Thanks to Fran, Dani, Ariel, Gemma and all you fabulous readers for keeping this story going :)
By the time Edward has my truck lifted and all his tools laid out where he needs them, I'm feeling pretty useless. I offered to help in some way, anyway I could, but I could tell Edward is used to working alone.
He's polite as I bother him, reminding him I could hand him whatever piece of equipment or tool he needs, but he never takes me up on his offer. He has a system, and it seems like it works, so I tell him I'll be inside if he needs me.
I use the distance and the protection of the blinds to watch him as he works.
He's meticulous, as I can see him going over things he's already done just to be sure he's done it right. He's silent. He doesn't have anything in his ears to escape to or help him pass the time while he works. I wonder if he uses the sounds around him to drive him forward, to immerse himself in nature as he brings my truck back to life.
His hands, large and spotted with grease, work on autopilot as he bends forward to put things in place or reaches behind him for a tool lying in a single row on the driveway.
It makes me think of his question to me yesterday as we were leaving the store. He asked me why I felt the need for protection, and I had deflected the question and avoided it like the plague, but when I look at him now, I think of his question again.
I know the answer why, but Edward doesn't. If he does, he doesn't press me on it. Maybe he's read my face and already knows the answer. Maybe him not pressuring me for an answer is another reason why he's earned the reputation he has around here.
It makes me wonder how long I can stay guarded around him.
The air is still cool as the day goes by, one of the first since I've been here. It reminds me of my father growing up, and I smile when I remember how excited he would always get at the changing of the season from summer to fall.
It makes me think of his favorite fall chili, and before I know it, I'm skimming through the ingredients I have to see if I can make anything resembling the recipe he passed down to Rose and me.
I don't have everything, but I have enough of the ingredients to pass for now. While Edward clangs and curses outside, I mix what I can into a slow cooker I had seen stuffed in the back of one of the cabinets.
I take one last glance at Edward beneath my truck and turn the timer on and close the lid. In four hours, the cabin will smell like my childhood before it was robbed from me, before my life took a downward spiral I'm only now rising from.
I watch Edward stretch, wiping his sleeve against his forehead as he stares at my truck in thought.
I have a thought of my own as well.
I hope he likes chili.
As much as I love summer, there is something about the fall that just sucks me right in. I may need to cook a chili of my own now. I'll just send my husband out for a bit so I can enjoy it with Edward LOL
My amazing friend Gemma went live with her new fic today, Lineage. Go read, review, and follow along!
See you tomorrow!