my website.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. Nobody else here is that interested in this stuff. They’re polite about it, but I practically have to beg for help anytime I get overwhelmed with orders or when I have a big flea market day. Drew is awesome about hauling stuff around, but he’s busy during logging season, you know?”
Cassie swallowed the hope that was clogging her throat down. “I could help with that stuff when you need extra hands. I don’t know a lot, so you’d have to train me, but I learn fast. And honestly, it would be nice if I could sell some of my stuff and earn an income. Even if it’s just a little one, it would be better than when I was with my last crew.”
“You didn’t have a job with the Red Claws?”
“They didn’t allow it. I think the alpha liked me dependent on them since I was the only female. I don’t know. It wasn’t like here, where everyone seems to be encouraged to find their niche.”
Riley’s dark eyebrows winged up. “That sounds awful. It’ll probably do wonders for your confidence if you do what you love and make it work for you. As far as helping me out, I’m completely okay with that. Relieved I’ll have steady help, actually, so yeah. You have a place here whenever you want it.”
“Great,” Cassie said through a grin. She patted the doorframe and spun to leave. “Riley?” she asked, turning back.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
The corners of Riley’s eyes crinkled up with her smile. “Anytime.”
Cassie jogged over to 1010, and ignored the mouse dragging across the floor a small stem of grapes she’d left out. Haydan apparently had an attachment, assured her the rodent had a name, and was therefore a pet of the Asheland Mobile Park, just as surely as Bo or a speckled micro-pig named Petunia, which she had yet to meet.
“Hey Nards,” she muttered, stepping carefully over it.
The little old brown field mouse ignored her completely.
Cassie slipped on her hiking boots over her jeans and pulled on a blue hoodie to combat the chilly autumn air, then hustled out of the house and nearly ran right into Haydan who had his hand raised as if he was about to knock.
He caught her, steadied her, and they both laughed as her boot went through a rotted floorboard.
“Crap,” he muttered, bending down and working her boot out of the splinters. “I’ll build a new deck for this place tomorrow.”
“I’ll help.”
“Yeah?” he asked, looking up at her.
In the afternoon sunlight, his eyes looked gold. Banishing her hesitation, she brushed her knuckles against the short stubble of his jaw. “Matt told me about you a long time ago.”
Haydan canted his head. “He did?”
Cassie nodded and cupped his cheek. “He said you kept your head shaved and that you were built like a tank, but you were nice to ladies up at the bar.” She ran her fingertips through his short, dark hair. “You aren’t what I expected.”
Haydan relaxed as she placed her other hand on his head and scratched her nails against his scalp. A curious shiver took his shoulders, and the smile dipped from his face. “I look like my dad with hair. It’s coarse like his was. And for a long time, I didn’t want to look like him. Here recently, I don’t care so much. I just got over it. Now, when I look in the mirror, I look like me. I don’t remember my dad much anymore.”
“Was he awful?”
“No. Not awful. Just broken and sad.” Haydan pulled her palm to his mouth and kissed it. “Do you want to see my den?”
She nodded as those funny flutters filled her belly again. She’d been waiting for him to ask.
Haydan’s hand was warm and strong as it wrapped around hers. He led her down the steps and to the trailer a couple of weed-riddled yards away. As soon as they were inside, something brushed her leg.
“Aaah,” she yelped, flinching away.
A grunting little pig with a belly nearly dragging the ground nosed her ankle, then followed no matter where Cassie retreated
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. Nobody else here is that interested in this stuff. They’re polite about it, but I practically have to beg for help anytime I get overwhelmed with orders or when I have a big flea market day. Drew is awesome about hauling stuff around, but he’s busy during logging season, you know?”
Cassie swallowed the hope that was clogging her throat down. “I could help with that stuff when you need extra hands. I don’t know a lot, so you’d have to train me, but I learn fast. And honestly, it would be nice if I could sell some of my stuff and earn an income. Even if it’s just a little one, it would be better than when I was with my last crew.”
“You didn’t have a job with the Red Claws?”
“They didn’t allow it. I think the alpha liked me dependent on them since I was the only female. I don’t know. It wasn’t like here, where everyone seems to be encouraged to find their niche.”
Riley’s dark eyebrows winged up. “That sounds awful. It’ll probably do wonders for your confidence if you do what you love and make it work for you. As far as helping me out, I’m completely okay with that. Relieved I’ll have steady help, actually, so yeah. You have a place here whenever you want it.”
“Great,” Cassie said through a grin. She patted the doorframe and spun to leave. “Riley?” she asked, turning back.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
The corners of Riley’s eyes crinkled up with her smile. “Anytime.”
Cassie jogged over to 1010, and ignored the mouse dragging across the floor a small stem of grapes she’d left out. Haydan apparently had an attachment, assured her the rodent had a name, and was therefore a pet of the Asheland Mobile Park, just as surely as Bo or a speckled micro-pig named Petunia, which she had yet to meet.
“Hey Nards,” she muttered, stepping carefully over it.
The little old brown field mouse ignored her completely.
Cassie slipped on her hiking boots over her jeans and pulled on a blue hoodie to combat the chilly autumn air, then hustled out of the house and nearly ran right into Haydan who had his hand raised as if he was about to knock.
He caught her, steadied her, and they both laughed as her boot went through a rotted floorboard.
“Crap,” he muttered, bending down and working her boot out of the splinters. “I’ll build a new deck for this place tomorrow.”
“I’ll help.”
“Yeah?” he asked, looking up at her.
In the afternoon sunlight, his eyes looked gold. Banishing her hesitation, she brushed her knuckles against the short stubble of his jaw. “Matt told me about you a long time ago.”
Haydan canted his head. “He did?”
Cassie nodded and cupped his cheek. “He said you kept your head shaved and that you were built like a tank, but you were nice to ladies up at the bar.” She ran her fingertips through his short, dark hair. “You aren’t what I expected.”
Haydan relaxed as she placed her other hand on his head and scratched her nails against his scalp. A curious shiver took his shoulders, and the smile dipped from his face. “I look like my dad with hair. It’s coarse like his was. And for a long time, I didn’t want to look like him. Here recently, I don’t care so much. I just got over it. Now, when I look in the mirror, I look like me. I don’t remember my dad much anymore.”
“Was he awful?”
“No. Not awful. Just broken and sad.” Haydan pulled her palm to his mouth and kissed it. “Do you want to see my den?”
She nodded as those funny flutters filled her belly again. She’d been waiting for him to ask.
Haydan’s hand was warm and strong as it wrapped around hers. He led her down the steps and to the trailer a couple of weed-riddled yards away. As soon as they were inside, something brushed her leg.
“Aaah,” she yelped, flinching away.
A grunting little pig with a belly nearly dragging the ground nosed her ankle, then followed no matter where Cassie retreated
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