Finding Focus by Jiffy Kate

things, and I can’t help but sense some hidden innuendo. “Besides, I made some notes from our walk yesterday and I have a few places I want to revisit. That should keep me busy for a while.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
    “Okay, well, have a good day,” I concede, noting the difference in her mood. I’m not sure whether it’s the message she was leaving earlier or the surprise visit bothering her, but whatever it is, I don’t like it.
    “You too. Maybe I’ll see you around.”
    “Yeah, I hope so.”
    She smiles again, nodding her head as she gathers her things and heads out the door. I watch as she leaves, stopping briefly to speak to my mama, who’s working in her garden. The way Dani walks slowly, her head up, swiveling from side to side as she looks for the perfect object to zoom in on with her camera, is mesmerizing. When she disappears around the corner of the house, I slip out the French doors off the kitchen and walk quietly to the garden.
    “I was wondering if you were gonna watch from the window for the rest of the day.”
    “I didn’t want to disturb you.”
    “Since when has that ever stopped you?” Mama asks as she looks up and cocks her eyebrow at me.
    “Never,” I admit. When Deacon and I were younger, we’d often get right in the middle of her alone time. She was always getting on to us for not being able to be quiet . . .”for even a split second!”
    “You looked deep in thought.”
    “Oh, nothin’ that would keep me from wantin’ your company,” she says as she presses down on the soil around a newly potted plant. Looking up, she gives me that magical smile of hers—one I can’t help but return.
    “Somethin’ on your mind?” she asks, knowing me too well.
    I exhale deeply. There’s no hiding stuff from her. “I was just thinkin’ about a phone call I overheard this mornin’, but it’s none of my business, really.”
    “Uh huh. So you were eavesdroppin’?” she asks, giving me a pointed look. “Tell me more.”
    “Well, it wasn’t actually a phone call, more like a message Dani was leaving for someone this morning. I tried not to listen, but she sounded so upset, almost mad . . . and then she got so sad. She was cryin’, and you know how I have a weakness for girls cryin’.”
    My mama’s eyebrows furrow as she draws her lips together in a concerned expression.
    “What was the message about exactly?” she asks, taking off her gloves.
    “Well, I think she was talkin’ to her boyfriend, maybe?” I say, shrugging my shoulders. “She sounded upset that he hadn’t called her or told her where he was going. Sounds like he’s not much of a boyfriend to me.”
    “Hmm. Well, Dani seems like such a sweet girl. I really hope whatever is going on is resolved quickly. She definitely doesn’t deserve that kind of heartache.”
    “Yeah.” Scratching the back of my head, I look around to see if Dani is anywhere near, but I see no hide nor hair of her. “She’s too good of a person for someone to treat her like that. I mean, if he’s cheatin’ or whatever.”
    “Well, it’s not really our business, Micah. I suggest you keep your nose out of things.”
    “Of course,” I tell her, but I can’t help the weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know it’s none of my business. And I know my mama’s right—she’s always right—but I still feel the need to make things better for her.
    “Maybe I can talk to her,” she says, looking up at me with a knowing smile. “She may just need someone to hear her out or possibly give her a little advice.”
    “You’re good at that.”
    “Damn right. I’ve had years of practice,” she says, laughing.
    I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing Dani is in good hands with my mama.
    She stands up, wraps me into a hug, and pats me on the back. “Micah Paul Landry,” she whispers, “you wouldn’t happen to have feelings for Ms. Sheridan Reed now, would you?”
    “What? No!” I exclaim, trying to deny what