Birdie climbs across me to hang from my biceps.
“We went shopping,” Birdie announces. “Because you have tummy stuff like me.”
Jules blinks rapidly, keeping tears at bay. “You didn’t have to?—”
“Yeah, Wildfire, we did. Come on, guys, let’s go inside.”
I set Birdie down and open the back of the SUV, pull out a large tote full of what looks like dishes and cutlery, and follow the girls inside.
“We’ll donate everything that’s already here,” Darby says, looking around with her hands on her hips. “There’s a new women’s shelter looking for donations.”
I nod in agreement, but Jules is shaking her head.
“I’ve been just fine,” Jules insists. “I’ve been eating here without an issue. This isn’t necessary.”
“Yeah, you’ve been fine getting by with the few things that I have on hand, and that’s not good enough. I want you to be able to relax and feel safe here. Eat whatever you want from whatever surface, dish, or pan you want without worrying. As of today, this and any other kitchen you and I have is aclean kitchen.”
Dani and Darby share a smile as I pull Jules in for a hug.
“You live here,” I remind her softly. “This is your home, baby.”
“And here just a few hours ago, I was trying to figure out how I was going to come to grips with the fact that I had to move back into the attic.”
I pull back and narrow my eyes at her, cover her throat with my hand, and lean in to whisper in her ear.
“You’re going to get spanked later for eventhinkingthat, Wildfire.”
She pulls in a sharp breath, then licks her lips as I pull away.
“I kind of love this whole situation. They’re mushy, but not disgusting about it like you and Bridger are,” Darby tells Dani, as if we’re not standing right here. They’ve already started pulling my old stuff out of cabinets, filling totes with it, and I take the full ones and put them in Dani’s car.
“No touching the old stuff,” Dani tells Jules when my girl reaches for the pots and pans. “I want to be sure that you don’t have a reaction. No getting sick on my watch, friend.”
“Flares suck ass,” Birdie announces from the dining room table, where she’s set up with her iPad and a snack. She nods knowingly, like she’s forty.
“Birdie,” Dani says, her pretty blue eyes wide with surprise. “You don’t say that word. I don’t know where she gets this language. I don’t swear. Ever.”
“Have you heard your husband talk?” I ask her. “He has a filthy mouth.”
“I’m not wrong, though,” Birdie replies with a shrug.
This kid is hilarious.
“Where’s the baby?” Jules asks as she starts to unpack the new pots and pans and sets them by the sink to wash. Then she starts to unpack a brand-new toaster.
“He’s with Holden and Millie,” Darby answers. “Holden isobsessedwith the little ones. It’s a bit …alarming.”
“He’s always been good with kids,” Dani reminds her sister. “Okay, I think that’s the last of the old. Time to sterilize.”
The four of us spend an hour with bleach and sponges, wiping down every cabinet, every drawer, even the fridge and oven. The microwave. Dani tosses a special tablet into the dishwasher and runs it on the sanitize cycle.
Then we all work together to put the new stuff away, after giving it a good wash in the sink.
“You’re a lifesaver,” I say to Dani as I pull her in for a hug. The Lexingtons are like siblings to me. All of them. Having these girls here to help me ensure that my wildfire is safe means the world.
“Now we can eat here and not have bad tummies,” Birdie says to Jules.
“That’s exciting,” Jules agrees. “You let me know what kinds of things you want on the menu when I’m ready to reopen Sage & Citrus, and I’ll make sure I have those for you, okay?”
