Page 16 of Family Bonds: Carter & Avery

“I wanted to remember things that were important to me,” Josie said.

“We’ll go back and you know it,” she said.

“I know. But when I paint, I just feel...I don’t know. Happy.”

Laine reached her hand out and pulled the painting of a meadow and flowers closer. “This is a very happy and cheerful picture. Is this a place you’ve been?”

“My mom used to take me there. I wanted to remember it. Can I use that as a mural on the wall upstairs?” Josie asked.

“Anything you want,” Avery said, her throat almost closing up with the emotions.

“I’ve got paints that will work better than what you can get at the hardware store,” Laine said. “Why don’t I bring them over this week?”

“Thank you,” Josie said. “Can I hug you? I like to hug, but my mom said I always have to ask first.”

Laine opened her arms, her eyes a little misty too. You couldn’t help but fall in love with this little girl. “You can hug me, Josie.”

Avery looked over at Laine and nodded her head. Now her friend knew why she would do anything to make Josie happy.

5

Had What It Took

“You’re here early,” Carter said to his mother the next day.

Dopey walked in and went to his normal spot, one of the three dog beds in the place. In the morning he was by the front door to greet people in the waiting room. Doc was on the leash and would go in her crate once he got to work, but for now she was trotting alongside of him.

“I wanted to get a head start on everything,” his mother said. “You were slammed with calls yesterday and I was scheduling a bunch of things. I saw Alex did too. Since you’re here, my guess is you are ordering parts.”

His mother knew how things went. She’d been running the office and paying the bills here since his grandfather had the garage. That was how his parents met. His grandfather hired his mother. Then his father took it over and now him.

His brother, Grayson, had to all but have his teeth pulled to come work in the garage. He didn’t like getting dirty and that was all you ever did when you worked with cars.

Natalie, his youngest sibling, didn’t want any part of it and he never figured she did. It was more like him being the oldest, everyone knew he’d end up running it.

“Yeah. Lots going on,” he said. “Alex talked to some people that called and put it in the computer to schedule. I was going to see what is going on for next week and parts that are needed.”

It’s not like everything they needed could be sold on the island. Though there was a chain auto repair store, they didn’t always carry the parts or if they did, it was at a higher price.

He didn’t like to charge more than he had to so many were willing to wait if they could until he could get the parts delivered to the island or one of his men could go off island to get them.

“That is what I’m here for bright and early,” his mother said. She worked her own hours. He’d never tell her otherwise. If she wasn’t around to answer the phone, he or one of his employees did. Plenty of times his mother had to come get him anyway to talk to someone.

“Thanks,” he said, covering a yawn and booting up the computer at the register by the phone. Then he moved through the doorway into the garage.

“The coffee is made,” his mother said. “Looks like you need it.”

“Yeah,” he said. He moved over to grab his coveralls off the hook by his office. He long since gave up having work pants and a shirt that he changed every day and came to and from work in.

It messed up his truck and the lingering scent of grease and tar and oil and everything else would be on him. He didn’t want to track it anywhere.

He’d arrive in shorts or jeans, depending on the time of year, with a T-shirt. He had sneakers on his feet, that he was taking off now to swap for his steel toed boots once he pulled on his coveralls.

“Why are you yawning?” his mother asked. “That’s not like you.”

“I was at the vet clinic late last night. I wanted to get it all done.”

“Why?” his mother asked. She bent down to give some love to Doc. The puppy and his mother had a routine. His mother would take Doc into her office most times, but he’d never ask.

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