Page 24 of Pooh

“About time you let that shit go. I was getting tired of hearing about it,” retorts Craig. I smother my laugh the same as the guys nearby do. Pippa tosses her hands up in the air and stalks away.

With help, Craig digs his first and second post holes. He then spots Petey placing the post in a hole and filling it in with dirt. That catches his attention and off he goes to assist in a job more his style.

We’ve all noticed that the women staying at New Horizons don’t venture out of the house while we’re working, but I’ve seen a few faces peeking from behind the curtains more than once. Tammy and Pippa are in and out of the house, carrying cold drinks and handing them out to us from time to time, but the others all stay hidden indoors.

I see Tammy approaching Trigger with a cold drink in hand. Shit balls! I know I have to stop that right the fuck now and she’s moving fast. I know that straight lines are quickest, so I drop the post hole digger, ignore a grunt of pain from Vex, and bolt across the yard, dodging men, materials and jumping a tool box to arrive at Trigger’s side the same time as Tammy. It was a regular obstacle course to get to Trigger and I did that shit like a track star.

They both look at me in bewilderment as I slide to a stop. I toss a casual arm over Tammy’s shoulders and give her my most charming smile, while hoping like hell it doesn’t look like Axel’s demented one.

“Hey, Tammy. How you doing, darlin’?”

“I’m good, Pooh. Thank you for asking. Is there something wrong? You seem a little agitated.”

“No, nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering if you had any more of that delicious iced tea. I could use another glass of that, please. If it’s not too much to ask,” I say while gently turning her away from Trigger and walking her back toward the house. She stares at me and I’m sure she’s questioning my sanity but she goes back inside.

While waiting by the door for my drink, I notice that I’m the center of attention amongst the men in the yard. Petey is nearly pissing himself laughing so hard. (I secretly hope he does!) Vex is glaring while the others are staring at me in various states of confusion. I’m getting used to these looks aimed in my direction lately.

Tammy reappears with my drink and hands it over. She eyes me for a moment before disappearing back indoors. Whew! Crisis averted. I take a sip and dump that foul-tasting shit on the ground and head back to work.

A short time later, Ava, Bailey and Bella pull to a stop and get out of Ava’s SUV. Bella comes loping across the lawn, all arms and legs, and throws her arms around my waist.

“Hey, baby doll,” I say to her as I give her a hug and drop a light kiss on the top of her head. She beams her beautiful smile up at me and for the thousandth time, I feel blessed that we were in the right place at the right time and she is ours now.

“Hi! I’m Craig. What’s your name?”

“Hi, Craig. I’m Bella. Are you helping to put up the fence?” Bella asks.

“Yeah, Pooh needed help digging the holes. Gunner needed help pounding nails but he kept getting his thumb in the way. He swears a lot. Nobody hollers at him for it though,” Craig states matter-of-factly.

Bella grins up at me again but she is careful not to let Craig see. She’s sweet and doesn’t want him to feel bad that he wasn’t as much help as he thought. He had fun and that’s what matters. While grinning at Bella, I hear Craig whisper, ”Ho… ly shit! I hope he’s already ate today!”

I look over and see Loki walking our direction. I look down at Craig and see his eyes are wide open in awe or shock or both. Probably even a little fear. Bella instantly sooths those fears.

“That’s Loki and he’s really friendly. He loves kids. He’s one of my best friends and you don’t have to be scared of him. He’ll let you pet him and play fetch if you want.”

Loki comes to a stop in front of Craig and drops his butt to the ground. I swear I can see a smile on that dog’s face as he waits patiently. Craig’s eyes swing up to mine and I nod my head at him. He slowly reaches a hand out and softly pets Loki’s head. He jerks his hand back and then giggles. He reaches out again and when Loki doesn’t eat him, his grin becomes a mile wide. Love that dog!

“Come on, Craig. Let’s find a stick and play fetch with Loki,” suggests Bella.

The kids walk off, Craig holding Bella’s hand, with Loki following.

“She’s beautiful. Is she your daughter?” Pippa asks as she comes to a stop next to me.

“Yes, she is, inside and out. But she’s not mine. Petey and Trudy adopted her. I’m just the cool uncle that gets to love her and spoil her rotten.”

“She obviously adores you.”

“Yeah, it’s mutual. Besides, I’m completely adorable. You must have noticed that by now,” I tease her, grinning mischievously.

Pippa laughs and shakes her head at me as Ava and Bailey approach us. I do the introductions and the women chat for a few moments. Pippa isn’t shy and makes conversation easily. What I am a little concerned with is that neither Ava nor Bailey are being overly friendly as they usually are. They’re being polite but reserved. That’s odd and I’m watching carefully to see why.

“Is New Horizons government funded and you work for a government agency?” asks Ava.

“No, it’s not. It’s funded by donations only. I work solely for New Horizons. Tammy and I started it when we saw the need for women to have a safe place to land until they get their lives straightened out and get a sense of direction. It’s helped a lot of women, some with kids and some without, get the space they need to start a new life. Most of the women here don’t have family to help, or willing to help, and that’s where we come in.”

“Other than a place to live, how does New Horizons help these women?” questions Bailey.

“I work with the women to find jobs that can support them, start college classes or finish up degrees they didn’t get to complete. We get them into counseling, help with finding or providing daycare, as is the case for Craig, and help secure apartments or homes. If needed, we provide money management classes and practical living courses. For some of these women, they haven’t been allowed to handle finances, pay bills, or do the numerous daily things we all take for granted. It’s scary to suddenly have all of that on your shoulders so we try to help ease them into a more normal routine.”

---