In the kitchen, she helped rinse off the plates and load them up into the enormous industrial dishwasher. In between loads, she managed to eat her lunch in big bites. She was famished and loved every bite.
Finally, the crowd thinned out and they were able to finish clearing the tables and wash up the rest of the dishes.
“Did anyone see Travis?” she asked as she began the process of storing the leftovers in Tupperware containers.
“No, can’t say I did,” Rosie answered.
Stacey glopped some mashed potatoes into a plastic container and shook her head. “Eric said Travis was busy working on something in his office and he said he’d eat later. ”
Katie frowned a little. “Any idea what he is working on?”
Stacey thought for a second then nodded. “Eric said when he went by with Pepe, Travis was studying some stuff Jason had left off for him to look at. Plans for weapons or something like that. ”
“Well, since we’re pretty much done here, I’m going to take some leftovers to him then,” Katie decided.
With a nod of her head, Rosie handed her a clean plate. “Go take care of that boy. If it wasn’t for him, none of us would be here right now. ”
Smiling slightly at this, Katie took the plate and quickly served what she hoped was man-size portions for Travis.
Stacey was eating some cobbler now. She was gaining weight and looking better than she had when she had first arrived at the fort. For being so small, she ate more than someone would expect. “What do you mean, Rosie?”
“Travis is the one that had the trucks made into a wall to protect us.
That is why the zombies never got in,” Rosie answered.
“Thank God for that or we wouldn’t have had anywhere to go,”
Stacey said thoughtfully. “Weird how things work out. ”
“Plus, he is very good looking. If only I were younger,” Rosie said with a wink.
A secretive smile broke out on Katie’s face as she covered the plate with foil.
“Oh, yes!” Gretchen’s voice affirmed. “Isn’t he handsome? I remember when he moved to town and all the girls would just stare at him. I always thought he had a thing for Brenda. ” Gretchen’s voice got soft, then she said, “Poor Brenda. Did they ever figure out how to get her body down?”
“I think they’re gonna use a hook on the end of a broom to drag her off the anti-suicide net,” Roger answered. “No one is going to want to see her up there during the party. ”
“She was always so sweet,” Gretchen sighed. “Always checking out romance novels from the library and waiting for Prince Charming to come. ”
“That’s really sad,” Stacey said softly.
“Yeah, when Travis came to town, she thought he was the one. She told me all about him when she was checking out her books. It’s sad how he found her body. ” Gretchen shook her head. “It’s a sad world. ”
Stacey picked up another biscuit and slowly pulled it apart. “At least some of us are still alive. ”
“Thank God for that!” Rosie exclaimed, and yanked open the huge refrigerator to store the leftovers away.
Listening to the conversation, Katie could only feel sad for the young woman who had been so enamored with Travis. It was yet another painful reminder of all the dreams and hopes that had died with so many on the first days.
Katie slipped out of the kitchen and headed out into the construction site. It seemed so empty without all the people milling around. It looked more like a construction site now and less like a refugee camp.
She shrugged her shoulders under the thin straps of her tank top and hurried toward the portable building that housed Travis’ office.
Moving up to the door, she knocked and waited for an answer.
Her smile broadened on her face as she realized how much she was anticipating seeing Travis. Now that she had actually allowed herself to embrace her feelings for him, she was actually getting butterflies in her stomach. She felt girlie and silly, but was enjoying it all the same.
She hadn’t felt this way since she had first met Lydia. That memory was bittersweet, but too sweet to be denied. After her initial meeting with Lydia, she had been so hyper she had danced around her apartment for an hour. And when Lydia had called to ask her out, she had jumped on her bed with excitement.