“May I? It goes faster this way.” Megs took the inventory sheet from Ellie and plucked the staple out of the corner, turning it into six separate sheets. She handed one to Ellie, kept one for herself, and gave the other four to four volunteers.
Ellie was confused.
“Listen up, folks.” Megs raised her voice to be heard over the chatter. “This stuff needs to go back on the pallets just the way we found it. Stack each pile in reverse order so that we don’t have trouble later. Otherwise, it’s just like we do it at The Cave. Got it?”
Megs turned to Ellie. “They’ll call out each item as they remove it from the pallet and wait till they hear one of us repeat what they’ve said and say ‘Check.’ The hardest part is just keeping up with them. Okay. Let’s roll.”
Jesse, Austin, and Eric ripped the plastic off the three pallets, and the Team went to work. Ellie was afraid it would be chaos. In truth, it was efficient and fast.
“Exam gloves, nitrile, five-hundred count.”
Ellie searched her page, but it was Megs who answered. “Exam gloves, nitrile, five-hundred count. Check.”
“Adhesive bandages, three-eighths by one-and-three-quarters.”
“Adhesive bandages, three-eighths by one-and-three-quarters. Check.”
“Alcohol prep pads.”
Ellie found that on her list. “Alcohol prep pads. Check.”
“Emergency hand warmers.”
“Emergency hand warmers. Check.”
They quickly fell into a rhythm, and in far less time than she had imagined, the pallets were bare, supplies piled neatly beside them.
She, Megs, Mitch, Harrison, Kenzie, and Nicole, went over their lists to make sure they had accounted for everything.
“Blankets?” Nicole asked.
No one had seen that. The AEDs weren’t there, nor were any of the oxygen supplies she’d ordered or the IV fluid warmer or the heating pads or the cots.
Jesse peered over her shoulder. “So, apart from the important stuff, it’s all here.”
“Looks like it.” Ellie would have to get on this first thing tomorrow.
“All right, folks,” called Megs, her voice rising over the joking and the chatter. “Let’s put it back just the way we found it. Sasha, this isn’t the rock gym.”
Ellie glanced up… and her pulse skipped. “Holy shit!”
Sasha had climbed an I-beam almost to the ceiling.
Megs shook her head. “I can’t take them anywhere.”
But beneath Megs’ deadpan exterior, Ellie could see the deep affection she felt for every member of the Team and her pride in their abilities.
Fifteen minutes later, the pallets were piled high again, Jesse, Austin, and Eric wrapping them tightly with plastic wrap they took from a big dispenser on the wall.
From start to finish, it had taken less than an hour.
Ellie looked around the room. “I am so grateful for your help. Thank you all. Thanks, Megs.”
“Thank Jesse. He’s the one who sent up the flare.”
He stood near the door with Austin, Eric, and Creed, laughing about something.
“I will.” Oh, she most definitely would.
*
Jesse came home, hit the shower, then put a steak in the oven on broil. He nuked a potato to go with it, grabbed some leftover salad out of the fridge, and called it good. By the time he had cleaned up, it was just after eight. He turned on the news but was too restless for that. He popped in a climbing DVD, watched the Stone Monkeys fuck around on El Cap for a while, but even that couldn’t distract him.
He wanted to be with her.
The past two nights when he’d gone over, he’d waited until after nine to make sure the twins would be asleep. But what did it matter whether the kids were asleep? What was the worst thing two little kids could do? Cry? Throw up? Poop on him? Give him strep again? He could deal with that. And if they were going to crawl into bed with him and Ellie in the middle of the night anyway…
He sent her a quick text.
ON MY WAY.
He’d just started for the back door when she replied.
GIVE ME FIVE MINUTES.
Okay.
He gave her eight just to be sure, then followed the well-trodden path through the snow to her back door. The house looked dark, except for a faint light coming from the kitchen. He was about to knock when he noticed a note stuck to the door.
Use your key and come inside where it’s warm.
He unlocked the door, stepped into the kitchen, and took off his boots and parka. Ellie wasn’t there. She’d lit candles and set them on the table, their flickering light falling on a tumbler of scotch, which sat on a second note.
I’m waiting for you.
His heart gave a knock, blood rushing to his groin.
Holy fuck.
He took a sip of the scotch—damned good stuff—then walked back to her bedroom, anticipation putting his senses on high alert.
She lay on the bed in a black lace bra and tiny panties that revealed more than they concealed, her skin gleaming in the candlelight.
“Jesus.” Some primitive part of him wanted to fall on his knees to worship her—erotic dream-come-true, angel, goddess.
She sat up, got gracefully to her feet and walked toward him, her breasts swelling above the bra, her nipples just visible. “You’ve been a very good boy.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out.