the safety of the porch made her chest tighten, but it was time. If she wasn’t going to do anything but sit in a trailer, she might as well be back at the center.
“Okay.” She took several deep breaths and stopped just short of leaving the porch steps.
“You haven’t seen the back sides of the trailers yet,” Josh said. “They’re not all just alike. Sophie’s place here is a two bedroom, but that one”—he pointed—“is a three bedroom. The snowbirds that come in late October to winter and rent that trailer are the Howard couple. They make quilts while they’re here. They each use a bedroom as a craft room.”
Emma didn’t even realize she was off the porch and on the ground until they had passed that trailer and he was pointing at the next one. “This one is a lot like your place, only the bedrooms are on either end of the trailer. The Johnston couple stay here. They’re into making Christmas tree ornaments from wood, mostly scrub oak, that they find out there in the desert.” He waved toward the land between the park and the mountains.
“Christmas tree ornaments?” She could hardly believe that she was walking beside a man and didn’t feel like running away and hiding, or that she was enjoying the short trip around the trailers.
“Yep, they sell them online,” he answered. “He’s got a little scroll saw and she’s pretty good at painting them.”
“Who stays in Sophie’s trailer in the winter?” she asked.
“The Bluestones from up north in one of the Dakotas. They collect bird feathers and make jewelry out of them,” he answered.
There went any hope of Emma renting it on a permanent basis like Filly and Arty did. She was amazed that the thought even entered her head, but if she was going to be independent like Victoria said, she would need to find a place of her own and a job.
“This is my place. It’s the smallest of all the trailers and only has one bedroom. I’m more comfortable in small places than big ones,” Josh said.
“Did you grow up in a huge house?” Emma asked.
Josh nodded. “It overwhelmed me, so when I bought this place, I chose the smallest of the trailers, and I’ve never regretted it.”
She could well understand what he was saying. She wouldn’t regret living in a trailer the rest of her life, either. “I was raised in a huge house, too. I had my own suite of rooms on the second floor, and my nanny had her own rooms right next to mine. The house has always overpowered me . . . ,” she said, “or maybe it overwhelmed me. Whatever the word is, I’ve always wanted something small.
“I wanted to build one of those tiny houses, but my mother said no,” she continued. “You’ve got a table back here, too. Is this where you work?”
“Sometimes,” he answered, “when I don’t need to be by myself. On the other days, I take my equipment out toward the mountains and work out there.”
They rounded the curve, and Josh whispered, “This is Filly’s place. She and Arty live here permanently. I’m glad they do. They’re like grandparents to me.”
“Oh, my!” Emma gasped when she saw dozens of hummingbird feeders hanging across the back of the long trailer.
“That’s where we get the name,” Josh explained in a serious tone. “Hummingbird Trailer Park is located on Hummingbird Lane. In most places, that species shows up in the spring and then migrates in the winter, but we’re just far enough south that we have them all year. We buy sugar in twenty-five-pound bags so we can keep them happy.”
“What’s with the long table and chairs?” Emma asked.
“That’s where Filly works when the weather is nice. She loves company, so anytime you feel like it, just pop around here and watch her paint.” Josh kept walking.
“And this last one is Arty’s place. You can see that he has a workbench. He does metal art, and he has a welder to help with some of it. Things get pretty messy in our backyards, but it doesn’t matter. We’re all artists of one kind or another.” He rounded the end of Arty’s trailer. “And that’s our supper table. Want to sit awhile?”
Emma covered a yawn with her hand. “Maybe another time. I’m really sleepy right now. Thank you for the tour.”
“You are very welcome. I’ll walk you to your porch, since you ain’t too fond of the dark,” he said.