Page 31 of One Small Spark
“We’ve got the same amount of nightlife here as you do back home,” Grant points out.
“I thought you were trying to get me to visitmore,” Rhett shoots back.
“When whitewater rafting season starts up again, you’ll have a lot of reasons to visit.” Lila’s switched over into tourism mode, her eyes overly bright. “We’ve got a dozen rivers across the state with all classes of rapids for you to explore.”
Grant kisses her temple. “Nicely done, princess.”
She gestures at Callahan. “And if you like biking, Shepherd can point you to all the best paths.”
“Oh, yeah?” Rhett acknowledges him at the far end of the table. “What kind of paths?”
“A lot of old doubletrack where they’re phasing out ATVs. Some newer singletrack trails.”
I don’t know what any of those words mean, but he’s got the table’s interest.
“And Shepherd’s working on getting some of our fire roads converted into biking paths, too.” Lila’s not ready to giveup her Callahan praise. “He’s got a plan to link them up to existing paths in town.”
“It’s not just me.”
Lila rejects his attempt to brush her off. “That’s not what the people on your team say. They’re working on the fundraising, but the trails are your vision.”
He ticks his head to the side as if even that small acknowledgement pains him.
It makes total sense that Callahan’s planning some big bike path expansion. More bike trails means more bike sales and rentals for Get in Gear. He’s already proved he puts his business first in everything.
Except…watching Lila’s efforts to pull in more tourism and business opportunities for Sunshine, I’ve learned that nobody gets involved in stuff like that totally for themselves. There has to be some positive community spirit at the heart of it. A little shimmer of altruism hiding in Callahan’s bleak heart.
Gross.
I sip at my cider, trying to force even more new information about him into the small box where I’ve kept him the last couple of years. It’s getting crowded in there. I’m just not sure which parts to toss out.
Rhett turns back to me. “What would you be doing right now if you weren’t partaking of Sunshine’s extensive nightlife?”
Easy. “Crocheting my weirdos.”
His brow furrows, but a smile curves along his mouth. “I don’t understand that sentence.”
“I crochet,” I explain. His smile doesn’t budge, but he looks just as mystified. “It’s a yarn craft like knitting, but with a hook. I make stuffed animals. Well…they’re not animals. They’re just blobby little guys.”
And I adore every single one.
“Granny crafts are popular right now.” Callahan’s mouth has a curl to it. Smile? Or smirk?
I love my granny craft, but now I kind of wish he didn’t know about it. I need a cool girl hobby, like blacksmithing or glassblowing.
“The tight end on the Hornets knits himself a sweater every season,” Leo says. “Claims it helps him focus.”
“It must work,” Rhett says. “He plays like a beast.”
“Do they look good?” Griffin wants to know.
Leo shakes his head slowly. “Like a JoAnn’s barfed on him every time.”
Hope squeezes my elbow. “I want your weirdos for my store.”
“I love you, but I’m not meant for that side hustle life.” If I tried to perfect and sell my projects, it’d suck the fun out of making them, and I’d lose my outlet for stress relief.
Do I have an army of them in my room? Possibly. Will I give up any of them? Never. Except gifts to August, of course.
