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"Busy as usual." She finishes pinning a shirt to the line then holds her hand up to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. "I thought that after Jordan moved out, I'd be doing less laundry. But somehow, that mate of mine manages to dirty enough clothes for two people."
Diana ducks under the clothesline and holds out her arms to beckon me for a hug. I don't resist. Her warm hugs remind me of my mother, smelling like laundry soap and sunshine, a fitting combination for someone with her bubbly personality. "Now," she says as she releases me from her embrace. "What brings you all the way over here?"
"I was hoping to take you up on the offer to dig through that tool shed."
"Oh, absolutely," Diana says with an enthusiastic nod. "I've been begging Doug to clean out that shed for ages, but he's always busy with other things. He told Jordan he could have whatever was in there to fix up your cabin."
She glances back at her laundry basket with a thoughtful frown and purses her lips for a moment. "Why don't you go and start looking through it. I'll finish hanging these clothes and then come help you. Doug's taken the truck to go help out some packmates on the far side of the property, but I believe there's a wheelbarrow around here we can use to make the job easier."
Her enthusiasm fills me with excitement. Diana always does her best to make me feel welcome here, but I didn't expect her to offer to pitch in on my little project. She hasn't even asked what it is I plan to do yet.
But it doesn't matter.
She sees me as family now. Which means she's going to offer her help, no matter what.
"I've got a better idea." I step toward the clothesline and reach into her basket. "Why don't I help you finish with the laundry, and then we'll go together?"
Diana's smile blooms even wider. "Let's get to it then."
14
JORDAN
The app has done surprisingly well in my absence. The number of downloads has been steadily growing, and the number of positive reviews increases every single day.
Unfortunately, the number of bug reports has also been growing. It takes me most of the day just to sort through and prioritize the different issues. I can already tell it's going to take multiple days to track down some of these.
But, as I sit at my computer and wade through the code I painstakingly programmed, I'm in my element. I love this. Digging into technology, figuring out problems, making things work, understanding the ins and outs of the code and making it do interesting things.
It's easy for me to lose track of time as my fingers fly across the keyboard. Which is exactly what I wind up doing.
I almost don't notice as the sun starts setting outside my office window.
"Shit..." I swear under my breath and sit up a little straighter. I told Caleb I might not be home tonight, but I didn't actually want to leave him alone for this long.
If I leave now, I could probably make it home before nine.
Frowning, my gaze drifts back to my computer screen. But I'm on a roll with my work right now, and breaking that focus to drive back home—where I don't even have real electricity—would completely throw me off.
And I'll have to drive back in the morning and waste who knows how long trying to get started again.
The thought of Caleb's smiling face waiting for me when I get back makes everything else pale in comparison. Buried in my work all day, I didn't have time to think about my mate, but now that I've paused, I realize that I miss him deeply. The inconvenience of driving back and forth is more than acceptable if it means I get to see him again.
That’s all there is to it.
I start backing up my project files and reach for my phone. Until we get power and internet out to the cabin, Caleb won't be able to send or receive texts, so I text my mom to let her know I’m heading home. It’s yet another reason for me to get back.
Caleb is completely cut off from everyone out there.
He's probably been bored out of his mind all day.
I quickly pack up my stuff and head down to the parking garage. Before I hit the road, I get a text from my mom. It's a selfie of her and Caleb with paint on their faces, standing in front of a freshly painted wall.Is that our cabin?
I quirk an eyebrow.What exactly did those two get up to today?
Another message comes through while I'm contemplating the possibilities.
This time, it's from Caleb. "At your parents' place. Mom and I are making dinner right now. It's your favorite."
