Page 106 of Chasing the Sun

It really was.

Austin’s gaze flicked across the gathering crowd, and I caught the subtle way his eyes lingered when they landed on Elodie’s sister Selene. The flicker of something unreadable before he masked it with an easy grin.

Interesting.

I filed that away to ask Elodie about it later and focused on the task in front of us.

I slapped my hands on my knees as I stood. “Well, that barn isn’t going to build itself.”

“Helping the enemy?” Brody asked with a raised eyebrow.

My molars clenched as I fought a sly smile. “We’ve come to an understanding.”

Namely, not talking about the fact the fate of the farm was still in the air while I fucked her senseless.

Together we walked toward the fray, each of the men splintering off to make themselves useful. Elodie was right in the middle of it, bright and buzzing, short sleeves rolled up, hair pulled back, a smudge already streaked across her cheek. She was pure light and energy, and Ididn’t think she even realized how everyone gravitated toward her.

She caught me looking and reached for the coffee mug I offered her. “Thank you.” When she saw the foam and caramel swirl on top, her eyes flew to mine. “You remembered?”

I winked at her, and her cheeks flamed a pretty shade of pink.

Without another word, we got to work.

Lumber moved like clockwork, hands gripping beams, steadying posts, securing frames. The morning air filled with the rhythmic thunk of hammers and the steady murmur of voices. It was an old way of doing things, but an honest way. No heavy machinery. Just sweat, skill, and the knowledge passed down from one generation to the next.

I found my rhythm in the work, the solid weight of wood beneath my palms, the satisfying scrape of nails biting into grain. It was grounding, losing myself in something that required precision but not thought.

Levi worked beside one of the Amish men, his face set in quiet concentration as he listened to the instructions given to him. His movements were careful, his posture straighter than usual, like he was trying to prove himself.

Something in my chest tightened.

My kid belongs here.

I wasn’t sure when it had happened—when the sullen, angry boy who had been adrift in Star Harbor had started settling in, but it was finally happening. I could see it in the way he worked, in the way he bantered with the guys, in the way he bumped fists with Austin like they’d known each other for longer than a few weeks.

And I had no idea what the fuck to do with that. Any lingering thoughts of moving on, or dumping the inn towork in a restaurant, evaporated. Levi needed to be here, even if that meant me fully letting go of the last thread of my own dreams.

For him, I would do anything.

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

I turned to see Elodie. She was standing on the outskirts of the barn, hands on her hips, calling out for a break. “If I don’t force you people to eat, you’ll drop before the barn is even finished,” she called out with a grin. “And I am not explaining that to your wives or mothers.”

A rumble of laughter rippled through the crowd.

All morning, the Amish women had been working just as steadily. In partnership with the Keepers, they had set up long wooden tables covered with linen. The spread was simple but rich—warm bread, roasted chicken, fresh preserves, and thick slabs of pie.

I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I smelled it.

Apparently I also hadn’t realized how determined Elodie was to make me eat until she was dragging me toward one of the tables. I sat, more to appease her than anything else, but the second she set a plate in front of me, my stomach twisted in protest.

She rolled her eyes, settling beside me on the bench. “Don’t make that face.”

I frowned. “What face?”

Her smile widened. “The one that says you think sitting down and having lunch is some kind of personal weakness.”

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head.