Dicey lay by the pool for the umpteenth afternoon of an endless Summer. The weather, heavy with humidity and oppressively hot, was perfect for a dip. Too much neglect leading to a fuzzy green tint made the pool less than inviting all the same.

She didn’t flinch at all as a crash of breaking branches announced her neighbor’s arrival through the hedges. He crumpled, rolled, then managed a halfway convincing casual kneeling pose. Sweat, dirt, and leaves covered every inch of his young body that wasn’t covered by the tattered overalls.

“S’up, Dicey?” he drawled between gasps for breath.

She smiled and rolled her eyes behind the dime store shades, “You sho’ know how to make an entrance. Trampoline?”

“New tire swing,” he answered with a wave of his hand over his shoulder, “Lost ma’ grip.”

“I’m sho you did. Don’t suppose you want a Coke Cola, do ya’?”

He grinned, a warm and only slightly gap-toothed expression, “Don’t mind if I do, Miss Dicey.” He fetched his prize from the cooler, smile all the wider.