Shannon gasped as her sister swung the hose after its target, unwittingly soaking the two innocent bystanders in the process.
She raced after Richie, the hose aimed square and true. "Dork! You made me dirty!"
Jon coughed as the water washed over him, his clothes getting soaked as the steady stream kept flying his way occasionally. Turning towards the girl standing beside him he marveled at her cuteness, even with the mud sliding along her cheek as dirt mixed with water. "She like this often?"
She shook her head. "Nope... seems she only gets this way when HE'S around," she answered honestly as she tried in vain to wipe the now smeared mud from her face.
"Well he tends to inspire a lot of weird emotions in people it seems." Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. "Here this might help."
"Thanks" She smiled and finally managed to make herself somewhat presentable.
Richie stood his ground as she ran toward him and chanted the silliest nursery rhyme ever. "Chinese Japanese, Dirty Knees , Look at these...." complete with the motions that had him ending in an exaggeration of breasts. He leered at hers now, wickedly visible in her tight wet top.
She stopped right in front of him, her eyes glittering with an indefinable devilishness. Within seconds the hose was down the waist of his overly tight wet jeans, the water blasting. "Chinese THIS Dork!"
"Ohh! SHIT that's cold!"
Shannon burst out laughing as she watched Richie twist and turn, his voice raising an octave or two as he fought with the hose down his pants. It was funny to see the normally composed Richie spinning like a dervish as his long fingers tried to extricate the hose from his jeans. He looked like he was doing the funky chicken on fast speed.
Shannon's laughter caught him, like the gentlest of webs to a fly. Damned if it wasn't the prettiest song he'd ever heard. He watched Richie twist and turn, but his ears were attuned to that laugh.
Mel stepped back and watched, her eyes gleaming with the knowledge she'd gotten him back, at least in part. "Awww is it cold?" She bit her lip and wondered if the blasting cold water would wash the pants off of his tall frame; they were damn near sprayed on anyhows..The sudden surge of wanting at the thought caught her by surprise, her body twisting away as she studied anything but the man in front of her. It wouldn’t do to keep looking at that body while it was all wet. Hell no.
Richie finally extricated himself from the hose and threw it down. "Ok ok ... so I deserved that...." He glanced at Jon, unable to stop the smile that was on his lips. "Go ahead laugh it up Kidd. Ya think we can get back to work now before ma comes out here and hangs us all?" He was visibly flustered yet he couldn't deny the fun factor. It had been so long since he'd just cut loose and laughed. He couldn't hold it back anymore he knew he'd looked like an idiot twirling with the water.
Jon shrugged out of his jacket and settled himself into the now muddy yard pulling Shannon down beside him. "I'm on weed duty bro."
Shannon went to her knees beside him with no resistance. She sat there watching him as he began to yank the weeds out of the dirt without a care for his hands or his clothes. It surprised her. She had to admit, she had many preconceived notions about him, about anyone with a grain of fame. Pampered, spoiled, selfish, above menial labor, most likely cranky and brooding, no time for the little people.
Yet, there he was, soaked through from the childish antics of his friend and a stranger, on his knees in jeans already covered in dirt diligently pulling weeds. His expression was intent as if he truly cared to do a good job. This simple action intrigued her. Who was this man she'd idolized for over a year now? This man she'd daydreamed about meeting. Never did it cross her mind that he might be anything other than that untouchable icon.
Mel's grin sweetened as she turned back to Richie, glad to see the hose on the ground and not in his hand. "Gutters are done."
"Good. Now you can mow," he quipped. "I'm gonna have a beer... want one man?" he asked Jon.
Her brow furrowed as he spoke. Damn him, he wanted beer? He hadn't done a thing since she'd started; again he'd hoodwinked her into all the work. "Oh hell no, YOU can mow."
Shannon just shook her head in exasperation and muttered, "here they go again."
Jon's brow quirked up, "Go, go where?" He reached for a weed and shook his head, he was on vacation, but here he was down in a muddy patch of grass pulling weeds? "Where they going Lil Bit?"
She looked at him strangely at the sudden nickname. She shook her head to clear the thought chuckling. "Here they go again, Just LISTEN. It's been like this all day." She paused so he could hear the ongoing argument over just who was going to push the mower. "One minute they yell at each other the next they get all quiet or playful whichever, then it's back to arguing. I think they're both insane, really."
He frowned as he turned to watch Richie damn near yell at the girl standing chest to nose with him. "Man he’s the most even tempered guy I know, he's always the one joking around. Treats girls like princesses. She must be a real bitch to get him to yelling."
"I said YOU push the mower! I gotta change." Mel crowded in on him, her eyes burning, "It’s your mom's yard dammit, you gotta do SOMETHING!"
"Well you’re the one who said you'd help do the chores!" he fired back.
Shannon raised an eyebrow. "Even tempered? Pfft! And she's NOT a bitch... usually." She wasn't.. not Melanie. Melanie was quiet and reserved, no nonsense and driven. In Shannon's mind it all added up to one thing: Boring! But this new side of her sister, this loud, daring, almost obnoxious woman was starting to scare her.
Jon pulled a couple weeds before snorting, "If you say so honey."
"I said I'd HELP! I didn't say I'd do it all! Typical Scarecrow, always weaseling out." She struggled to pull in the tumbling emotions her head lifting as she turned. "I'm gonna go change. Mow or not, I don't care!"
Shannon watched as her sister stalked away, her fists balled at her sides and her light brown eyes radiating a deep set anger, confusion and other emotions Shannon couldn't even begin to try to decipher.
Richie started to yank on the mower starter cord all the while muttering curses under his breath about fine women with sharp tongues being the death of him.
Jon reached for a weed and encountered the warm flesh of the tiny girl’s hand, his eyes lifting as a smirk coasted onto his lips. "Wanna run away from the madness?"
The slight touch of his hand with hers jolted electricity through her. She was floored by how easily she'd relaxed in his presence, how openly she'd talked, joked. His voice was soft and cajoling; his eyes were dancing with veiled mischief. She couldn't resist.
"Please?" She jokingly begged as her eyes locked with his.
He stood up and offered his hand to help her up. "Go get clean, let them fight over the weeds too."
She nodded "Five minutes tops!" And without thinking of anything other than the present she took off to change and skip out before Mel could know what was up.
Jon pushed up and moved over to his friend, who was still fighting with the mower cord. “Never thought you’d take shit off a woman man. Too many out there.”
Richie looked over at Jon and shrugged. “It’s Mel.” It was all the explanation he could offer right now. Hell even he didn’t understand why it being Mel made everything ok, but it did.
Jon shook his head, wondering what the hell was up with his friend. He seemed to be off-center, and yet there was a sparkle in those eyes of his that Jon had never seen before. If anything, he bet the next few days of vacation would be damned interesting.
He glanced up as Shannon returned. Well hell, she'd said five minutes and it had actually taken her five minutes. He gave a low whistle of appreciation for the clean tight fitting jeans and the simple black t-shirt. It fitted her like a glove and revealed just how built she was. Damn he liked them when they had those slender muscular curves. He wasn't too sure about the hair thing, he'd liked her unruly curly hair hanging free but she'd tied it back at the nape of her neck, only a few stray stubborn strands framed her face and started teasing him into the want to brush them back. He lifted a hand in response as she raised a hand in greeting.
He grinned as she walked up, her hands finishing the tucking of tee-shirt into denim. Opening the passenger door he flicked a glance at his sweaty friend who was still muttering as he pushed the mower. Hell he'd not even spoken since the whirlwind had left. "So where too pretty thing?"
She settled herself in the car and turned on her charm "You tell me; this is your stomping grounds what's hot?"
He shrugged as he cranked the car. "Fuck if I know, let’s just drive and see where the car takes us."
Shannon grinned. "A man after my own heart. Fuck the plans! Just drive!"
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