**Well, I suppose that anyone can get along - now and then - a little, anyway...
O_o
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Now that he was finally alone, Joshua got out of bed and walked to the "bathroom" for a minute before making his way to the coffeemaker. That had been a few minutes of mild torture – waking up with a full bladder, the erection from that, and not being able to do anything about it. He supposed that he ought to consider himself lucky that no one had expected a long conversation from him, but he did feel a little better for beginning an apology.
Armed with a cup of coffee, he was back in front of the mirror and shaving inside of a minute.
He had almost settled into "automatic pilot" mode, but his visitors a little earlier kept coming to mind. He liked them both – he couldn't help it. He was a little sad that he likely wouldn't ever get to know them beyond seeing them around the place while he tried to get things done for Rosie.
"It sucks to be you," he told his reflection.
The fact that he'd met a gorgeous woman who'd wanted to kill him was at least momentarily amusing from this morning's perspective.
He almost cut himself when he'd smiled then, since he felt a lot better today and much more like his usual self. He'd leave Rosie with the place looking its best and then he'd be gone. He had his own troubles. And there wasn't anybody who could help him with them. They were just little things - like what the hell he was going to do for a living soon? He wasn't agonizing over it and he had a few options, but it was there all the same. He also wondered if the ghosts that he carried would ever leave him alone.
He thought that Jillian was the sweetest little girl that he'd ever seen in his life and Kayla, well, that was a kind of beauty that somebody like him just never came into contact with. Now that she wasn't glaring daggers at him, he recognized that he was human enough to think for a second that just maybe he might have a little better than a snowball's chance in Hell with her.
He tossed that thought as he looked in the mirror and saw what the world had always seen when anyone had looked at him.
"It really sucks to be you."
Cleaning off the remnants of his shaving foam, he drew as much of a mouthful of the hot coffee as he could and swallowed it – eventually. It was in preparation for brushing his teeth. Joshua shaved every morning when he could and brushed his teeth without fail, but he absolutely hated what toothpaste did to the taste of coffee.
He grabbed some more of his clothes and got some laundry started. Pulling on some clean jeans and tugging a T-shirt over his head, he poured himself a second cup and began to make a list of the groceries that he'd need from now on. With that done, he made his bed. It was something that hadn't come to him naturally, but his time in the service had fixed this habit in him.
Done with his coffee, he trotted down the inside stairs, and slipped outside. He was careful to close the hasp on the doors. The driving shed was no place for a small child. He was just climbing into his truck when Rose came around the front.
"Joshua Taylor, don't you believe in answering when somebody wishes you a good morning?" Rose asked sternly.
"I'm sorry Rosie, I didn't hear you. Good morning." Josh replied.
"Where are you going this early in the day?" Rosie demanded.
"Look, Rosie. I know you have some family here now, and, ... well I don't feel like butting in all the time. I was going to get some groceries. I've got the little kitchen fixed up in the loft now, and I can pretty much live out of there when I'm not working. I won't disturb you that way." Josh explained.
"You finished the kitchen up there? I want to see that! Come on and show me." Rose said, and she began to walk toward the shed. Josh sighed and gave up his attempt at slipping away unnoticed. He fell into step with her.
Kayla was just inside the door of the bunkhouse. She let out a breath and began to sweep again but then stopped as a thought came to her. Joshua had been about to leave. She'd been a little hopeful that they could iron out what had happened the previous day over the neutral ground of the breakfast table, but he plainly had other plans. She decided that she couldn't blame him much between yesterday and how he'd woken up.
Once they got up the inside stairs, Rose looked around with approval. "Looks great to me, but what about walls, inside walls?"
Josh replied, "It's kind of open concept. It's not formal or anything. I can put in some walls where they're needed. The only ones that have to be there are the ones holding up the plumbing and the little counter. Why don't you decide what kind of apartment this should be and I'll wall it that way? Everything is hooked up now, so I can do it any way that you decide." Josh suggested, "I'll put up the wall studs and wire the place and then I'll drywall it."
"I see you've got about two cups worth left in that coffee maker. Why don't we talk, you and I?" Rose said. Joshua shrugged.
When they were seated, Rose began "Joshua, I owe you a great big apology. Left to your own devices, you and my niece spent an hour or so yesterday demonstrating what strong-willed adversaries you can be. A lot of that was my fault because I didn't tell either one of you that the other one would be here. I did have my reasons. If I had told you that she was coming, you'd have reacted much like you're reacting now – by retreating because you feel uncomfortable about it. I know you're shy, Joshua Taylor. Everyone who knows you is well aware of that."
Josh looked at his cup. Rosie's got a full head of steam up today, he thought.
"And Kayla wouldn't have come if she'd known there was a man working around the place and keeping odd hours. She's very protective of Jillian. And she's got a right. Joshua, I feel the need to have what's left of my family around me now, so I can help them where I can. That way I can feel useful around here again. I think you can understand that.
My niece needs a place for a new start, Jillian needs a place to be a child in and an apartment in Phoenix is not that place. We can do this Joshua, you and I, because whether you realize it or not, you became a part of my family nine years ago in that house over there. I expect you to remain a part of my family, and my family eats meals together, don't we?" Rosie finally wound down.
"Come on, Joshua." Rose's eyes had lost the fire they'd had. "At the very least, that little girl needs some kind of male figure in her life for right now, and my Sam's gone. Just be nice to them while you're here. That's all I ask."
Josh looked up and opened his mouth. "What?" asked Rose.
"Never mind. I was about to say something very stupid, and very hurtful to your niece if she were here. I've already got enough to apologize for. Forget it, Rosie. I'll help where I can. The kid twisted my heart in a knot last night when she hugged me."
Rose smiled. "What were you going to say?"
He shook his head. "Please, it was just a childish swipe. And I regret thinking it, even if I didn't speak the thought - which I now regret telling you that I'd had." said Josh quietly.
"We speak plainly around here, Joshua Taylor," said Rose in mock gravity.
"Ok, just remember that you forced it out of me. I was going to ask what had happened to Jillian's original 'male figure', and then I was going to ask if he'd been tossed out of the picture for being considered too dumb." Josh said regretfully.
