My Summer In The Valley

06

Lilly made us another pot of coffee and it was amazing. Jet-lag was starting to kick my ass again. Even though I had slept very well last night, my inner clock told my body that it was evening, and I should settle down on a couch, sip a beer and then go to bed. Which is exactly what Nate and I would do, but here the day was still young and we still had to unload the rest of the stuff from the truck. I watched a hummingbird flittering about the feeder that hung outside the living room window. I had really missed those beautiful birds. Lilly heaved a deep sigh. 

"Can you hear that?" She asked. 

"What?" I replied smiling and hugged the warm mug in my hands. 

"Quiet." I smiled back at her and nodded. It really was quiet. No traffic, no neighbours moving furniture around, no sirens. Just nature. 

"Let us enjoy it while we can. Once school is over, we will have our hands full with two bickering girls and a horny teenager." I laughed at her statement. 

"True. But haven't you ever considered Serena and Damien? I mean, once she is a bit older, say like, two years, she will be old enough and very pretty and Damien is only a couple of years older than her." I wriggled my eyebrows and smirked when Lilly scrunched up her face.

"Ew. God, no. I love that boy like my own son, but no. That would be waaaay to weird and I would not be able to put up with that. And anyway, Serena is so head over heels with Theo, she would never consider looking at anyone else." 

"That's what I once thought. And then my kindergarten-husband got remarried to my friend Celine in second grade and I was heartbroken." Lilly laughed and patted my shoulder. 

"Boys are cruel." 

"Especially before they hit puberty." Lilly rolled her eyes at my comment and took a sip from her cup. 

"Don't get me started on puberty. Serena hasn't even really started hers and she is a mood 24/7 already. I don't know how I will manage." 

"Just send her out to live with the mice in the trailer. That way you won't have to hear her complain how much you embarrass her." 

"I do not embarrass anyone!" I only raised one eyebrow and she eventually cracked and started grinning. 

"Okay. I admit I am not the best mom to have as a teen. But she will have to live with it." 

"She won't have any other choice." I replied smugly. Lilly smacked my shoulder. 

"Hey! I am awesome!" She exclaimed, laughing.

"Tell that to your daughter." She pouted at my comment, and I stood up to hug her from behind before taking our empty mugs and putting them in the sink. 

"You are awesome." I said and Lilly grinned before flicking her dark hair over her shoulder and wriggling her brows at me. 

"You, too." I flashed her a smile. 

We spent the next hour unloading the wood and other equipment from the truck and storing it away in the working shed. 

"Why is it so hot? Jeeez!" Sabrina was fanning her face. She was right. The sun was burning on our shoulders, and I was sweating myself. 

"Not gonna say it's my fault." Our heads whipped around to the deep raspy voice, dropping with smug sarcasm. 

"Sure, it is, Alan. Everything is always your fault. You should know that by now." Lilly said jokingly to the old cowboy. I couldn't stop the grin on my face when I looked at him. He was just as I remembered. A kind face, wrinkles hidden by his grey beard, dark brown eyes under bushy brows, lips almost always quirked up in a smile. He was leaning against the shed that held the tack for the horses. Light jeans, boots, red shirt and his signature dark hat that was so weathered it looked like he had been born with it. He had probably been watching us for a while.