Read Over the Fence for Free Online Page A

get.”
    Amused, I rolled up my sleeves. “I’m gonna need more coffee. This is gonna take me some time.”
    “Okay. I can do that. Anything else?”
    “Probably lunch. Maybe even dinner. You have a real mess here.”
    “Are you sure you have time? I don’t want to take you away from your plans.”
    I laughed without humor. “My huge plan today was going to get some cream for my brown-colored water, and having a nap, after I got my hair trimmed. I’m pretty sure I can still squeeze it all in at some point.”
    “I’ll get you cream while I go get the stuff for dinner.”
    My ears perked up. “Dinner?”
    “Yeah, a little birdie said something about souvlaki.”
    I groaned as my fingers flew over the keyboard, thinking about how amazing her dinner would be. She was getting this laptop back in perfect working order.
    “Off with you, Chefgirl. I need to work for my dinner.”
    A thump made me turn. There was a thermos on top of the fence.
    I grinned—what a great fucking weekend this was turning out to be.

“Is there more?” I asked, wiping my mouth, looking toward the fence in expectation.
    “Seriously?” Kourtney’s voice was incredulous. “You already ate two burgers, Nat! Two big burgers. You have room for another one?” Then she sighed and laughed. “Wait, who am I talking to? Of course you have room for more, don’t you?”
    I chuckled as I approached the fence, grinning in anticipation of eating a third burger. “First, they’re fucking awesome and I’m a growing boy; so yeah, lots of room. And second, it’s not like the usual, where you pile on the vegetables and salad . . . no side dishes. All I got is the meat, so gimme another one, Chefgirl. Please?” I pushed my plate to the middle of the fence. “I’ve been working hard all morning. I even got my hair cut while I grabbed a couple things at the electronics store.”
    I heard her melodious giggle—the sound that made my chest feel lighter. I smiled wider as another fat burger appeared on the plate, only glimpsing the end of her fingers. I grabbed the plate and climbed down. “Are you short?” I asked. “As in stature wise?”
    “Um, sort of.”
    “Maybe I need to cut a hole in the fence, to make it easier for you.”
    “No! It’s fine, honestly.”
    I frowned at the sound of the panic I could hear radiating from her voice. “Relax—I was only teasing. I don’t own a saw anyway. I don’t want anything to hinder the feeding cycle.”
    “Well, I don’t want you in trouble with the co-op. You know, for destroying the fence. That’s all.”
    I threw a disbelieving glance toward the fence. Really, the girl was a lousy liar. But rather than challenging her, I grunted as I chewed on the delicious burger in front of me. “Thanks.”
    “Head’s up.”
    I looked up in time to see an object come sailing over the fence. I caught it without a problem, and burst out laughing.
    “Chips? A package of potato chips? From you?” I gasped, pretending to be horrified.
    “You wanted a side dish. It’s all I got. Maybe they’ll help fill you up.”
    “You make me proud. This is the sort of side dish I take to potlucks. I’m famous for it. If I’m feeling extra creative, I buy the dip, too.”
    Kourtney began to laugh, and I couldn’t stop my grin listening to it. Whereas her giggle was delightful and filled with mischief, her laugh was almost sultry; low, warm and filled with life. The sound was so much louder than the usual level I associated with her when she spoke. It was as if her amusement simply couldn’t be contained and spilled out on its own accord. It made me happy.
    “I like that,” I mused.
    “Like what?”
    “Your laugh.”
    “ My laugh ?”
    I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “It’s like unexpected sunshine on a dark cloudy day, Kourtney,” I said, after swallowing a mouthful. “I love hearing it. Your giggles light me up, too.”
    The silence on the other side of the fence was deafening. Nothing