We can help with that,” Ephraim said, nodding.

“Is there anyone that could help me choose some stuff?” I laughed and threw up my hands. “I’m terrible with this kind of thing.”

Ephraim laughed too. “Just me and my wife here today.”

“You’re married?” I asked in surprise, my hopes sinking at the knowledge that Esther wasn’t there.

“For almost a year now,” he confirmed proudly.

I couldn’t imagine it. He’d been married for almost a year? The guy who barely spoke? He wasn’t a bad-looking dude, but he was goofy as fuck. How the hell had he gotten someone to marry him at what—twenty years old?

“Hey Caity?” he called, looking over his shoulder. “You in here?”

“Yeah,” a voice called back from a few rows away. Seconds later, a tall woman came around the corner and I understood.

She was wearing the same type of long skirt and loose long sleeved shirt that I’d seen Esther wearing at school, her hair pulled back in the same hairstyle. The only difference that I could see was the puffy vest she wore over it all, sort of trendy but clearly worn in deference to the weather and not as a fashion statement.

“Can you help Otto here pick out some plants for his flower beds?” Ephraim asked, smiling at his wife. “We need a woman’s touch.”

His wife—Caity—laughed and looked at me. “We’ll find you something. There aren’t really any flowers blooming at this time of year. Were you hoping for some shrubs, maybe?”

“I—whatever you think,” I said, shaking my head. “I have no idea.”

“I’ve got some ideas,” she said, smiling. She looked over at Ephraim and at his nod waved at me to follow her.

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