October 10, 2023 – 12:47 PM
The biggest delivery since her return was finally complete.
For a few moments, nobody moved.
The warehouse, empty only a week ago, now looked completely different.
The shelves stretched from one end of the building to the other.
Dry goods.
Medical supplies.
Kitchen equipment.
Cleaning products.
Seeds.
Agricultural tools.
Every aisle was labeled.
Every pallet sat exactly where it belonged.
Lin slowly turned in a circle.
The echo inside the warehouse was gone.
It had been replaced by the quiet rustle of plastic wrap and the occasional metallic tick as the building settled in the afternoon sun.
She smiled.
A real one.
Outside, the last truck driver climbed into his cab.
The diesel engine rumbled to life.
He leaned out the window.
"Pleasure doing business with you!"
Lin waved.
"Drive safe!"
He sounded the air horn twice before pulling onto the county road.
Jake clapped both hands over his ears.
Then started laughing.
Dave Mitchell tucked a folded set of blueprints under one arm.
He looked around the property one last time.
He let out a long whistle.
"Well..."
He looked at Lin.
"...I think you've officially put me out of a job."
Lin folded her arms.
"You say that like you're disappointed."
Dave grinned.
"Nah."
He pointed toward the warehouse.
"Means I actually finished a project on schedule."
One of his carpenters walked over carrying a toolbox.
"Boss..."
He looked around dramatically.
"...what do we do now?"
Dave scratched his chin.
"Guess we go find somebody less organized."
The crew laughed.
Richard shook Dave's hand.
"Couldn't have done it without you."
Dave shook his head.
"Sure you could."
He nodded toward Lin.
"She had a binder for everything."
Helen laughed.
"Three binders."
Megan added,
"Color-coded."
Dave pointed accusingly at Lin.
"You know how terrifying it is when the customer already has answers before you finish asking the question?"
Lin tried to keep a straight face.
She failed.
"I was prepared."
"Prepared?"
Dave barked a laugh.
"Lady, you had labels for shelves that didn't exist yet."
The construction crew began loading the last of their equipment.
Compressors.
Extension cords.
Ladders.
Portable saws.
The constant noise that had filled the property for weeks slowly faded away.
One truck after another rolled toward the front gate.
Dave climbed into his pickup.
Before closing the door, he leaned back out the window.
"Call me if you build another warehouse."
Lin shook her head.
"I'm taking a break."
Dave laughed.
"I'll believe that when I see it."
He drove through the gate.
The last construction vehicle disappeared down the county road.
Silence settled over the property.
Not empty silence.
Finished silence.
Richard looked around.
It felt strange.
For nearly a month there had always been hammers.
Power tools.
People shouting measurements.
Forklifts.
Deliveries.
Lin let out a slow breath.
General Fang noticed.
"How long have you been running?"
She thought about it.
Planning.
Ordering.
Construction.
Inspections.
Deliveries.
Weeks that had felt like months.
She smiled.
"Long enough."
He nodded once.
"Then stop running for now."
An hour later, Lin carried a bowl of buttered popcorn into the hotel.
No clipboard.
No manifests.
No phone in her hand.
She paused in the lobby.
It was almost unnerving.
Nobody needed anything.
Nobody was waiting for a decision.
Nobody was asking where a pallet belonged.
She walked into the living room.
The afternoon sunlight spilled through the large front windows, warming the hardwood floor.
The room smelled faintly of coffee and the popcorn she had just made.
She dropped onto the couch.
Not gracefully.
Just collapsed.
The cushions practically swallowed her.
She reached for the remote on the coffee table.
Pressed the power button.
The television flickered to life.
A cooking competition.
Two chefs were arguing over mashed potatoes.
Lin stared at the screen.
One chef dramatically declared,
"This gravy will define my career!"
She blinked.
Another contestant accidentally dropped an entire roast onto the floor.
The judges gasped as if civilization itself had ended.
Lin started laughing.
Really laughing.
After weeks of budgets, contractors, permits, and eighteen-wheelers, the greatest crisis on television was overcooked potatoes.
She pulled the blanket over her legs, set the bowl of popcorn beside her, and reached for another handful.
Outside, the farm was quiet.
Inside, the television continued its wonderfully ridiculous argument about gravy.
For the first time since returning to the past.
Lin spent an afternoon doing absolutely nothing.
And it felt magnificent.