Tipping Point, page 9
“Having fun?” Mackenzie wanted to know.
“They’re just so ridiculous, aren’t they? They have no clue what they’re doing.” Mac just shrugged, too tired to see the humour.
She grabbed the ramp she’d made for the chickens to get to the second level, and put it in place. Then she packed each of the cubbies with hay to make them comfortable.
“Neil will be here soon with a trailer I can use to get the goats, and he offered to cook up that chicken we’ve got in the fridge. While he’s doing that I’ll get the mushrooms going so we’ll have the spores ready in a day or two.”
“Kirk said you knew the cop today.”
“Old friend. You knew him a long time ago. You might remember him if you saw him. Really, really tall guy. Chuck Forrest.” They all headed back to the house.
“I’m not sure. The name doesn’t sound familiar. I don’t really remember your old friends.”
“Doesn’t matter. He was a good friend, though, and I trust him. He’ll make sure the situation is handled. The only thing we have to worry about now, is if there’s a breakdown in law and order. Neil also talked to Gerry’s dad, who said he’d have a word with him.”
“What about my dad? He refused when I asked him to come the first time, but maybe if you talked to him he’d change his mind. I don’t know if he’s got his own car, though. He has the cab, but I’m not sure if it’s his or belongs to the cab company.”
“I can try, but you know how stubborn he is. Easy-going, maybe, but stubborn as hell. Or maybe it’s just that he’s too easy-going to want to go anywhere. Give me his number. I’ll try to talk some sense into him. It’s a much better life for him here than in town, but with his allergies he might disagree.”
“Thanks mom. I’ll send you his number and let him know you’ll be getting in touch.”
With that, Mackenzie went straight to the shower. She wasn’t a two-shower-a-day kind of person, but she was disgusting right now. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and dumped her clothes straight into the washing machine as she pulled them off. Tomorrow she’d wash everything that was in there during peak sunshine hours, instead of using up their stored energy.
She turned on the water and stepped in. This was almost a luxury, and one she’d been looking forward to in their plans to move here. Instantly-hot water that never budged in temperature, no matter what else might be running in the building. She had a main tankless water heater for the house, but a separate one for the shower. She would only need one in this building once the house was built, so she’d move this one over, but she also had three more waiting in boxes. Every shower would have its own.
The water pressure was amazing, too. She hadn’t scrimped on the pressure tank, but she’d also lucked out with a flowing artesian well. She planned to run two buildings, along with hydroponics and watering the outside garden and animals, so there needed to be enough pressure.
With the water spraying from every direction, she was able to get showered off in less than five minutes, even after standing in the spray for a full minute to let the jets massage her aching body. Not all of the aches were from the day’s work, either, she realized with a smile.
Once she dried off she picked up her phone and sent a text to Neil, suggesting he bring Billy. It would be good for him to get to know her better after what had happened at the store.
Mac went to her room and got dressed while the ferrets circled her feet, licking her ankles. Pickle suddenly became very playful and nipped her foot, making her yelp.
“You little bugger!” She had to laugh. He was sort of bouncing with his toes splayed. He looked so happy with himself for catching her off-guard. She scooped him up from the floor and ruffled his silky fur.
“You think that’s funny, don’t you?” She pretended to bite his neck while he squirmed in her arms.
“Well, that’s what you get for biting the ankle of the hand that feeds you. Okay, that really didn’t make any sense, but you know what I mean.” Meanwhile Squeaker was launching himself at her bare calf. He didn’t like Pickle being out of his reach.
“Oh, here!” She picked him up, too, and bundled the two of them together. There was something so comforting about having their noses nuzzling her wet hair, and sniffing in her ear.
Mac had just managed to put on her deodorant when her phone vibrated, right before it started to ring. She snatched it up, sliding her thumb across the screen to take the call.
“Does this mean you’re almost here?”
“Does this mean you never say hello when you answer the phone?”
“Does this mean you answer questions with questions?”
“Okay, you’ve got me there. Yeah, we’ll be there in a minute or two.”
“See ya soon, cowboy!” The ferrets were pouncing on one another now, which kept them busy enough for her to get out of her room.
Leigh was still reading on the futon when Mac ran through on her way out the door. Kirk was coming out of the bathroom. There was no sign of Cameron, but then Mackenzie knew she was likely in her room, playing a game on her computer or something. Once things were a bit more settled, she figured the three young adults would spend time playing console games together, but they weren’t in a routine yet.
Mac slipped on her sandals and set out for the gate at a light jog. This running back and forth to the gate was going to get her in good shape one day. She liked running. Amongst all the building supplies there was a treadmill waiting to be moved into the main building, along with a Bowflex, and in the winter there would be plenty of time to use the equipment.
She was at the gate wondering what Neil’s place was like, when she saw the headlights of a truck. She figured it was him, but waited until he rolled down the window and stuck his head out to look for her before she pressed her thumb to the plate.
She watched him pull the trailer through, and then sidled up to his waiting vehicle.
“Doth mine chariot await, good sir?” She could just see the crinkling around his eyes when he grinned at her.
“It most certainly doth, mine lady faire.” Billy gave his dad an incredulous look.
“Dad?” He sounded almost worried.
“It’s okay, Billy. I’ve only driven your father slightly mad. He may recover yet.” Neil barked out a laugh.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s more than ‘slightly,’ honey, but it’s a trip I’m happy to take. Hop in buttercup.”
“Buttercup, dad? Sheesh. When did you get so weird?” Mac could see him smile, though, so it looked like everything would be fine on that front. It would certainly make things easier if he considered this a positive thing.
“Hi ho Silver. Away!” Mac started laughing.
“That was really sad, cowboy.”
“It’s what you get for calling me a cowboy.”
“You just have that way about you. Like an ‘Aw, shucks and howdy ma’am’ vibe. It’s not a bad thing. Lots of women go for that. When it’s coming from someone who’s sincere about it anyway.” Mac shrugged her shoulders.
“I don’t care about lots of women going for it, as long as you do.”
“Okay then. Never change. Pretty simple.” Mac couldn’t help herself. She reached forward and started playing with the hair lying on his neck, threading her fingers through it. When he pulled up to the house and stopped, she saw him shiver. As soon as they were standing together beside the vehicle, however, he seized her and started kissing her. She collapsed against the truck when he was done.
“I like when you do that, honey. Probably not the best time for it though.”
“Do what? What did I do?”
“The neck thing.”
“Oh yeah? Alright. I’ve got a good memory, and I’ll be keeping track.” He groaned. Billy came around the truck just then.
“Dad? Are we unhitching the trailer or what?”
“Yeah, alright. You okay with it here, Mac, or do you want it moved somewhere?”
“Here’s fine, so long as you’re okay to pull your truck out. I can back up to it easy enough.”
Neil went around and got the trailer jack set up, while Billy unhitched. Once the trailer was lifted off the ball hitch, Billy went around and pulled the truck up out of the way.
“He got his licence?”
“Yeah. Couldn’t stop him once he turned sixteen. He had to have it.”
“I wish my daughter had been like that. I had to push her to get it last year.”
“By the way, that has got to be the strangest smelling chicken shit I’ve run into in my entire life. You buy some fancy chickens that shit flowers or something? You smell really good.”
“Amazing what a shower will do, isn’t it? I managed to finish the nesting boxes a while ago, and decided I’d shower since I wasn’t going to have to build anything else and could relax. You want to see it? The chicken pen I mean, not the shower. Shower’s for another time.” She winked, and he followed her over to the enclosure.
“That’s a lot done in one day.”
“Helps to have a couple of people working on things while you’re gone. I came back and did the gate, and divided it into temporary pens. Mostly it was the nesting box setup I did around here. Everything else was Leigh and Cameron. They’ve got all the wood cut for the goat pen, too. I was pretty impressed when we got back. Now I’ll have to set an alarm to remind myself there are live animals out here. They might never get fed otherwise.”
“You seem to manage with your ferrets, so I don’t think you’ll forget.” Billy overheard the last remark and perked right up.
“You’ve got ferrets? Can I see them?”
“Sure, as long as they’re awake. You like ferrets?”
“They’re awesome. A friend of mine had one.” The enthusiasm on his face was unmistakable, and he seemed like a nice kid.
“Great! Looks like we’ve got something in common, Billy. I’m crazy about my boys. Let’s go see if they’re still playing.”
“Why don’t you point out the stuff you want cooked up, honey, so I can get dinner ready while you’re doing that?”
“Perfect. I just have to grab some mushroom caps before I let you cook up the rest. Then Billy and I can go play.” Neil laughed at her eager tone.
“What do you need the caps for?” It was Billy asking her. Mac explained as she pulled out the food from the fridge for Neil, and got her caps.
“I’ll be growing them, and underneath the caps is where the spores are stored. Most of the time people just eat them. If you put the caps face down, though, and leave them out for a day or so, they drop their spores onto whatever surface you put them on. Then you can put the spores in a growing medium like soil and peat moss and grow your own. I’m growing Portobello and button mushrooms because they’re the easiest.”
Mac walked off with Billy, him keeping up a steady stream of questions, while she answered. He obviously had a lot of curiosity about things, which was another trait they shared, so it looked like she would get along with Billy just fine.
At the sound of a strange voice, Kirk and Leigh both looked up. Mac introduced them to Billy. Leigh looked a little pouty, but Kirk was his usual gregarious self.
“Let me introduce you to Cameron while you’re here. That’s my daughter. She’s a few years older than you.” Cam opened the door before Mac even had a chance to knock. Obviously she’d overheard her mother as she was coming to her door.
“Hey,” she said to Billy. “I’m Cam. Neil’s your dad?” When Billy swallowed and nodded, Cam started talking again.
“He seems nice. My mom sure seems to like him.” Billy was showing every sign of being lost in space at the sight of Cameron, so Mac just watched the show. He nodded at everything Cam was saying, until Mackenzie wanted to laugh. She wouldn’t embarrass him like that, of course. She still had to make up for terrifying him at the store yesterday.
“I was going to let Billy see the ferrets. Maybe you can take him. I want to get these mushrooms set up for the spores. If you’ve got the PS4 set up, maybe all four of you can play if he’s into that kind of thing.”
“I haven’t set it up yet, but it’ll only take me a minute.” Billy just stared at Cameron, apparently blown away by a girl who could do that, and Mac gave a sly smile. If anyone could show a man female ability, it was her daughter.
By the time she had the mushrooms done she started smelling something amazing coming from the kitchen. Her stomach growled angrily at being made to wait. She walked into the kitchen area and watched Neil as he worked. It was enough to make her mouth water, even if she hadn’t been hungry.
Mine, she thought. Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face. When Neil looked over at her, he started giving her the same look. She walked toward him, the pull stronger than gravity. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“You’re looking pretty hungry, honey. Anyone I know?” She had to swallow her saliva.
“I’m not sure I know this guy’s name,” she said, and bent down to stare through the window of the oven.
“And he’s got an awful lot of legs if it’s only one chicken.” He burst out laughing.
“You’re gonna pay for that one, sweetheart. Just you wait.” She winked at him and spun away.
“I can afford it.”
9
TRIPPING THE MOONLIGHT FANTASTIC
The food was amazing, and the conversation was great, too, though things got awkward when Leigh made snide remarks. Mac wanted to tell her she hadn’t been forced to come, but she refrained. She needed to talk to Leigh and find out what was going on.
Everyone else pushed the conversation forward and left the strange comments behind. Mac didn’t think it was just the chicken shit she’d had to contend with. She was eating like she was starving and Mac was starting to get suspicious. She wouldn’t bring it up with everybody else around, though.
“Hey, Mac. You said you were going to tell us a story about those knives. What was it?” Mac smiled at Kirk, unsurprised that he would remember her promise.
“Well, it’s what I was reading online about the history of the name of the KA-BAR. I can’t remember what the company was originally called, but they changed it. A hunter had his gun jam, and had to kill a bear with his knife. He sent the company a letter thanking them for making a quality knife that allowed him to kill a bear, but the lettering was smeared. ‘Kill a bear’ came out looking like ‘K a b ar’ with all the other letters missing. They changed the name of the company to honour his testimonial.”
“Seriously?” Kirk’s eyes were wide.
“As far as I’m aware. It’s on their website. For all I know they could have concocted the story as a PR thing, but it’s what they say about it anyway. I found out when I was looking for reviews on survival knives.”
The food and conversation seemed to put everyone in a good mood, including Leigh, so the younger generation moved to the TV to play some Black Ops. Once the dishes were cleared, Mac could see a certain look in Neil’s eyes, and knew he was entertaining the same thoughts she was.
“You know, I’ve got some great camping equipment in all this stuff. What do you say we go, uh, look at the stars.” His smile was slow and seductive, flirting with sinister.
“I thought you’d never ask.” The others were all being so loud they didn’t notice Mac rooting through the supplies.
Once she had everything piled together, they filled their arms and snuck out. She led him toward the small river, and dropped her armload of gear on the ground. They were out of sight of the house now, with plenty of trees blocking anyone’s view of the river, and she wasted no time in stripping off.
“Well that was fast! I thought I’d have to do some sweet-talkin’ to get you out of those clothes.” When he reach for her, though, she slipped away.
“Not just yet, cowboy. I haven’t had a chance to go skinny-dipping in this river, and I’m not missing the opportunity. You have to take them when they come.”
“Do you?” His voice was like silk, and she froze while he stalked slowly toward her.
* * *
“Well, that was a hell of a thing,” Neil asserted, twenty minutes later, clearly not complaining. He blew out a breath as he eased his weight over.
“Those mad skills of yours have left us both sticky as hell,” he observed.
“My mad skills? I think it’s the other way around.”
“Let’s go fulfill that skinny-dipping fantasy of yours.” She burst out laughing, jumped up, and raced him to the river. Suddenly she had all the energy in the world.
The water was cold, of course, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. They splashed each other like little kids and then made love again in the water, her legs wrapped around him as he held her up against his slick flesh.
When they were finished they dragged their weakened bodies to the bank, both of them shivering.
“You eat a lot of oysters or something? Or do you just have an excess of testosterone that keeps you at full-mast?” She could barely get the words out through her chattering teeth. Neil smacked the extremely cold skin of her ass, making her yelp.
“There’s that sass again. You can’t help it even when you’re practically freezing to death. Might be your best quality.” Her mouth dropped open, and he relented slightly.
“Well,” he drawled suggestively as he leered at her naked body. “Maybe not the best, but it ranks right up there.
“Look here, boyo,” she began, and cocked her hip.
“Boyo?” His question interrupted what might have been an interesting tirade, but she was cold and let it go.
“Yes, boyo. Every once in a while my Irish pops out.” She grabbed her clothes and pulled them on.
“Irish, huh? Well that explains a few things.”
“Probably explains most things about me,” she said. She looked around at the scattered camping supplies.
“I’m not sure that we really needed any of this stuff. How late is Billy going to want to stay up?”
“He’s playing Black Ops. He’ll stay up all night if the rest of them are into it.”
