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““I see. So, tell me about it,” he said.
I couldn’t resist. I filled mugs with coffee and brought them over to the table with cream and sugar and the cookies. We were supposed to be going over all the information about surveying so I could be prepared for the test I needed to take to be able to do the job fully, but that had fallen by the wayside. Instead, we sat there and gossiped like high school girls.
We even ended up taking everything into the living room so we could be more comfortable as we chatted and laughed. It was actually kind of funny. Gerry hadn’t struck me as the kind of guy who would be up for an afternoon gabfest, but he kept right up with me. It felt so good to be able to just hang out and talk with a friend.
Eventually the conversation about Finn and me, and Gerry’s own contributions with stories from his dating history, wound down, and we made our way back to talking about work. He got out the books and workbooks he’d brought with him, and we started reviewing everything. I was catching on to the information fast, and I could tell Gerry was impressed and proud of me. That meant a lot.
Achieving this would be a big step for me. It was more than just having a job. It would be something I really had to prove myself for and earn.
Olly woke up partway through the study session, and I went to get him up. I took out a few of his toys and put him in the little play area I set up in the living room. Gerry grinned at him as he played.
“He’s a great kid,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said. “You know, if I had to get hurt and go through all this, at least I have the silver lining of getting to spend more time with him.”
“That’s a good way to look at it,” Gerry said. “But I do want you to know that everybody really misses having you around.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “It’s not the same without you. We’re all missing you and looking forward to when you can come back. But we want to make sure you are healthy and ready to come back. We don’t want you to push yourself too fast and risk permanent injury.”
That made me feel good. I’d really gotten attached to the crew, especially Gerry, Everett, Carter, and Deacon. Being on the team and being included in their friend group made me feel like a part of something in a way I never had. It wasn’t just that I was a part of the group by default or that they were cordial to me when I was at work. They truly cared about me and appreciated me, and that meant more than I even realized.
Gerry stayed for a while longer before promising to say hi to everybody for me and leaving. I got another cup of coffee and settled back onto the recliner to let my body rest for a bit. It was hard for me to have to remind myself to rest and relax as much as I was. I wasn’t used to that much downtime in my daily life. But the aching in my body kept reminding me that I wasn’t healed yet, and I needed to give myself the chance to get better.
While I sat there watching Olly play, I found myself thinking about my life. I had plans. I thought I knew everything I wanted and the direction I was going. Ever since I was young, I always thought I wanted out of this town, but now, possibly for the first time in my life, I really felt like I belonged here. I never would have imagined myself feeling so comfortable and in place with a crew of rough mountain men, yet there I was.
As for Finn… well, he might not have been like Trip, or he might, but I wasn’t going to make a major life decision based on him. Not yet. Not when things were so new, I didn’t even know what was really going on between us.
The most important thing for me to realize was that I’d always wanted to prove my mother wrong, and there was nothing to say I couldn’t do that in my own hometown.
21
FINN
The first thing I did was go home and grab supplies. It was a bit presumptive, but I didn’t want to get caught like I did last time. Not that there was any expectation of anything happening, though. I had to keep that in mind. We absolutely needed to talk, but anything else was just me being prepared for all eventualities. I prided myself on that, and the fact that I was caught flat-footed was the only downside of us tumbling into bed.
