Right Where We Belong

“Of course it’s blue,” Gavin said. “Is there any better color?”

Branson beamed as he scooted over to make room for his sister. “No.”

“Do you have some more soda?” Alia asked.

He smiled at her in the review mirror. “At the house I do.”

Savanna eyed the lumber that filled the bed of Gavin’s truck while putting the backpack between her kids. “That’s a lot of wood,” she said as she climbed in front.

“A big part of the old bridge is lying around on the property, but it’s so rotted there’s really nothing we can salvage from it, so...I think we’re going to need to start from scratch.”

“Of course,” she muttered with a sigh. Nothing could be easy, although now that she could see the town in full daylight, she was encouraged. Nephi looked sad and depressed by comparison. In Silver Springs she could easily find evidence of the wealth and affluence that was so prevalent in parts of LA. Tasteful murals covered several of the buildings downtown. There were no empty or run-down businesses—and something else was different. It took her a moment to realize what, but after they drove a few blocks, she said, “There are no chains here!”

“Chains?” Gavin echoed.

“You know, businesses. McDonald’s. Best Western.”

“Oh, right. Chain stores aren’t allowed. The town promotes small business.”

“I’ve never heard of a town taking such a stand.”

He grinned. “Welcome to California.”

The cost of living would be greater here if she couldn’t run to a box store every time she needed groceries or school supplies for the kids, but she thought it was a sacrifice worth making. She was looking forward to coming back and exploring, to walking into a store without fear of being recognized and reviled...

She studied a secondhand store that appeared to be particularly well run. Maybe she could find a few things for the house there to help her get by... “This place has a strong Southwest flavor,” she said.

“There’s a lot of Spanish Revival architecture,” Gavin agreed.

“Like the motel where we stayed—with its white walls, red tile roof and bell tower.”

“Is that a positive thing or a negative thing, in your mind?” he asked.

“I like it. It’s clean and well maintained—not nearly as run-down as parts of Nephi.”

“Look! There’re ducks in that park!” Branson exclaimed, pointing out the window.

Savanna craned her neck to see. “I’ll have to take you there sometime.”

“Me, too!” Alia chimed in.

“Of course. I’ll take you both.” She gestured to the right. “What’s the name of the mountains that surround us?” The valley was so narrow, barely four or five miles across.

“The Topatopa Mountains. They’re part of the Los Padres National Forest.”

“Does it snow here, Mommy?” Alia asked.

Savanna looked to Gavin. She hadn’t even thought to check.

“Not in town. The temperature’s pretty mild year-round, but you will see some white caps on the highest mountain peaks in winter.”

The buildings gave way to citrus orchards and small farms as they drove down the valley. After about ten minutes, he turned onto the narrow road leading to where she and her children would soon live—the road she’d had such difficulty finding in the dark last night without the GPS on her phone.

“Now I’ll get to lay eyes on this creek I’ve been hearing about,” she said.

Gavin had backed her moving van into a wide spot in the road near the turnoff so they’d be able to get past it. As soon as he parked, they all piled out. The kids began to run and play while she remained at Gavin’s side.

The creek, only about twenty feet from where she’d stopped last night, was much wider than Savanna had anticipated. “Wow. Lucky for me you were sitting outside when I arrived.”

“You didn’t seem to be slowing down,” he admitted.

“I would’ve barreled right into this.” The current wasn’t strong enough to carry off a truck. Nor was the water high enough that they would’ve risked drowning. But they would’ve gotten stuck in the mud. And she had no idea how she would’ve pulled the U-Haul out, especially late on a Friday evening, in the country. No doubt the right kind of tow—and any damage she caused the van—would’ve cost a small fortune.

“I guess you owe me,” he teased.

She froze in surprise. Owed him what? Was he flirting with her?

Her eyes flew to his face. She didn’t want to be unfair, didn’t want him to go to a lot of work thinking she might be willing to get involved with him. “I’ll pay you,” she said.

He gave her a funny look. “For saving you from driving into the creek?”

“For your time today.” She checked her kids to make sure they weren’t wandering too far. They were getting muddy, but they were having such a great time searching for tadpoles she didn’t call them back. They deserved some carefree fun after the upset of the past few months. “I don’t expect anyone to work for free.”

He shrugged. “I don’t mind helping out a neighbor.”

She tried to let the subject go but couldn’t stop herself from speaking up again. “Would you be helping me this much if I were a man?”

He responded without hesitation. “A man with two kids, who was recently divorced and moving in next door? Of course.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe he hadn’t been flirting with her. Maybe he was what he seemed to be—a really nice neighbor. It’d been so long since she’d been single and in a situation where a man might hit on her, she could have misinterpreted his behavior. “Okay, but...I need to let you know that I’ve been through something extremely difficult, and...and I’m still not over it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it. So don’t do anything for me because...because you might be...you know, looking for female companionship. I’m not an option.”

He looked surprised. “Whoa. Where did that come from?”

Branson and Alia had taken off their shoes and socks and were wading ankle-deep in the shallow, slow-moving creek. They weren’t paying attention to the conversation, but she lowered her voice all the same. “I’m sorry. I’d hate for you to think I’m being rude, but I’d feel worse if you were ever to believe that I tried to take advantage of your kindness. I’d rather be clear on where I stand from the beginning. You need to charge me—for the wood, which I’ll reimburse you for before you leave today, and the labor. I’ll pay you a fair price for everything, even the ride last night.”

He went to his truck and got a pair of leather gloves from under the seat. “I appreciate your honesty, but I’m not going to let you pay me for the ride, and I have a few hours I can contribute to helping so that you can move in today. You won’t owe me anything beyond what I spent this morning.”

“Are you sure?”

He looked slightly confused as he pulled on those gloves. “Will you answer one question for me?”

“What is it?”

“Does this immediate stiff-arm have anything to do with my boys ranch history? Because we’ve barely met, and yet you’re already telling me you don’t want to get involved. I admit I find you attractive. Really attractive—”

“I have two kids,” she broke in, as if that should’ve been a deal breaker.

“I’ve met them,” he said with a wink. “I like kids. They don’t have to be mine. But I feel like you might be lumping me into the same category as your ex-husband simply because we both ran into a spot of trouble in our teenage years.”