Finally, my fingers rove over a piece of the water tank that has cracked. The sharp edge of the plastic nicks my hand, and I pull it back sharply, pushing it into my mouth to try and salve the discomfort.
All at once, it strikes me that I can feel someone watching me. I glance around to find Angelie leaning in the doorway of the cabin, her eyes fixed on me as I work on our equipment while the others work out our tactical response to another potential threat.
“Hey,” she greets me, a little shyly.
She’s still clearly trying to find her feet here, and I don’t blame her. Carlisle was reluctant to let her stay at all, and it took her defending herself and insisting that she knew what she was doing and what she was getting into, making it a matter of handling the fires with more efficiency that he couldn’t deny.
I know it’s going to bring some tensions to the surface, having her so close to us again, but she loves this town too much to let anything happen to it, and I admire that about her.
Not the only thing I admire about her either, and I can’t help but be reminded of that fact as she makes her way toward me across the grass. Being alone with her feels a little dangerous, like all the dormant memories are stirring to life before I can get hold of them—her bare feet on the earth, the shorts she’s wearing showing off her long, tanned legs, her top skimming her in such a way that I can see a strip of her navel peeping out. Does she know how she looks right now? Is this some kind of test? I don’t know, but as I straighten up, I do my best to keep my mind on the matter at hand.
“Hey,” I reply.
“What are you doing? Can I help?”
“Just fixing up one of the water tanks.” I slap the top of the empty tank and send a few errant drops spraying to the ground. “Thing’s been playing up all morning, so I figured I would look into it while I had the chance.”
“Oh, right,” she replies, furrowing her brow. “You need two people for that, or…?”
“I think I can manage it, but I appreciate the offer.”
She pulls a face. “I feel like I’m just getting under their feet in there,” she says, nodding toward the house. “They’re updating the maps, and I tried to give them some more information, but…”
“But Carlisle’s a stubborn asshole,” I fill in for her.
She manages to laugh. “Yeah, something like that,” she agrees. She comes over to me and hops up on the bed of the truck where I have some tools laid out. “So what’s wrong with it? Sprung a leak or something?”
“Got it in one.” I flip the tank over in my hand, pointing to the minute crack that runs along the side. “You see that? It’s been causing us a lot of trouble.”
“I don’t see anything…”
“Yeah, that’s how it went unnoticed for so long.” I grab the industrial glue gun from the truck and switch it on. “Can you push these pieces together? Make sure they’re sealed before I go in…”
“Of course,” she agrees at once, clearly glad to have something useful to do. Honestly, I could manage it without her, but I’m glad for the company. I always get restless when wefind ourselves waiting for the next thing to happen, and any distraction is a welcome one.
Especially when her long legs are draped out in front of me, her bare feet swinging in the air.
When the glue gun is fired up, I bring it to the edge of the break, carefully dragging some of the sealant over the crack so it won’t spring a leak again. She applies pressure on either side, her delicate fingers keeping everything where it needs to be. I do my best not to get distracted, narrowing my gaze to try and keep my focus, and then, at last, I’m finished.
“That should be it,” I remark, straightening up again. “Just need to make sure it’s out of the sun while it dries, so it doesn’t melt in the heat.”
“What about over here?” she suggests, pointing to a small patch beneath the boughs of a tree that’s cast into shadow. “Here, let me help you carry it…”
She tucks her hand under one end and I do the same at the other, though it’s hardly the kind of job that would call for two people. Honestly, I’m glad to have a little time with her to myself, though I would never admit it out loud.
It’s been a long, long time since I was last with a woman. I’m not like Dylan, who seems to be able to charm his way into a woman’s bed in any city we stop in. No, it’s never been that way for me, and truthfully, I think it’s because I know deep down that there’s nothing that will come close to the passion I felt on the night I shared Angelie with the other guys.
“There we go,” she announces, dusting off her hands as we plant the tank down to dry. “How long will it take, do you think?”
“A couple of hours, maybe? We’ll need to fill it, make sure the sealant’s worked.”
“I can handle that,” she offers.
“You don’t have to?—”
“I know I don’t have to, Callum,” she replies, shaking her head. “But I want to. I don’t want to just be sitting around here doing nothing all day, it’s not my style, you know?”
“Hey, you’re the one who volunteered,” I remind her with a shrug. “Not our fault that this job can go through long stretches of being really, really boring.”
