Page 77 of Smoke and Fire
“Sione works at Adventura with Mark Bailey, right?”
“Yeah. Sione’s a pretty cool guy.”
He nodded, eyes still taking the place in. “I don’t know him well, but have heard good things. This is a nice camper. My Dad used to take us into the mountains in an old one that didn’t have much more than walls.”
“Yeah?” I murmured, searching for my sunglasses, then added a flippant, “You know how to fix a stabilizer jack?”
“Yes.”
I paused. “Really?”
“Do you need it fixed?”
“Yes, actually.” I bent over to grab a ponytail holder that had fallen to the ground. My hair threaded through my fingers as I pulled the top half back, away from my face. “The stabilizer is stuck on the ground near the front left. It won’t retract, so I can’t leave. With this fire building . . .”
When I straightened up, he was already gone.
I let the words trail off, then grabbed my wallet-phone combination, shoved it in my back pocket, found my sunglasses near my keys, and slipped down the stairs. No mascara today, apparently.
Bastian already stood near the front left, where the jack stuck. Yesterday, I’d spent time packing up the various things that would prevent me from a quick escape, if needed. The stabilizer jack was on back order in the nearest place in Jackson City.
He studied it with a concentrated air. “Easy fix. The leg is a bit bent. I think we can replace just this leg, not all four on the whole unit.”
“That would be great. The place in Jackson City said it’d take a few weeks to order in.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think Dagny knows some people with RV parts through her work. I’ll text her about it. She might be able to get them sooner.”
“Wow. Thanks. I can do that if you don’t want to bother.”
“No bother.”
He straightened up, brushing his hands off on a pair of jeans that fit a littletoowell. I slipped my sunglasses on to better hide my obvious perusal.
“Besides,” he murmured, “I want to make sure you can get out of here safely if you need to.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
We turned and started toward his truck.
“So,” I drawled, feeling a bit giddy at the thought of an entire day stretching before me with nothing but Bastian inside it. “What are we doing today?”
“Visiting a few people.” He peered ahead. “Running some errands in Jackson City, if you want to go. I need to check out new sole inserts for my boots, get some back up laces, and find a weather proofer for my boots.” He hesitated, then said, “It’s not really that exciting, now that I think about it. If you—”
“I’d love it. I’m up for anything. Normal life stuff is important. If you can't do everyday things with a friend, what can you do?”
He smiled. Subtle, and quiet, just like him. When we arrived at his truck, he opened the passenger door in a sweet, unexpected gesture.
“Thanks,” I said.
He closed it with a nod, and I gave into the girly squeal that bubbled up inside me as he walked around the truck.
I wassoready for this day.
AN HOURof steady chat later, we pulled to a stop outside a brick building near the outskirts of Jackson City.
The forty-five minute drive up the canyon had been undeniably easy, not to mention gorgeous, in late summer. Glimpses of the white, frothing river below sent little bursts of excitement through me. Not the ocean, but at least it was water. I’d take what I could get.
The brick building in front of us was nondescript. A small parking lot, ringed with well-manicured trees and thick green shrubs gave it a cozy feel. A sign on the far wall quietly stated,Adult Care Services.
