Chapter 36: Banter

"Huh? What did you say?" James asked. "Nothing. Come on, back to work." They continued working until noon. At last, the front gate was repaired. With meticulous care, Santino brushed on the final coat of red paint and stepped back, satisfied with how brand-new the gate looked. Dusting off his hands, Santino raised his voice and said, "Finally, it doesn't look so shabby anymore. Turns out I'm pretty clever." James, watching Santino preen, gave a simple, goofy grin. "Mm-hm." Hearing James's straightforward...