To her surprise, Lacie didn’t ask any of those things. “He’s very capable for a fourteen year old,” she said instead. “Most of the young teens I know would be whining and moaning about the work he’s doing out there. And I haven’t seen him texting anyone once.”
Faith laughed; she couldn’t help herself. “Oh, he does that,” she admitted. A working cell phone was the one luxury she budgeted for. She wanted Matt to be able to contact her anytime, anywhere. “He’s been texting his friends back in Georgia about all the “cool stuff” in Pennsylvania since we crossed the border.” She relayed their delight at the red-nosed deer signs and the tunnel through the mountain. “And he is so excited by the prospect of real snow. We’ve never had a white Christmas.”
“I guess not, if you lived in Georgia,” Lacie smiled, her eyes twinkling. “It gets pretty hot there, I imagine.”
“Yes,” Faith agreed. “And sticky. Nothing like this.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Come July it’ll be humid enough.”
With Lacie’s help they managed to bring the first floor bathroom and kitchen up to acceptably clean levels. Lacie remarked on the quality and beauty of the aged wood that made up the cabinetry and trim as it was revealed beneath the layers of accumulated dust and grime; Faith couldn’t help but feel a burgeoning sense of pride. Technically, she’d been in the house less than twenty-four hours, but it already felt like home to her.
Faith peeked out to check on Matt several times. They were the only times she saw him, except for when he came in to the kitchen to refill their water bottles from the tap. It felt a bit odd; she had expected today to be a two-person team effort, her and Matt against everything else.
She wasn’t complaining, however. The sounds of laughter and the uncharacteristic but often-seen ear-to-ear grin on Matt’s face as he worked with the two brothers was music to her ears. And if she caught a few sneak peeks of the rippling muscles of Kieran Callaghan in the process, so what? She’d be hard pressed to find another man who looked as good as he did, so why not enjoy a few surreptitious glances while she could? Chances were, she wouldn’t get the chance to see all that in action again.
It wasn’t only Matt that was enjoying their unexpected (but greatly appreciated) guests. Faith found herself laughing and smiling, too. Lacie, while soft-spoken, was good company. She was a great source of information on the area and its people, having been born and raised in Pine Ridge. She told Faith about her family, about her older brother Brian who had just returned from Afghanistan and her younger sister Corinne attending the local university. Faith had the distinct impression there was a lot Lacie wasn’t saying. But, as Lacie wasn’t digging for any personal information, Faith wouldn’t either.
The two women shared an instant connection, and Faith was grateful that she had made what she considered to be her first real friend in her new home.
They stopped for lunch a little after noon. Hammers stopped pounding, saws stopped running, and two massive coolers were hauled into the kitchen. Lacie hadn’t been kidding when she said they brought their own stuff. Faith and Lacie unloaded item after item until nearly every clean surface was no longer visible beneath it.
Faith thought for sure they’d never be able to consume that much food.
She was wrong.
Each of the men managed to put away roughly the same amount of food in one sitting that she consumed in a week. Even more surprisingly – so did her son. She could only shake her head when Kieran handed the boy his third hoagie, informing him with a masculine grin that growing boys needed to eat. She didn’t want to embarrass Matt; but she felt a little uncomfortable. The Callaghans didn’t seem to mind sharing their food, but she didn’t want to take advantage of their kindness and generosity. Perhaps helping repair things around the house was part of the deal, but feeding them certainly wasn’t.
*
Faith didn’t eat very much, Kieran thought, watching her surreptitiously from beneath half-lidded eyes. Like all of his brothers, he had perfected the ability to observe without being observed. While everyone else dug in with hearty appetites, Faith hung back, accepting only an apple and a bottle of water, and that was only when Lacie pressed her. He had the distinct impression she wouldn’t have had anything otherwise.
She wasn’t overly thin. On the contrary, she had some fine curves that would catch any man’s interest. So why did she seem so reluctant to join them in a meal? She’d obviously been working her ass off, just like everyone else. Surely she had to be hungry, too.
A loud knock sounded at the door, and Faith peeked out the window. “Looks like our stuff’s here!” she said to Matt, and just like that, her slight frown turned up into a wide grin and her eyes lit up with excitement. When the others went to stand, Faith waved her hand at them. “It’s okay – you guys stay and finish eating. This won’t take long.”