"Hey." Jack greeted Mel before switching his gaze over to me. I couldn't deny how happy he looked, but he also looked like he had so many questions on the tip of his tongue about last night. "You came."
"Who could miss the opportunity to witness the whole town dressed in plaid." I mocked ever so slightly, although I couldn't help but grin at my big brother. It seemed to quell some of his thoughts, and I was glad I didn't have to answer any more questions right now after my conversation with Mel.
"Okay. I'm not sure I believe that." Grinning at us both, he pointed a finger in my direction, although he looked over at Mel when he said it. "I know neither one of you likes the way I dress." Mel and I couldn't help smirking at each other when I knew we both silently agreed that we didn't like how he dressed more like a lumberman. All he was missing was the matching plaid hat."Anyway, I've come to help. Put me to work."
"As of this morning, I was planning to have you help me here." At first, I thought he was going to tell me he changed his mind, especially with everything that happened last night. "I talked to Nyle two tents down. His wife was supposed to help him run the cash register but she had to have emergency surgery a couple of days ago."
"Is she okay?"
"He didn't go into details, but he did say his other daughter was at home with her right now. His son will be driving up here in a little bit but he has to take care of some work first."
"I can do that." Walking towards the tent where he had been looking, I hardly waited for a further response from either of them. The way I was going only had tents on one side, so it wouldn't be hard to find him in the first place. The first tent held carved whistles and a few other knick-knacks, a woman with peppered hair was buried behind a small rectangular table in the back of the tent. She smiled back at me, her face lighting up with the same kindness I saw in Mel.
"Hi. Can I help you with something?" I stopped at the second tent, this time the table was lined with a lace tablecloth, although it was hard to tell except for what was peeking out from all the carved figurines. An older gentleman in his seventies was sitting behind his creations, knife in hand as he carved into the wood.
"I'm Brie. Jack Sheridan's sister."
"Jack." He had to think about it for a second, then it dawned on him who I was talking about as his shaggy eyebrow shot up. "Oh, you mean Jack Sheridan. Yes, I know him well."
"He said you needed help running the cash register until your son gets here."
"Brent owns a restaurant. They're doing a little bit of remodeling so he had to stop in and make sure everything is going according to plan." A piece of curled wood dislodged and fell by his feet. "Please, have a seat."
"You made all of these?" Picking up the carved fox, I admired all the details from the carved eyes to the curled bushy tail before putting it back in its place and sitting down on the metal chair beside him. "How long did it take you to carve them?"
"At least a couple of weeks. I've been spending a lot of time by my wife's bedside so I put a trash can down in front of me and carve." I admired all the carvings sitting in front of us as he continued to talk. "Just one can take me about an hour. It all depends on how much detail I need to add in.
"That takes dedication. How did you learn how to do this?"
"I would watch my father carving away when I was a kid. When he saw I was the only one of the five kids who took interest, he taught me how to do it. I've hardly stopped since." As if to prove a point, he carved the inside of the bear's ear. He hadn't stopped since before I arrived, which made me wonder how many he had carved just today. "What about you? What are some hobbies you enjoy doing?"
"I like running, reading, and watching movies here and there."
"Why only here and there?"
"I'm an attorney." My voice faltered on the last word, knowing it was still very much a complicated situation I hadn't figured out yet. "I work a lot of hours."
"My oldest brother was a lawyer. You don't have a lot of time to do anything else." Turning the bear nimbly in his hands, he moved to work on the other ear. "But if you like running, you should come back here when there are no tents everywhere. It's a beautiful place without the inhabitants." An older lady in her sixties with striking blue eyes and black hair cut above her chin ducked in and flocked to the figurines on the table.
"How's it going, Nyle?"
"Celeste, it's good to see you again."
"You too. You know I couldn't resist checking to see what carved figurines you've made this time. My ten-year-old granddaughter loves everything you make, and well, I do too." Her hand grasped the small turtle carved out of cherry wood, her fingers brushing over the carved shell. "What's Elle up to today? She usually comes with you when you're selling your carvings."
"My son is helping me this time, he just had to stop in at work for a little while." He moved on to carving out the nose while watching her, this time she picked up a rabbit wearing a playful smile, its whiskers etched in perfect lines on the cheeks. "For the time being, Brie has so graciously offered to help me."
"Hi. It's nice to meet you." I told her quietly, my hands shoved into my pockets. I had heard most of the conversation but I had also allowed myself to zone out thinking about how my life had drastically changed and now I was sitting in a tent just so I could avoid talking to my brother about my life.
YOU ARE READING
Remember This (Virgin River)
FanfikceI knew it was never right to keep things a secret from a town that welcomed me in from the beginning. Then again, I realized people in Virgin River were aware of everyone's business. I quit my job back home for that exact reason knowing people would...