He shrugged. I waited for a real answer as he plunged the shovel into the pile of sand and lifted it to dump into the bag. When he didn't answer, I pulled away, closing the bag in my hands so he would get the hint.
"If we're going to get to know each other, you're going to have to start trusting me."
He sighed. "This is all I have," he said, plucking the bag out of my hand so he could dump the sand into it.
"What do you mean?" I asked. He had said something similar on another occasion and I didn't press him then, but if we were going to turn into something, I wanted him to open up a little.
"I mean this—the ocean, this station, all the wildlife. They're always here for me. The beach is the closest thing I have to a home. The guys at the station are the only family I really have since my mom left." His tone was resolute, but I could detect all the pain behind Josh's facade.
"What about your dad?"
"My dad?" He laughed harshly, making my gut twist. "He's fine when he's not drunk off his ass. The only problem is since my mom left those moments don't come around very often. He works, drinks, and sleeps, in that order," Josh said quietly. He could have been reading the newspaper with the amount of emotion in his voice. It was like he had accepted his home life for the way it was and no longer cared. So much about Josh made sense now, especially his passion for his work and the environment.
"That sucks," I said. I had pushed him to open up a little and now I felt like anything I could offer in the form of comfort would be insufficient.
"It is what it is. Lots of people have crummy lives. No sense in crying about it."
"Doesn't mean it still doesn't suck," I said, reaching out to touch his hand.
He gave my hand a squeeze before handing the bag back to me. "It's not all bad. At least I met you."
I snorted. "It's not like I'm any prize. I was fraternizing with the enemy."
"That's true." He winked.
We worked for a few hours and then took a break to grab a couple sub sandwiches for lunch. Everyone at the patrol office who could be spared was working with us to fill bags. It felt more like a party than actual work the way the guys joked around taking bets to see who could fill up the bags the fastest or who could carry the most. Even though I was still a little worried about the idea of a hurricane hitting Turtle Bay, it was easy to push it to the back of my mind with this crew.
Josh and I stayed together the entire time and we made a darn good team, if I had to say so myself. I'd hold the bags open while he filled them and then I would tie them up and he would add them to the pile. We were like a machine. Some of the locals were already showing up to collect them, so we wanted to stay ahead of the game. One thing was certain, nonjudgmental Josh was a whole lot easier to chat with than the guy who narced on the party. He actually had a dry sense of humor that matched mine. We talked the entire time we worked. Now that I had gotten a look at what lay beneath his tough exterior, I was curious to learn more about him. Luckily, he didn't seem to mind my endless barrage of questions. We stayed so busy filling bags and talking that I lost track of time and forgot about Butch picking me up.
"Hey, what time is it?" I asked when the thought finally occurred to me.
"I'm not sure. Like, four o'clock, I think."
"I forgot Butch was picking me up at three thirty," I said. "He's probably out front waiting."
"Actually, he's right over there," Josh said, pointing to the other side of the building where Butch was helping Larry fill bags. I wasn't surprised he was helping out. Butch thrived in situations like this.
I waved to them when I caught Butch's attention. He grinned while Larry flashed me his famous hang loose hand gesture. Turtle Bay was definitely the town for Butch.
The afternoon melted away as we all continued working until well after six. My arms felt like cooked spaghetti as I massaged my sore shoulders while Josh collected our tools and supplies. When he was done he filled out my community service worksheet, which felt odd. Sure, I was tired, but today felt more like a party than actual work. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had so much fun.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, handing the sheet back to me. He looked like he wanted to say more, but must have changed his mind because he gave me an odd little wave before heading for his truck. I had been expecting that. I mean, could he really kiss me in front of everyone without it turning awkward? Obviously not.
Waving wearily at Larry, Butch and I shuffled off to the van, too exhausted to do anything else. Buttercup had dinner warming on the stove when we got home, but we both headed off to shower first. I grimaced when I held up my sand-covered clothes that I had painstakingly picked out. Tomorrow I would go back to cutoffs and an old T-shirt.
As Butch and I ate, we filled Buttercup in on all the activity happening at the patrol station. She had been watching the news updates on the storm throughout the day. We were finishing up when Farrah showed up to see if I wanted to hang out.
"Sure, but we'll have to just veg. I'm beat," I said, heading for my room.
"You look rough. Who knew cleaning up trash was that hard," she teased.
I sank on my bed and tossed a pillow at her. "Very funny. I spent the day filling sandbags for the storm."
"Oh, right. Dad had a whole crew out weathering the house in case the storm hits. My parents already reserved us a hotel room inland for this weekend. I don't know why they don't just ride it out. All the models show it barely even making landfall before heading north. I think my mom likes the melodrama of the whole thing. She calls all my relatives up north and they watch the TV together, obsessively bemoaning Mother Nature."
r /> "Josh thinks it might cause some flooding," I said, petting Player on the head as he settled on my lap.
"Josh?" Farrah asked curiously, clutching the pillow I'd thrown to her chest.