The hammer came down on the nail head with a clean, solid ring.
Bryce straightened and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his wrist. The afternoon sun had moved past its worst, but the air inside the cabin frame still held the day’s heat. Fresh timber leaned against one wall, sawdust covered the floor, and the window opening he’d spent most of the morning framing finally sat square.
He reached for another stud and caught sight of the faint red smear still marking the collar of yesterday’s shirt where it hung over a sawhorse.
Three washes and the lipstick had won.
The glitter was worse.
He picked up the hammer again.
An engine carried across the paddock.
Bryce looked up as the Ironstone ute came along the track toward the hay shed. Grant was driving. Elara sat beside him.
He set the hammer down.
Grant climbed out first.
“Still standing.”
“Barely.”
Grant grinned. “I heard Adele nearly blinded you with glitter.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Elara came around the ute carrying a plastic container.
“Stew.”
Bryce looked at it.
“You came over here to bring me food?”
“We were coming past.”
Grant was already looking toward the cabin.
“And I wanted to see how this thing’s going.”
Bryce took the container from Elara.
“Thanks.”
Grant walked toward the frame without waiting for permission, looking up at the rafters.
“You’ve got a fair bit done.”
“Still a fair bit left.”
Grant stepped through the doorway opening and disappeared inside.
Elara stayed where she was.
Bryce looked at her.
“What?”
She folded her arms.
“How are you feeling?”
“Hungry, apparently.”
“I’m serious.”
He glanced toward the cabin.
Grant was somewhere inside, tapping at something he had no business tapping at.
Elara lowered her voice.
“After the party.”
Bryce rubbed the back of his neck.
“Fine.”
“Piper?”
He looked at her.
“I wanted to sleep. She didn’t want to leave.”
“I know.”
“You and Adele fixed that.”
Elara nodded.
“She was upset.”
“Yeah.”
Bryce looked down at the container in his hands.
“I found out why at breakfast.”
Elara gave a small nod.
“Grant turning her down.”
“Made more sense after that.”
For a moment neither of them said anything.
Then Elara glanced at his shirt hanging over the sawhorse.
“And the rest of it?”
Bryce followed her eyes.
“The vandalism?”
Her mouth twitched.
“You could have stopped us.”
“I know.”
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Alright.”
That was apparently enough for her.
From inside the cabin came Grant’s voice.
“Bryce, is this wall staying here?”
“It’s holding the roof up.”
A pause.
“Right. Good place for it, then.”
Elara laughed.
Grant appeared in the doorway a moment later.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He looked between them.
“You two talking about me?”
“Mostly your structural expertise.”
Grant ignored that and stepped outside.
“So. You survive the party alright?”
Bryce looked at Elara.
“She already asked.”
“Of course she did.”
Grant leaned against one of the posts.
Bryce looked at him.
“Breakfast filled in a few blanks.”
Grant’s expression changed just enough.
“Piper?”
“Among other things.”
Grant nodded.
Bryce glanced between him and Elara.
“So you two really are alright with all that.”
“All what?” Grant asked.
Bryce gave him a look.
Grant laughed.
“Yeah. We are.”
Elara rested one shoulder against the frame.
“We’ve been like this a long time.”
Bryce thought about Grant disappearing with Piper. Adele and Elara coming into the lounge together. The way people had moved around one another all night without anyone acting surprised.
“Right.”
Grant watched him for a second.
“You bothered by it?”
“No.”
“Confused?”
“A bit.”
“That’s fair.”
Bryce looked toward Elara.
“And everyone knows?”
“The people who need to,” she said.
Grant nodded toward him.
“Now you do.”
Bryce picked a splinter from the edge of the container lid.
“So the party wasn’t exactly unusual.”
Grant smiled.
“Depends which part.”
Bryce laughed.
“I mean the people.”
“Mostly friends,” Elara said.
“Some of them have been coming around for years,” Grant added.
Bryce nodded.
That fit what he had already seen.
Grant pushed away from the post.
“Callan and Mauve are having a fire next weekend. Smaller crowd.”
“Just dinner, drinks, fire,” Elara said.
Grant looked at Bryce.
“You should come.”
Bryce raised an eyebrow.
“Another party?”
“Not like the last one.”
“No tequila education?” Bryce asked.
Elara smiled.
“No promises.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
Grant grinned.
“Come anyway.”
Bryce looked toward the cabin, then back at them.
“Yeah. Alright.”
Grant nodded once.
“Good.”
Elara pushed away from the frame.
“We should get moving.”
Grant headed toward the ute.
“Stew’s in the container. Don’t let it go to waste.”
“I won’t.”
Elara followed him, then stopped beside the passenger door.
“Bryce.”
“Yeah?”
“I put extra pepper in it.”
He looked at the container.
“You remembered?”
“You complained last time there wasn’t enough.”
“I didn’t complain.”
“You definitely complained.”
Bryce smiled.
“Thanks.”
She climbed into the ute.
Grant started the engine and raised a hand through the open window as they pulled away.
Bryce carried the stew back toward the cabin.
The hammer was still lying where he had left it.
He set the container on the sawhorse, picked the hammer up, and went back to work.