“Professor Puddinpop? Did your dad help you pick that out or does excellent taste in dog names run in the family?” Dave chuckled as he petted Jett’s very excited little pup too.
“He came up with that all on his own.” Kaelyn beamed at their son, then held her hand out to their daughter, who had an awful lot of her mom’s strength and determination for a kid who was only four or five.
“Mom says our next pet can be a cat and I get to pick its name.” Kinze held her arms up and Kaelyn scooped her into her embrace and nodded, reinforcing her promise, not that she’d get away with anything less at this point.
“Why don’t you take Buster and the Professor behind the garage and let them play?” Bryce pointed the kids toward the backyard, where Sabra and Holden’s twins were climbing a tree with Nola and Nova’s girls and Mike and Joe’s kids. They were getting to be their own little clan.
“Okay. Byeeeeeeeeeeee!” Jett shouted as he took off running, Kinze skipping along after him.
Dave clasped Bryce’s extended hand and used the connection to lever himself back to his feet. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Good to see you all again.” He used the hold to draw Dave into a one-armed man-clinch, then traded him for Kayla, who he enfolded in a bear hug. “I’m so sorry to hear about the resort. You know we’re here if there’s anything we can do.”
“We appreciate that.” Kayla smothered him back, making Dave only slightly jealous if it did prove they were better off surrounded by people who cared. “For now, I could use some distractions.”
“We have plenty of those around here.” Ms. Brown, Nola and Amber’s mom, and Uncle Tom, Ms. Brown’s husband—who was also the father of the Hot Rods garage owner, Eli—had emerged from their house to welcome the rest of the crew back to Middletown.
Dave had to admit that the more they did this, the more it started to feel like coming home.
He shook his head, erasing the thought. Their home was back at Bare Natural, or it would be again once it was rebuilt.
Then the trickle of people turned into a full-on crowd, the rest of the Hot Rods mechanics being joined by Mike and Joe from the construction site and their wives, Morgan and Kate.
The fresh air seemed to be agreeing with them. Kate was glowing, maybe also because she was pregnant, and Morgan seemed to have an extra bounce in her step. After plodding along for nearly a week, just seeing them refreshed Dave. A little alone time with them would go even further to rejuvenating him and, he hoped, Kayla.
Kayla ran to meet her friends and they hung on to each other, telling her again how sorry they were for the fire. Dave would be grateful never to hear of the damn thing again, but he was glad to see his wife looking more like her usual self already.
“Well, I hear Morgan and several of the other kids planned a special lunch for you all, so we’ll let you enjoy it. Come and see us before you head out after, okay?” Tom squeezed Dave’s shoulders, probably referring to the Hot Rods and Hot Rides rather than their children, then he and Ms. Brown stepped back, retreating toward their house. How they managed the perfect blend of supportive and maintaining their distance, Dave wasn’t sure, but it had been a while since he’d been the recipient of that kind of parental concern and he couldn’t say he minded in the least.
“We will. See you later.” He waved, then did the same to the Hot Rods, who needed to get back to work if he was going by the number of sexy cars lined up outside the bays.
“Yeah, come on.” Joe tried to act casual, except the high set of his shoulders gave him away. Had he been looking forward to this all day? Hopefully, Kayla could relax enough to enjoy whatever they had planned and not hurt their feelings by accident. Though, he was sure they’d understand if that wasn’t the case. Unless…was there something more than lunch at stake? “I want to take a walk down by the lake. We set up a picnic there. It’s the stretch of land Uncle Tom is thinking of selling. To us. For a house. You know, if we decide to stay.”
Ah, so that was the catch. In his heart, Dave knew it was already a done deal. Joe wasn’t coming back. And as much as it hurt to know they wouldn’t be as close as before, he couldn’t muster anything but joy for his friend, who obviously was finding his way forward both in his career and his personal life.
Being left behind didn’t sit especially well with Dave, but he’d come to grips with it eventually…he hoped. For right now, he needed to focus on Kayla and make her his priority.
Dave, Neil, James, Devon, and Kayla joined Mike, Kate, Joe, and Morgan, all of them falling easily into their usual conversations and teasing. As they walked they split off into pairs or small groupings that were ever-morphing, each of them utterly comfortable with all the others.
Kayla drew a deep breath then let it out in a whoosh, her hand slipping into Dave’s while they strolled through the forest toward the lake. As they approached, he could feel the welcome coolness. He mirrored his wife, drawing the fresh scent of earth and leaves and water into his lungs. It reminded him of home in a way, but better because this land was like their mountain had been before the blaze. Before everything had been annihilated.
It was so much more refreshing than the acrid smell of seared earth.
This last burst of summer, the final hot days when the foliage had already started to dry out and turn golden in places, was usually peak season at their resort. It had been years since he’d had time between helping Kayla with check-ins and turnovers on top of his own job on the crew to really savor the nature that had drawn them to that spot, one not so different than the place they were enjoying with their friends now.
When they reached the lakefront, Kayla gasped. The light of the early afternoon sun reflected off the surface of the water, making it sparkle and dance.
Someone had stacked hay bales and covered them with a white-and-red checked tablecloth then used others to form bench seats. Sunflowers in mason jars stood in for centerpieces. Instantly, Dave was hit with a wave of nostalgia.
It reminded him of the time he, Mike, Kate, Neil, and James had helped Joe set up his first date with Morgan, which seemed to have gone pretty damn well and started them down the path to this present where they were still going strong together.
In the background a flat area wide enough for several buildings stretched before the trees picked up again. Wildflowers blossomed in a multicolored blanket that swayed in the breeze.
“What do you think?” Joe asked.
“It’s…incredible.” Kayla breathed out a sigh. “The picnic of course, but the site. Wow.”
“Could you see us building a house here on the shore? Or maybe two, if Mike and Kate are going to stay a while…” He rushed past that possibility before uneasiness could take up residence in Dave’s gut again. “…you know, we could always sell them after. Another portfolio-builder and investment for Powertools if and when they go back home.”
The thing about Joe was that he talked more when he was nervous. Usually quiet and steady, he didn’t often go this route. Before Dave could reassure him that anyone would fall in love with this place and that he didn’t blame the guy for doing so, Kayla jumped in.
“Hell, I could see building a whole resort here.” She swung her arm out wide. This front section would be perfect for a day spa and lodge with cabins nestled in the woods along a winding path back there that would afford people privacy.”