Right behind the kids was Gen, making a beeline for Nick with a huge smile on her face.
The sight of her lifted his heart even more than he'd expected, considering how much he'd been looking forward to seeing her. But he also felt a bit awkward; he had to admit that after so long not being able to get within fifteen feet of his girlfriend, he wasn't quite sure what to do now that that restriction was lifted.
A handshake felt woefully inadequate under the circumstances, but a hug felt a bit presumptuous. When they'd been friends before the Zolos outbreak they hadn't exactly been huggers, although Gen would often touch his arm or nudge his shoulder with hers as they walked side by side.
For that matter she couldn't want him to kiss her, could she? Right here in front of everyone, as their first kiss before they'd even gone on an official date? Definitely not.
To his vast relief, Gen didn't seem to share his sudden shyness; she didn't hesitate to pull him into a warm hug the moment she was close enough. That felt really nice, and he was a bit disappointed when she finally pulled back to grin up at him.
“Man, am I glad we're finally both on the same side of the three week quarantine wall,” she said.
“No kidding,” he replied, relaxing a bit. “It's so good to actually be able to get closer than fifteen feet after all this time.”
She nodded, turning to inspect the dugouts and large garden. “Looks like you've been busy.”
“We've done what we could. Hopefully the Norsons approve of all the improvements we've made.” His group had talked over all their plans with Bruce and Winn in close detail before doing anything, and the couple had frequently visited to check on their progress, but even so he wanted to make sure they hadn't stepped on their hosts' toes.
The Norsons were back with Hal, all carrying pots of food with hot pads. Nick eyed their expressions as they looked over his group's work in the adjacent lot, hoping for some sign of what they thought about it.
There was no visible sign of disappointment or irritation, which was a good sign. Bruce caught him staring his way and nodded, an acknowledgement of their efforts at least. “Those are some good borders on the garden,” the older man said as he made his way over to where Nick stood. “Could've used a ruler for them, they're so neat.”
“Boards, actually,” Nick said. “In line with your yard's boundary. We didn't want it to look like we just started digging up the nearby field.”
“No fear of that,” Winn said, joining them as well. “You've made a lot of progress with everything you've done, and it looks good.” She hesitated, and Nick could almost hear her adding “as good as can be expected” in her head, but she was polite enough to not say it.
Well, that was the best he could've hoped for with a line of dugouts made from scavenged building materials.
“Come on!” Tallie said, leaning out of her mom's arms and pointing eagerly towards the tables they'd set up under a nearby tree, loaded with food in covered containers and ready for dinner. “Have some lemonade, Mommy! I helped make it!”
“In that case I'll have to have lots of cups of it,” Ellie replied gamely.
They all drifted towards the table, Gen walking close at Nick's side as if she didn't want to be more than a few feet from him after so long apart. Nick couldn't help but be happy about that, although he did slow their pace so Hal could catch up when he saw the man walking close behind. “We got the hole for your dugout made to the dimensions you gave us,” he told the younger man. “Were you able to find building materials in town?”
“Enough to start with,” Hal replied. “It's all back with the rest of our stuff.”
The plan was to have a relaxing evening, and then in the morning everyone would go and help Ellie, Gen, and the Norsons move their stuff over. Which was only fair, considering that stuff included the group's cache from the cellar, which Gen and the Norsons had already laboriously moved once.
“Thanks for digging the hole,” Hal added. “That must've been a ton of work. It means a lot.”
Nick shifted awkwardly at the man's earnest tone. He still hadn't had many chances to talk with Ellie's new husband, mostly because they'd had to stay so far apart for quarantine, and the few chances they had for visits were usually dominated by Ellie talking to Tallie.
Now that they were going to be next door neighbors, Nick would need to do more to extend the hand of friendship. Digging the hole for Ellie's house was a good start, considering it was planned to be twice the size of any of the other dugouts to accommodate not only the couple but all the kids.
“No problem,” he said. “I wanted to make sure we can get the place built quickly so you all have shelter as soon as possible.”
Hal seemed pleased at Nick's tacit offer to continue helping with the construction; Nick knew from experience that building even a simple dugout was a daunting task, and while the man might've been in the construction business, even he wouldn't want to do a job that big alone.
“Well I'll have to buy you a beer when this is all over,” Hal said.
“Sure,” Nick replied, not voicing his doubts about things getting back to normal enough for that anytime soon.
The rest of Nick's group joined them at the table, and the mood was amiable as everyone either introduced themselves to people they hadn't been able to shake hands with before now, or had their own reunions.
Gen hugged Aimee for what felt like a full minute, hugged Lila more briefly but no less warmly, then hesitated for just a second when she got to Val before pulling her into a hug as well.
An awkward one, sure, with Val looking Nick's way wearing a neutral expression the entire time. But it diffused some of the sudden tension in the air as Gen moved on to shake hands with Charlie and his son Micah.
The kids were the first to go for the food, shouting in amazement at the feast in front of them after so long making do with more spare meals, usually from a can or made with staple grains. The adults continued their casual conversations as they followed, filling their own plates and bowls and finding places at the table.
Gen chose the seat next to Nick, which made him happy even though he couldn't think of any reason why she wouldn't. As she lifted her fork to dig in she gave him a big smile as if she knew what he was thinking, and he found himself smiling back.
Probably an embarrassingly goofy smile, but he couldn't help himself; this was the happiest he'd been in weeks.
Good food, good friends, and a lot of hopeful talk about the future made the meal pass by in a pleasant blur. Even after everyone had cleaned their plates, most taking the rare opportunity these days to go back for seconds, everyone stayed around the table letting their food settle while shooting the breeze and watching the kids play in the yard.
“I want to take a picture of this moment,” Gen murmured at his side, watching with a smile as Billy and Tallie passed a soft football to each other with all the clumsy enthusiasm of young children. “You don't get many perfect moments like this.”
Nick nodded. “Especially these days.”
“All the more reason to savor them when they come.” She sighed contentedly and moved to stand. “Speaking of which, I think I'm going to grab another slice of cake. You want one?”
He stood as well. “I'm good. But I'll keep you company.”
On their way to the food table Tallie rushed up and threw her arms around Gen. “I didn't hug you yet!” she blurted.
“You sure didn't.” Gen picked her up and hugged her. “But you sure made up for it with this great hug now.”
“Yep.” The girl hugged her back for a few seconds, then squirmed in her arms. “Okay, I'm going to go play with Billy some more.”
Gen let Tallie slide down, looking almost wistful as she watched her run off. “I didn't realize how much I've missed that sweetheart,” she said.
Nick nodded solemnly. “It's easy to see the more obvious struggles with everyone staying isolated to stay safe from the virus. The constant fear and suspicion, having trouble finding safe f
ood and water, living rough even in your own home without utilities. But having to stay apart from the people we love takes its toll on our minds and hearts, too. One that's easier to miss and might take longer to recover from.”
Her eyes had softened as he talked, and she looked up into his intently. “People we love, huh?” she repeated.
He felt his face heat. “Well yeah.”
Gen laughed quietly. “Well, I missed the people I loved too while they were in isolation.” She wrapped her arm around him for a few steps, then gave him a brief squeeze and let it drop as they reached the food table.
After another half hour or so of chatting and nibbling on the leftovers, Chet rubbed his hands together briskly and stood. “Well, it's been fun, guys, but we've got some moving of our own to do before dark.”
Unlike Ellie's family, Gen, and the Norsons, Chet and his family weren't in the mood to wait until morning to move. Chet and Aimee had been planning their wedding and future life for these last three weeks, and they'd been itching to start living in her parents' house in town as soon as their isolation ended, intending to have the wedding a month from now.
Ben and their dad were going to move into town with them too, although the two men had made plans to build another house for themselves on the lot, to give the couple some space.
The family had already loaded all their stuff into their truck, so all that was left was to say some informal goodbyes and set out. Since they were helping with the garden they'd be visiting all the time, and they'd also extended an invitation to everyone to come visit them in town whenever they wanted.
Even so, Nick felt the moment keenly as everyone exchanged handshakes and hugs. Their group had stayed mostly together since they'd begun scavenging months ago, first in their nearby camp in the woods and then in the survivors' camp. Even though they'd all still be working together, this represented the first group splitting off to continue with their lives.
It was silly, he knew. Besides, he was ready to continue with his own life now that his isolation was finally over.
And since it was looking like the party was breaking up anyway, it was time to get on with his own plans for the evening; as the McCleese men and Aimee drove off Nick glanced over at Gen and took a breath, feeling unexpectedly nervous.
It had been over a decade since he'd gone on a date with anyone but Ellie, and after being married for so long their dates had felt as relaxed as putting on comfortable old socks. Even though he and Gen had spent long evenings talking together for weeks now, and he had strong feelings for her, this would be their first official time going out.
It was terrifying. And exhilarating.
She glanced his way and he caught her eye, clearing his throat and nodding away from the group. “Shall we?”
Gen looked startled for a moment. “Oh.” Then a smile lit up her face. “Yeah, let's go.”
Nick took a moment to make sure Ellie had the kids in hand; she'd volunteered to babysit for their date. When their friends overheard and realized they were leaving, they called for them to have a good time and ribbed them a bit, making his cheeks heat.
Then he and Gen were on their way down the driveway.
It felt strange to leave the yard for the first time in weeks. Nick hadn't taken the opportunity yet to formally set foot outside the imposed boundary now that his 21 days were finally over, so he paused a moment at the edge of the driveway, glancing back the way he'd come.
Gen, gray eyes warm and understanding, took his hand and gently pulled him onto the street. “There,” she said with a grin. “Quarantine officially over.”
He grinned back. Her hand felt soft and warm in his, and when she didn't seem to be in any hurry to let go he kept holding it as they started off on their date.
Even though they knew the Norsons' yard was safe from Zolos, there was no guarantee any of the other nearby houses were. And in spite of the fact that Jay's thugs hadn't so much as poked their noses anywhere near Stanberry since he'd died, there was the slightest possibility of danger from them as well.
So the obvious choice for their date was in town. It would be the first time Nick had set foot in the place since arriving months ago, and after everything he'd done to defend his new home and scavenge necessities for it, he was looking forward to finally getting a better look.
Considering how far away Stanberry had seemed from the outside when he was barred from entering, the walk to the barricade was surprisingly short, just a couple minutes. There were still people up in the sentry posts atop the wall as he and Gen approached, although in spite of their vigilance they seemed relaxed.
Ready for trouble, but at this point not expecting it.
Irrationally, Nick almost expected Darby to come running, shouting for him to stop, as he stepped through the small pedestrian opening beside the roadblock. But the Mayor was still recovering from his wound, barely up to brief walks outside, let alone chasing off potential Zolos carriers.
The sentry above the roadblock didn't seem concerned, either recognizing them and being informed ahead of time that their entire group had now gone through their 21 days, or trusting that Denny's patrols farther out would turn back any potential Zolos carriers. Either way, the man simply nodded at them as they stepped into town.
After all the waiting, Nick was almost disappointed to confirm his memory of the place as a typical small town in northern Missouri, with tidy houses, many of them a century old or more, on modest yards, with a few standing out for their size or unique architecture.
Honestly, it didn't look much different from the houses on the Norsons' street, aside from being closer together with smaller yards.
What did surprise him, however, was how many people were out and about: sitting on porches, walking down the sidewalks, and socializing in front yards.
“The town's busy right now,” he observed as they made their way farther down the street, towards what looked like a lively market.
Gen nodded. “It's usually busy around this time of day. Hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago we were all hunkered down waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
At the mention of their war with Wensbrook, an unwanted image passed through Nick's memory of that awful moment in the clearing, as it sometimes did even after more than three weeks, and he did his best to keep his expression smooth.
She saw his sudden change of mood even so, pausing and putting a hand on his arm. “How are you holding up, after how things ended with Jay? That was a terrible thing to have to see.”
“It was,” he said quietly, regretting the sudden change of mood of what was otherwise a pleasant evening. “I try not to think about it.”
Gen looked up at him, eyes understanding. “All the awful things he did, passing his own suffering down to innocent people, and even at the end he had to burden you and the others with his last act.”
Nick shook his head. “Well, at least he wasn't completely successful. I heard from Larry a few days ago . . . he's got a long recovery ahead of him still, but he's healing well.”
“Good,” she said. “Even after all he did helping Jay, he's not a terrible person.”
They walked on for a few steps in uncomfortable silence, then Gen spoke up in a brighter tone, going back to their previous topic. “Anyway, this time of day is when you see the most people. With the heat everyone makes the most of the cooler mornings and evenings while there's still daylight.” She grimaced. “We've had to learn to adapt to not having electricity for lights or air conditioning.”
He was only too happy to steer the conversation to lighter subjects. “Yeah, we noticed the dugouts are cooler than the Norsons' house, since they're mostly underground.” He looked around. “Frame houses might be cheaper and easier to build than structures more suited to a particular climate, but even with insulation they really lean heavily on modern heating and air conditioning to stay comfortable.”
“I hadn't thought about that,” she mused. “I guess technology has changed how we live in ways we d
on't even realize, at least until it's gone.” She grimaced again. “With the humidity it takes forever for the air to cool down at night, and I've been sleeping terribly in the heat. I feel like a hot mess half the time.”
“Well you look great,” Nick said.
Gen looked surprised for a moment, and he hoped she wouldn't take his compliment the wrong way. But she just smiled ruefully. “Thanks. I'll admit I haven't been this skinny for over a decade. Living through the end of the world is the ultimate diet.”
He chuckled, patting his own gut. “I hear you.” Months of hard work and restricted calories had melted away all his excess pounds and replaced them with lean muscle; he didn't think he'd ever had this sort of physique, not even in his teens.
He could even confirm that he actually had abs.
Gen changed the subject to Chet and Aimee's upcoming marriage as they passed through the market, browsing items laid out on blankets on the grass beside the sidewalks, or in the trunks of parked cars. Chet had asked Nick to be one of his groomsmen, along with Charlie and Micah and Chase, with Ben as his best man. Similarly, Aimee had asked Gen and Ellie to be her bridesmaids, along with Val and Lila.
“So I noticed Val and Charlie were joined at the hip during dinner,” Gen said lightly, abruptly changing the subject. “When did they become an item?”
Nick blinked. “Wait, what? That's news to me.” Although now that he thought about it, the two had been hanging out together for weeks even before they all began their most recent three weeks of isolation, sharing patrol shifts and camp chores and most of their free time. He hadn't paid much attention until Gen had mentioned it, mostly because he'd been trying to keep a healthy distance from Val ever since the night she'd kissed him.
“Take it from me,” Gen said. “When a lady starts snagging food off a guy's plate, it's a safe bet they've probably moved beyond friendship. Or they're getting there.” She leaned over and nudged Nick with her shoulder as she continued. “Looks like she was able to get over you.”
Isolation | Book 4 | Holding On Page 21