Page 285 of Screwged for Christmas

They both turned toward the front of the bus as a woman rounded it with her arms laden with a fresh pile of firewood. A ‘busted’ look flashed across her face before a big grin took over.

Ivy stepped away from the truck and tried to straighten her clothes. She probably had muddy doggy paws from toes to chin but that didn’t matter, she had to remind herself. The stuffy suits and high heels of Seattle required the polished look, but out here, everyone accepted you no matter how you came.

“Charlie never lets me sneak up on you, Ms. Lucille.”

“That’s it!” Ivy rounded on Aspen. “Charlie as in old man Charlie McDuffy?” Her hands flew to her mouth and she laughed until tears wet her face. “The dog is named after our old school principal?”

Ms. Lucille fed the fire with more wood and left a few pieces to the side for later.

“He sure is!” answered Ms. Lucille with a laugh in her tone and the same steely-eyed look to her gaze as though daring anyone to try to change her mind. “But my boy behaves better than that old coot ever will. Besides, he’s got little ones looking up to him now.” Ms. Lucille stroked a hand down the dog’s back with a loving touch. “He’s a daddy, now. Now get over here, Ivy, and let me get a better look at you.”

Ms. Lucille reached for her and like a glove, she slipped into the soft embrace of an old, familiar hug.

Her once red hair, now faded by age to a cool gray, was pinned high in her signature bun with the flare of a side wave and her blue eyes still as bright and sharp as the day she caught her and Aspen exchanging notes during English class.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Ms. Lucille.”

“If only time would agree. Now what are you doing all the way out here on a day like this? You two should be snuggled up by a fire somewhere or getting ready for something fun. Especially with the snow coming down the way it is today.”

“We came because you’ve done a mighty job of building a smokestack tall enough for the firehouse to see from town.”

“Isn’t it a beauty? The flames chase away the bite of the cold and the animals love it too. And you know an old lady gets cold out here from time to time.” Ms. Lucille reached over and patted Ivy on the hand.

Ivy had to admit the heat from the flames did feel nice on her cheeks and she liked the hiss and crackle of the wood.

The ding of a tiny bell sounded and drew her attention to Ms. Lucille’s front pocket.

“Excuse me a second, please.”

“Absolutely.”

Ms. Lucille held up a hand before whipping off her glove to type something out on her cell. She didn’t do a search and peck either. Her thumb skipped over the digital keyboard as if she’d been born to it.

Gran did good work.

“I’m glad you came. Let me show you around the joint,” she added as she responded to her text.

Aspen waved them on. “I’ll meet you ladies inside. I need to check on the fire.”

Ivy threaded her arm in Ms. Lucille’s, who typed something else out before she continued. “Aspen tells me you’ve done a thing or two to this old bus.”

“Oh, never. I’m too smart for that. I had him and two hunks from the station come out and help,” she reassured Ivy, smiling as she slipped her phone back into her jacket pocket. “This old brain still has a few tricks.”

Life goals.

Ivy hoped she was as spry and quick-witted when she got to Lucille’s age. “They had no idea what hit them, did they?” Ivy said, laughing.

In the center of the bus was a medium-sized wooden door. Wooden slabs that looked stylishly worn and stained a deep brown led to a wide porch that stretched the length of the bus. A slanted roof protected the various wicker seats with multiple seasonally-colored cushions.

As soon as she stepped through the door, an immediately cozy feeling took over. Not tight or cramped but just right.

For the next ten minutes Ivy listened to all the details and work that went into remodeling the space to expand the old yellow school bus into a small yet comfortable home.

“The bedroom is toward the rear but what I love most is my living room.”

Ivy could see why. It offered a beautiful view of the flowers through large windows that replaced the traditional smaller windows of the bus. Glass took up three-fourths of the wall and beyond the porch, a winter wonderland treated the eyes.

And a gorgeous, hot muscular fireman as the icing for the senses.

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