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Joey nodded. “Then yes. Please. Build a fire. It does feel humid in here.”
“I don’t suppose you’d make me a sandwich or something. I missed dinner.”
“Sage didn’t feed you?”
“A muffin from thenicemuffin guy. But I wasn’t there to eat. I was there because Sawyer had a match at five.”
“Oh, right. You said she has a problem with that.”
“Yeah.” He knelt in front of the stove and opened the door.
“Is it over?”
He nodded. “Amateur bouts are only three rounds. Sawyer usually knocks his opponent out before the third one. But not this time. So after fifteen minutes, Sage was pretty anxious.”
“Is he okay?”
“He always calls afterwards to let her know he’s alive. He said he’ll be fine in a day or two. Which means he probably got his bell rung a little. But he still won. So he’s still undefeated.” J.T. crumpled up some newspaper, then laid some kindling on top of it. He took out his lighter again and lit the newspaper.
“I’ll go make you some dinner.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. “Are you going to do it in the dark?”
She laughed. “No. Finn will have to deal with the oil lamp while I make dinner.” She picked up the lamp and headed for the kitchen.
When the kindling caught, J.T. laid two larger pieces of pine over the small flame, then shut the door. He went to retrieve his wet boots and set them near the fire, then moved a wooden chairover so he could sit by the heat. He needed to dry his pants out, too.
While he waited for Joey to come back with something to eat, he checked his phone for service. He still had a signal, so he dialed his father’s phone.
Jake answered with, “Hey. How’re you faring over there? You haven’t blown away, have you?”
“No. I’m actually at Joey’s.”
“Oh. Okay. Is she alright?”
“Yeah. I stopped on my way home and decided to stay for a while. She’s not too fond of stormy weather and the loss of power.”
“How does Finn feel about it?”
“He’s fine. He’s got a flashlight and a fort under the kitchen table.”
Jake laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“So, I’ll be here. Maybe until it’s over. I’ll see how it goes.”
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow if we still have service.”
“Have a good night.”
J.T. ended the call and tucked the phone into his pocket. He’s not sure why he felt the need to tell his father where he was. Now he was probably going to assume something was going on. Which it wasn’t. And wouldn’t be. He was just helping out a friend. Or whatever Joey was. He really wasn’t sure how to define their relationship. But he was glad he was there with her and Finn. Sitting alone in his trailer didn’t sound very appealing.
A few minutes later, Joey came into the living room with a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. He smiled when he saw it.
“Granddad’s rainy weather lunch.”
“I hope you still like it.”
