I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He looked embarrassed. “Sorry. Empty houses always make me a little sad.” Then he gave an awkward little smile. “Anyway… I was wondering if you needed someone to mow your lawn.” He nudged the mower with his foot. “My name’s Chase.”
“I’m Rick.”
“My mom and I live over at Cedar Creek Trailer Park. Trying to earn some money before school starts back up.” He said it plainly — no rehearsed pitch, no sympathy angle. Just the truth.
“What do you charge?”
“Twenty-five dollars.”
I nearly laughed. That wasn’t even half what a landscaping crew would’ve charged me.
“I’ll give you fifty.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You serious?”
“If you do a good job.”
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