Page 6 of What We Keep
With the insurance money after the fire, we scrambled to repair the old barn on the property and lived in the upstairs. It was crowded, but it was home. We took the rest of the money and planned carefully as all hell to gradually rebuild the entire resort over the past few years. It was a massive project, but we were almost done.
I wanted it to be better than it had been. We all did. Except maybe Lincoln, but he was complicated. Then again, we were all complicated.
The situation had been what most would call a tragedy. I hated thinking about it like that and tried to downplay it in my mind. I gave myself another mental shake. This was high on the list of things I didn’t need to dwell on.
Tommy helped me finish putting the groceries away before he started to bolt out of the kitchen again.
“Homework status?” I called after him.
He stopped at the doorway, practically vibrating in place. He had so much energy, and he was constantly on the move. “Done.”
I grinned. “Excellent.”
“I’ll go check on the goats.”
“Figured that’s where you were headed,” I teased lightly. “Good call.”
After the fire, my mom started renting out another barn and part of the property to a nearby animal rescue. Their main building, closer to town, was where they took in regular rescues—cats, dogs, and small animals—but they needed space for the larger animals. With over five hundred acres to call our own, we had more than enough of that.
Tommy loved helping with the rescue, and they paid him. I watched through the window as he ran across the yard toward the rescue barn in the distance, carefully closing the gate to the pasture area behind him.
This afternoon was chilly even though it was late summer. The crisp autumn air would chase away summer soon enough. Out in the garden, I spotted my mom trimming her beloved flowers. Turning away from the window, I cut through the kitchen, down the hallway, and pushed through the door connected to the main resort.
We had much of this section finished, so it wouldn’t be long before we could have guests. Jogging up the stairs, I found Cole adjusting a light fixture above one of the bathroom sinks in a guest room.
I glanced around. “Looking good.”
He finished tightening a screw and flashed a grin. “All done.”
“With this one?”
“All of them in this section. We can officially have the code guy come out.”
I approached, lifting a hand for a high five. He slapped his palm against mine. “Nice, man. Thank you.”
“We just have, you know, ten more rooms to take care of,” he replied with a wry grin.
I threw my head back with a laugh. “You know what? It’s a fucking miracle we’re almost there.”
“Damn straight,” Cole agreed.
He ran a hand through his dark hair, his eyes crinkling at the corners when his gaze met mine again. “What’s for dinner?”
I shrugged. “I picked up some groceries for the week. We could always think about ordering takeout, but we’d have to go get it.” We were far enough out of town that delivery wasn’t an option. “But I did get a roast chicken. And we’ve got plenty of frozen pizza,” I added.
“Let’s make frozen pizza. It’s the easiest thing.”
We walked together down the hallway, and I glanced around, a smile tugging at my lips. We really were almost there.
A few hours later, I leaned back in my chair, balling up my napkin and tossing it in the trash can.
“Nice shot,” Jude said with a grin.
Tommy glanced between Jude and me, his eyes twinkling. “Play for five?”
My mom laughed softly. “You’ll do anything for five bucks,” she teased him.
Tommy tipped his head to the side. “Honestly? I’d do it for free.”
