Chapter 21
21
“ G oodness! What is that smell?” Reva wrinkled her nose and pulled back from embracing Capri at the door.
Capri grunted. “Skunk. Yes, I got sprayed.”
Lila, Charlie Grace, and Reva let out a chorus of laughter.
“Oh no!” Lila said. “I’m so sorry.”
“Yikes!” Reva said. Despite her sympathetic expression, she didn’t refrain from holding her nose. “Sorry…it’s just that?—”
Capri shook her head. “No, I get it. I stink.”
Charlie Grace whipped out her phone. She thumbed the tiny screen, then scrolled. “Says here a mixture of liquid dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda will do the trick. Have you tried that?”
Capri sighed and handed off her jacket to Lila, who hung it on a line of pegs mounted on her wall. “Yes. And every other trick known to man and woman.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, the smell should only linger a couple of days,” Lila said. “I can’t tell you how many dogs are brought into the clinic after a tussle with a skunk…or a porcupine.” She grinned. “Guarantee, that’s worse.”
Capri followed her girlfriends into the kitchen. “I’ll do my best to avoid that sticky situation.”
Based on their laughter, her pun didn’t escape the girls as they grabbed their drinks from the counter.
Capri followed them back to the living room and took a place on a chair opposite the sofa where they sat, several feet away. “In other news, I finally heard from my mom. She seems blissfully happy, even though the slot machines were not kind to Earl in Vegas.”
Reva raised an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine our Earl embracing Sin City. He just doesn’t seem the type.”
Capri nodded. “Yeah, I’m learning a lot of things I didn’t expect.” Capri forced a laugh, shifting in her seat. “Like how quickly life can change after decades of staying the same.”
Charlie Grace leaned forward, concern flickering in her eyes. “And how are you feeling about it all? About your mom moving on so fast?”
Capri shrugged, crossing her legs and resting her hands on the armrests. “Honestly, I’m just trying to adjust. Everything’s in flux, and it’s weird.”
Lila, who’d been quiet until now, offered a sympathetic smile. “Change is hard, even when it’s good.”
“Yeah,” Capri said softly, feeling the weight of her friends’ concern. “But enough about that. What about you guys? How’s everything post-quake?”
Reva leaned back, cradling her drink in her lap. “I swear, I’m more than ready to move past the tremor issue. I was in the middle of a town meeting when a dump truck rumbled past out front and Verna practically jumped out of her skin, thinking we were having another earthquake.”
Lila laughed. “I bet she did. That woman is high-strung on a good day. What happened?”
“She burst out of her seat like the world was ending,” Reva replied with a shake of her head. “Muttering about potential structural damage to the mayor’s office, even though there wasn’t a crack in sight. It took everything I had not to laugh. I reassured everyone in the meeting that Thunder Mountain wasn’t about to split in half.”
Charlie Grace grinned. “You mean Verna didn’t run to Pastor Pete, begging him to organize another town-wide prayer vigil?”
“Oh, trust me, she tried!” Reva said, rolling her eyes. “But I talked her down. Barely.”
Lila chimed in, smiling. “Speaking of Pastor Pete, he’s set up a workday to clean up the church grounds. Everyone is gathering at Moose Chapel tomorrow to help out.”
“I’ll swing by,” Charlie Grace offered. “We’re pretty busy out at the ranch, but I’ll make time to help.”
Capri raised an eyebrow. “How’s your photography exhibit coming along? I thought you’d be swamped with prepping for the Jackson Hole exhibition.”
Charlie Grace let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. “I am. I’ve barely slept this week, trying to finalize which prints to showcase. Between that and balancing everything with our heavy guest load, I feel like I’m spinning in circles. Nick’s been a huge help, though.”
“Sounds like you’re juggling a lot,” Lila said, nodding. “It’s tough when you’re stretched so thin like that.”
“You’re telling me,” Charlie Grace agreed. “I love the challenge, but man, sometimes I just want to crawl into bed and forget about all of it.”
Capri shifted in her chair. “You and Nick seem to have a good balance, though.”
Charlie Grace smiled. “We try. He’s been super supportive. I think he’s more excited for the exhibit than I am. Keeps reminding me to breathe.”
“I get it,” Lila muttered, glancing down at her drink. “Between running the clinic and Camille being home from college, it feels like my house is a never-ending mess. Whit’s been a great partner at work, but honestly, I barely have time to keep up with everything.”
Reva shot her a sympathetic look. “Me, too. Lucan’s been bouncing off the walls lately. He won’t sleep without every stuffed animal he owns piled on top of him. It’s been exhausting.”
“Is he okay, though?” Capri asked, concern softening her tone. “All of us are on edge a bit after those tremors.”
“Oh, he’s fine, just very active.” Reva reached for some peanuts from the bowl on the coffee table.
They all nodded in agreement, the weight of the past few weeks settling over them for a moment. Each of them had busy lives, but some seasons seemed more difficult than others.
“Well,” Lila said after a pause, “at least we’re all managing. One way or another.”
“True,” Capri said, her voice thoughtful as she leaned back. “I guess we’ve all got our own version of chaos to deal with.”
The conversation shifted as they each shared updates about their lives. Lila mentioned a few new patients at the clinic, including a raccoon with a broken leg, while Charlie Grace brought up she was considering holding a big barbecue bash at the ranch—perhaps over the July fourth weekend. Reva filled them in on the town’s recovery efforts, but even amidst the talk of minor repairs, they found moments to laugh about the absurdity of it all.
As the conversation began to wind down, Capri took a sip of her drink and sighed. “Well, speaking of managing chaos, I’ve had my hands full with the house renovations.”
Reva glanced over. “How’s that going? Are you ready to tear your hair out yet?”
Capri shook her head, trying to stay casual. “No, no. Jake’s been on top of everything.”
Lila perked up. “Jake? The contractor?”
Capri reached for a pretzel. “Uh, yeah. He’s handling the work.” She tossed the pretzel in her mouth.
Charlie Grace’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “I heard he’s very nice to look at.” She elbowed Lila, and they winked at each other.
Capri’s cheeks flushed. She should have known her friends would twist the situation into something it was not. “No, it’s not like that. He’s just…” She swallowed. “…doing the work I hired him to do. I mean, he’s been very helpful.”
“Helpful, huh?” Reva grinned. “That sounds suspiciously like something more.”
Capri huffed, knowing she’d opened the door. “Look, he’s a good guy, but it’s strictly professional. He’s remodeling my house…that’s all.”
Lila raised an eyebrow. “Strictly professional? That’s what they all say.”
Reva leaned back, her eyes narrowing playfully as she smiled. “You know, Capri, sometimes the universe throws people in our path for a reason. A man in your life might just be what you need right now.” She winked, adding with a grin, “Besides, the way you look when you talk about him...I’d say there’s more to this than just house renovations.”
Capri crossed her arms, but a small smile tugged at her lips. “You’re all impossible.”
The girls exchanged knowing looks, their laughter fading as Capri tried to wave off the attention. But as she sat there, a quiet settled over her. Despite her efforts to brush it aside, she couldn’t ignore the spark of something new—something unsettling yet strangely comforting.
The idea of Jake lingered, not just as the man renovating her house, but as someone who had begun to find his way into the cracks of her carefully guarded world. Maybe her friends weren’t wrong. Maybe it was time to stop holding everything at arm’s length and let herself feel—whatever that might mean.