Chapter 14
Even though he helped nearly every day for three weeks, Etan was amazed at how quickly the cannery was ready to open. Six years of neglect created an intimidating layer of dust, but not nearly as much damage as Alex and everyone else feared.
A few days of hard scrubbing had the stainless steel tables, cauldrons for cooking down huge batches of fruit or vegetables, ranges, and pressure canners spotless and gleaming. Alex and several local folks, most easily old enough to be his parents, enjoyed every second of talking and bullshitting while they worked.
Just as he had since the first night they’d met, Alex still transformed everything he touched. But Etan was determined he wasn’t going to fall neatly into line with at least a few of Alex’s plans.
Every morning, he explained t
