I stop in my tracks when I take in the full image of her. She’s attacking this cleanup like a warrior.
“Figured I’d see if the raccoon overlords surrendered yet.”
She huffs a laugh. “Not quite. I think they left me a parting gift in the laundry nook.”
“That so?”
“There’s a hole in the wall. Pretty sure it’s their front door.”
I nod. “I’ve got some plywood in the shed. I can cover it up. Temporary fix, butit’ll keep anything from crawling back in while you’re cleaning.”
She hesitates, but then says, “I’d appreciate that.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I grab a sheet of plywood and a handful of screws from my shed, toss a cordless drill into a bucket, and head down the slope to her place.
As I enter, the smell hits me again. She wasn’t exaggerating. But she’s done real work. Trash is bagged, the worst of the mess is gone, and she’s even got windows open to air it out.
“Looks better already,” I offer.
She gives me a look. “It’s still disgusting.”
“Sure. But now it’s your disgusting instead of the raccoon’s.”
She laughs, and I let myself grin as I kneel near the broken wall. “Hand me the flashlight?”
She holds it in place while I measure the jagged opening and fit theboard over it. She holds it steady while I drill. Even as strong as the smell is in this cabin, her scent comes through clear. She’s standing close and her hand brushes my arm as she pulls back her hand from the plywood. I try not to let it register. But it does.
Once the hole’s sealed, she stretches her back with a wince.
“You’ve been at it all day?” I ask.
She nods. “Started after breakfast. Took a detour to the hardware store in town. The guy there gave me a survival checklist and wished me luck like I was heading into battle.”
I chuckle. “He wasn’t wrong.”
The sun’s starting to dip when I gesture toward my place.
“You eaten yet?”
She shakes her head.
“I’ve got burgers and a grill. Come on. I promise no raccoons.”
She hesitates. “Liam…”
“It’s hard to get pizza delivery here. You need fuel.”
That earns me another reluctant smile.
“Okay, sure. A burger sounds great.”
We walk to my cabin, and I fire up the grill on the back deck.
“You want to wash up or anything?” I ask, figuring she must be feeling pretty dirty with the mess she’s been into. I hope she doesn’t take it the wrong way.
“You’re reading my mind. May I use your bathroom?”
