Chapter Ten #2
Nora decided she didn’t care what anyone thought as Fallon turned to her and smiled. “See you out there.”
* * *
Creating a fuel break was every bit as hard as Jade had said it would be.
It didn’t help that over the last couple of days, the temperature had risen by fifteen degrees, and there was no cloud cover.
They took more frequent breaks, always in the shade of Big Beauty, and Jade made sure everyone carried extra water.
The area was too dense for them to be in teams, so they staggered their positions, orchestrating a ballet of felling and limbing and swamping, giving Nora little time to take photos.
Fallon’s joy in riding the ATV might have been the only thing guaranteed to make everyone smile, though she took turns without being prompted.
Nora felt an odd sense of pride that Fallon’s sawing technique had improved.
She’d gotten stronger and more self-assured.
Everyone had, but Fallon’s improvement was significant.
Nora began to think there was a chance they’d make their quota, but they were all paying for it with long days under less-than-ideal conditions, plastered in the dirt and grit that seemed to coat every pore and crevasse.
Everyone was bone weary, spending the first part of their evenings trying to clean up and passing less time socializing after dinner.
Nora fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow, which was probably why she hadn’t had more nightmares.
She sometimes thought about visiting Fallon’s tent anyway, simply for the comfort of her company.
Despite Nora’s plan to go it alone, she couldn’t deny that Fallon had gotten her through times when she might not have finished Firecamp.
Did that mean they were friends? Fallon seemed to think so, and Nora supposed it wouldn’t be the worst thing, though nothing more could come of it. She did find herself waiting for Fallon at meals and routinely sitting next to her when they’d gather for a meeting.
On Thursday afternoon, Jade announced that one of the families in the neighborhood where they’d worked before had offered the use of their shower, and they’d have the rest of the day off.
The best the exhausted crew could manage was a ragged cheer.
The downstairs bathroom of the modest mountain home had been designed for guests.
It was accessible through a private entrance, and the shower and toilet were separated by a pocket door from the back-to-back sinks.
Drawing lots, they worked out a system where someone would be in each area, either getting clean or drying hair and doing other personal maintenance, while everyone else waited on camp chairs.
When the family’s new dog squeezed out the front door, frantic to pay them a visit, Fallon skipped her shower twice to play with the exuberant puppy.
They ran, they chased, and they wrestled.
Nora, waiting for her turn, couldn’t keep from smiling at the two of them when Fallon finally sat with her eyes closed, her back to a tree, the puppy sleeping on her lap. They’d tired each other out.
“Cute, huh?” Kennedy said from beside her.
“Yeah.” Nora tried not to act like she’d been watching.
“The puppy too.” It was an old bit but still made Nora laugh. “It’s cool to see someone coming into their own.”
Nora turned. “That’s your experience too, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I think it’s the confidence of doing the work, combined with Jade’s leadership and everyone else’s support.” They paused. “What about you? Are you getting what you wanted out of this summer?”
It was such a simple question, but Nora struggled with her reply. “I don’t think I had any expectations, so…sure.”
Kenn turned to face her. “Maybe you’re missing out on what you could have.”
Hannah called that Nora was next, and she walked briskly away from Kenn and everything they’d implied, feeling a blush rising.
Yes, Fallon had been thoughtful and sensitive to her, and her antics with the puppy were endearing, but what mattered most was the plan for her future.
Get in. Get out. Get on with your life. Kennedy’s unsubtle hint wouldn’t change that.
Her phone was completely dead, so she plugged it in while washing her hair. She’d scarcely turned off the dryer when it rang, startling her into answering without looking. “Nora?” a familiar voice said. “Nora, this is Tina. You’ve got to help us.”
Nora jumped when a knock came on the door between her and the shower. “You about through in there?” Jade asked.
“Uh, yeah, just a second,” Nora answered. Into the phone, she whispered, “Call me back in five,” before hanging up. Raising her voice, she said, “Okay, all done,” and Jade came through, still in her towel.
Grinning at Nora’s surprise, she said, “Not trying to dazzle you. I wanted a couple more minutes of feeling totally clean.”
“I get that,” Nora said. “But I think Fallon will be coming in next.”
“Fine.”
Nora left, opening the door to the outside as Fallon walked up. “You look nice. And clean,” Fallon said. “I probably smell like a dog.”
“There’s worse things to smell like, I think,” Nora said.
“Let’s not make a list,” Fallon teased.
Nora pointed toward the bathroom. “Jade’s in there.”
“I bet she smells good.”
Nora raised her eyebrows. “Oh, you think so, do you?” Her ringing cell phone interrupted any response Fallon might have had. She tried to keep her expression calm. “Sorry, I need to get this.”
“Is everything okay?” Fallon asked.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s Tyler telling me how much he misses me.” Nora walked away, blowing out a breath. Why had she lied?
“Tell him hi for me,” Fallon called after her.
* * *
At the sensation of her head snapping back, Nora jerked awake.
It was like those dreams of falling, but echoing in her mind was the sound of a slap.
His ring had cut her. She must have blocked that out until now.
Rolling her lips, she thought her mouth felt almost normal.
She touched the bruise on her cheek. It hardly hurt at all.
The thought transposed into the idea of brushing her fingers across Fallon’s cheek. It would be soft and warm.
No, she told herself, I’m not being fair. She’d avoided Fallon all evening because she didn’t want to dig herself any deeper into the lie about Tina’s phone call. She replayed the conversation over in her mind, as she had dozens of times already:
“Bryson and Gwen are still in jail, but my folks paid my fine.”
“Did you get caught with drugs too, Tina?” Nora asked.
“No, but I had rolling papers on me and trace amounts of coke in my bag. That fine was five hundred dollars.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m still at my parents’ house. They’re really pissed.” That explained why she’d been whispering the whole time. “Gwen was busted before, but she didn’t have much on her then. That’s why we were at Firecamp. Her other lawyer got us community restitution. But now…”
She trailed off, and the silence dragged until Nora said, “Were you getting over two ounces of pot? Is that why…”
“No, there was other stuff too. We like blow, and they were going to sell some MDMA.”
Nora grimaced. “I don’t know how I can help. I don’t know a lawyer or anything like that.”
“But don’t you have money? You could help with her bail maybe? It’s, like, fifteen hundred dollars.”
Nora scoffed. “No one here has that kind of money, Tina. We wouldn’t be spending our summer working our asses off if we had fifteen hundred dollars sitting around.”
Tina sighed. “Gwen said to tell you that someone could get hurt if you don’t help her.”
A chill ran through her. “What does that mean?”
“I guess she might already have planted something on someone.” Her tone bordered on sad, and Nora had to work at not letting Tina hear her agitation.
“You guess, or you know?”
“It was when we were packing to go to Denver. She talked about having insurance. That’s what I thought she meant, but I didn’t ask.”
Nora would go to Jade. Explain she’d heard Gwen talk about insurance and hadn’t realized what she meant until their drug bust. But then Jade would get everyone together, and Fallon would figure out Nora had lied about the call. “Did Gwen say who…who her insurance was?”
“No. It could have been anyone, but most likely Jade or Fallon. She doesn’t like either of them.”
“Look, I’ll ask around. See if anyone wants to chip in. But I expect you to find out who she set up before I give you anything. Understand?”
“Okay, yeah. I’ll call you again in a couple of days.”
Nora wouldn’t ask the crew for money, and she wouldn’t wait a couple of days to talk to Jade either.
Though the night was still warm, she put on her sweatpants and hoodie, wishing they could shield her like armor.
Retrieving her borrowed flashlight, she started to cross the campsite.
Looking over at Fallon’s tent, it occurred to her that if she could find the dope, she wouldn’t have to involve anyone else.
Without bothering to call out, she unzipped the flap and stepped into the vestibule.
Fallon made a noise that sounded like “Huh?”
“It’s Nora. I’m coming in.”
“Wait—” Fallon said, but Nora was already crawling into the sleeping area. There was a shuffle and a flash of something white. A leg?
Nora stopped short. She couldn’t see much, but Fallon’s voice sounded strained.
And what was that shuffling noise? Was she hiding something?
Or someone? “Oh, excuse me.” This time, she didn’t try to conceal her agitation.
“I didn’t think to ask if you were alone.
” The flash of skin was too light to be Kenn. Maybe Delores?
“What?” Fallon coughed. “Of course I’m alone.” She sank under the covers, squirming a bit.
“Then why are you acting so weird?” Nora demanded.
“Because I’m naked.” Exasperation colored Fallon’s reply.
“Oh.” After a pause, Nora said, “Should I wait…uh, out in the…” She couldn’t think beyond the unexpected relief. And an image of Fallon’s body under the sheet.
“Yes, please.”