Building on Love

Chapter 2

2

Chloe swept three cockroaches out of the large tent with one swift move. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. No more than two cockroaches at a time,” she called as they scuttled away into the night.

She laughed as she turned back to the volunteers, many of whom were still crouched on whichever bunk bed had been closest when the insects had been discovered. It was obvious who the long timers were; they hadn’t batted an eye. The newly married couple who had arrived last week, however, had leaped onto the closest bunk and were still crouched there, their gazes scanning the floor, as if expecting an army of cockroaches to materialize.

Truthfully, it wasn’t completely farfetched, but the critters were more annoying than dangerous.

“Who’s up for one more round?” a woman asked from the card table that had been set up between the beds. Kara Jones shuffled the cards as if she’d worked in Vegas casinos rather than her family’s small-town hardware store. She had arrived several months earlier with her husband and twin boys. They’d adjusted quickly, having just come from a different organization that served Cambodia. There were certainly differences in Thailand, but not enough to make for a difficult adjustment. They had already gotten used to working in the heat, no running water, and playing cards by solar-powered lanterns. Thank goodness it was now January and considerably cooler. It wasn’t cold by any means, but at least they weren’t covered in sweat twenty-four hours a day.

“I’ll play,” her boys called at the same time. The fifteen-year-old twins popped up from behind one of the beds. Each held a flashlight, no doubt searching for more cockroaches. They both wore impish grins, freckles dotting their cheeks. Randy, the elder brother by two minutes, zoned in on one of the beds and leaped forward. Throwing himself to the ground, he yelled, “Gotcha.”

Five more cockroaches ran from their hiding place, attempting to escape the light. More shrieks erupted from the tent, and the married couple, who had just joined Kara at the card table, leaped from their chairs and flew back to the bunk they’d just left.

Will, the other twin, snatched the broom from where Chloe had leaned it against the tent, and swept the cockroaches out. After securing the door, he and Randy fist bumped, then joined their mom at the table. Their dad, Rick, sat on his bed, reading, merely throwing his boys an amused smile before returning to his book.

Chloe joined them at the card table. “I’ll play a round.” She glanced at the couple, who hadn’t yet descended from the bed. “You in?”

They shared a glance, and then the wife pretended to stifle a yawn. “It’s been a long day. We should probably get some rest.”

“No problem,” Chloe said, turning back to Kara, who was giving her a knowing smile. They wouldn’t make a big deal out of it because it wasn’t an easy thing, leaving everyone you knew, giving up modern conveniences, and living in a giant tent with twenty other people you’d just barely met.

“You think we’ll be finishing the huts on time?” Kara asked as she dealt out the hand.

Chloe wished she could say yes, but they had just lost three volunteers and gained five brand new ones. Things went slower when she needed to split her attention between work and training. Most people who joined their small group didn’t have experience with construction. Kara and her family were the exception.

“Maybe,” she hedged. They needed to finish twelve huts and hadn’t even started on another five. Hey, it could happen.

But Kara knew better and smirked. “That’s a no.” She hesitated. “I only ask because I talked to my son a few days ago—you know, the one who took over the hardware store.” Chloe nodded. “Well, it’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen him, and he said he’s finally going to be able to come out and see us. I told him he should wait until April. I’d like for him to be here for Songkran, but I wasn’t sure if we’d still be here or will have moved on by the time he arrives.”

Oh. Even with April being a few months away, it wasn’t the best time to lose another four of her best volunteers. That would be right before their deadline—she’d promised the villagers they’d finish before the Thai New Year, Songkran.

Kara and her family had worked hard, though, and deserved a vacation. To travel the country and eat food that didn’t come shrink-wrapped. Travis would of course need to drive them to the airport, which would mean she’d lose her right-hand man for the day, but there wasn’t any getting around it. At least then he could pick up fresh meat and fruit at the market while he was there. It was two hours away, so he normally only made it there a couple of times a month.

Chloe didn’t want Kara to feel bad about taking time off to see her son, so she tried to sound upbeat as she said, “I think we’ll probably still be here. Are you going to visit Pukket or stay more north? Bangkok is worth a visit, but Chiang Rai is my favorite, if you want a less touristy experience.”

Kara raised an eyebrow. “We’re not leaving you.”

“You aren’t?” Was it that obvious that Chloe had been inwardly freaking out? “We’d be okay—”

Kara was already shaking her head. “You need us. And not only that, my son wants to help. He’s not the touristy kind of guy and wouldn’t be happy if we dragged him all over the country. That would be t*****e for him.”

Randy and Will laughed, nodding in agreement.

“He’d rather swim back home than deal with tourists. We get enough of those in Starlight Ridge,” Will said.

Randy waved his cards in the air. “Are we going to play or what?”

Not only was Chloe not losing Kara and her family for two weeks, she would be gaining another experienced volunteer. This meant there was hope they’d finish on time.

“I can’t say I’m not relieved,” Chloe said, picking a card from the deck and motioning for Will to take his turn. “We’re happy to have him as long as he wants to stay. Have him fly from Bangkok into Nan, and Travis can pick him up. Did you want to go with and meet him at the airport?”

Kara fingered the edge of one of her cards, seeming to think about it. “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “I guess it depends on how things are going here in the village.”

Chloe gave a slight nod, just grateful to have the help. She had started this service organization six years earlier, and it had grown to the point that she wondered if she should start hiring and expanding so they could help in multiple locations at once. She just couldn’t keep up with everything anymore, and Travis was the only one on her payroll.

It was a small comfort that in four months she’d have an extra set of hands for a week or two, but at this point, she’d take anything she could get. And who knew, maybe by that point, her volunteers would have gotten over their fear of cockroaches.

Maybe.