“Well, Gram managed to keep four out of the five of us alive until adulthood. Now she just has Gavin.”
“God help her.” He grinned. “He might be the toughest out of all of you.”
I laughed. He wasn’t wrong. Gavin seemed to have been born without the genes for fear. “I know. The kid’s crazy.”
“I’d say he’ll grow out of it, but I doubt it. We just need to help him channel all that energy in the right direction. And who knows—maybe someday he’ll meet a girl who mellows him out a little.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’ve seen it happen. Remember, I knew your dad before he met your mom.”
“Was he Gavin-level crazy? Because Gavin probably broke more bones than the rest of us combined by the time he was ten.”
“He didn’t have quite the same disregard for his mortality, but in a lot of ways, yeah, he was Gavin-level crazy.”
I liked it when Chief Stanley talked about my parents. I almost never talked about them, but hearing bits and pieces of who’d they’d been, from someone who’d known them well, kept them alive for me in a way I appreciated.
I checked the time on the microwave, then started gathering my books into a pile. “I should get going. I have some stuff I need to do.”
“All right. Have a good night. Say hi to Gram and the boys.”
“I will.”
I stuffed my books in my backpack and went down to my car, saying goodbye to some of the guys on my way out. A couple of them—Christian and Randy—were volunteers like me. Matt was the most recent permanent hire. They were good guys. We hung out sometimes outside of work hours, especially since I’d turned twenty-one and could go out for a beer with them.
Outside, it was hot, even for June. The mountain peaks stood out against the deep blue sky and the sun blazed. It wouldn’t cool down until after sunset. I left my backpack in my car and walked the few blocks into town, heading for the coffee shop to meet Grace.
I hadn’t made much progress with her—yet. She was set on going back to school in the fall, which I’d expected. She’d also said she didn’t want a serious relationship, which I had to admit was a bit discouraging. I’d have to find a way to change her mind about that.
I understood where she was coming from. Although we’d basically grown up together, we’d had very different examples of relationships. Gram and Grandad had been the perfect couple—happy and completely devoted to each other. My parents had been good together, too. I remembered enough to know they’d been in love.
Grace had been raised by a single mom because her dad was a dick. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the asshole was secretly married or something. Instead of growing up watching soulmates go through life together, she’d watched her dad screw over her mom. So I didn’t blame her for being hesitant about the idea of getting serious with someone.
But I wasn’t her father.
We’d hung out a few more times since we’d played pool at the Caboose, but somehow my brothers always managed to get in the way. A couple of days ago, I’d tried to take her on a hike out to a waterfall—if there was a good spot around here for a first kiss, that was it—but Gavin had seen us leaving. The next thing I knew, he’d grabbed Logan, and all four of us had gone hiking.
Last night we’d been in town and I’d suggested dinner. It was on the verge of being a date, but when we’d gone into the restaurant, Evan had been there. She’d felt bad that he was alone, so we’d had dinner with him.
Definitely not a date.
This afternoon wasn’t going to be a date, either. But I did want to show her the apartment I was thinking about renting. Truthfully, I wanted her opinion in case it turned into our apartment.
And since I knew my brothers wouldn’t be around to interrupt—they didn’t know about the apartment yet—I’d use the opportunity to ask her out. It was going to mean taking things up a notch, but it was time I got a little more aggressive with her anyway.
I got to the Steaming Mug and went inside. The café was filled with the rich scent of coffee and a big chalkboard sign behind the counter advertised the menu. Grace and another girl were behind the counter, and the way Grace’s face lit up with a smile when our eyes met fed my resolve.
Her hair was down today, and she took off her black apron. “Hey. Good timing, I was just finishing up.”
“I can wait if you’re not done.”
“Nope, I’m ready.” She turned to the other girl. “See you tomorrow?”
“Yep. I’ll be here.”
She disappeared into the back, then came out with her purse hanging from her shoulder. “Let’s go.”
I held the door for her and we started walking down the sidewalk. “How was work?”
“Not bad. It was busy when I got in this morning, but it calmed down this afternoon. Did you want some coffee before we go? I should have asked.”
“No, although it smells good in there.”
“Doesn’t it? I love that little place. So where are we headed?”
“I want to show you something.”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
I glanced at her and grinned. “You’ll see.”
A man burst out of the alley between two buildings, nearly running into us. His thick beard and shaggy hair made his age hard to determine, although he had deep lines around his eyes. He blinked, looking around wildly, like he didn’t know where he was.
“You okay, Harvey?” I asked.
His voice was gravelly. “What?”
“Were you going somewhere?”
He patted his well-worn clothes, like he was looking for something, sending puffs of dust into the air. Harvey Johnston lived just outside town, and had for as long as I could remember. He was a quirky old guy who dressed like a prospector from the gold rush, complete with a little pick that hung off his leather belt. I didn’t know where he’d come from, or if he’d been this way his whole life. Maybe he’d suffered some kind of illness or accident. He wasn’t exactly all there. He took care of himself okay, but sometimes he wandered around town, muttering about finding treasure in the mountains.
“Hey, Harvey,” Grace said, trying to get his attention. “How are you today?”
He looked at her and his eyes finally seemed to focus. “Damn squirrels keep taking my walnuts.”
“They do?”
“They’re organized.” He wagged a finger at her. “Organized, I tell you. Next thing ya know, they’ll be goin’ for my treasure too. Find it ’fore I do.”
“I’m not sure if squirrels would be interested in treasure,” she said. “They can’t eat it.”
His brow furrowed and he tapped his bearded chin. “True. Came into town for supplies. Me, not the squirrels. But I can’t seem to—” He turned in a circle, then changed directions. “Where’d the store go?”
I grabbed his shoulders so he’d stop turning and pointed him in the right direction. “Straight that way, then take a left.”
“A left? Yes, left. Good, good.” He started shuffling up the street, still muttering.
“Think he’ll get there okay?” Grace asked.