Someone has to monitor them, clear debris, make repairs when needed. If this town wants to survive, people need to work together. Morrison nodded. Holden's right. We're forming a committee to oversee the water system.
We need volunteers. Hands started going up. Not everyone, but enough. Enough to make Evelyn think that maybe something had shifted in Dust Hollow. That maybe near death had reminded people what mattered.
The meeting went on for another hour, covering logistics and responsibilities and plans for the future. Evelyn only half listened, her mind elsewhere. She was thinking about the woman who'd insulted her in the store, wondering if she was here tonight, wondering if the old man had kept his promise to tell his wife the truth. When the meeting finally ended, people started filing out. A few approached the Veils to shake hands and offer thanks.
Others left quickly, avoiding eye contact. And a small group lingered near the door, watching with expressions that were hard to read. Evelyn recognized one of them. The woman from the store. She was older up close, with lines around her mouth that spoke of a lifetime of frowning.
Her husband stood beside her. The old man who'd spoken up at the ranch. He said something to her, too quiet for Evelyn to hear. And the woman's face went through a series of emotions. Resistance, stubbornness, and finally, something that might have been shame.
She crossed the room toward Evelyn with slow, reluctant steps. When she reached her, she stopped and looked Evelyn in the eye. I was wrong about you. Evelyn waited. I said cruel things, made assumptions that weren't fair, and I'm She struggled with the word.
I'm sorry. It wasn't eloquent. It wasn't even particularly sincere. But it was something. Your husband said you saved his granddaughter's life, the woman continued.
That's not something I can ignore. I didn't save her. Evelyn said quietly. We just moved some dirt. You did more than that.
And I I should have known better than to judge you. Evelyn looked at this woman, this hard, bitter woman who'd made her feel small and worthless, and felt something unexpected. Not forgiveness, exactly, but understanding. Because she recognized that bitterness. Had carried it herself for 3 years.
Knew how it grew when you were scared and hurt and looking for someone to blame. People do what they have to do to survive, Evelyn said. Sometimes that means being cruel. I get it. The woman's eyes widened slightly.