I close my eyes, snuggling against Dylan’s chest. I know there’s so much to worry about, but right now, all I want is to leave all of it behind and linger in the post-coital glow, pleasure softening the hard edges of reality, and these men gifting me more than I even knew I was capable of.
17
JOE
“Lookslike things are finally starting to get back to normal,” Angelie remarks, a little wistful, as she gazes out over the expanse of Devin Ridge sitting below the forest before us.
“Looks like it,” I agree. But, like her, I can’t say I’m entirely happy about it—or that I know exactly where it leaves us, after what happened last night.
The fires have been officially dealt with now, the town declared safe for inhabitants to move back in again. Which is a good thing, of course. That’s why we did all this in the first place, to make sure that the town wasn’t too badly ravaged by the fire and that the death and injury toll was kept as close to zero as it possibly could be.
And yet, now that we’re here, on the other side of it, I can’t stop thinking about what happens next. Normally, we would just move on to the next place that needs our help, but no other towns have flagged up any kind of need for us at the moment. Which means we’re free to stay in Devin Ridge for a while longer, if we want to.
A part of me, of course, does want to stay. I heard the pain in Angelie’s voice yesterday, when she came clean about all the hurt she suffered as a result of coming back to Devin Ridge and finding us gone. How she was out here on her own for so long, just trying to take care of the children, and how alone she felt—how she wished we were here, even if she didn’t know who among us was the father. She still doesn’t know now, for that matter. I can’t shake that question, but I’m not sure the answer would have that much of an impact on any of us. We all want to be there for her, one way or another. It’s just a question of whether she wants that.
There are dark rings under her eyes that I noticed the moment she got up today. It’s clear she was tossing and turning all night, no doubt wondering what she’s going to do for work now that the school is down. There are already crews moving in to clear away the wreckage, but I doubt it will be anything close to back to normal for a long time. I guess they’re going to have to carry out classes from cabins or portable classrooms—a far cry from the old-fashioned schoolrooms she must be used to working out of.
I offered to bring her stuff back down to her house before her parents and sister drop off the quads later in the day. She seemed reluctant at first, I guess because it meant that she would have to return to her real life and face the damage that’s been done to the town, but eventually she agreed, slipping into the truck with me so we could drive back into town.
She winces and draws her face from the window as she spots the school in the distance, and I frown, wishing I could comfort her. I want to give her leg a squeeze, offer her some words of encouragement, anything. But despite everything we did last night, I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Or if she’s willing to hear it from me.
We turn the corner that leads to the row of houses that contains her home, and she breathes a sigh of relief when she sees it standing there.
“I know it’s ridiculous,” she murmurs, shaking her head as I pull to a halt. “But I kept thinking of this place, you know, burned down. Like the school.”
“Still standing,” I assure her.
She nods. “Yeah, thank God. I don’t know what I would have done, if I had lost the schooland…” She trails off, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear all of this.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
She manages to look me in the eye again. “Thanks, Joe. And thanks for bringing me down here. I want to get the place ready for the kids, you know, get it as close to back to normal as I can…”
“Anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“Hmm,” she remarks, tapping her finger against her chin. “Any good at meal prep? I could use a hand getting some meals made up before they arrive back.”
“I have no idea, but I’m willing to find out.”
She grins. “Alright, come on in, then,” she replies, jerking her head toward the door.
It’s not even locked—I guess there was no need for it, not with everyone out of town, but I’d bet it’s not the only time she’s left it like this. It’s been so long since I lived in Devin Ridge, and the little details of day-to-day life here seem to have slipped awayfrom me, but they’re all starting to fit back into place now that I’ve returned.
Inside, Angelie hums to herself as she heads to the kitchen, making short work of the dishes in the sink that were leftover from when she had to flee last week.
She nods to the stove, handing me a pot. “If you could get boiling some pasta, that would be a big help,” she tells me. “Do you know how to make a simple tomato sauce? You know what, I can just fill you in as you go—if you open the cupboard, there should be a few bags of pasta in there…”
She directs me around the kitchen and I do my best to keep up. I’m no chef, but I know when to shut up and let someone else call the shots, and I’m just glad that I can actually do something to help out before I leave.
“Oh, crap, sorry,” she mutters, as she goes to put away a dish and nearly clatters straight into me.
“It’s alright,” I reply, frowning. “Hard to avoid it, especially in this kitchen…”
I glance around, realizing for the first time just how small this place actually is. Not just the kitchen, but the whole house. And it’s not like it’s just Angelie here. It’s the quads too—five whole people living in this tiny space, and it’s only going to grow more cramped with every passing year.
“Yeah, I know, it’s pretty small,” she admits, sounding slightly sheepish. “I’m sorry I don’t have anywhere bigger for us to?—”
“No need to apologize,” I reply at once, turning back to the stove to stir the sauce that she’s been directing me through as thepasta boils in a pot beside it. “You never thought about getting somewhere bigger? One of the houses in town, I mean…?”
