Sweat trickled down Lotty’s cheek and she wiped it with her gloved hand before remembering her glove was covered in mud. She wiped the mud from her face with her shoulder only to feel more sweat running down her face. The board she was trying to pull off the post was nailed in firmly. She wedged the backside of the hammer in next to it trying to get leverage. The hen Ty had lovingly named Bea stood next to her ankle and watched her with those crazy eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m doing this to save you,” Lotty huffed as she worked. “There’s a chance this wood is what killed your friends, so we need to get rid of it.” Lotty tugged on the two by four, but it wouldn’t come loose. She wasn’t entirely sure of her plan. She figured she could redo the coop, one small section at a time, and get rid of the pressure-treated wood, but beyond that she hadn’t thought it through. It just felt good to use all her strength to destroy something right now. There was a chance the wood wasn’t even what killed the hens, but she couldn’t assume that was the case when Jay O’Brien hadn’t offered any more of an explanation. Whatever the reason the hens were dying, they needed a new home.

She let out a breath and dropped to the ground. Bea took the opportunity to move into her lap. Lotty stroked her back and Bea made little sounds while her beak opened and closed like she was trying to talk.

“Well, I can’t just leave you out here, can I?” Lotty said, snuggling up to her new favorite hen. But where else could she keep them? And if Jay was right and it wasn’t the wood that killed the others, where was a safe place to build their home? “Why don’t we find a place for you far away from this coop, okay girl?”

Lotty carried Bea into the garage and returned to the coop to get the other two hens, Flo and Princess Sophia, also named by Ty. They were not nearly as easy going as Bea. After chasing them around the coop for several minutes, she was able to grab Princess Sophia, but gave up on Flo. If the dumb hen wanted to stay in the chicken coop of death, then so be it. 

Lotty set Princess down by Bea and closed the door. The boys were laughing and playing with a car track in the living room, so she grabbed a glass of water and sank onto a chair at the kitchen table. Maybe it was time to give up on the chicken coop hobby and try a different one, an easier one. She’d seen pictures of Zen gardens online. Those looked peaceful. With all her new carpentry experience, she could easily build it herself. It would most likely be twenty times easier than a chicken coop and no animals would die.

Scratching at the door interrupted her serene daydreams of a Zen garden. One of the hens was desperately trying to get out. How long could she leave them in the garage? She needed to find a new home for them.

Considering the possibilities, she walked to the counter and tasted the frosting on the birthday cake Mrs. Becker had given her. Her birthday was still a week away, but after Strawberry Days, Mrs. Becker found her and gave her the nine-inch round, red velvet perfection. A sigh escaped her lips as the frosting touched her tongue. She took another bite, getting a tiny bit of the cake this time. The stress of the hens and her hard work outside this morning would surely justify her cutting herself a slice.

She licked every centimeter of her plate clean and was contemplating a second slice when the doorbell rang. She prayed the boys would keep playing and not be disrupted by the sound. After wiping her mouth to make sure there was no evidence of her slice of cake, she opened the door. Trinity, with her signature grin, stood on the porch holding a pie.

Lotty eyed her wearily before joining her on the porch. She would not allow this woman in her home. Trinity set her hand on Lotty’s shoulder. “Aw, you poor thing. You don’t even know, do you?”

Lotty didn’t give her the satisfaction of an answer and tried to hide her curiosity.

“Well, I figured that might be the case, so I brought you this to lessen the blow.” She shoved the pie toward Lotty. “Dan won it at Strawberry Days and we all know he doesn’t need it. I don’t eat sugar, as you know.” She swept her free hand down her figure. “But I thought you might enjoy it, so here.”

Lotty eyed her warily, trying to decide what her game was. Trinity set the pie on the porch. “I’ll just set it here. Trust me, you’re going to want it when you hear what I have to say.”

“Trinity, my boys are playing happily for the first time in weeks. If you have something important to say, say it. Otherwise, please leave so I can enjoy my free time.”

“Oh, I have something to say. Actually, I have two somethings to say.”

Lotty widened her eyes and nodded to urge her to continue.

“Well, I’ll start with the easiest for you to hear. It’s about that thing in your backyard.”

“It’s a chicken coop,” Lotty said, her patience quickly running out.

“Yes, that. Anyway, there’s an ordinance in the HOA agreement that states you can’t have any structures in your yard other than your house that are taller than a fence.”

“It’s not taller than the fence.”

“Yes, but your fence is eight feet and in the agreement it talks about a standard six-foot fence so you’re going to have to remove that coop. It’s too tall. Otherwise, I’m afraid the HOA will have to be notified.”

“I’m not taking it down.” Lotty had been unsure about it a few minutes ago. She’d even been leaning towards getting rid of it and moving onto a new hobby, but now she was determined. She would see this coop through to the end. There would be fresh eggs, happy hens, and children learning the value of work in her backyard.

Trinity flipped her hair back. “Well your attitude makes this next part easier for me to tell you. I had been worried about your feelings, but, well, here goes.”

“I can’t wait.” Lotty plastered a fake grin on her face.

“I knew things with you and Jason were rough, but I didn’t realize how rough.”

Lotty held her fake grin even though her insides were squirming. She wouldn’t let Trinity know she’d hit a nerve.

“I didn’t think him the cheating type.” Trinity raised an eyebrow and waited for Lotty’s reaction. Lotty forced herself to remain silent. Trinity was trying to upset her. That was all.

“I was walking Gussy when I saw him with her. She really is beautiful. They were down by the lake.” Trinity pointed past the houses toward the trees. “I had to leave the path and go around some trees to make sure it was him. I couldn’t believe it at first, but I saw it with my own eyes.”

The cake in Lotty’s stomach churned. At least if she was going to throw up, maybe she could get it on Trinity. No, she wouldn’t let Trinity see how upset she was. Lotty nodded. “Yes. She’s a client.”

Trinity seemed to consider it. “I thought about that, but no, this wasn’t a client.” She shook her finger at Lotty. “Why would they sneak off to meet? No, this was more than that. They looked way too cozy sitting on the water’s edge, hiding behind all those trees.”

“It’s a client, Trinity, but I appreciate your concern. Now please go home.” Lotty opened her door and started to step inside.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself, dear.” Trinity smiled. “Don’t forget your pie.”

Lotty shut the door in Trinity’s face and left the stupid, mouth-watering pie on the porch. She was pretty sure it was strawberry-rhubarb and would be delicious, but she would not give Trinity the satisfaction. She leaned her back against the door and sank to the floor. Her body wouldn’t move. Her eyelids stayed open until the burn was unbearable, so she forced them shut. Even with the sham of a marriage she’d been living, she couldn’t imagine Jason cheating on her. His mom had cheated on his dad when Jason was little and eventually left them. There was no way Jason was doing the very thing he’d held against his mom for years.

Who could the girl be? Why would he meet her in secret? Trinity was right that it seemed unlikely to meet with a client in such a clandestine way. Lotty forced herself to her feet. She couldn’t dwell on it or she’d be a wreck. Instead, she could focus on the other problem Trinity had mentioned, the HOA agreement.

All the paperwork pertaining to the house was in the upstairs file cabinet. Lotty trudged up to the storage room in the attic and opened the middle drawer. The smell of old paper wafted over her and dust went into her nose. After several sneezes, she sat down with a sigh and began flipping through papers. She shuffled through mortgage documents, insurance papers, and inspection documents. Finally, she found the HOA agreement. Anxious to get out of the musty, dust-filled storage room, she rolled the paper in her hand and started to shut the file cabinet. Something shiny towards the back of the drawer caught her eye. She reached back and pulled on a group of papers, a large, metallic logo on the corner. They had been taped to the bottom of the top drawer, but half the tape had unstuck and the tops of the papers were hanging down, catching on the middle drawer. She pulled until all the tape came loose and she held close to a dozen papers in her hands. The words Seal of Flathead County in black stood out against the silver seal. A quick scan of the top page showed it was a residential building permit. However, it didn’t have Jason’s or her name anywhere on it. In fact, it wasn’t for their house at all. It was for the house next door, or at least the house that used to be next door, Jocelyn’s. Lotty flipped to the next document, identical to the first, except it was for the Navarros’ house. She continued through permits for every house in the neighborhood, trying to understand why they were in this file cabinet. She stuck them inside a manila folder from inside the drawer and carried them to the kitchen with her. 

She stood still and listened. The house was oddly silent. No toys with their obnoxious beeps or music. No crying. No scampering of little feet. She looked in the living room, but found it empty so she sprang up the stairs two at a time. The only thing worse than a loud home was a quiet one. It always meant the boys were doing something they shouldn’t do.

Her dread increased as she ran from empty room to empty room. What if it was more than them doing something they shouldn’t? Strawberry Lake Estates did not feel like the safe haven it once had. Panic worked its icy fingers around her as she rounded the corner into her bedroom. No boys. But something shiny on the wall caught her eye. Just as she got close enough to see it was nail polish, Aiden walked out carrying two glittery bottles without lids. After all the scary scenarios that had just played out in her head, Lotty couldn’t help but laugh and pick him up.

“Uh, Mom?” Ty hollered from the bathroom.

Lotty walked to the vanity where Ty stood, seventy percent covered in shaving cream.

“I’m sorry. Sorry, Mom.” Ty stared at Lotty, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry, sorry, sorry.”

Lotty grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him. “You know better than this, bud. Why are you in Dad’s shaving cream?”

“I was going to do a little, but I kept getting more and more.”

Lotty set the folder down and took off Ty’s shirt and cleaned his upper body as the rumble of the garage door vibrated through the house.

“Dad!” Aiden yelled, running out of the room.

Lotty checked her watch. Jason rarely came home during the day. “Lotty.” Jason’s voice boomed. “Help.” She ran to the bedroom door and bounded down the stairs. Jason had left the door open and there was yelling and squawking coming from the garage. The chickens. She’d completely forgotten about the chickens and she hadn’t expected Jason to open the garage door yet, so she hadn’t told him they were in there.

Lotty followed Aiden outside with Ty at her heels. Jason ran down the cul-de-sac while an unfamiliar woman wearing a frazzled expression tried to wipe chicken poop off her shoe in the grass. Lotty ran toward Trinity’s house where one of the hens waited in the yard. She picked Bea up and patted her back. The hen nestled against her chest while Lotty walked back to the garage. Jason was having a bit more trouble trying to get Princess Sophia. Lotty handed Bea to the blonde woman and ran off to help Jason. The two of them were able to corner Princess in the back of the Navarros’ yard, only feet from the lake.

Jason stared at Lotty. She started to shrink from his gaze, but his untucked shirt, tousled hair, and bewildered expression forced a laugh from her throat. The flailing chicken in his arms didn’t help. She tried to force her expression back into a serious one, until his face relaxed into a grin. Then he laughed.

“What just happened?” he asked as they walked toward the house.

“I had two hens in the garage. The coop isn’t safe anymore and I didn’t know where else to put them. I tried to put Flo in there too, but she wouldn’t stop flapping her wings at me. I didn’t know you’d be home so early.”

Jason’s face suddenly turned serious. “Yeah, we need to talk.” He motioned toward their house. “Inside.”

With all the commotion of the hens, Lotty hadn’t had time to consider why Jason had brought a strange woman home with him. If he was cheating on her like Trinity thought, he wouldn’t bring the woman to meet Lotty, would he? “Is this about her?” Lotty asked, motioning towards the blonde, who didn’t seem to be getting along with Bea. She held the poor hen by its legs in an outstretched arm while Ty watched, horrified.

Jason nodded, but put his free hand on the small of Lotty’s back and led her inside. Ty and Aiden followed. Once the garage door was shut and the hens safely inside again, Jason introduced Lotty to the woman. “This is Kimberly.” Lotty shook her hand and tried to smile.

Jason turned to Ty. “Hey buddy, I need you to go get some cool toys. Pick out your three favorites to show my friend, okay?”

Ty ran up the stairs and Jason continued, “We knew each other in law school. She’s the one I told you about who lives in Seattle.” Jason walked across the kitchen. “She was trying to access that site.” Jason reminded as he pulled a paper bag out of the pantry.

“Oh, right.” Lotty turned to the woman who suddenly seemed much less imposing. “What did you find?”

Kimberly grimaced so Jason spoke for her. “We’ll explain everything later, but what’s important is that we get you out of here.” He started loading the bag with food. 

Lotty’s brows furrowed and she shook her head. “What? Why?”

“Just pack enough clothes for all of us for a few days. I’ll get the food and the tent.”

“Tent? Where are we going?”

“Please Lotty. Just do it. We need to hurry.”

“I will, but can you please take ten seconds to tell me what’s going on?”

Jason buried his head in the pantry and grabbed several more items. Kimberly put her hand on Lotty’s back and urged her toward the stairs. Lotty didn’t like this unfamiliar woman pushing her around so she resisted. She caught Jason’s eye and silently pleaded to know what was going on just as Ty showed up with his arms full of toys. Jason sighed and nodded to Kimberly, who leaned in and whispered while nudging Lotty toward the stairs, “Someone’s offering a lot of money to make you disappear. You need to get out of here now.”