talked specifically about peeling back the various layers of a public corporation’s external appearance. She encouraged Lyssa and Hayden to play along, and they shucked alongside her as she explained her evaluation methods. Peeling back the last leaf and snapping off the stem, she threw the leaves into an empty bag. “Once you dig through all that, you throw it away. It’s what on the inside that matters. Sometimes it’s very surprising what you find.” Half the kernels on her cob were pale and shriveled.
She continued her analogy with the corn silk and brought over a large, silver bowl for the healthy ears. Then she left, saying she needed to go pick up dinner, and instructed them to finish husking the rest because they’d be having the sweetcorn as a side dish.
After she’d disappeared into the twilight and they heard her truck start up, Hayden said, “Why do I feel like I’ve been Mister Miyagi’d?”
“Mister who’d?”
“Mister Miyagi, from The Karate Kid .”
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him, but what does he have to do with this?”
“Heard of him? Bates, have you never seen The Karate Kid ?”
“I’m pretty sure it came out before I was even born.”
“What difference does that make? It’s a classic.”
“Whatever. What does it have to do with shucking corn?”
“It has to do with Lula Bell getting us to do all her work under the pretense of teaching us.”
“You think what she said was all a load of crap?”
“No. I think she was being legit, but it still doesn’t give us enough to recommend her for the wild card pool. It’s getting too late to dig any deeper tonight—man, I’m starving—but we’re going to have to play hardball with her tomorrow morning. She’s obviously got something good going on, and we’ve got to peel off enough of her layers to make sure what’s underneath is healthy.”
“Aha, so I see Mister Miyagi’s lessons are sinking in.”
He grinned for the first time since they’d been in the barn, then he gazed longingly at one of the ears of corn. “If she doesn’t make it back soon, I’m going to start gnawing on these things raw.”
“They only have to boil for ten minutes. I’m sure she won’t mind if we get started without her.” Lyssa jumped up and found a large pot, filled it with salty water, and turned on the heat while Hayden went over all the ears to free them of the last remaining silken threads.
He carried the bowl over and leaned back on the counter, watching Lyssa grab each ear with a set of tongs and lower it into the water.
When they were all in, he said, “Weren’t you supposed to let the water boil first?”
“Was I?” She scrunched her face.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Lyssa stared at the pot, willing it to start boiling, and debated whether or not to remove all the ears until it did.
“While we wait, why don’t you tell me more about Operation No More Men?”
Her face warmed, and it wasn’t from any steam rising from the pot. “What do you want to know?”
“First of all—why?”
She shrugged. “Real men always disappoint me.”
“So you’re going to date fake men?” Hayden sucked in a sudden gasp, and Lyssa’s eyes snapped to him. “Andre Agassi! You think you’re going to replace men with him?”
Eyes back on the pot, she cursed inwardly, Boil damn you!
“Oh ho ho, this is rich. What did that programmer do to you? Or more likely, what did he not do right with you?”
She narrowed her eyes and turned back toward him. “I thought you were going to leave this aspect alone, but, for the record, he did everything just fine.”
“I left it alone while you were still dating him. Now he’s free game. So come on, if he’d been properly peeling your layers, there’s no way you’d think real men could be replaced by the likes of Agassi.”
Instead of responding, Lyssa studied him. Beneath his bravado, she detected something else—his impossibly blue eyes bored into her, seeking something.
She continued her analogy with the corn silk and brought over a large, silver bowl for the healthy ears. Then she left, saying she needed to go pick up dinner, and instructed them to finish husking the rest because they’d be having the sweetcorn as a side dish.
After she’d disappeared into the twilight and they heard her truck start up, Hayden said, “Why do I feel like I’ve been Mister Miyagi’d?”
“Mister who’d?”
“Mister Miyagi, from The Karate Kid .”
“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of him, but what does he have to do with this?”
“Heard of him? Bates, have you never seen The Karate Kid ?”
“I’m pretty sure it came out before I was even born.”
“What difference does that make? It’s a classic.”
“Whatever. What does it have to do with shucking corn?”
“It has to do with Lula Bell getting us to do all her work under the pretense of teaching us.”
“You think what she said was all a load of crap?”
“No. I think she was being legit, but it still doesn’t give us enough to recommend her for the wild card pool. It’s getting too late to dig any deeper tonight—man, I’m starving—but we’re going to have to play hardball with her tomorrow morning. She’s obviously got something good going on, and we’ve got to peel off enough of her layers to make sure what’s underneath is healthy.”
“Aha, so I see Mister Miyagi’s lessons are sinking in.”
He grinned for the first time since they’d been in the barn, then he gazed longingly at one of the ears of corn. “If she doesn’t make it back soon, I’m going to start gnawing on these things raw.”
“They only have to boil for ten minutes. I’m sure she won’t mind if we get started without her.” Lyssa jumped up and found a large pot, filled it with salty water, and turned on the heat while Hayden went over all the ears to free them of the last remaining silken threads.
He carried the bowl over and leaned back on the counter, watching Lyssa grab each ear with a set of tongs and lower it into the water.
When they were all in, he said, “Weren’t you supposed to let the water boil first?”
“Was I?” She scrunched her face.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Lyssa stared at the pot, willing it to start boiling, and debated whether or not to remove all the ears until it did.
“While we wait, why don’t you tell me more about Operation No More Men?”
Her face warmed, and it wasn’t from any steam rising from the pot. “What do you want to know?”
“First of all—why?”
She shrugged. “Real men always disappoint me.”
“So you’re going to date fake men?” Hayden sucked in a sudden gasp, and Lyssa’s eyes snapped to him. “Andre Agassi! You think you’re going to replace men with him?”
Eyes back on the pot, she cursed inwardly, Boil damn you!
“Oh ho ho, this is rich. What did that programmer do to you? Or more likely, what did he not do right with you?”
She narrowed her eyes and turned back toward him. “I thought you were going to leave this aspect alone, but, for the record, he did everything just fine.”
“I left it alone while you were still dating him. Now he’s free game. So come on, if he’d been properly peeling your layers, there’s no way you’d think real men could be replaced by the likes of Agassi.”
Instead of responding, Lyssa studied him. Beneath his bravado, she detected something else—his impossibly blue eyes bored into her, seeking something.
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