No Ordinary Day , Tate, Harley [ebook offline .TXT] 📗

John, Holly, and Tank. “Got the old girl up and running. Like I said to John, I don’t know how long she’ll last, but hopefully she’ll make it to your friend’s place.”

Irma smiled. They were too generous. “Are you sure it’s not a problem? You might need a truck around here.”

“Nonsense.” Gil waved her off. “I haven’t driven that thing since I stopped the farmers market routes a few years ago. It’s good to free up the space in the barn.”

Tank wove between the chair legs and the table, rubbing his side against Emma as he thumped his tail against the wall. She ran her hand down his fur before offering to clear the last of the breakfast dishes.

“I can manage, honey. You tend to packing.”

Emma smiled and set off to strip the guest beds for Irma to launder. She still couldn’t get over how normal their lives were here even without electricity. Thanks to the propane and wood heat, they were living almost as well as anyone with a working grid.

As she bundled the last of the sheets, Holly stepped into the room. “I got all the clothes out of the dryer and folded them. Hope you don’t mind me adding yours to my bag.”

“Not at all. Beats carrying them under my arm.” Emma sat down on the mattress and patted the space beside her. “Take a seat.”

Holly did as asked and eased down beside Emma. She looked so young in her baggy sweatshirt and jeans.

“I was thinking about everything Eugene and Gil said about the future.” Emma paused. She’d spent a long time in the night thinking about Holly and what was best for her in this new situation. “And Irma and Gil have it pretty good here. Plenty of food. Heat. A guest bedroom.”

“What are you saying?” Holly’s hands slipped inside the sleeves of her sweatshirt. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No!” Emma rushed to paper over the misunderstanding. “Not at all. But I know I’m no substitute for your dad, Holly. I don’t even know if it’s safe to be with me. You could do a lot worse than to stay here.”

“They’re strangers.”

“And I’m not?”

Holly focused on the floor as she ran her thumb over the fraying edge of her sleeve. “You are trying to get rid of me.”

“No.” Emma bent to catch her eye. “But I don’t want to drag you somewhere you don’t want to go. Especially if it isn’t safe. I haven’t even talked to Gil or Irma about it. They could easily say no.”

Holly softened. “So I don’t have to stay? I can still come with you?”

Emma reached out and patted the girl’s arm. “Of course you can. But I wanted to give you the choice.”

She shook her head. “I’m good. I want to go with you.”

“If you’re sure—”

“I am. You might not be family, but you’ve been coming to the house for years. I’ve known you since I was ten, at least. It beats staying with a stranger.”

Emma smiled, warmed by the sort-of compliment. “Okay then, it’s settled. We go together.”

They headed out to the big teal beast of a truck together and found Irma placing a package wrapped in freezer paper on the front seat.

“I found an old paper map in the house that might help you stay off the highway and I packed you some sandwiches for the road. It’s not much, but it should do for the rest of the day, at least.” Irma smiled.

“You didn’t have to do that. I’m sure we could have managed.”

“Don’t be silly.” Irma reached for Emma’s hand. “You take care of them, now, will you?” She dipped her voice so only Emma could hear. “That man of yours might be rough around the edges, but he’s got a squishy heart. I can feel it.”

Emma glanced at the barn where John and Gil were locked in conversation. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Irma pulled back and spoke over the hood of the truck to Holly as she hoisted her bag inside. “And you mind what your elders tell you, young lady.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Holly hurried around the front and reached out, wrapping Irma in a tight hug. “Thank you for letting us in and giving us a place to sleep.”

Irma laughed and dabbed at her eye with a wadded-up tissue. “Don’t you mention it. And there’s no ma’am, remember?”

“Ready?” John strode up to the truck, keys in hand.

Emma nodded. “Thank you for everything.” She hugged Irma, who reciprocated with quite the grip for a woman her age, before turning to Gil. Against his protests, she hugged him, too. “Next time we’re down this way, we’ll stop in.”

“As long as you don’t need a place to stay.”

Irma swatted her husband’s arm and Gil let out a chuckle. “Keep out of trouble, you hear?”

“Will do.” She climbed into the truck and Holly slid in after. It was a tight fit, three across, but they could manage. It beat walking any day.

Tank hopped up into the back of the truck and John cranked the engine. The old machine sputtered and groaned to life, sending a vibration straight through to Emma’s bones. Holly rolled down the window and waved as John shifted into drive and turned toward the road.

Thanks to Irma’s map, it didn’t take long to find a less-congested route toward Gloria’s cabin. She noted the route on the map, marking with a pen from her bag the roads she could remember. The Sanchez cabin sat on a forest service road, off any map, but Emma could get them within a few miles before she needed to remember the way by sight.

 The truck wasn’t the fastest vehicle on the road, but it kept on rumbling down the road with not too much complaining. Emma stretched her feet out beside Holly’s in the oversized passenger floorboard and closed her eyes.

A jab to her ribs woke her up. “I’ve got a signal!” Holly prodded her again. “Check your phone!”

Emma wiped the sleep from her eyes and plucked