She waited.
“You’re not arguing the point,” he said, “so I’m guessing you agree.”
“Dalton, I’m not looking for a relationship right now.” Even as she said it, she tasted the lie.
He blew out a breath. “I think we both know I’m not a relationship kind of guy,” he said, sounding defeated. “But I’ve always been honest with you. The fact is I enjoy your company, and I don’t want to face these guys and their wives alone tonight.”
Riley rubbed her forehead. She knew what that was like. She’d been the fifth wheel a few times with people who wanted to talk about mortgages and babysitters and where they went on their honeymoons. And she wouldn’t be alone with Dalton. He’d talk with his staff about the game and championships and plans for next season.
“I can join you for dinner,” she said. “But I do have a lot of work to do to meet my deadline.”
“Deal. Just there and back. You’re a sweetheart, Riley. You won’t regret it. I’ll pick you up at six.”
She hung up and stared out the kitchen window.
She’d gone out with men like Dalton. And that had been fine and safe. Low-risk. They were unattached and fine with it. It had been the same with Gavin in the beginning, but then it had changed. At least, for her it had. She thought it had for him, too, but she’d been wrong. And now she found herself comparing all those men to one man. A man she wasn’t even dating. A man who was quiet but drew her out, who didn’t demand anything of her but friendship. A man who had battled the depths of hell and still couldn’t see how far he’d come out of them.
She turned away from the window, feeling heat run up her neck to her cheeks. She couldn’t be falling for Mark. They were just friends. That’s all it could be, because she had no idea how long she’d be here. Because she couldn’t trust her heart to anyone. She’d told him that.
And yet her heart pounded at the thought of being near him. Traitor.
A car honked twice, and she walked to the front window. Mark’s truck was pulling away, his dad lifting a hand to wave as they drove down the street.
She watched them go, her hand lifted in a wave, disappointed they hadn’t stopped. More disappointed than she should’ve been.
Then she saw her driveway. And her walk. All of it, shoveled.
Mark and his dad sat at one end of a conference table in one of the city offices with Jay’s parents, Nancy and Erik Hendricks. The head of the parks association, the head of the zoning board, and the mayor sat at the other end.
“This is really just a meeting to finalize details,” Mayor Evelyn Joffs said, scrolling through her iPad. “Everything is a go. The mason finished before the snow came. Still waiting on the plaque, but delivery is scheduled for the Tuesday after Thanksgiving so that gives us a few days leeway.” She looked up and smiled. “Do you have any concerns, Mark?”
Mark shifted in his seat. “I was hoping you or Chief Bennett would be giving a speech, too.”
“I’ll give the introduction, of course, but I thought we’d agreed to keep it simple.”
Erik Hendricks spoke up. “We wouldn’t want it any other way, Mark.”
Mark nodded.
His dad put his hand on his shoulder. “You up to this?”
Telling his story to Riley, focusing on how they’d saved the boys, instead of how he’d been hurt like he’d had to tell others . . . it had changed the story. It had changed him. The details were still the same, but it was no longer his story of failure. Rather it was his and Jay’s story of doing what they could, together. Every one of those boys lived. It still wrenched his gut that he was the only one who’d made it out. But he had to believe Jay was okay where he was. He’d wanted those boys to live no matter the cost.
Mark still had to fight his way through. But maybe he was finally starting to come to terms with that. “I’ll do my best.”
“Excellent,” Evelyn said. “We’ll start getting the word out. The volunteer fire department and local businesses have agreed to help us with that.”
Mark knew the city council felt the memorial ceremony a fitting lead-in to the firemen’s holiday ball and fundraiser the following weekend. He couldn’t disagree, but he appreciated the mayor leaving that part out just now.
She nodded at the others. “Chris, Jenny, thank you for your help laying the groundwork. Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks, can we do anything else for you?”
Nancy shook her head. “We’re amazed and humbled by all of this. Mark, we can’t thank you enough for starting the memorial fund. I know what you two meant to each other. You were pie and ice cream, the both of you.” She leaned toward him, with Jay’s blue eyes piercing him through. “He would be so proud of you. And not just because of this.” She squeezed his hand.
“We all are,” Evelyn said, and the others nodded, making Mark want to shrink back into a hood. But he wasn’t wearing one.
“I think that’s everything,” Evelyn continued. “Thank you, everyone, for coming despite the snow. Be safe, build a snowman or two, and barring any hiccups, I’ll see you on December third. Happy Thanksgiving.”
Hey.
Riley smiled at Mark’s text. Hey, she replied. Thanks for shoveling my driveway. You and your dad rock.
Yep.
She laughed. I mean it.
So do I. We totally rock.
Shaking her head, she sat down at
