“Good thing we’ve got that late light. We’ll work until the sun starts to set, and then I brought sandwiches for everyone. It’s not fancy, but it’ll fill your belly.”
Those tears burned my eyes again, trying to break free. “Thank you.”
She patted my shoulder in a move that came easily, as opposed to Shiloh’s awkward one. “This community comes together when the chips are down.”
I’d never experienced that before. My family had been too busy looking at everyone in Wolf Gap with suspicion as if they were out to get them. I’d missed out on this experience. Emotions warred and flooded. Anger that I’d never had this before, and gratitude that I was receiving it now—all of it tossed in with a heavy dose of awkwardness. “I don’t know what to say.”
Julia turned me to face the approaching crowd. “Just say ‘Thank you’ and meet the rest of our ragtag crew.”
I recognized the firefighter from two nights ago, Calder. He held the hand of a little girl, one who looked to be about eight or nine, and gave me a shy smile. Another woman followed him with a little girl on her back who had to be the first girl’s twin.
And behind them, Hayes. My throat went dry as our gazes met. He was out of uniform, clad in dark-washed denim and a t-shirt that might as well have been made for him. I forced my eyes away and back to the first group. “Hi,” I croaked.
“Hey,” Calder greeted. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You, too.” I looked at the little girl holding his hand. She ducked her head slightly. “And who’s this?”
She didn’t answer, but the little girl on the woman’s back did. “She’s Sage, and I’m Birdie. You’re Everly, right? Dad said you’re going to build a home for animals here. That’s cool.”
The smile that came was as natural as breathing. Something about the excitement of little ones. “I am. Think you’ll come visit when I’m done?”
“Duh.”
“Birdie…” Calder warned.
“I mean, yes. I’m definitely coming.”
I chuckled and extended
a hand to the woman as Birdie slid off her back. “I’m Everly. You must be Calder’s wife.”
She barked out a laugh. “Oh, God, no. We’d murder each other. I’m Hadley, Hayes and Shy’s sister.”
My cheeks heated. “Sorry, I just—”
She waved me off. “No big. Birds and Sage are just my best pals. It’s really nice to finally meet you.”
“You, too.”
Hayes came to a stop in front of me. “Hey, Ev.”
Ev. It wasn’t a nickname anyone had ever called me before, yet it fell from his lips as if he’d been using it all his life. I couldn’t stop looking at his mouth, wanting him to form the single syllable again. “Hi.”
I couldn’t come up with anything else to say. I was on people and emotion overload. Hadley seemed to sense this and hooked her arm through mine. “Come on, show me where we’re getting this party started.”
I could’ve kissed her. She got me moving and gave me direction. Soon, we were all piling the debris into the dumpster. Even the girls helped by putting smaller pieces into a wheelbarrow. As we worked, I could see the dynamics of the family come into play. The way Shiloh worked away from everyone else. How Hadley and Julia butted heads more times than I could count. The way Hayes or his father always stepped in to play peacekeeper in any sort of dustup.
It wasn’t perfect, but it was more than I’d ever had. Love and care poured out of all of them—even when they fought.
Hadley climbed up the ladder on the side of the dumpster. “Here, I can take the end of that board.”
“Hads, get down. Let me do that,” Calder said as he crossed to the dumpster.
“I’m fine, Officer Safety. Just help Dad hand me that piece. I’ll tip it in.”
“You could fall.”
“So could you.”