red hill - jamie mcguire

Chapter Fifteen
Nathan
JOY SLOWLY KNEELED ON THE floor to help Walter with his boots. He was sweaty from the near
jogging he did on the return trip. She grunted each time she pulled, until she finally had them both off.
Walter sat back in his chair. “Can I get a glass of water, dear I’m parched.”
“Yes,” Joy said, curious. “You look like you were chased back.”
Zoe watched us from the other side of the room, glancing out the sliding glass door once in a
while. After Joy’s comment, Zoe’s eyes seemed to scan every blade of grass outside. The door
looked over the patio, and into a room on the other side of the house. The bedroom opened to the
backyard with a sliding glass door, too, but was concealed by the ugliest curtains I’d ever seen.
“It’s okay, Zoe. They’re all still on the highway.”
Joy sat two glasses of water on the kitchen table, and then she put her hands on her hips. “Well I
think we’ve been patient enough, right, Zoe”
Zoe turned away from the glass just long enough to nod, and then returned to her watch.
Walter cleared his throat, and then gestured to our bags. “We got some supplies. It was getting late
and sugar britches over there wouldn’t leave without his pantyhose.”
Joy frowned in confusion, and then waited for me to explain.
“They’re good for lots of things. I’m not going to wear them. Well, actually, I might, if it gets cold.
Good insulation.”
Joy and Walter were content to watch me talk myself into humiliation.
“What” I said. “I was a Boy Scout.”
Walter laughed once. “And all this time they’ve been worried about the gays infiltrating their
organization, and they’re teaching lulu things like that.”
“I think my leader was a closet survivalist, too. I learned a lot from him.”
“Pantyhose” Walter said in disbelief, his voice going up an octave.
I shrugged. “You don’t worry about what you’re wearing if you’re warm.”
“Then I’ll be toasty all winter,” Joy said. Her expression immediately softened when she turned to
Zoe. “Come on, peanut. I bet Princess is getting mighty hungry.”
Zoe nodded and followed her outside.
Walter and I moved to the front porch, sitting in the rocking chairs and discussing our next move.
We decided we would try again for Jesse’s the next day. We also needed to fill the gas cans. Walter
didn’t seem to be in a hurry, even though I reminded him we would be leaving before long. He
pretended he didn’t hear me.
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