The sounds of birdsong and tires on the gravel drive woke Faith the next morning. It took a few moments to shake off the sense of disorientation. Matt was next to her on the floor, snuggled in his sleeping bag. Sunlight filtered through dirty windows; the slightest movement seemed to rouse a cloud of dust motes, but not even that could dampen Faith’s sense of joy.
For the first time, they had a place that was completely theirs. They were home.
Faith rose quietly and padded to the window out of habit, but there was little, if anything, capable of rousing a thirteen year old boy short of a nuclear bomb. She would let him sleep a while longer. There would be plenty to do today.
She was pleasantly surprised to see an electric company truck parked alongside the transformer near the entrance to the property. The uniformed worker fiddled around for only a few minutes before driving off. Flipping the nearest light switch, Faith gave a silent fist pump as the porch light glowed through the layers of accumulated dust and bug carcasses and confirmed that the electricity was now officially on.
After a short trip to the bathroom – she was definitely going to hit that first thing so she could take a bath later in the old-fashioned claw-foot tub – Faith managed to dig out her coffee maker. She was enjoying her first cup of coffee on the porch when Matt found her.
Coffee in hand, his overlong chestnut hair sticking out at impossible angles, he sat down beside her, his long legs extending well past the two steps and onto the walkway. Most kids his age didn’t drink coffee, but Matt had developed a taste for it early on. Faith didn’t have a problem with it. Matt was a good kid, and it certainly wasn’t affecting his growth. He was already pushing five-foot-nine with size ten-and-a-half foot pads.
“Sleep well?” Faith asked with a smile.
“Yeah. Except for the snout full of dust, I’m golden,” he grinned. She knew he was every bit as happy to be here as she was. “What’s the plan for today?”
It was a morning ritual they observed every day – a five minute meeting where they shared what was on tap, a connection that kept them feeling in touch and on the same page.
“Cleaning for me,” she said, sounding much more pleased with the prospect than one would expect. “Bathroom first, then kitchen, I think. The beds are supposed to be delivered sometime today, too, so no more snouts full of dust tonight.”
Matt nodded, his soft gray eyes, so like hers, looking thoughtful. “Mind if I start on the outside stuff?” he asked. “I found an old push mower in the shed last night and some clippers. I can siphon some gas out of the car; it should only need a gallon or so.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Faith said brightly. “At some point we’ll have to go into town and pick up some supplies, but I think we have enough packaged stuff for a decent breakfast. Besides,” she added, “I’m really anxious to get started. How about you?”
“Yeah,” he grinned. “It’ll be nice to cut our own grass for a change.” Matt often picked up odd jobs around whatever neighborhood they were in to earn a little extra cash. He was already pretty skilled at general handyman work.
*
“Is that the kid you hired?” Kieran asked as he pulled the big pickup into the driveway and spotted the unfamiliar teen.
“No,” answered Shane.
“He doesn’t look familiar,” Lacie added. She’d convinced Shane to let her tag along and help with some general cleaning and tidying while he and Kieran took care of the heavy work and repairs. It hadn’t been a hard thing to do. The last couple of weeks had been especially hard on her, and Lacie welcomed the opportunity to keep busy. It allowed her to work through things, she said, and Shane was more than willing to agree to anything that kept her by his side. After nearly losing her to a family-friend-turned-psycho, he was feeling extremely overprotective and hard-pressed to deny her anything.
As soon as he spotted them, the teen looked up from the ancient mower and stood tall, his posture wary but not aggressive. “Can I help you?” he called out as the two much larger men approached.
With the observation skills of the Ops men they were, they took in everything about the boy in a matter of seconds. Tall, lean, the kid was going to be big by the time he finished growing; it was something they understood all too well. Rich brown hair extended beyond the rag he’d tied around his head to keep the sweat at bay; gray eyes half shuttered, displayed both curiosity and caution. The kid’s stance was relatively casual, holding a confidence rarely seen in one so young.
Kieran liked him immediately.
“Shane Callaghan,” said Shane, extending his hand. “My fiancé, Lacie. My brother, Kieran. You the new owner?”