Page 90 of The Outsider
“Sleep, baby,” he said, nuzzling my hair.
“But…it’s your turn,” I replied drowsily, giving him a half-hearted pump with myfist.
He chuckled and took my hand in his. “I can have my turn tomorrow.”
I sighed. “Now I love you even more.”
He laughed again. “I know. Now, rest.”
He didn’t have to tell me again.
Chapter 24
Claire
Despite the busy flurry of activity the past week, the real work on the homestead was just beginning. John woke me at dawn the following morning with a packed to-do list. He and Kimmy sat at the kitchen table and went over the plan as I made breakfast at the woodstove.
“Kimmy and I are working on the irrigation system today,” he said to me. “I’m hoping we’ll replace all the parts that need it in the next couple days.”
“That’ll be a relief,” I said, turning the omelet in the pan. “How can I help?”
“Honestly, not sure you can,” Kimmy replied, a note of apology in her voice as she dug into her own omelet. “There’s a lot of technical stuff that we don’t have time to teach you right now. John can show you some other time, but for now, we need to be able to work as fast aspossible.”
A twinge of guilt nagged at me for my inadequacy. I should’ve been used to the experience of learning that I knew nothing useful, but it still hurt that I couldn’t help as much as I wanted to.
I looked a little forlornly at my still-sizzling omelet. It smelled delicious; I’d seasoned it with dried herbs from Sarah’s welcome basket. I was a decent cook and did it often, mostly because it was one of the few ways I could be of genuine assistance. But I didn’t want that to always be my only contribution.
I needed to become worthy of this place and of John’s faith in me.
“I want to do something useful,” I said quietly, scooping an omelet onto a plate and placing it in front of John. “Even if it’s not that.”
John pulled me down for a kiss. “You’re doing just fine. Because Kimmy and I are going to be busy, I asked Jenna to come over and keep you company. She’ll show you the ropes around the farm. That sound okay?”
Jenna hadn’t spoken much at the Armstrongs’, but to be fair, there’d been a lot going on. Still, she’d seemed nice enough, and she’d voted for me to stay. It’d be a good chance to get to know one of our neighbours without the buffer of John or Kimmy. Even if the thought made me a little anxious.
But John couldn’t keep holding my hand forever, and I didn’t want him to, either. Finding my footing felt daunting…but it could also be the beginning of something new and hopeful.
“Sure,” I said brightly as I started preparing my own omelet. “Is Asha going to be joining us?”
She hadn’t come down to breakfast. Kimmy and John exchanged a look.
“She left before first light,” Kimmy said gently, but I noted the regret in her tone. “Off on her first scav mission. She’s taking it pretty seriously.”
I sighed. “Yeah. I hope she’s okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” John said as he carried his plate to the sink. “Seems like she can handle herself.”
After breakfast, a loud knock sounded on the door. I followed Kimmy to answer it, and she greeted Jenna with a warm smile and a hug.
“Thanks for coming to help out,” Kimmy said. “Weappreciate it.”
Jenna made a face. “Anything to escape Danny’s dad jokes for the day.”
She turned her gaze to me, and her chocolate brown eyes were kind. “Hi, Claire.”
I forced a smile despite my twinge of nerves. “Good to see you again, Jenna. Thanks for teaching me today. I know you probably have lots of other things to do.”
She scoffed. “Nah. I have more free time than I like lately. Let’s get started, hmm?”
