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of voodoo on her.”
    My chuckle turned into an all out laugh. “You don’t believe that.”
    “Perhaps not, but–”
    “Let me take you to dinner, I want to take you on a date.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Charlie.”
    “Why not?”
    “Because…because…” She uncrossed her arms and began to fidget with the dishcloth in her hand. “I’m busy. I have to wash my hair.”
    “When?”
    “When did you want to take me out?”
    “Saturday.”
    “I’m washing my hair on Saturday.”
    “All day?”
    “Yes, it’s…uh…an all day thing.”
    I tapped my fingers on the table. “You know, you’re a terrible liar. Besides, you sort of have to let me take you out.”
    “And why is that?”
    “Because, I can’t make you fall in love with me if you don’t let me take you on a date. It’s sort of a condition of the bet, spending time with me.”
    “There were no conditions when we made that bet.”
    “The conditions were implied. Unless…” I raised a brow, “you’re scared that spending time with me will make you lose. You’re not …scared, are you?”
    And there it was again, steely strength mixed with defiance. I loved it.
    “Fine, but you have to take me out in broad daylight where there are plenty of witnesses.”
    “Witnesses? Why would we need witnesses?”
    She cast aside her dishcloth and looked me in the eye. Her oceanic eyes looked like a storm was brewing. “Because you seem a bit too perfect, Mr. Hudson . I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. Also, you make silly bets. I don’t entirely trust you and–”
    “You like silly bets. You never lose, remember?”
    “We can get to know each other under the sun just as easily as we can under the moon. Can we not?”
    I leaned forward, placed my elbows on the table, and scrubbed my face with both hands. She was frustrating .
    “Okay, that was a whole lot of gobbledygook.” She opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off. “However, for the sake of making you comfortable, I’m fine with a daytime date. Picnic in the park sound good?” She nodded. “Okay, so it’s settled.”
    She gripped the dishcloth in her hands and twisted it several times. “Yes, it’s settled. I’ll meet you–”
    “No. I’ll pick you up properly. That’s non-negotiable.”
    She huffed. “Fine, whatever.” She wrote her address on the back of an order ticket, tore it off, and handed it to me. Then, without another word she marched off like she had done battle with the devil and came out on the losing side, only she wasn’t mad. When she rounded the corner to walk into the kitchen, she was smiling.
    I flipped over the ticket to read the address and then laughed out loud. She wrote… You’re right, I never lose. I’ll meet you at the park at one o’clock. Bring fried chicken.

 

     
    W e stood there staring at the plane, Levi and I, like it was a foreign object, both of us trying to figure out the best way to use the block and tackle to our advantage.
    Maikel approached us, massaging his chin, mimicking his father. “So what are we looking at?” he asked.
    “We need to figure out the best way to hoist the plane so we can remove the propellers, and fix the damaged fuel line,” Levi explained. “There’s a way to do this, we just need to think.”
    “I take it you’ve not lifted many planes before,” I joked.
    Levi emitted a low, deep chuckle. “This will be the first. Mules, hay bales, and farming equipment are about the extent of my expertise. I was sort of hoping the guy who flew planes would have some ideas.”
    “You would think, wouldn’t you?” I took a seat underneath a nearby tree to think it all through.
    Maikel came and sat down beside me. “Does anybody know where you are?”
    I brought my knees up and rested my forearms against them. “No.”
    “Will they think you’re dead?”
    I tended to think better when my hands were busy, so I picked up a stick and began making shapes in the dirt, still