“Is he okay, though?” Capri asked, concern softening her tone. “All of us are on edge a bit after those tremors.”
“Oh, he’s fine, just very active.” Reva reached for some peanuts from the bowl on the coffee table.
They all nodded in agreement, the weight of the past few weeks settling over them for a moment. Each of them had busy lives, but some seasons seemed more difficult than others.
“Well,” Lila said after a pause, “at least we’re all managing. One way or another.”
“True,” Capri said, her voice thoughtful as she leaned back. “I guess we’ve all got our own version of chaos to deal with.”
The conversation shifted as they each shared updates about their lives. Lila mentioned a few new patients at the clinic, including a raccoon with a broken leg, while Charlie Grace brought up she was considering holding a big barbecue bash at the ranch—perhaps over the July fourth weekend. Reva filled them in on the town’s recovery efforts, but even amidst the talk of minor repairs, they found moments to laugh about the absurdity of it all.
As the conversation began to wind down, Capri took a sip of her drink and sighed. “Well, speaking of managing chaos, I’ve had my hands full with the house renovations.”
Reva glanced over. “How’s that going? Are you ready to tear your hair out yet?”
Capri shook her head, trying to stay casual. “No, no. Jake’s been on top of everything.”
Lila perked up. “Jake? The contractor?”
Capri reached for a pretzel. “Uh, yeah. He’s handling the work.” She tossed the pretzel in her mouth.
Charlie Grace’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “I heard he’s very nice to look at.” She elbowed Lila, and they winked at each other.
Capri’s cheeks flushed. She should have known her friends would twist the situation into something it was not. “No, it’s not like that. He’s just…” She swallowed. “…doing the work I hired him to do. I mean, he’s been very helpful.”
“Helpful, huh?” Reva grinned. “That sounds suspiciously like something more.”
Capri huffed, knowing she’d opened the door. “Look, he’s a good guy, but it’s strictly professional. He’s remodeling my house…that’s all.”
Lila raised an eyebrow. “Strictly professional? That’s what they all say.”
Reva leaned back, her eyes narrowing playfully as she smiled. “You know, Capri, sometimes the universe throws people in our path for a reason. A man in your life might just be what you need right now.” She winked, adding with a grin, “Besides, the way you look when you talk about him...I’d say there’s more to this than just house renovations.”
Capri crossed her arms, but a small smile tugged at her lips. “You’re all impossible.”
The girls exchanged knowing looks, their laughter fading as Capri tried to wave off the attention. But as she sat there, a quiet settled over her. Despite her efforts to brush it aside, she couldn’t ignore the spark of something new—something unsettling yet strangely comforting.
The idea of Jake lingered, not just as the man renovating her house, but as someone who had begun to find his way into the cracks of her carefully guarded world. Maybe her friends weren’t wrong. Maybe it was time to stop holding everything at arm’s length and let herself feel—whatever that might mean.
22
Capri was elbow-deep in engine grease when Jake’s truck rumbled into the gravel lot outside her rafting company. The sun was high, beating down on her as she worked, her wrench twisting stubbornly at a bolt that refused to budge. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand, squinting as she watched Jake hop out of the driver’s seat.
“What brings you by?” she asked, straightening up and rolling her shoulders. Her voice was casual, but there was a flicker of curiosity.
Earlier in the week, she’d moved into an RV, which would become her temporary home while he jumped into the demolition part of the job. While he’d been helpful and had assisted in running electricity and sewer out to the trailer, they’d never connected outside the work he was doing at her house.
Jake approached with that easygoing confidence of his, his hands tucked into his pockets. “Thought I’d drop by and let you know we’ve run into another supply delay. Your kitchen cupboards are backordered, but I put some pressure on the supplier. I work with that company regularly, and they promised to push the order and deliver as early as possible.”
Capri sighed, glancing at the half-rebuilt engine in front of her. “I’m used to delays. Things always find a way to go sideways.”
He chuckled, leaning casually against the frame of her work truck. “You always expect the worst, don’t you?”
She shot him a glance, half a smirk curling on her lips. “I try to be prepared for the unexpected.”
Jake nodded, but his gaze lingered on her, like he had something else in mind. “Speaking of unexpected…” He paused as if weighing his next words. “I was thinking, maybe you’d like to take a break from all this and have dinner with me tonight.”
Capri blinked, her hand freezing in mid-motion as she wiped the grease from her fingers. She hadn’t seen that coming.
