“Fine, fine,” he sighs. “Just go to dinner with me tonight. Let me have a moment to swoon you.”
“Swoon me?” My face is lit up with a smile so wide it makes my cheeks ache. “You want to swoon me?”
“I want to do more than that, but I’ll settle for a good swoon first.”
Pulling my car in behind a jet-black SUV, I flick off the ignition. “I can’t.”
“Don’t give me that.”
“I can’t,” I tell him. “I have plans tonight.”
“Come on!” A dark-headed version of Ford shouts from the window of the SUV.
“Fucker.” Ford climbs out the passenger’s side door. He sticks his head back in and makes one final attempt at winning me over. “I’ll take you anywhere you want. Fancy dinner? Picnic? Milkshakes and French fries? You name it and I’ll make it happen.”
“I really can’t, Ford.”
His face falls. “Okay. I’ll try harder.”
“Ford—”
“See ya later, beautiful.”
He jogs to the car in front of us, climbs in, and they take off down the road, leaving me swooning behind.
Ellie
THE EVENING AIR IS THICK and warm. Beads of sweat form along my forehead as soon as I exit the car. Scents of freshly hewn wood, oil, and the stench of cement permeate the air as I walk to the construction site.
“Hey, Ellie!” Bernie, the site superintendent, greets me with a wide smile. “I was wondering if you were coming tonight.”
“I had a few things creep up at Halcyon. Sorry I’m late.”
“Don’t apologize! We’re glad you came.” He walks by my side as we head into the little trailer they use for an office. “How’s the shop going? You about ready to open?”
“We’re getting there. It’s so much work.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s you.”
“Thanks,” I grin. “Where do you need me tonight?”
“We’re actually clearing a little area on the north side of what is going to be the house pad.”
“Oh, Bernie. Don’t use words like north to give me directions. You know better than that.”
He laughs heartily. “I’m sorry. Head to the pad and walk around it. You’ll see some people dragging out the final trees and big stones, things like that.”
“Great. I’ll head that way.”
I check-in on the clipboard, find my hardhat, and head back out onto the site. Out of all the charities I love, this is one of the closest to my heart.
When I was a little girl, our house burned down. I must’ve been five or six at the time. I remember watching orange and blue flames screaming out of our roof, windows, and where the front door used to be. I didn’t worry about my clothes or baby dolls or teddy bears. I remember being terrified about where we would live.
Shelters for Savannah is one of the reasons why my family wasn’t homeless. Through their generosity, we had a warm, safe place to regroup and because of their extraordinary kindness, we were able to rebuild. That house, constructed with so much love, sweat, and tears, is the home my father still lives in to this day.
Rounding the corner, I see the team of volunteers clearing an area just like Bernie said.
“Hey, everyone!” I say, pulling my gloves from my pocket. “Where do I start?”