They both nodded. “Hope it keeps up,” Les said.
Mark resisted the urge to walk up to his room. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re a grown man,” his dad said, picking a card from a pile and adding it to his hand.
“Yeah, but I fell asleep. And I know how you worry, so . . .”
His dad discarded. “Gin,” he said.
Lester groaned. He stretched, leaning back in the chair. “That’s three in a row. I know when to pack it up and go home.” He stood and picked up his hat.
His dad gathered up the cards, smiling. “Thanks for the games, Les. It’s been a while.”
“Wouldn’t know it.” He walked toward Mark. “Your dad plays for keeps.” He looked over his shoulder and put his hat on. “Thanks for the lemonade, Cal.”
“Least I can do.” He nodded and kept cleaning up, disappearing into the kitchen.
Lester put his hand on Mark’s shoulder. “He had a couple of us out looking. I drove past Ms. Madigan’s and saw your truck. He was fine after that. But he’s had a scare.”
Mark locked eyes with Lester. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.”
Lester nodded and moved past him.
“Hey, Les?” Mark asked.
“Yeah?”
“Nothing happened. With Ms. Madigan. She’s a friend. We were just talking and fell asleep.”
Lester raised his hands. “None of my business.” He paused. “But off the record, it was kind of good to find you where I did.” He winked and shut the door behind him.
Mark’s shoulders sagged. He hung up his coat as his dad wandered into the front room.
“Dad, I’m really sorry. We got talking and fell asleep. I swear that’s all that happened.” He sounded like a teenager caught out too late after prom. He was almost twenty-seven years old. He shouldn’t care what anyone thought. But he cared about scaring his dad. And he cared about protecting Riley’s privacy. “My phone was off, and I wasn’t thinking about how you’d be worried.”
His dad put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at him a few seconds and then pulled him into a hug. “I was worried. But, son? That’s the best thing I’ve heard you say in a really long time.” He pulled away from him. “Now get some sleep. We’ve got a meeting about the memorial at Town Hall in six hours.”
Mark nodded, a lump forming in his throat. “Thanks, Dad.”
Once in his room, he pulled down the box from his closet and sat on the bed with it. Setting the lid aside, he pulled out a stack of letters and cards. A lot were from family. People from town. He separated out a few, though. Some from Zack. Some from Dylan. Some from the brothers, Ben and Cade, Miguel and Diego. He read through their handwritten letters and looked at the pictures they’d drawn. He unfolded their cards and shook his head at the enthusiasm of young boys with heroes.
He gathered the small stack and rose, crossing the room to his desk. He removed a few old certificates and pictures from the bulletin board and replaced them with the cards and pictures from the boys.
After a moment, Mark added one more photo to the board. The image of two new firefighters smiled back at him, fresh off their first call, arms around each other’s shoulders.
Celebrating.
Mark’s eyes clouded over. He blinked and pushed out a breath.
“We did it, man,” he said, his voice hushed. “We did it.”
Riley woke to the morning sun in her face. As she moved her hand to shade her eyes, something hard and smooth shifted under her fingers.
She blinked and turned the object, letting her eyes focus.
The glass doorknob.
She remembered and sat up.
She’d slept on the couch. All night. She looked around, because Mark had been here with her, with the fire. And his story.
The light that had hit her shone from the thin space between the front curtains. She stood, stretching, and then walked over to the window and opened them wide.
She gasped. A foot of snow covered the ground, and the morning sun reflected off it, making everything brilliant. She lifted the glass knob to the light, watching the refracted diamonds of sunlight on her walls.
Her phone rang, and she turned in a circle, trying to pinpoint where she’d left it. Hurrying to the kitchen, she found it on the window ledge above the sink.
“Hello?” Her heart pounded from the quick run.
“Hey, I almost gave up on you there.”
“Oh, hi, Dalton,” she said, leaning against the counter. “I thought you were somebody else.”
“I hope it wasn’t Rivers,” he said.
“What?”
“Nothing, just kidding. How about this white stuff? It’s about time.”
“Yes, it’s beautiful.”
“A beast to drive in, but we sure need it.”
“Yes, we do. I thought you were in Seattle.”
“Our plans got snowed out. I was hoping I could take you to dinner tonight. We won regionals last night, and the coaches feel like celebrating.”
“Oh, I hadn’t heard. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. Are you feeling okay? I didn’t see you at school yesterday.”
She pushed her hair back. “I’m just waking up.” She glanced at the clock. Nine thirty-four. “Slept in.”
“Late night, huh?”
“Mm,” she said. “Not really.” She had no idea what time she’d fallen asleep, but she didn’t think it had been that late. And anyway, she didn’t need to report to Dalton. There’d been plenty of days where she hadn’t seen him during school. “Just slept hard.”
“I’m glad you’re not sick. Join me for dinner. I’m the only one without an instant date, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m overwhelmed by your offer.”
“I didn’t say that right, did I? Let me try again. Riley, it would bring me great pleasure if you joined me for dinner with my colleagues as we celebrate our victory.”
She hesitated, remembering their last evening together. “I have a lot to do.”
“Work all day if you want. We’re going to Visconti’s.”
She’d heard of the Italian restaurant, and knew it was in Wenatchee, not Leavenworth. But she wasn’t sure she needed another night out with Dalton.
“Listen, Riley,” his said, his voice softer. “I’ll be honest with you.
