Page 18 of Ocotillo Kisses
But the image of him with the little girl remained in her brain.
Chapter Seven
Conalmost didn’t show up at The Wheel House on Sunday. He was so wary of encountering Britt that he nearly passed up his weekly chance to get away from the ranch and hang out with his friends.
He hadn’t actually gone in weeks, though, wanting to be close to home while his dad was so sick, then not wanting to leave his mom, and not feeling right about having fun. He could have probably held off another week or two, but not only had Caleb asked him about it the other day when he was at the ranch, but both Austin and Beck had texted to see if he was coming out, so he had given into peer pressure.
The Wheel House had been a rundown bar for years, a place for the working men of Broken Wheel to get away from their families for an evening. Hailey Tristan had bought it a few years ago, thinking the oil boom would sink this far south, and turned it into a more family-friendly place, buying the lot next door to the bar, adding a crushed gravel yard, a split rail fence, picnic tables, washer games and even a small stage. Con and his friends had frequented most Sundays ever since. So while Hailey wasn’t getting oil field money, at least she had steady business.
When he arrived, two pitchers of beer already sat on the table, and no one was playing washers yet. Sofia Aguilar, the owner of the motel, was sitting forward on the bench, talking animatedly.
“—rented a power washer. Poppy said she’d take care of the plants, but we need to get some nice planters first. And then there’s Mr. Nazareth’s sidewalk cover.”
“What’s going on?” Con asked Beck as he dropped to the bench beside his friend.
“Sofia’s formed a committee to clean up the town, because apparently that’s what we have to do before the Fourth of July. Guess who the committee is?” Beck circled his finger to include all at the table.
“Ah.”
“What?” Sofia turned a narrow-eyed gaze to them. “This is going to benefit all of us.”
Con wanted to point out that he wouldn’t benefit, but the way Sofia was looking at him, he didn’t dare. “Okay, what’s the plan, then?”
“I thought you guys could start with fixing the sagging sidewalk cover in front of Mr. Nazareth’s store. The one in front of the grocery store doesn’t look all that sturdy, either. Caleb, would you talk to Mrs. Lopez and see if she’ll let us come clean her windows, and maybe her floors? I know most of it is just wear and tear, but it looks pretty run down in there, and maybe if we strip and wax the floors, that will help.”
“Have you ever stripped and waxed floors before?” Lacey asked, bouncing her daughter on her knee and trying to keep her pudgy little hands from grabbing everything on the table.
Sofia shook her head. “No, but surely someone knows the procedure. I know it will take a while, so it might have to be overnight. So I need someone to help that can work those hours.”
Only then did Con notice the notebook in front of Sofia, as she held a pen poised to write names.
Caleb leaned over her shoulder. “You don’t have to put yourself on every task, you know.”
“This one I do, because my schedule is probably the most flexible.”
“I can help once school is out in a couple of weeks,” Poppy said. “So maybe we can wait until then?”
