8
Colin brewed coffee, pulled on boots and work clothes, and headed up the slope to join them. He did pack his grab bag and leave it inside the door just in case.
The coffee was taken, appreciated, and drunk while still too hot.
Tori, who was running the chain saw by the time he arrived, didn’t even shut off the saw when she knocked her coffee back like a drug, then returned the mug with the briefest of nods. He almost didn’t recognize her in the soft pre-dawn light. For one thing, she was back in her full helmet and gear. But also, she was in Ginger-mode. She was moving full tilt and nothing was going to break her focus. He knew that feeling and did his best not to feel rejected by her lack of acknowledgement.
She had cleats on her boots and a heavy belt that wrapped around the fir. S
