Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Abruptly, the cabin door flew open and two children raced out to greet us. Macy and Dillon stepped out onto the porch to supervise, wearing big, welcoming smiles. Nicky and Daisy hopped down the steps to dance around the truck.
“Did you bring us anything? Did you bring us anything?” they cried, clearly more excited about the prospect of presents than seeing their cousin.
I laughed. The old man from the storage place grabbed my bag out of the back and handed it over to Dillon.
“Won’t you come in for some dinner?” Macy asked him.
“No, thank you,” he said with a wink. “My wife’s cooking, and I would be in a lot of trouble if I didn’t save my appetite.”
Macy laughed.
“Here.” I remembered the calendar and thrust it at her.
She shuffled the toddler in her arms to work a hand free. “This is nice.”
“All your storage needs and whatnot,” the man said with a smile.
“Thanks for giving me a ride.” I waved as he got back in his truck and rumbled down the hill.
“Come in.” Macy stood aside to allow me to enter.
I hugged her around her wiggling toddler. I hugged Dillon and fought to detach myself from Nicky and Daisy as they latched onto my legs.
“What did you bring us?” Nicky sang.
“Okay, okay,” I laughed. I grabbed my bag, overwhelmed with the welcome.
“Give her a minute,” Macy said, following us inside.
The family had clearly eaten already, and the kids were dressed for bed. I sat down on the couch and opened my bag. Inside were two little toys I had grabbed at a drugstore on my way out of Austin. It wasn’t anything special, but the kids were overjoyed. I watched them hug their new treasures to their cheeks and accepted kisses as payment.
“Bedtime,” Macy said.
“Mom,” Nicky complained.
“Tammy will be here tomorrow,” Macy promised.
The kids stood up and followed their father into one of the adjoining rooms. There was half a moment of blissful peace. I could breathe the fresh country air and appreciate the smell of the hardwood floors. Then Emily started crying, and Macy had to excuse herself.
“There’s chicken pot pie in the fridge. Help yourself to a beer,” she said. “I’m sorry, I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time.” I didn’t even get up, exhausted from the trip. The cabin lights were warm, exposing a slice of life that was different from anything I had experienced before. Toys were scattered across the floor, a baby Binky and an empty beer bottle on the end table. There were dishes in the sink, but the table was clean. The cabin was lived-in and happy; I could feel it in my bones. This vacation with Macy would be a welcome diversion from single life. I could finally forget the trauma of losing my parents and the ex-boyfriend who had cheated on me and put down roots in a family town. All that lingering pain felt strange on me in this moment, and I could only explain it as feelings of hope.
I kicked my boots off and curled up on the couch to wait for Macy or Dillon, confident that I was going to fit in just fine.
3
MIKE
Istood beside Mr. Bucks, waiting for him to decide what length fence posts he wanted. He owned the hardware store on Main Street and had an order he was trying to fill. He had been old when I was in high school, so who knew how much older he was now. My signature customer service attribute was patience. I just stood still, letting him work the math out in his head.
Finally, he looked up and said, “I’ll take eight six-foot posts.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, grabbing the first piece of lumber. “I’ll get this ready and loaded into your truck. You can pay in the office.”
“Thank you, son,” he said, doddering off.
The manager walked up, taking stock of my work. “Need any help?”
“I got it,” I said.
“Well, let Tim know when you’re ready to load the truck.”
I brushed off the offer. “I can load it.”
It wasn’t really about helping me haul lumber, and we both knew it. At some level, they thought I was going to abscond with the customer’s wood, though what they thought I was going to do with it, I couldn’t tell. Maybe I was going to sell it on the black market for a skate park ramp. I grinned. I couldn’t help myself.
The manager caught it and frowned. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” I said, putting my goggles on.
I cut the wood while he supervised. When I was done and began carrying the lumber to Mr. Bucks’s truck, the manager finally moved on. I didn’t know what I was going to have to do to prove to them that I wasn’t a criminal. I was great with customers, and I never complained. I was the first one into the office in the morning. I never drank on the job. They would be lucky to find another guy like me, but they couldn’t see past my history.