“Thanks.” Kayla disconnected and sat there, her arms limp at her sides.
They were too heavy to lift and her friends weren’t there to do it for her right then.
So she sat there, staring into space, trying to think of workarounds for her new roadblocks until Dave and the rest of the crew returned some time later.
5
Dave tried not to grit his teeth as Kayla tapped her foot on the floor more furiously than a dog scratching an itch. Instead, he laid his hand on her thigh, awed as always by how her powerful frame still didn’t take up much of his grip.
“Oh. Sorry. Am I bugging you?” She froze, the tension still winding up her body making him afraid she would snap like a stressed-out spring.
“No. Not exactly. I just don’t know how to help and it’s making me feel useless.” Dave leaned in and kissed her cheek, trying to soften his admission.
“Useless. Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel.” Kayla dropped her head on his shoulder and collapsed against him, thankfully sure that he would catch her, which—of course—he did.
From the other side of the counter where he was pouring himself a cup of coffee, James asked, “How much longer did they say it would be before an appraiser could make it out here?”
“Not anytime soon.” She groaned. “They’re going to let me know when this region is next on the list.”
“That means like, what, a day’s notice or something? More than just five minutes, right?” James asked, and Dave immediately knew what he was getting at because he had the same idea.
“Look, if we’re not getting anything done here….” Devon glanced from her guys to Kayla and Dave. “And you’ll have enough warning that we can come back in time for any appointments…why don’t we go to Middletown so we can help Joe and Mike out?”
Devon didn’t say it, but the work Mike and Joe were doing was funding this half of the crew’s time off to come to her aide. While that was incredibly generous, it would be better to contribute while they could now and use those reserves when Kayla needed them to be actively working on the rebuild.
Dave looked at Kayla and shrugged. “It’ll help pass the time, and swinging a hammer is good for venting frustration. You can come on site with us if you want, or hang out with Kate and Morgan. Help them with…whatever it is they’re doing or work on the inventory bullshit you need to do for the government or maybe spend some quality time with Gavyn and Noah. And in the evenings, we can draw up plans for Bare Natural 2.0 with input from the full crew instead of just us.”
He held his breath as he waited for her reaction. These past several days she had been on edge, not at all the calm, unflappable, ultimately happy woman he’d loved pretty much forever. Would she think he was betraying her if he admitted he craved action instead of this never-ending spinning of their wheels?
Hell, it wasn’t often he saw Devon of all people walking on eggshells around Kayla. But none of them wanted to risk wounding her more than she’d already been lately. Or setting her off. She wasn’t herself. And he didn’t know how to do more than put a Band-Aid on the problem, taking her mind off things for the duration of a favorite TV show, or a quickie in the shower, or long enough to feed her a warm meal. Was this how impotent she’d felt after his accident?
His stomach lurched, making him glad he hadn’t yet partaken of the bacon and eggs James was whipping up for them. Kayla had stood by him—hell, for him—when he couldn’t do it himself, and now Dave had to do the same for her.
Would she see their suggestion as an abandonment or as a way to help her snap out of this funk that was so unlike her to fall into, which was what he intended it to be?
Kayla stared at the four of them and their very carefully composed faces as they prepared to duck for cover if necessary. Then she surprised them by bursting out laughing. “Are you that afraid of me? Jeez. I must need a vacation. Get me some coffee and breakfast and let’s hit the road. You’re right: we might as well be productive. And…being together, with the whole crew, will be good for me too. I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain in your asses.”
“Yas!” James fist-pumped even as Neil was taking his phone from his back pocket to text the good news to the rest of the crew in their ongoing group chat. “I mean, you haven’t been any trouble, but it sucks not being able to do more from here. I think it’ll be good to get out of here and really think things through without constantly having to face the aftermath of the fire.”
They couldn’t so much as drive down the street without seeing people who’d been displaced bunking up with friends, signs for still-missing pets, and advertisements for cleanup crews staked into the corners at intersections. It was impossible to escape the far-reaching ramifications unless they hunkered down inside. And hiding out was starting to make Dave stir-crazy.
The rest of their little gang, too.
“You better make double.” Neil got the eggs out of the refrigerator for his husband. “I have a feeling we’re going to need our energy when we get there. And I’m not talking about working the Hot Rods construction site either.”
“We did leave in kind of a hurry, and things have been so tense since then. I bet you’re right. Someone is going to crack pretty quick, probably me, and need to blow off steam together.” Kayla sighed. “Sorry about that. About everything.”
“It’s
