Page 82 of Lucy Loves Him Not
“I’m coming back,” I said, standing to my feet, resolute. “I’m not leaving you to handle this alone in the middle of a storm.”
“No, no,” he said adamantly. “I’ve got it under control. You stay with your people.” I could hear a muffled voice asking him a question. “Can I call you back?”
“Sure,” I said. We hung up.
I turned to my family and said, “I need to head back to Sweet River.”
“I’m coming, too.” Olivia stood up beside me.
Mom and Gracie nodded. “We’ll be there, too.”
“Gracie’s ankle—she needs to be here and rest,” I said, looking down at Gracie propped on the couch.
“I can rest back home, too.” Gracie put her hands up to stop me. “We’re Rhodes women. There’s nowhere else we’d be.”
The air in Sweet River was loaded post-storm, like it was still trembling after the tornado. My mom and sisters trailed behind me in their own cars on the drive back to Sweet River.
Adam had called me as I drove back, completely unaware that I was in my car, and unloaded his worries. From whether we’d have enough volunteers to what we’d do if another tornado blew through.
Near the end of the call, he’d said in an exhausted voice, “I’m too tired to make anything to eat,” he’d said. “Maybe I’ll eat some cereal.”
I’d learned enough about Adam now to know that he’d make sure everything else was handled and cared for before taking care of himself. The first thing to go was usually meals. Which was why I’d already planned to stop and pick up a pizza on the way to his house.
The four of us stood huddled on his doorstep, ringing the bell. Mom and my sisters had grabbed him a peanut butter chocolate shake while I was at the pizza place.
His eyes went wide when he opened the door. He took a surprised step back and clutched his chest with his right hand. “You came back?”
“It’s been a long day and you needed dinner.” I held up a pizza box.
“And treats!” My mom held up the shake.
“Come in.” He stepped to the side of the doorway so we could come inside.
Before I could get far, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms, stepping us away from the group who were busy making themselves at home in his kitchen.
“You,” he whispered against my hair. “You, you, you.”
I dropped the pizza box to the ground—I didn’t care—and wrapped my arms around his waist. My face was buried in hischest, overcome by the fresh, bergamot scent of Adam. The doorbell rang. His brows wrinkled in confusion.
“We invited a few other people over to help brainstorm our repair efforts,” I said, peeking up out of his arms.
“But everyone’s busy with the holiday?”
“Adam, no one thought anything of dropping their plans to help. I didn’t even have to ask anyone to do it. I told them what happened and almost everyone started packing up on their own.”
“The festival is more beloved than I even realized,” Adam said, walking toward the door to answer it.
I shook my head. “It’s not the festival they’re coming to help.”
His eyes creased softly, that Adam tenderness. He answered the door to find a whole lot of Hernandezes standing on his front porch. Of course, they brought food, too.
Arms around my waist. Hands brushing hair out of my eyes. Chin resting on my head. Eyes finding me across the room. Adam was unabashedly reaching for me the entire night, even as a few more friends came over. My heart was beating like hummingbird wings the entire night. I half-wanted everyone to just get out so I could bury my face in his chest again.
We found ourselves doing more than making plans for festival repairs. People were sharing different needs around Sweet River after the storm. Olivia had a notepad out to jot down plans while we strategized how to help not just the festival—but the entire community.
Roof repairs for Ms. Addyson. Porch repairs for the elderly couple who owned the antique store. The park was a mess. Victor was thinking we could talk with the local garage about offering a discount for hail damage repair for cars around town.
Adam’s eyes were bright as we planned, like this was igniting something within him. A wick long un-lit. He eagerly chatted with the group while I gathered used paper plates and napkins.
