* * *
He pedaled into the driveway at Jimmy's and parked the bike outside the shed. As he stepped to the edge of the garden, Mark spotted him. Mrs. Jones was facing Mark with her back to Adam.
"Ooooh...now I see the difference. These are peas, and these are weeds...," said Mark.
Jimmy was smirking as he walked over to Adam. "Did you get it fixed?" he asked, giving a wink.
"All fixed," he replied. "Can I wash my hands in your house?" He winked back at Jimmy.
Jimmy caught on. "Follow me. Mom, I'm just taking Adam in to wash his hands," he called. She nodded her approval.
In the house, Adam handed Jimmy the keys and Jimmy ran down the hallway toward the bedrooms. Adam followed and decided to wash his hands in the bathroom anyway.
He washed them quickly and was starting to dry them when Mrs. Jones walked past the bathroom door. She was supposed to be outside! She was going to catch Jimmy!
Adam stepped into the hallway behind Mrs. Jones as Jimmy stepped out of the bedroom, nearly bumping into his mom. Adam's stomach tightened.
"What are you doing in my room?" asked Mrs. Jones, startled.
Jimmy was taken by surprise as well, and was lost for words.
"He was trying to find something to get the grease off my hands," said Adam, hoping there was a bathroom in the master bedroom.
Jimmy followed along, "Doesn't Dad have that hand cleaner for mechanics in your bathroom?"
Mrs. Jones looked from Adam to Jimmy, "No, It's in the garage. Now stay out of my room." She moved Jimmy out of the way and walked past. "I have a headache from Mark's questions. You show him which ones are weeds and let me know when you're done."
Jimmy agreed, and the boys sped outside. Mark and Kevin stood in the garden looking toward the house.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Jimmy looked at the two, anger in his voice.
"Hey, there's only so many ways I can pretend I don't know the difference between a weed and a radish. farmboy here was no help." Mark jerked his thumb at Kevin.
"I helped! Who do you think pulled most of the weeds?" Kevin replied. "We did promise to weed the garden. Besides, she would never believe I wouldn't know what a weed looked like."
Mark looked insulted. "I asked her a question, bent down to pull the weed, and when I looked back she was halfway through the door. I couldn't just drag her back out again."
Adam diffused the situation. "You guys did great, really. We got the task done and in the end no one's in trouble, alright?" Everyone seemed to calm down as he spoke, agreeing in turn. "So let’s get this garden finished and we can all go home for lunch. We can re-group later."
They did as Adam suggested, and finished weeding the garden. Mrs. Jones inspected their work, and thanked them all for their help. She handed equal amounts of money to Mark and Kevin. Adam received more, and Jimmy was given nothing. When he began to protest, she reminded him that he owed Adam for fixing the bike, so she paid Adam on his behalf. Besides that, she was going to make him weed it for free anyway. Surprisingly, Jimmy didn't complain at the explanation.
Before they could say anymore, Mrs. Jones invited them to stay for lunch. It was just sandwiches, but they were more than welcome. That would be quicker than going to their homes and meeting again later, so they all agreed to stay and thanked her for her offer.
Even though they were simple sandwiches, Adam loved them. Real beef, slathered with the good mayo and mustard, not the cheap stuff he had at home. They even had something labelled 'sub sauce' that added a wonderful tang to the flavor. He ate his sandwich quickly, and Mrs. Jones insisted he have another. It didn't take much to convince him, and soon he felt over-stuffed, but didn't care.
After eating, the boys helped Mrs. Jones clean. Adam loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher while Mark wiped the table and Kevin swept crumbs off the floor. When they were done, they left the house and headed back to Adam's garage, where they could come up with a plan in private.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Town Secrets - The Book of Adam 1 Page 17
