Chapter 3 #3
“Sorry about that.” He told her why he’d said that. “I just wanted to keep you safe around here, and no one would ask questions if they thought that you’d been here before. You have really, so things are working out well.”
“Just be careful who you tell that to. You wouldn’t want it getting back to your brothers that you’ve picked up a wife to help you with arranging your furniture.
I found the tea maker but not the teapot.
I’m still looking. I have put the tea maker to work to get some brewed. I hope that’s all right.”
“It is. Thanks for thinking about that. One more thing you can do for me is order some pizzas. I think about ten should do the trick, don’t you?
” She said she’d order them but wouldn’t be there when they came.
She’d be hiding in the kitchen. “Good idea. I would hate for the pisser to find out that you’re here when you shouldn’t be.
Not that it’s any of his business, but that’s just a good idea. ”
After getting everyone fed, they went back to work.
The movers were doing a good job, and when he went into the kitchen to find out if Hailey was all right, she was brewing another pot of tea for iced tea.
She still hadn’t found the tea brewer, but she’d been breaking down boxes, so there was less of a mess in the kitchen.
He loved her for that and told her what a great job she was doing.
He couldn’t believe the difference furniture made in a house when he looked around, too.
“The truck is only half a mile away. You should be able to see it, they said.” It was coming up the driveway when he looked out the front door.
When one of his brothers followed the truck, he told Hailey so that she could hide if she wanted.
She said she was just helping a friend out and that if he asked her name, it was Candy.
He had to remember that too, for he’d been calling her Hailey since she arrived.
Bodi hugged him with his usual bear hug, and he took him to the kitchen to introduce him to “Candy”.
“He didn’t tell us that he had such a vision working for him.” She told him to cool his jets; she wasn’t going to date him. “Oh, you wound my heart. Whatever will I do now that I know you won’t go out with me?”
“Get over yourself. You go flirt with someone else.” Just as good-natured as he was about everything, Bodi didn’t take her seriously about not dating him.
He did flirt with her, which for some reason made him want to knock his block off, but she didn’t take him seriously, so that seemed to make his ego feel better.
Hailey was his friend, not Bodie’s, and that’s the way he was going to keep it from now on. “I found the brewer finally.”
She was setting it up with the cups she’d unearthed when Bodi said that he’d help.
To keep him busy, he had him take the cardboard out to the dumpster so that he could get rid of it by recycling it.
There was even one for plastics, too, that they were putting the wraps in that had come on the furniture.
By the time it was getting dark, they had all the furniture unloaded and in the general area where they went.
The bedrooms were all finished, but for some of the mattresses, which he still had to order.
He had it set up the way that he wanted it and couldn’t wait to sleep on a real bed tonight.
Going into the kitchen, he’d swear that he lived here forever, the way it was set up.
Just as he was sitting down to enjoy a nice glass of iced tea, Hailey handed him the receipts from all the boxes that she had unboxed for him.
“I put your plates and cups away in the pantry in the dining room. There is a set in here, too, that I thought you’d use for every day.
” He told her that it was fantastic. “Also, everything has been washed for your linens. I didn’t know which room you wanted things in, so I just folded them and put them in the baskets that came as well. ”
“I couldn’t have done this without you.” She said that he’d have gotten it done. “Yes, in about ten years. You’ve made things look good just by being here and putting things away.”
“It was my pleasure. I think that the next time you move, however, I’m going to be busy.
You ordered a lot of stuff to be delivered on the same day, and that is what took so long.
” Bodi came into the kitchen while they were talking.
“How about you take me home? I’m bushed, and I have to work the morning shift in the morning. ”
“How about dinner first?” She said that she could have some cold pizza. “Nah, you two deserve a good meal. How about we go to Columbus and have us a nice meal? On me.”
Bodi was all for it, but Hailey was a little skeptical.
As soon as they convinced her it would be fun, the three of them were set to go.
He was glad that she agreed to go with them, but he wished that Bodi had declined.
The guy was as dense as he could be when it came to being the third wheel.
But he did owe him dinner and didn’t mind this one time taking him on his date.
Was it a date? He didn’t know, but he was willing to think about it as one so that he could get to know her better.
Bodi would help with that as he wasn’t the least bit shy about asking questions of people.
They ended up eating in town as he’d not realized how late it was.
Just as they had their orders taken, Bodi smiled.
“So, is your name Candy or Hailey? He’s called you both names, and you’ve answered them both times.” She didn’t say anything, and Bodi didn’t seem to mind. “It’s all right. If you’re on the run from something, I won’t say a word.”
“It’s complicated.” He nodded as if he understood and told them that he’d not do anything to jeopardize her safety. “She was at the Sheep when things went bad.”
“I already figured that out on my own. If it makes you feel any better, David is getting McGee fired. I don’t know on what grounds, but he seems to have a lot of power and is using it to get what he wants.
I’m hoping Rosie will take the job until they can find someone to replace her.
Then things will go according to plan.” He asked on what grounds he was going to be fired.
“Dereliction of duty for the most part. And not keeping the citizens safe from things that have happened out at the Sheep.”
“I hope you’re right. It would be a good thing to have Rosie in charge again.
She knew her job and was good at it. I’m just hoping that once she’s in office again, if she takes the job, things will start to look better for the town.
It’s certainly gone to shit since he’s been in charge.
” They both agreed with him. “All I can say is that things have to get better, as I doubt they could get any worse right now.”
“Don’t say that.” He smiled at Hailey and told her that he’d not meant to jinx things.
“There is always someone waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it might just be that he stays in office for a long time. I hate to think about what he’d do if he were to do that.
It would be something that breaks this town. ”
He agreed with her. Things could only get worse from now on, he supposed, and wasn’t happy with the way things were going. He hoped that things would be better soon. It was too much to hope that things would be perfect from now on.