Chapter Six
Nora was pissed, mostly at herself. Why had she played with Fallon, behaving more physically than normal?
She’d seen the way Fallon looked at her at times, with what was almost certainly a spark of interest. And once she’d confirmed that Fallon was gay, she’d let her mind go there on occasion.
But she had no interest in pursuing anyone, even for a fling, which was why it was better for her to be around unquestionably heterosexual Gwen and Tina. Get in. Get out. Get on with your life.
The triangle sounded, and Nora swore. Time to go to work. She sincerely hoped she wouldn’t be paired with Fallon today.
Relieved when Hannah called “Over here, partner,” Nora went to stand beside her while she finished putting on her PPE.
Fallon was doing the same next to Tina. Nora assumed Jade had given out posts, and they’d rotate teams in the same way they’d been assigned their chores in camp.
This part of the sawing job would be easier since the local fire department had consulted with the community in marking trees that needed to be felled.
The teams spread out to their positions along either side of the road, and Jade called “Firing up” as her saw roared to life.
Soon, the air was filled with buzzing and the sappy smell of cut pine.
It might have been only an hour when Jade walked by, making sure each team stopped for a water and snack break. Nora and Hannah had already traded off sawing and swamping once, and they’d made decent progress in their section. “How’s Fallon doing handling all the sawing?” Hannah asked Jade.
“She’s holding up okay, but I’m going to trade out with Tina so Fallon can swamp for a while. Unless one of you would like to volunteer to switch?”
Nora made a point of not looking where Fallon and Tina were working. “I’ll trade. Fallon can come work with you, okay, Hannah?”
“Sure.”
Nora ate a protein bar and drank some water, feeling the beginnings of sore muscles as she watched Jade walk down the road to tell Fallon about the change. As Nora arrived at their worksite, Tina practically fell on her.
“Thank God. Tell me you’ll have mercy. Fallon was working like someone possessed.
” She pointed at the slash pile that the community would later turn into chip mulch.
Nora estimated that Fallon’s work was almost double hers and Hannah’s.
And Fallon had been the only one sawing.
Nora was no stranger to rejection-fueled energy but couldn’t help worrying for Fallon who, as far as she knew, had no previous experience with this kind of physical labor.
Tina pointed at the adjacent property. “Fallon went there. Through the woods. Maybe she had to pee or something.”
Or maybe she wanted to avoid seeing me. Nora sighed. “Okay. Let’s hit it.”
It was dusk when Jade came to collect them. “Good work for the first day. Kennedy’s already started on dinner, so let’s all get ready to eat and then we can talk about how things went.”
Washing up was everyone’s first priority.
Sawing and swamping were both hard, dirty work, as sawdust and pine needles combined with layers of sweat.
Fallon wasn’t at the cleanup station, and it wasn’t her turn to help with cooking, but Nora couldn’t tell if she’d gone to her tent.
As the crew gathered for their meal, she overheard Kennedy talking to Delores.
“Fallon came by and got one of those electrolyte drinks and two more protein bars. She said she wasn’t coming to dinner. ”
Nora stepped in like she was part of the conversation. “That’s not good. I’m sure she’s tired, but she needs to eat to reenergize her body. Otherwise, she won’t be worth shit tomorrow.”
“That’s so sympathetic of you, Nora.” Kennedy put her hands on her hips. “Tina said Fallon was working like she had something to prove. I don’t suppose you know why.”
Nora held herself still. “All I know is, this work we’re doing can drain you to the point that you’d rather sleep than eat. But that’s dangerous. Ask Jade.”
“You think you know everything. Go ask her yourself.”
Delores cleared her throat. “Come on, you two. This pissing contest isn’t solving anything.” Kennedy turned to the Dutch oven and stirred the contents. Delores tried again. “That smells really good, Kenn. When will it be ready?”
“We can eat it now, but it can cook for a few more minutes until everyone”—she gave Nora a sideways look—”or whoever wants to eat is ready.”
That did it. Nora strode to the table of plates and utensils. Returning to Kennedy, she held out a dish. “I’m ready now.”
Kennedy sighed and dished out a portion.
“Looks great,” Nora said, grabbing a napkin and walking out of the kitchen area.
“Hey,” Kennedy yelled, but Nora kept going. When she reached Fallon’s tent, she called out, “Fallon? It’s Nora. I’ve got food here, and I want you to eat it before you sleep.”
There was no answer, so she tried again. “Fallon. Wake up. You can eat in there, but you need nourishment.” She pulled the zipper on the big flap.
Faintly, she heard, “Go away.”
“I will, I promise. But let me leave you this food. Kennedy made it, and it looks delicious.”
Stepping into the vestibule, Nora was impressed by the height.
It would be nice to change standing up. Fallon’s boots lay on one side, her new flannel shirt on the other.
Nora knelt at the smaller entrance to the sleeping area.
“I want to hand this to you and watch you take a bite. Then I’ll leave. ”
After several long seconds, she heard the inside zipper. Fallon’s upper half appeared in the opening, her hair loose over her shoulders, framing her full breasts beneath the thin undershirt she wore. Nora swallowed. “Here.” She held out the plate.
Fallon’s hand shook as she leaned over to take a bite.
“Did you refill your water? You’ll need to hydrate as much as you can.”
Fallon nodded as she swallowed. “This is good. Thanks.”
“I’m glad. And listen, I’m sorry about…about earlier.”
Fallon coughed and turned away, grabbing her water bottle. After she drank, she said, “I should be the one apologizing. You’ve made it clear what you want and what you don’t. Just know that you have other options here beside Gwen and Tina if you want friends. Other options besides me, even.”
She ate quickly while Nora tried to work down the lump in her throat. Why did Fallon have to be so damned nice? “Okay, well, you need to take it a little easier tomorrow,” she said as Fallon finished eating. “Tina said you were working really hard.”
“Tina wouldn’t recognize hard work if she went out on a date with it,” Fallon said dryly. Nora couldn’t help laughing. Fallon handed her the plate. “Thank you for this. You were right. I feel better already.”
Nora let her fingers touch Fallon’s before she said, “Good. I’m glad.” She wasn’t going to think about why she did that or how nice it felt.
* * *
The days blurred into a routine as they worked their way down the roadside.
Nora appreciated Jade’s leadership, how she ensured the chores and assignments were balanced between firm and fair while accounting for individual talents and concerns.
An exception seemed to be that Fallon and Gwen never worked together.
Was that at Fallon’s request? Jade also guided Nora and Kennedy through their differences, and they’d reached concessions on both sides.
It didn’t come out in their talk, but Nora suspected that Kennedy had a crush on Fallon, and her animosity was at least partly due to worrying about competition.
Nora had mixed feelings about being considered part of a contest she hadn’t entered.
But at least she and Fallon had reached a kind of truce as well.
When Nora lay in her cozy tent, listening to the early sounds of nature stirring before the rest of the camp began to revive, she found her mind at peace for the first time in a long time.
The discontent that had been her frequent companion at home had been replaced by a sense of purpose and a feeling of accomplishment, an unexpected benefit of her determination to win this bet.
She didn’t foresee years of exchanging Christmas cards with the crew, but at least the atmosphere was generally one of camaraderie and encouragement.
Under different circumstances, she’d be carrying her camera everywhere, utilizing the wonderful morning light for her photography, but that wasn’t her job here.
Besides, people acted differently toward someone taking pictures.
After dressing, Nora followed sounds and smells to the kitchen.
Since Fallon seemed to be an early riser as well and was able to cook a group breakfast as if she’d been doing it her whole life, Jade had offered her the job in exchange for being excused from other tasks.
Nora had finished her disciplinary KP, but she regularly joined Fallon to mix ingredients or flip pancakes.
It amazed her how adept Fallon was at cooking for eight people, how she broke eggs with one hand and could fry bacon in one pan and vegetarian sausage in the other and never burn anything.
“How did you learn to cook this way?” Nora asked as Fallon browned slices of toast on a square skillet.
Fallon hesitated. “A genuinely nice man taught me,” she said, her voice quiet. “In my previous life.”
Nora would have laughed, but Fallon seemed serious. “So you’ve been reincarnated?”
“Oh. No. Well, I don’t know about that, but I meant in my life before being here at Firecamp.”