“We don’t need your help,” Posey pipes up.
I didn’t realize she was within earshot or I wouldn’t have said anything.
“Go with Caleb. We’ve got this. Besides, you’re too bossy. None of us want to hang out with you.”
I glare at her. “I am not too bossy.”
“Yes you are,” Rose calls from the other side of the truck.
She tosses something into the bed and wipes her gloved hands on her jeans before disappearing back into the shop she’s helping clean.
“I noticed the old Douglas’s house went up for sale on your street,” Caleb says casually to Posey.
“Yeah. That place is a mess,” Posey replies. “Serious work needed.” She furrows her brow, and Snowball peeps out of her pocket before diving back in. “I actually looked into buying it because I thought it might be fun to have my own place, but it’s too much — even for me, even with all the tools in my shop. No way, José.”
“Oh yeah?” Caleb asks, his professional curiosity kicking in.
“Oh, it’s real bad,” Posey says, stretching out the word, ramping into her favorite subject: things that can be fixed. “Floors rotting, siding needs replacing, cedar shake needs to be redone, windows broken. And you know how the salt air ruins everything.? Pretty sure the AC lines are corroded too. It’s bad. Really bad. I’m surprised they didn’t condemn it, but I guess it’s still technically standing.” She shrugs. “I’m not in construction. I know enough to get my way around a project, but that one was too daunting.” She glances at Caleb with a sly grin.
“I bet it’s fixable. Especially if I had someone with your abilities to help.” Caleb’s eyes dart to me. “I’ve always loved a challenge.”
Posey grins widens as she watches him. “I’m curious what you and I could do with a place like that. Don’t chase him off this time, Ivy,” she adds.
I roll my eyes. “I’m definitely coming with you, Caleb,” I say.
My sisters can fend for themselves. And they’re wearing me out with their bickering.
“Don’t forget you have your ingredient list,” Hazel calls as she hauls a box of soggy supplies into the truck. She’s stilllimping a little, but Posey managed to wrap her ankle pretty well and Hazel refused to be left at home.
“You should get started on that. Five days until the waxing moon.” A pointed look follows Hazel’s words.
“I know, Hazel,” I say. “Don’t forget to find the right cock.”
Caleb laughs at that as we head back inside the nearest shop to finish hauling debris. By the time we’re done, the truck bed is full again, and Caleb and I get in to take one last trip to the dump for the day.
The minute I sit down, exhaustion hits me hard.
“I should have grabbed clothes from the house. And toiletries.” I yawn, stretching my arms overhead.
“Nah, I got you.” The blinker clicks rhythmically as we turn out of Silverlight Shore.
“I don’t have anything to change into,” I mumble, already nearly half-asleep with my cheek stuck to the truck window.
“That’s okay,” Caleb says. “You’ll survive. I’ll keep the potbelly stove lit so you don’t get too cold. And if you do? I can keep you warm.”
He gives me a long, slow look that makes me laugh.
“As fun as that sounds, I don’t think the town would appreciate that tomorrow,” I say.
“Could you take me by my house so I can grab an overnight bag? I know you have one million toothbrushes but I need clean underwear. And clothes,” I tack on, blushing.
“I’ve got a better idea,” he says.
“What do you mean?” I ask. “And if you say me naked all week that is a hard no.”
He smiles a little. “Hard, huh?”
I don’t dignify that with a response other than a little harrumph.
