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just be…”
    When she didn’t finish her sentence, Hayden returned his gaze to her. There were tears in the woman’s eyes. What the hell?
    “Millie…” his granddad began, but she wiped her eyes and then rubbed her hands roughly on her khaki shorts.
    “Ignore me.” She forced out a laugh that made Hayden wince. He had no idea what was going on, but something was up. For sure. “Listen, why don’t you show Hayden here around the property and I’ll see if I can round up EJ? You can check her pockets for lizards.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” his granddad said with a grin and a nod. “Come on, son.”
    As his obviously emotionally unstable boss made her way in the house, his grandfather gave him the grand tour. Dilapidated barn, moss-covered pond, storage shed for lawn care equipment, a dozen different types of trees and flowers growing around the house that had to be cared for. Blah, blah, blah. He half-listened as the man rambled on.
    Hayden checked his phone when the old man’s back was turned. He actually had two bars of cell reception on the Mason property. Thank the freaking Lord. Well, at least this job would be good for something. Maybe he could at least get Cami to Snapchat him some photos of her sunbathing topless in St. Wherever the Hell.
    After the tour wrapped up, they headed back to the truck. Just as they were about to leave, Mrs. Mason came jogging out of the house. “I almost forgot to give you this,” she said, handing Hayden a folded up square of paper. “Kyle went to get EJ but he’s not back yet. I was hoping you’d get to meet them. They could show you around town.”
    Pretty sure I’ve seen all there is to see, lady. He nodded and tried to look disappointed. “That’s too bad. Maybe next time.”
    “Kyle will head back up to school before you start work, but EJ will be here to help you learn the ropes on Monday,” she informed him.
    Great. The hillbilly princess would probably show him the ropes with her man hands. “Can’t wait, ma’am.” He nodded and tucked the square of paper, which he assumed was a list of job duties he had no intentions of doing, into his pocket. “Looking forward to it. Pleasure meeting you.”
    She smiled but gave him that same look, like she was still making up her mind about him. “See you bright and early Monday morning.”
    When he got into the truck, his granddad was chuckling to himself.
    “What’s so funny, Old Timer?”
    “You think you’re really something, don’t you, boy? I bet you think Millie Mason was eating out of the palm of your hand.”
    Actually he didn’t. He saw that look, that don’t-bullshit-a-bullshitter look she was pinning him with. Like he was amusing to her somehow. He huffed out a breath but said nothing.
    “Can’t wait for you to see little Ella Jane again. I’d pay money to see her face on Monday.”
    Again? “What do you mean, again?”
    His granddad glanced at him as he backed the truck out of the dirt driveway. “You don’t remember? Naw, I don’t guess you would.”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Pops.” Under his breath he added, “Probably time to up your dosage.”
    His granddad put on the brakes hard enough to make his body jolt forward. He barely stopped himself from cursing out loud.
    “You used to think I was something. Used to beg your daddy to let you go places with me.” The sad smile on the old man’s face sent a sharp pain through Hayden’s gut.
    He vaguely remembered the summers he’d spent with his granddad in hillbilly hell…except it hadn’t seemed so bad back then. But now, trying to remember anything specific about it was like grasping at the vapors of a dream after waking up too soon.
    His granddad continued. “You came over here with me to pick up mulch on Saturdays, and one time—you musta been around six or seven—you tripped over the shoelaces I’d just told you to tie. I’d no sooner got the words outta my mouth when you went ass over head. Skinned your