“How do you like living here?”
“I like it so far,” she said, and he felt something stir in his lower regions at the sound of her voice. That hadn’t happened since before his accident. She turned and looked at him, and when her eyes flaredand her mouth opened in a small ‘o,’ he grinned. To avoid any awkward situation, he held out his hand.
“Tony Jacobs.”
“I read your medical file,” she blurted out, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Please forgive me. I’m not used to working with people so closely, and I tend to speak my mind.”
“In my humble opinion, if you’re going to be blunt and speak your mind, then do it honestly. Don’t be like people who say they’re being honest and end up either humiliating someone or being mean with their honesty. That’s just being assholic.”
“I totally agree.” She nodded, then stood back and stared at him. “This might be out there, but how are you feeling?”
“Stiff and sore, but I’m hoping that now I’m here, I’ll be able to work some kinks out, and I’ll be working with Dr. Lassiter with that too.”
“Caleb is a great guy. I worked with him in Seattle. He’s the one that invited me here to work on my grant. You don’t need any prosthetics do you?”
“No, I have most of my original parts, except for the total hip and knee replacement because it couldn’t be repaired, so they replaced what they could. My shoulder and ankle have pins and plates holding them together.”
“Wow, we’ll have to talk sometime later. I need to get these groceries put away.” She turned toward the bags,then quickly back to him. “I’m going to tell you right now that I get scatterbrained easily. There’s nothing wrong with me, I have a high IQ, and when I’m working, I tend to forget that there are other things around me. Like people, food, and a bed to sleep in. Stuff like that.”
“I understand.” He did, but he didn’t know what else to say, so he left her cabin. When he was outside, he walked up to Lois and Caleb.
“Did Staci put her food away?”
“Not yet, she’s doing that now, we were talking.”
“Ah, got it.” He chuckled. “I know I shouldn’t worry, and I’m totally in love with Katherine, but Staci is like a little sister to me, and I feel that it’s my job to make sure she’s okay.”
“She told me that she gets scatterbrained at times.”
“She does. Katherine’s come up with a plan to try and help her stay focused on everyday life. I know I shouldn’t talk about her behind her back, but she’ll be the first one to admit that she needs a keeper.”
“Why?” Lois asked in confusion. “Isn’t she an adult?”
“Yes, and she’s has two doctorate degrees. She’s smart, I mean super, super smart. Genius level IQ. When she focuses on her work, she loses track of time. I mean back in Seattle, when we worked together on a project, I’ve been known to actually pick her up away from her work station and put her in the shower. She forgets to eat, sleep, and even take care of herself.” He chuckled as he shook his head. “The day she arrived here she joked that she needed a keeper.”
Tony laughed along with him, and a nugget of an idea came to him and he stored it in the back of his mind. He turned to Caleb. “When do you want me to come over to see you?”
“How about eight tomorrow morning?”
“I can do that. Erin told me I can’t start working until I talk with you. I arrived yesterday, when I returned the rental truck this morning, Lois picked me up and I helped her with the groceries. We just have to unload the ones over at New Double, and I’m going to rest for the remainder of the day. I can be here on time tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then. Katherine doesn’t come in as a receptionist until eleven, so call out when you come in.”
“I will.” They shook, and got back into the vehicle, and Lois explained what way to turn, and when they passed Erin’s Way, she explained the way to go in order for them to reach New Double.
“Erin’s Way, The Broken Wheel, and Broken Two are all connected. You can drive from one location to the other without coming out here on the road.” She pointed as she drove past a driveway. “We already stopped there, but that’s where Cole and myself, Duane and Laurie, my daughter, and my granddaughter, Lorissa, and Tom live.” She slowed down, and pointed again. “Come this spring,Clark will be working on getting the Triple R built, and that will be in this area, but not close to the road. They’ll have to drive back before they get to it.”
“Like Erin’s Way, and New Double?”
“Correct. Erin said that’s a safety thing if the animals get loose. They would probably head toward the hills rather than the road.” They continued to drive and when they arrived at New Double, the first stop was at the main house. Tony met Clem who came out to help haul their groceries inside. Once they were unloaded, Lois touched his arm and pointed.
“Let me show you the community pantry I told you about.” They walked around the house and she talked as they arrived at a building. “This is the summer kitchen. You’ll hear his story, but Ducky has lived on this property his entire life. His grandfather built this kitchen for his grandmother, who canned all of their produce. In turn, his parents did the same, and so did he and his late wife. The roof had caved in, but Ryan and Manny were able to get their construction crews over here to fix it.” She took him inside and let him wander around. When he joined her again, she moved her arm for him to go in a different direction. After opening a door, they stepped in, and Tony stopped in his tracks.
“Pardon my language, but holy hell.” He turned in a circle and took in the shelves that were full ofempty canning jars. “This is where all the end products will end up?”
“Yes,” she said as she walked to the back of the room, and had him follow. Instead of opening them, she pointed to two stainless steel doors. “This first one is the cooler. All those carrots and apples we purchased earlier will be brought in here and stored.” They paused and stepped aside when Ryan and Clem brought them in. She opened the door, and they went in and placed them on the shelves. Tony looked in and nodded.
“We can store any extra produce we purchase here?”
