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“No, don’t go in there!” she shouted, her voice breaking, and she struggled in his arms, her small ineffectual hands fighting against him.
He pulled back the raggedy curtain shielding the storeroom and stopped dead.
Dread slithered down his spine as he took in the candle, the sleeping bag, the tiny pile of ruined clothes and the manila folder containing his life story. Overwhelmed by the lump in his throat and the tears that threatened to sting his eyes he couldn’t move. So many of the things he didn’t understand about her just slid into place.
He swallowed around the lump and her shuddering breath jolted him back into action. He bent down, snagging the sleeping bag and moved back into the shelter, wrapping it around her and heading back to the donuts. A high-pitched whine had him looking over to where the dogs were all standing at the front of their kennels, watching them through the plexiglass. The whine emanated from Bryan who was pacing, clearly concerned for Rebelle.That makes two of us, buddy.
Will sat on the floor, Rebelle perched in his lap as he held a donut to her lips.
She didn’t take a bite, just stared up at him with doe eyes, trying to read his expression but he shuttered it.
“You saw it, didn’t you?” she whispered. The fear in her eyes sliced into his gut.
“We’ll talk about it later. Eat,” he replied, holding the donut to her lips again.
There was a pause, her nostrils flared and he knew her pride and independence was taking a blow. But then she nibbled the edge of the donut, sliding her tongue across her lips and it was like she went into a frenzy. She moaned and bit into the donut, taking one mouthful, then another and another. He’d never seen a donut eaten so quickly that he struggled to get the next one to her in time.
“Feeling better?” he asked, brushing a lock of hair from her face.
She flinched and leaned away, trying to extricate herself from him and this time he let her. She swayed slightly when she got to her feet and he lifted to his knees in front of her.
Rebelle stared down at him, defiance in her expression. Her moment of weakness was over but he stayed there, at her mercy, waiting for whatever she threw at him. He knew her pride was torn and she could lash out at him from embarrassment.
She drew in a shaky breath and he watched with amazement at how she put herself back together. Her expression froze, the blank mask fell back into place but his whole perspective had shifted in the last few moments.
“So, let’s get to work. Lots to do today.” She sounded like a drill sergeant.
He glanced back towards the storeroom. “You live here?”
She spun away and picked up the dropped cups, refusing to answer him and acknowledge the truth. He knew she wantedto act like nothing happened, but he couldn’t. He had seen too much and he was not the sort of man who would pretend he hadn’t seen anything. He had never been accused of inaction in his life and he wouldn’t be now.
“I’ve gotta go. I’ll be back later,” he said.
With a final look at her rigid shoulders, he fled.
*
Rebelle got on with her tasks, trying to ignore the incident from this morning. Ignoring the pit in her stomach that was, for once, not from hunger. Her humiliation burned her cheeks and had her attacking her tasks, throwing herself into them with every fiber of her being. Anything to distract her from the look on Will’s face when he found out just one of her many secrets. And how he had run out of here like all the dogs were snapping at his heels.
He wanted to be here so badly and she’d finally accepted that and let him in and then he was gone like a shot.
She let the dogs out to play together, Bruiser and Beast wrestled over a toy while Sasha ran circles around them, trying to herd everyone together. Doug the Pug was enjoying Sasha’s energy and tried to match it which was when Rebelle intervened. She didn’t want to have to pop his eye back in again, just the thought turned her stomach.
While they enjoyed themselves in the cool sunshine, Rebelle cleaned out Betty, Veronica and Oscar’s litter boxes and gave them clean blankets to lay on in their crates and a cardboard box she’d been saving. Oscar immediately came over to investigate. Rebelle liked his swagger and the way he stomped around the place, wafting his tail in Betty and Veronica’s faces, like he didn’t have half an ear missing or a limp. Oscar forced them to take notice, just like Will had refused to back down from her.
“Stop thinking about him. He doesn’t want to help out anymore, that’s fine. We got by just fine before him and we’ll get by just fine after him,” she told the cats. Her eyes welled but she took a deep breath, focusing on the exercises that Justine had given her, refusing to let the events of the day tangle with her emotions.
It was early evening when she heard the noise. A low rumble that got louder and louder, followed by shouting. Multiple men shouting and panic gripped her at their raised voices. She grabbed the cordless phone and ran toward the door and looked out.
“Oh my God!” she cried, taking in the enormous truck that was backing onto her land. A truck that contained a trailer home. Will’s car was parked out front and he was heading towards her, a no-nonsense expression on his face in place of where his bright smile usually was.
“Where do you want it?” he demanded.
“Wha-?” She looked around, scared from all the loud noises, people and confusion.
“Where do you want it to go? I saw you that time when you were mapping out the landscape of this place. In the design in your mind, where would your home go?”
A lump filled her throat at the idea that he had witnessed her mapping out her dream. That she never at any point in this dream shelter planned for a space for herself.
