She shrugged. “The normal ER stuff: stitches, staples, and broken bones. Oh… But there was one positive development. Vince Lewis and family checked out today. They airlifted the mother and new baby back to an Atlanta hospital, while he had to finish the trip home alone.”
“He didn’t cause any more trouble for you?” Hunt asked.
She shook her head and brushed the cookie crumbs from her hands.
“No, but I’m glad he’s gone. His wife seemed really sweet and totally oblivious to what a jerk he is. I hope he straightens up and treats her right, but I sure wouldn’t bet my life on that happening.” Then she picked up a cookie and gave Hunt a bite. “I would, however, bet my life on you.”
That vow was so touching, and so unexpected, that it was all Hunt could do to chew and swallow, and then he reached for her hand.
“I would never betray you.”
Ava started to smile and then saw the expression on his face.
“Oh, honey.” She got up and plopped down in his lap and put her arms around his neck. “I know that. I know you. Remember? I’ve been in your corner for as long as I can remember knowing you existed. I love you. So much. I know how hard it was for you to come back. To face the rejection of your family. To bury your mother. To keep a promise that was hard to make. You are, to me, what being a man is all about. And you’re mine. Okay?”
She made him want to cry. Instead, he kissed the length of her neck, from the hollow at the base of her throat to her chin. Then he cupped her face with his hands and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.
He could feel the warmth of her breath and the flutter of her eyelashes against his cheeks.
“Lord, woman. I thought flying was the closest I would ever be to God, but loving you tops it all,” Hunt said, and then he kissed her.
* * *
Hunt and Ava spent a quiet evening at home. Without the pressure of wanting to be in two places at once, he was at peace. Ava was watching TV and reading the local paper while Hunt was in the shower, and when he came back to the living room minus a shirt and wearing his old sweatpants, she looked up and smiled.
“Squeaky clean and sexy as hell. If you could bottle that, you’d be rich,” she said.
Hunt grinned. “It’s a thought. So what’s in the paper?” he asked.
“Um, for starters, it appears there’s going to be a dance and a silent auction at the country club to raise money for Arnold Hollis’s widow. She wants to go home to West Virginia. That’s where the rest of her family lives.”
Hunt was silent for a few moments, thinking. “Isn’t it weird what death does to us? I came back to where I was born because of a death, and Mrs. Hollis is doing the same thing, going home to where she was born because of a death. Some people think of home as the house they live in, but it’s always been about the people to me, and it appears Mrs. Hollis feels the same way. My home will always be with you, no matter where we are in the world.”
“Thank you, darling,” Ava said.
Hunt smiled. “You’re welcome. And on another note, I forgot Blessings even had a country club.”
Ava laughed. “I know. It’s to go with the golf course. Really, the only difference between them and us is the amount of money in their pockets. And for the rest of us, Ruby Butterman has also organized what sounds like a fun event that’s happening on Sunday after church. She’s calling it Potluck at the Park. You buy tickets ahead of time, and then everyone brings covered dishes. They’ll be laid out buffet-style all over the park. Turn in your ticket and you get a plate and eat to your heart’s content. I’m off on Sunday. That’s where we need to go to eat dinner.”
“I’m in for that one,” Hunt said. “The dance at the country club, not so much.”
“Why? I know you can dance. I’ve seen you,” Ava said.
Hunt grinned. “Teaching Emma how to dance with a boy does not constitute being a good dancer. She kept trying to lead. Mom made me teach her.”
Ava nodded. “I know. I saw part of it. Then my mother came and picked me up and I had to go home. I was jealous of Emma for days because you danced with her and not me.”
Hunt’s eyes widened. “Good lord. First of all, you can’t be jealous of my sister, and at that point, how old were you anyway?”
Ava grinned. “Not nearly old enough for the thoughts I’m sure I had.”
“But you’re old enough now,” Hunt said. “And I’m so going to take advantage of that.”
* * *
The next morning, Ava left for work with the smile Hunt had put on her face, and Hunt felt like the luckiest man in the world as he went to meet the painters. He was sitting on the porch steps when they drove up.
The PaintByNumber.com logo on the side of the truck made him smile because their phone number was included within the design. A sense of humor was never a bad thing.
Their long ladders were fastened onto the racks over the truck bed, and paint sprayers, equipment, and cans of paint were in the bed beneath it. While they were getting out, another truck with two more men pulled in behind them.
“Morning,” Hunt said, eyeing the paint-speckled coveralls the men were wearing.
“Morning. I’m Bill Smith. These are my sons, Herman, Carl, and Glen. Are you Hunt Knox?”
Hunt nodded. “Yes, sir, I’m Hunt. Want to do a walk-through before you start unloading?”
“Absolutely,” Bill said. “Come on, boys. Let’s go see what we need to do to make this old girl pretty again.”
Hunt liked the way Bill said that. It made him think they took pride in what they did, and when they followed him inside, they listened intently to everything he said, nodding and taking notes as they went.
When they went up to the attic, Hunt paused. “This was once my bedroom, so I want it finished out just like the rest of the other rooms, even though there’s no bathroom up here.”
“But there’s sure room for one if a person was a mind to add one,” Bill said, eyeing all of the work Hunt had already done. “You prepped this up pretty good. It will make our job go faster.”
“That was my intent,” Hunt said as he led them back downstairs.
Bill waved to his boys. “You know the drill. Start unloading. And leave the paint on the front porch for now. I want Hunt to verify we picked up the right colors before we start work.”
“Yes, Daddy,” they echoed, as Bill popped the lids on the paint cans.
“This is the exterior color, and this one is for the exterior trim, and the small can is the door color, right?” Bill said.