Now it was Elly’s turn to feel bad. Jake was such a cheerful young man that she’d forgotten his mother had died at the beginning of the virus outbreak and his father had lived in Florida. Jake hadn’t heard from him since the outbreak began and assumed he was dead.
“I know you didn’t mean it.” She crawled into her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. “We’ll see how tomorrow goes. I don’t want to be a burden to them.”
“It’s me, isn’t it? Cole invited you, but I kind of crashed the party.” His voice took on a bravado that rang false to Elly’s ears. “You can drop me off on the mainland, and I’ll head out on my own. It’s okay. Might even be fun checking out everything. I can do whatever I want, and there’s nobody around to say no.”
“Is that what you really want?” She didn’t believe him but wanted to make sure he didn’t really wish to strike out on his own, but she wasn’t his mother and couldn’t stop him from leaving if he wanted to go.
“Sure. Why not?”
“Because it’s not safe out there. Remember the thugs in Chicago? And just the other day when we came through the channel how we had to escape from that harbor? There are survivors out there, and they aren’t all nice people.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I know I don’t have to, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.”
He didn’t reply.
“Jake? I know I can’t make you hang out with me, but I thought we were a pretty good team. Wherever I go, you’re welcome to come along. I want you to come along.”
“What if Cole and the others want you but not me?”
“Cole’s not going to turn you away. He’s not that kind of man.” She rolled onto her side, shoving her arm beneath the pillow. “Besides, Cole said he wanted both of us to stay. He made a point of that.”
“What about Trent’s parents? They barely spoke to me.”
“They’re grieving. Right now, their only thoughts are about Trent.” Despite her reassurance, she worried about Sean and Jenna, too. Jake hadn’t been the only one who had felt uncomfortable around Cole’s brother’s family, but she rationalized that it was only natural that they were all wrapped up in their own grief. It wasn’t anything personal against her and Jake. “But if they don’t want you here, then I’ll go wherever you want to go. I wouldn’t feel comfortable staying here either if they truly don’t want you around—but I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Of course.” And she knew it was true. She hadn’t ever had children and didn’t know if what she felt was a motherly concern, but she felt confident that it was at least comparable to feeling like an aunt or older sister to Jake.
2
Cole looked up from a pile of fish he was preparing for dinner when Jenna entered the kitchen, a basket of beans balanced on her hip. Piper and Sophie trailed behind her lugging their own baskets, only theirs contained tomatoes.
He set the knife down and moved his tray of fish over to make room for the baskets. “Wow, that’s quite a haul.”
“Whew!” Jenna plopped the basket on top of the table. “It is, but I’m not sure what we’re going to do with all of this. I’ve already canned as much as I can. We’re all out of jars.”
The garden and lake had supplied most of their meals the last few months, thanks to Jenna’s gardening skills, and Elly and Jake’s fishing abilities. Hunter and Sophie helped wherever needed. One day working the fishing boat with Elly and Jake or weeding the garden with Piper and Jenna. Cole was surprised they’d only had to dip into their supplies for flour, but with extra mouths to feed, they needed to store away as much as they could for the winter.
“It’s hot out there.” Piper swiped her arm over her forehead after setting the tomatoes beside the beans, taking Sophie’s burden and putting it on the floor in the corner. “Is there any cold water?”
“Yeah, I hauled in a fresh jug a little while ago.” He nodded to the large, orange cooler on the counter. “But there might be a little left in the other one.”
He had a big pot of potatoes boiling on the cook stove in the den. That was the one he nodded to. This late in the day, the other jug would be slightly warm no matter how cold it had been when they’d hauled it into the house. At this time of year, the lake was warm. The water around the island was fairly shallow— especially compared to how deep it would be in the middle of Lake Michigan.
“You want some?” Piper held a glass beneath the spigot and looked at Sophie.
Sophie sorted through the tomatoes, setting one aside that was mostly green. She glanced at Piper. “Sure. Thanks.”
While the lake was full of water, but the well needed a pump to make the water flow into the house. With no electricity, they couldn’t run the pump. They had a small emergency supply of fuel for the generators, but not enough to run the pump every day. Most of the fuel they found had to be allocated to the boats. The little boat was used on a daily basis, both for fishing and for going back to take care of the horses.
They had already siphoned the fuel from all of the other vessels docked nearest to where the horses were stabled, so that source was tapped, but eventually, they planned to venture further inland when the virus had spent itself. Cole knew it was only a matter of time before the virus ran out of enough hosts to continue to replicate. Until then, they limited their excursions to early morning to avoid any possible contact with other people, if there were any around. So far, there had been no signs of life in the little town.
Luckily, there had been plenty of grass in the large yard since nobody was around to mow it. Between that, some oats that Cole had bought intended for human consumption, but now given to the animals, and the occasional carrot, the animals were doing fine, but Cole worried about them come winter. They would have to get some hay at some point. He had no doubt that there were barns full of it in the country, along with plenty of feed, but they’d have to go and get it.
At least the goats had been easy to transport to the island. Jake and Hunter had built a large pen for them, and Sophie had become their unofficial caretaker. She thought two of the animals might be pregnant. If they were, that would mean milk in the near future. A list of supplies they needed scrolled in Cole’s mind. Sean needed some parts for the windmill, and now, they were out of canning jars, and those were only the most pressing items. He could fill a warehouse with what he’d like to have to assure survival.
“I think I need to go to the mainland soon and get what we need.”
“Is that safe, Uncle Cole?”
Jenna paused as she reached for a large bowl from the cabinet. “Yeah, isn’t it too risky?”
“It’s been a few months since any of us have seen another person. There haven’t been any boats, and nobody has been near the horses except us. I’ll take precautions, but I think it’s safer than it was before.”
“I don’t know, Cole. What if something happens to you? We need you here.”
Cole brushed oil over the fish. That was another thing he wanted to get—more cooking oil—the list just kept getting longer. “Hunter crossed half the country, and he was okay, and things were a lot worse then. I’m just talking about finding some stores or abandoned houses that might have what we need. The truck still has gas. I’ll only go as far as I need to.”
“Go where?” Hunter and Jake entered, crowding into the kitchen. Grease stained their clothing, but their hands were relatively clean. His son checked the back of the stove, no doubt for leftover biscuits. The young men worked hard—they all worked hard—but they did most of the heavy lifting and building. That meant they were always hungry. Today, they had been turning the changing house into a small barn so they could bring the horses over in the winter when the bay froze over. Cole remembered reading about how blocks of ice had been cut from it back in the nineteen hundreds. He’d toyed with trying to cut some blocks this winter and storing it for next summer, but they had so many other projects in the works, he hadn’t
broached the subject yet.
Jake grabbed a glass and filled it from the drinking water cooler, then made a face. “You know what I would give for a tall, glass of water with ice cubes filled all the way to the brim?” He didn’t wait for a reply and Cole figured it was a rhetorical question so just continued preparing the fish. “I’d give my left—”
“Jake… ” Jenna shot him a look.
“I was going to say arm. I’d give my left arm for a cup of ice right now.”
Hunter laughed. “Sure you were.” He’d found the biscuits and pulled a jar of blackberry jam from the pantry.
Jake tipped the glass, gulping down the water despite its temperature. He grinned as he lowered it. “I was. Sheesh, you guys are way too uptight.”
Piper smiled and shook her head while Sophie laughed.
“So, where are you going, Dad?” Hunter slathered his split biscuits with jam and popped half in his mouth, offering the jam to Jake as the other boy took the last two biscuits.
“I’m going to go to the mainland and see if I can find a few supplies we might need.”
Hunter licked a finger, his eyes widening. “Awesome! Can I go?”
Cole had suspected Hunter would ask, but he didn’t want his son anywhere near the mainland, other than to care for the horses. Not yet, anyway. “I don’t know… I think it would be better if you stayed on the island. There’s a lot of work to do here.”
“Aw, Dad… but you’ll need help. If nothing else, you should have someone there to watch your back.”
Jake nodded and spoke around a mouthful of biscuit, “He’s right, Cole. Some of the survivors aren’t so friendly.”
“I want to go, too!” Piper jumped in with her request. “I’m sick of being on this island.”
Jenna pointed at Piper. “No! You’re staying here!” Her tone brooked no argument, and Piper slid back in her chair, arms crossed.
“Listen, none of you are going. I can manage. End of story.” Cole grabbed the tray of fish. He stopped, his back against the screen door. “If someone could check the potatoes and drain them, that would be great. There’s olive oil and rosemary in that bowl over there.” He tipped his chin towards the other counter. “Throw the potatoes in that when they’re done. This fish won’t take long to cook.” Before anyone could say anything else, he took the fish outside and tossed them on the grill.
“He needs my help.” Hunter submerged the cooler, watching bubbles rise to the surface. He handed the rope to Sophie, and she kneeled, tying it to a cleat on the dock.
“I agree. He shouldn’t go alone, but he wants to keep you safe.” Rising, she brushed her hands together, then wiped them on her thighs.
“I already made it here safely once—he should trust me to know how to handle myself.”
She laughed. “I’m sure trust has nothing to do with it, Hunter. He’s your dad—he wants to keep his little boy safe.” She poked him in the ribs then darted down the dock to the beach, leaping onto the sand.
“Little boy? Who are you calling a little boy?” Hunter grinned and raced after her, catching her halfway down the beach. They tumbled onto the sand, all thoughts of his father vanishing from his mind for several moments. She smiled up at him, eyes shining in the dark. He lowered his mouth to hers.
When he came up for air, she pushed against his chest. “We have to stop before someone sees us.”
“So what?” Hunter straightened his arms to take his weight off her and looked around. The house and cabins were mostly dark except for a faint light from a few candles in the window. They all worked so hard during the day, and with the daylight lasting well into the evening, once it became dark, almost everyone went to sleep. His dad had been at the kitchen table when they’d left with the water jug. He had been making a list of what they needed, and after talking to Sean and Joe, the list looked long.
Her hands still pressed against his chest, so, with a sigh, he shifted and turned to sit and gaze at the water. A quarter moon shone just enough light to cast a few sparkles on the water, and the Milky Way spread out like a glittering canopy overhead. Legs stretched in front and arms braced behind him, he glanced at Sophie as she rose to sit beside him. “Are you okay?” They had only kissed a few times, but so far, she hadn’t said anything about the kisses. Tonight was the first time she had pushed him away.
She tucked some hair behind her ear then mirrored his pose with her arms braced behind her. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “Because you pushed me away? I’m sorry if I caused you to feel uncomfortable.”
Lifting one arm, she smacked the back of her hand across his biceps. “You goof. You were fine. I just don’t want to start anything right now. It’s too risky.”
“Yeah. The virus is still a risk, I guess.”
“It is, but I was thinking of other risks… ”
Hunter shot a look at her, but her face was shadowed, and he couldn’t read her expression. Then it dawned on him what she meant. “Yeah. I guess we have to be careful.” Then he had another thought. “Uh… how old are you?”
“Don’t worry… I think I just turned eighteen.”
“You think?”
“My birthday is in September. The tenth and I’m pretty sure we’re past that.”
“Yeah, it has to be close to the end of the month. My dad is keeping track of the days on a calendar.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “Happy birthday.” He said it quietly as she sniffed and wiped a hand across her eyes. It had to be hard not having any family left. He was lucky. How many other people left alive could claim to have almost all of their family members make it through Sympatico Syndrome? “Mine is in October. I’ll be twenty-one. I’ll be able to drink legally.”
She let out a snort of laughter. “As if age matters now. Who’s going to card you here?”
Glad he’d lightened the mood a little, he shrugged. “My dad. He still treats me like a kid.”
“Just talk to him. Don’t get defensive, just tell him that you have experience out there that can help keep both of you safe.” She slanted a look at him. “It’s true.”
“I think I will. Someone needs to go with him, and it should be me.” He rose, brushed off his legs and held a hand out to Sophie, helping her to her feet. She kept her hand in his as they strolled back to the cabin.
Elly wiped down the counter in the fish cleaning shed, throwing the last bit of waste in a bucket that would be added to a barrel for compost. Good thing she wasn’t squeamish because once the lid came off the barrel, the stench could knock over an elephant.
She and Jake had gone out early in the morning and used a net they had found on a fishing boat moored at the pier near the horses. They were still awkward with it, but getting better. They had thought about taking the whole fishing boat but couldn’t find a key. It was just as well since they were comfortable with their own cabin cruiser for now. She and Jake were still sleeping in it, but already the nights were getting cool, and in the next month, they would move into one of the cabins. She wasn’t sure what they’d do with the boats come winter.
Cole popped his head in the shed. “I have the grill going so whenever you’re ready… ”
“Great. I’m ready now.” She grabbed the handles of the basket and nodded to the waste bucket. “You want to grab that?”
“Sure.” He took it. “Next spring we’ll have a lot of fertilizer for the garden.”
“You know, about next year… are you planning on staying on the island indefinitely?”
Cole sighed. “Nothing’s definite. We’ll see how we do this winter and then decide.” He swept an arm towards the cabins. “We’ve made a lot of improvements here, and if we went to the mainland, we’d have to start all over.” He glanced at her, then out to the bay. “Trent’s encounter notwithstanding, this place is safer. The bay protects us. The waters off the north side of the island are full of rocks—nobody can come from that direction, and we can hear anyone approaching the dock, and Buddy would give us a warning,
so I’m not too worried about that. Plus, the water can get pretty rough in the strait between us and the mainland. I don’t think many people will risk it.”
He shrugged, his pace slowing as she shifted her grip on the basket, and he set the bucket down, holding his hands out for the basket. “Trade you.”
She relinquished it, flexing her fingers a few times. Working on the net already had her fingers stiff, so she wasn’t about to pretend otherwise. She grabbed the handle of the bucket and caught up to him, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. “You just don’t want to add this to the barrel.”
He slanted her a grin. “Guilty. But I will if you don’t want to. I’m getting used to it.”
“Nah, it’s okay.”
He set the basket on a table beside a huge grill that Sean had built from an old oil tank he’d found at the back of the main house. It was one of the last projects he’d worked on with Trent, and he often offered to take on the task of grilling even when it wasn’t his turn to cook. Elly smelled something wonderful as she approached and from the yeasty scent, guessed it was bread. Her mouth watered. She couldn’t believe how much she had taken bread for granted before. Piper had become an excellent baker in the last month creating about six loaves per week, which sounded like a lot, but it went quickly. They didn’t have much in the way of ready-made snacks, so bread was the only choice when someone was hungry between meals.
The grill was wide and deep enough for a cast iron pot. Banked with coals, stew or soup could bubble for hours or a loaf of bread could bake in the make-shift oven as long as the coals weren’t in direct contact with the bread pans. That was where Piper excelled. She had a knack for getting the heat just right and knowing when the bread was done. Even with one end taken up with baking, there was still plenty of room to grill on the other end of the oil tank. It made it a lot easier to cook for the group every day.
Sympatico Syndrome Trilogy Box Set Page 29