Jeremy mumbled under his breath and pushed his cart down the aisle.
“Thank you, Saint,” Candy said. “Scarlett, you handled it well. I saw Saint coming around the corner before I interceded. Mr. Stewart embodies the rude people in this world who make stupid comments. You got your first taste of it.”
“I can’t imagine how people with invisible disabilities handle it when they have service dogs. It must be rough,” Scarlett said. “It’s nice to meet you, Saint.”
“Same. I’ll see you ladies tonight. I need to get these supplies back to my daughter,” he said.
Scarlett rubbed Ice, reassuring him before she moved thecart along. The man seemed aggrieved about everything, which felt contradictory to the rest of the town.
When they returned to the hospital, Scarlett went to her room to get dressed for her evening out. When they neared, Ice again, stopped and whined by her neighbor, Hannah’s, room.
“Sorry, buddy. We can’t do anything for her. I promise if she comes out, we’ll invite her to join us on a walk,” she whispered. Seeming content, Ice continued.
Picking out her warmer clothing, Scarlett chose a cream-colored sweater, jeans, boots, and a jean jacket with a scarf. She dressed and entered her bathroom, wondering how blind people put on makeup. Knowing Ty planned to come, she wanted to appear at her best.
A knock on her door caught her attention, and she peeked around the door. “I’m here.”
“Hi, Scarlett. I’m leaving to get ready for the evening. One of the teens ran into a slight problem and I’m running late. You’re still planning on coming, right?” Kassie asked.
“Yes. May I ask you a favor? I haven’t dressed up in forever. I wanted to put on makeup. You don’t by chance hold a class for blind people, do you?”
Kassie approached her. “I’ll ask Candy to help you figure it out. May I help you with it this time?”
“I’d really appreciate it,” she said, relieved.
Kassie applied it and stepped back. “I added the lipstick, but a nice gloss will make it pop better. Do you have any?”
Scarlett grabbed her bag and felt for the little tube of strawberry gloss. “I found it. Thanks. I’ll add this and then catch a ride,” Scarlett said, removing the lid and smearing the tube across her lips.
“Nonsense. Why don’t you ride with me? Granted, you’ll think I live in a circus when we arrive, butit’ll save the veterans a trip over. Saturday nights, they play cards or board games with the kids,” Kassie informed her.
“As long as it’s not any trouble,” she said, reaching for Ice’s harness.
“Nope. Ty plans on coming a bit early. You can keep him company while I dress. Chase texted a few minutes ago and managed to get all three babies asleep at once. I can dress in peace for maybe five minutes,” she chuckled.
“How many kids do you have? I didn’t know about the triplets,” she said as they walked to Kassie’s vehicle.
“No. We have the twins, Tori turns one in a couple of months, and then we have our daughter, Emma. José leaves for basic training on Monday, and his niece, Sara, will stay with us until he returns.”
“Wow. You have your hands full,” she murmured.
“Yep, and love every minute of it, except bath time. It gets a bit crazy before bedtime,” she said cheerfully. “I have tons of help. Maddie and Joe love the chaos while Victoria creates it.”
“She mentioned something about her and Ivan’s men. Do they have a security company on the mountain, too?”
Kassie paused. “It’s nothing official. They protect the mountain and my family. Regardless of Victoria’s warning, they won’t approach you. Please don’t think badly of them. They’d risk their lives for any of us.”
She sounded incredibly serious, and Scarlett put her at ease. “I find Victoria refreshing, if not funny,” Scarlett said, giggling, thinking about the older woman.
Kassie sighed. “You have no idea.”
When they pulled into the garage, Scarlett heard Doc greet his wife. Seeming surprised to find her with Kassie, he said, “Hi Scarlett. Welcome to the zoo. At the hospital, we keep to formalities. At home, I prefer you call me Chase.”
“Will do. Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“The women arrived a few minutes ago and commandeered the kitchen. Kids are running amok upstairs, and we’re putting s’mores boards together. They’ll be happy for the extra hands,” he said, taking bags into the house.
“We have Rollo, another German Shepherd. He and Ice have played together. I wanted to let you know,” Kassie mentioned.
