Why Not Tonight (Happily Inc. #3)(64)

Bethany whimpered. “Why are you rubbing that in?”

“A future sister-in-law’s prerogative.”

“How are you feeling?” Natalie asked Pallas. “You’re eating more.”

“I’m so much better. Thanks for asking. My body has accepted the pregnancy, at least for now, and I’m spending much less time heaving up my guts. Fingers crossed it continues.”

“And with that appetizing note,” Wynn murmured as everyone laughed.

The lunch went on another hour. When it was time for them all to leave, they helped carry everything back to the animal preserve offices. Natalie hung back to talk to Silver for a second.

“I wanted to let you know I’m not pregnant,” she said when the others had left. “I saw my doctor and I’m on birth control. You were great and I appreciate the support.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I wondered, but then when I didn’t hear anything, I figured all was well.”

“It is now.” Natalie shook her head. “I got off lucky. I know that. I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Good.” Silver hugged her. “Having a baby changes everything. It’s a huge decision that should be made thoughtfully.”

There was something in the way she said the words, Natalie thought, then told herself she was imagining things.

*

RONAN STEPPED OUT of the shower in the studio bathroom. He’d put in a long day of work and was pleased with the progress being made on his commission. Things were going so well he was actually a little ahead of schedule.

There’d been a change in his work, he thought as he dried off and started to dress. He was more focused. He could clearly see what needed to be done. It had been a long time since he’d been so inspired.

He knew he had Natalie to thank for that. Not just being with her, but also being around her. She was an open, gentle spirit. She saw the best in people and somehow she’d managed to share a little of that with him. She’d made him see that he needed to be with his brothers, needed their energy to unleash his own creative forces. Which all sounded way too out there, but it was true.

He’d missed Mathias and Nick. Had missed working with them. When they were around, he was less in his head, which was probably much better for everyone.

He hung his towel, then walked back into the studio, only to find Natalie waiting for him. She shifted her weight impatiently.

“Finally,” she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the door. “You took forever.”

“It wasn’t five minutes.”

“Really? Because it felt like at least ten.” She walked over to his truck and waited for him to open the passenger door.

“I take it we’re going somewhere.”

“Duh. To the recycling center. We have to get moving on our bridge piece.”

“Nick, Mathias and I have it handled. We’re using the car as the basis and the theme is ‘coming and going.’ You don’t need to worry about it. You’re busy with your own stuff.”

“I finished the flowers for the wedding and I’m working on a mixed-media piece to clear my head before I start on the flowers for Atsuko, so I have time. Not to be too judgy, but what you guys have done is okay but it needs pizzazz.”

“Aka junk?”

“Not junk.” She settled on the passenger seat. “Dazzle.”

“Uh-huh. I’ve seen your dazzle before and I’m not sure we should be flashing that in public.”

She flushed and laughed. He circled around to the driver’s side and they were off to the county trash and recycling center on the far side of the animal preserve.

Happily Inc had one of the most successful recycling programs in the country. All trash was sorted and nearly all of it was recycled, sold or composted. Only a tiny fraction went into the landfill.

The food waste was combined with the droppings from the animals at the preserve into an excellent fertilizer that was sold at cost. Many of the farmers in central California had banded together to hire a truck to deliver the fertilizer to their farms. The material was organic and of a much higher quality than anything they could buy elsewhere, and by working together, they kept costs down.

He bypassed the poo storage and circled around to the recycling center. It was a busy place. Ed and Ted Lund, two brothers interested in waste management and saving animals, had contracts with two of California’s largest prisons. Through a work-release program, former inmates learned everything from the ins and outs of working at a recycling facility to how to repair small appliances and discarded furniture. The repaired items were sold in a very busy store and proceeds went back into upgrading the dump.

Natalie walked through the store without glancing at anything and passed through an open doorway with a sign saying Free above it.

Of course, Ronan thought, telling himself he shouldn’t be surprised. He would guess she was also a big fan of garage sales and “free to good home” items left on curbs.

She was nothing if not methodical. Natalie grabbed a shopping basket and started on the left side of the room, slowly making her way up and down the aisles. She stopped at what looked like the wheels from a couple of old wheelbarrows and picked up one of them.

“It fits the ‘coming and going’ theme,” she said. “Too on the nose?”