Page 8 of Renewal After Dark

“I’d never experienced true community until I came here,” he said.

“How long ago was that?”

“Eighteen years ago. Been here half my life now.”

“So that makes you…”

“Thirty-six last week,” he said with a grin.

“I never have been able to do math in my head.”

“Me either. I also can’t spell out loud. I’m always sure it’s wrong.”

McKenzie laughed. “Me, too! Spelling bees were a nightmare for me.”

“Same. I refused to do them after sixth grade because I was sick of coming in last place.”

“I came in last place in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Thank God they didn’t do them in high school.”

“What were you good at in school?”

“You’re going to laugh.”

“Hit me,” he said.

“Math—as long as I didn’t have to add in my head—and wood shop. I loved it.”

“That’s cool. Have you done anything with it since then?”

“A little. Some home improvement stuff. That sort of thing, but I want to get more into it again someday.”

“It’s good to have a dream.”

“That’s all it is at this point. Right now, I need to focus on supporting myself and Jax. Tiffany offered me a job at her store, which was a huge relief.”

“That place stays busy all year.”

“That’s what she said. I’m excited about it, and she said I can bring Jax to work, which is huge.”

“So you’re planning to hang here for a bit?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound like he was fishing for info.

“I think so. I was really liking it here until the storm hit.”

“I kept meaning to get over to say hello, but work was insane on top of storm prep, and when I got home, it was usually dark over there. Didn’t want to freak you out.”

“You would have.”

Grinning, he said, “It’s the tatts, right?”

“Nah, they don’t bother me. Just any guy showing up out of the dark would’ve given me pause.”

The more she told him, the more he wanted to know about her. Woodworking, of all things. He never would’ve guessed that. He would’ve said art or music or something much more cerebral. Although learning she couldn’t do math in her head or spell out loud made him feel like less of a dummy next to her.

“I was good at the art stuff.” He held out both arms to show off the sleeve tattoos. “My own original design.”

“It’s incredible. I thought so when you first came by Tiffany’s.”

“It’s the one thing I’ve ever been good at. Used to drive my teachers crazy that all my papers were covered in drawings. They told me I needed to focus on more serious things, but to me, that was as serious as it got.”

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