Lori narrowed her gaze. Abby was known for having an agreeable nature, but when it came to the inn, she was a bit territorial. “That was awfully easy. What’s going on?”
“Maybe I’m just preparing myself for the inevitable.” Abby shrugged. “You can’t stay here forever, Lori. You’re far too talented to spend your life working as an assistant manager and I’d rather be prepared than be blindsided.”
“I’m not staying? Where am I going?” What else would she do? She’d had this job since she’d finished high school; held on to it through community college then through the online school where she’d earned her management degree.
“Wherever you want to.” Abby inclined her head. “I don’t think you realize how excited you seem to be about this whole landscaping idea. You seem, I don’t know, happier. Unless it’s something else putting that smile on your face. Or maybe someone?”
“Stop it,” Lori warned as Abby backed out of the room and into the dining hall. “Matt doesn’t have anything to do with the smile on my face!” Except Abby was right. Matt had everything to do with it.
CHAPTER TEN
IF THERE WAS one thing the residents of Butterfly Harbor knew how to do, it was come together for a common goal.
As Lori coasted down the hill on her bike toward Monarch Lane early Saturday morning, she caught sight of a stream of neighbors and friends heading north to their targeted cul-de-sac on Hollyhock Hill. Some carried toolboxes, others had tool belts cinched around their waists; others had coolers and water bottles. They were in for an unseasonably warm day, which Lori considered both a blessing and a curse. It was good news for paint, bad news for energy levels.
Off in the distance, she could see someone waving a monarch butterfly flag as if directing everyone closer. A rumbling truck deposited an industrial Dumpster before heading back out of town. It wasn’t until Lori herself was nearly on top of him that she saw the flag-bearer was Matt.
“You’re getting an early start.” She hopped off her bike.
“Didn’t have a choice really.” Matt grinned. He was out of uniform today and wore cargo shorts and a plain white T-shirt. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen his prosthesis, but she couldn’t recall him ever being so public about it. What she wouldn’t give for a bit of that self-confidence of his. She’d been determined to be comfortable and practical for the long day ahead and had dug out an old pair of denim shorts and an oversize, loose-fitting tank. It felt good for a change, not struggling with a long skirt and bike.
“Morning, Lori, Matt,” Holly called out from somewhere in the crowd. Lori shielded her eyes against the still-peaking sun and saw her friend was handing out steaming foil packets while Simon and Luke poured coffee and tossed cans of sodas. “I thought they were just handling lunch.”
“Luke and I talked about it the other day and thought the promise of breakfast might entice some more people. You ready?” He tugged his baseball cap farther over his eyes and let out a sharp whistle. “Come on in. We’ve got breakfast sandwiches to get you going. Claim a spot and let’s get to this!”
Lori pulled her bike and wagon out of the way. As she scanned the crowd, she realized it would be easier to name the people who hadn’t turned out. She spotted Abby helping her grandmother out of a car before she led her to the pop-up tent the Cocoon Club was setting up as a water station. Mrs. Hastings, Paige and Fletcher’s neighbor, was being escorted by Charlie from the community center across the street.
Butterfly Harbor had turned out in spades and Lori felt her heart expand.
“Morning Matt, Lori.”
The deep voice of Gil Hamilton had Lori spinning around in surprise. She took in the mayor’s less than professional attire. Funny. She didn’t think he even owned a pair of jeans. “Morning, Gil.” Lori couldn’t hide her smile. “Nice of you to come.”
“Well, after seeing that ambitious list of yours, how could I not?” If he meant the statement to be anything less than complimentary, he failed miserably. “I’m going to go on record and apologize for ever doubting there was support for this project.” He held his hand out to Matt. “I shouldn’t have let BethAnn convince me this was ambition run amok. You’re doing a good thing here.”
“We’re doing a good thing,” Lori corrected. “In fact, if you’d like to get things going—”
“No.” Gil took a step to the side to let the Willingham family pass. “No, I have no claim to this at all. You and Matt do what you need to. I’m just here to help where I can.”
“Good to know,” Matt said. As Gil moved into the throng of residents, Matt grinned at Lori. “Who says miracles don’t happen?”
“I don’t even know what to do with that.” Lori laughed. “You ready to rally the troops? I’ll get that list from Harvey—”
“I’m not doing the rallying,” Matt said, and sent an entire cluster of butterflies to fluttering in her stomach. “You are.”
“Me? No.” She shook her head. “I hate public speaking. You know that. The town hall was bad enough.”
“You know everything on that schedule of ours backward and forward.” Matt reached out and took her hand. “Besides, I spend enough time telling people what to do. Time for you to jump out of that safe zone you occupy.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her into him and pressed his lips into her hair. “You wanted to make a difference in this town. This is your chance.”
She clung to him, one arm around his waist, and absorbed the confidence and encouragement. Something shifted inside of her, something she’d never experienced before. Something that made the first insecure twenty-six years of her life fade into the distance.
“Now go.”
Lori stumbled as he gently pushed her forward. She froze, her feet feeling like cement in the crunchy, dead grass. She lifted her arms to cross them around herself, to pull herself in, but she glanced over her shoulder and found Matt watching her with a glimmer of pride in his eyes.
“I think I’ve had this nightmare before.” She knew she’d had this nightmare before, but instead of laughter, catcalls and jeers, she heard encouraging cheers. People waved water bottles and hammers in the air like protest signs at a march. By the time she found the front of the crowd—where Holly had been handing out breakfast, most of the butterflies swirling inside her had calmed down.
She cleared her throat. If only her body would make up its mind between hot and cold. She was sweating and shivering all at once. The crowd fell silent; anticipation pressed in on her. “Good morning.”
“Now we know you’re louder than that, Lori!” a voice called from the back.
Laughter chimed as Lori caught sight of Oscar Bedemeyer wearing the most god-awful pair of overalls over his stooped, ancient figure.
Lori cleared her throat. Her ears rang. The blood pounded in her head. Only when she saw Matt circle around to stand behind Holly did she begin to relax.
“Good morning, everyone.” She almost didn’t recognize herself. Where she expected criticism and suspicion in the faces around her, she saw excitement and joy, along with a number of sleepy eyes drooping even under the weight of the cups of caffeine in their hands. “I don’t think there are words to tell you how happy I am to see this turnout. It’s truly more than Matt and I expected, so thank you.” The self-doubt and nerves faded under the job that needed doing. “Our goal for the day is to get these five houses on Hollyhock Hill repainted, the new windows installed and all the old landscaping ripped out. We want a blank canvas. We also want all of these homes looking their best. Matt, Ozzy and Fletcher were out here the last couple of days to power wash the houses. So what we’re looking to start with is the fun task of gutter cleaning.”
From then, everything seemed to flow into a rhythm. The crowd divided themselves into teams, each under the guidance of captains that included Ozzy, Fletcher, Harvey Mills, Holly and Matt. It occurred to her at the last minute that G
il would have made a good captain, but further thought had her considering his working as part of a team was a better idea.
Within minutes, ladders were propped up on the sides of houses while hammers were pulled out to start prying old windows off the facades.
Lori pulled back, getting out of the way as the town got to work with little to no hand-holding, parents guiding their kids both in helping and staying out of the way. Simon and Charlie stood on either side of her, Simon in his new Waterman tee and Charlie in a sagging pair of purple shorts and a butterfly shirt.
“What are you going to do, Aunt Lori?” Charlie turned her freckle-kissed face up and squinted.
“First things first.” She crooked her finger at the little girl and drew her over to her bike where she dug around in the attached wagon. “This is for you.” She pulled out a visor she’d decorated with butterflies and plopped it on Charlie’s head, reveling in the awed oooooh. “You wearing sunscreen?”
“Uh-huh.” Charlie tugged the visor over her eyes. “Mom put on two coats. I am slathered. Thank you for this.”
“Simon! Your turn.” The blue baseball cap she’d found at Wings & Things reminded her of the hats Matt wore. “Sunscreen?”
Simon rolled his eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses. “Yes.”
“Simon!” his mother called. “Front and center, young man! You’re on weed-pulling duty!”
“It’s like I get permission to destroy stuff.” Simon’s eyes glittered as an evil grin spread over his face. “Now that is cool.”
“Can I be your helper today?” Charlie asked with a bit more trepidation than Lori was used to. “If you need one?”
“If I need one?” Lori shot her an overrelieved expression. “Charlie, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you offer. You know what I need?” She retrieved her tablet computer and clicked open the list of tasks that needed to be accomplished by the end of the day. “You can be the official checker-offer. How does that sound?” She handed her a stylus pen.
“What do I do?”
“I’ve listed each address along with all the things we need to do at that particular house. As you see them being done, you just make a check mark. Like this.” She marked off the gutter cleaning for the first house. “See? You can do that, right? When everything has a check mark, we’re done for the day.”
“Until next weekend, right?”
“Right.” And the next.
It didn’t take long for people to settle into their respective tasks. Rakes and shovels clanked, wheelbarrows squeaked, orders were shouted, but all the noise melded into a comforting confirmation that all their plans were coming together.
Only a few issues arose, including an exploding water hose, more than a couple of falls, and an overeager gutter cleaner who deposited a huge pile of gunk on Ozzy’s head, which resulted in a water fight that left the workers on one house soaked and laughing.
Lori took out her house plans and, as the yards cleared, she could see a much-clearer vision for the plants and landscaping material she hoped to use. Luke and Fletcher were already elbow-deep in the ground, examining and replacing the watering systems. She kept an eye on Charlie while she wandered around the houses, returned to the pop-up tent where their older residents were doing their bit by handing out water bottles and granola bars.
It wasn’t until she heard the sharp honk of a horn that she looked at her watch.
“Finally!” Simon groaned as he mock stumbled toward the oversize van from the Flutterby Inn. Abby and Jason hopped out, flung open the back doors and started unloading paper boxed lunches for everyone.
Lori glanced to Matt, who, from his perch on the top of a ladder, let out another whistle and called break time. Soon after, her team of workers were scattered around the yards, digging into the sandwich lunches that included macaroni salad and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.
“Well?” Matt headed her way. “How are we doing so far?”
“Better than expected. Look for yourself.” She took his hand and led him to the road entrance. “Two houses are already painted. The windows look great.”
“They were worth the two-hour drive for pickup,” Matt agreed.
“I’m thinking maybe we should add window boxes if we have time.” The ideas were coming fast and furious now. “Depending on what our budget’s looking like.”
“You could also make up extras for people, in case they want them for their own yards and windows.”
“Oh, that’s an idea.” She made a mental note to check out wholesale sites for the boxes.
“You two need to eat something,” Abby said as she and Jason approached with extra boxes. “Lori, this is amazing so far. We can’t wait to jump in.”
“You’re going to help?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.” Jason handed her a lunch. Lori couldn’t help but be reminded of the surly, withdrawn man who had arrived in Butterfly Harbor earlier this year. He’d had a definite bad boy vibe about him, with a grimace-hiding beard and tired, grieving eyes. At least until Abby had gotten a hold of him. Or maybe it was finally finding a place where he belonged, a town far removed from his native New York. “Matilda’s been wanting to take over the lunch shift for a while, so we’re yours for the rest of the afternoon.”
“You know what we could do?” Lori turned to Matt. “We could get a jump start on the next group of houses.”
“Gutters and power washing?” Matt nodded. “Good idea. Jason, you good heading that up?”
“Point me where you need me.”
“And give him lessons with the power washer, please,” Abby added as the two men headed down the street. “He’s about as good with power tools as I am with a stove.”
Lori gulped.
“I’m kidding.” Abby shouldered her and winked. “Kind of. Come on. Let’s eat and you can fill me in on the progress.”
“With the houses, right?” Lori peered into the box and her stomach growled.
“Yeah, sure.” Abby grinned. “With the houses.”
* * *
“NEXT WEEK WILL be when the magic happens.” As the sun began to set on what had been a full day of work, Matt leaned against Jason’s van and tried to take the weight off his leg. He winced against the pain arcing up his thigh, but it was a good ache. An ache of accomplishment.
“It’s looking pretty magical to me already,” Jason said. “And, um, sorry about...” He circled his finger at Matt’s still-soaked shirt.
“I needed cooling off anyway.” Matt waved as people headed off toward downtown, hopefully to stop at the diner for dinner before they went home and collapsed. “Nothing better than a bunch of sweaty, tired people, right?”
“Next Saturday it starts all over.”
“We’ve got a jump start at least. Should go faster.” Matt had spent enough time around people to know the first round was always the most enthusiastic. They needed to keep people motivated, to remind them over the next few days that only when everything was done could they claim mission accomplished.
“You ready to head home?” Jason asked Abby as she trudged forward with Holly and a sleepy-looking Simon.
“Yep.” Abby took a deep breath. “Boy and howdy, that was a full day. I never knew Lori was such a taskmaster.”
“Me either.” Matt couldn’t help but beam with pride. He’d been hoping she’d come out of her shell at some point, but today she’d exceeded his expectations. “Speaking of, it’s looking like it’ll take a crowbar to get her out of here.”
“Simon, go get Charlie, please.” Holly tapped her son on the shoulder. “Next week you guys get Paige.” She pressed her hands against her lower spine and leaned back. “I’m less exhausted working at the diner.”
“You didn’t overdo it, did you?” Matt asked before he remembered he was the only one who knew she was pregnant. “Um, I mean, none of you did, right?” He
turned overly attentive eyes on Abby and Jason.
“No.” Abby frowned and fortunately missed Holly’s shocked glare in Matt’s direction. “If anything us girls whipped your butts. I see the pressure washer worked well.”
“And on that note—” Jason swung an arm around his fiancée’s shoulders and steered her to the passenger seat. “We will see you all tomorrow at the barbecue. Fair warning, I’m doing the ribs.”
“I’m thinking you’ll have to fight Fletcher for that privilege,” Matt called. “Sorry,” he murmured as the van drove away and he was left alone with Holly. “Forgot you haven’t told anyone yet.”
“No, I haven’t.” Holly brushed a hand down his arm. “But I appreciate your concern. I waited tables ten hours a day, six days a week while I was pregnant with that one.” She pointed a thumb at Simon, who had collapsed on the ground while Charlie stood listening to Lori and Calliope discuss something, probably something about plants. “This felt like a vacation. You’re doing a good thing with Lori, Matt. I’m glad to see you two are working things out.”
“Me, too.” All day he’d had difficulty focusing on the work, but then he’d hear Lori laugh, or catch a glimpse of her walking by or bringing people water. Whatever trepidation she’d had at the town meeting, whatever doubts she’d been clinging to, near as he could tell, she’d banished all of them. Maybe it was time he should tell her about the hearing, about the role she was expected to play if the judge needed to speak with her.
Then again, after the day they’d had, he was probably too tired to put a coherent thought together.
As Holly wrangled Simon and Charlie for the walk home, Matt found himself once again turning his attention to Lori. She was blooming before his eyes. And he’d never, he decided as he walked to her, seen a more welcome sight. “I think it’s time we called it a day.”
Lori and Calliope turned at his declaration. Streetlamps buzzed to life and cast the circle of homes in a rich, warm light. In varying hues of creams and whites, with window frames and doors painted in alternate reds, blues and a rich walnut brown, they barely resembled the run-down structures that just this morning appeared to be straining to remain upright. The interiors would wait, but for now, this long-neglected section of Butterfly Harbor was on the verge of a rebirth.
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