eye. “I was thinking, I need to be more responsible around the house and stuff.”
Wynn carefully put down the mixing bowls she’d just unpacked and tried not to shriek, You are an alien! What have you done with my son?
“In what way?” she asked, careful to keep her tone conversational rather than incredulous.
“Like I said, I’m older now and I should be a more well-rounded human being. Maybe help out in the community.”
She busied herself flattening the box so her shock wouldn’t show. “Okay, what does that mean in English?”
Hunter laughed. “I want to start volunteering, Mom. You know, doing some good. I want to talk to Carol and see if she needs help at the animal preserve. My science class went there last semester after the baby giraffe was born. It was supercool.”
“Carol always has work for volunteers,” she told him. “She holds orientation classes every few months, and people sign up to help feed the animals or clean up after them. It’s not glamorous work.”
Hunter surprised her by smiling. “Mom, if it was glamorous, they wouldn’t need volunteers.”
“Let’s go there over the holiday break,” she said. “You can talk to her and get a feel for the work. If you still want to volunteer after that, we’ll look into the necessary steps.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
The dryer buzzed. Wynn left Hunter unpacking the rest of their purchases. She walked into the laundry room and put the clean sheets into the basket and moved the towels from the washer to the dryer.
Once she’d started the dryer, she went into what would be Joylyn’s room and started making the bed. The sheets were soft and the pillows fluffy. Wynn smoothed the blanket into place, then tucked in the edges and reached for the comforter. She’d just flipped it onto the bed when Garrick walked into the bedroom.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at her.
He looked good, she thought, taking in the dark hair, gray eyes and the perfectly fitting uniform. Really good. Swoon-worthy good.
Nerve endings started a conga line in her belly and began hopping and cheering all through her body. Heat flared, not wanting the nerves to get all the attention.
“Hi, yourself,” she managed to say, pleased that her voice didn’t crack.
“I was able to move a few things around on my calendar and get home a little earlier than I’d thought.” He smiled again. “I still can’t believe you took off work to help me with the delivery.”
She smiled. “Happy to do it. So far, no large truck has pulled into the driveway, so you haven’t missed the excitement.”
“Let me go change my clothes, and I’ll join you to finish up what needs to be done.”
She nodded, afraid that if she tried to speak she would offer to help with the whole changing thing, and that would just be embarrassing for both of them. Well, not if he didn’t say no, but what were the odds?
Once he’d left, she drew in a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, then went back to work on the bed. With the throw pillows in place, she folded a blanket across the foot and smoothed it.
The space was calming, she thought. Light came in through two large windows. The bed frame was beautiful, the bedding complementing the exquisite carving. There was plenty of storage space in the dresser, and Wynn had remembered to buy hangers on Sunday so the closet was good to go. Joylyn had a TV on her dresser and a nice desk in the corner where Wynn had placed a couple of paper turkeys along with a little fabric gourd to remind Joylyn of the season.
Across the way, the bathroom looked welcoming. There were new rugs in front of the sink and the toilet. Soap, body wash and a loofah were placed on the shelf in the walk-in shower. She still had to hang the prints they’d bought and add the towels when they were out of the dryer, but otherwise, the bathroom was practically picture perfect.
She returned to the kitchen. Hunter had finished unpacking everything.
“I’m going to take the boxes out to the recycling bin,” he said, picking up the stack.
“Thanks. After that, would you like to head home?”
He glanced longingly toward their place. “I have homework I want to do before dinner.”
“Then go do it and thank you for your help.”
He grinned at her and bolted for the back door. Wynn chuckled as she began measuring shelf paper.
“Put me to work,” Garrick told her as he walked into the kitchen.
She ignored