Chapter 16
Sixteen
JOE
I ’m just putting away dishes from earlier, when I realize that Tibby, the rescue dog I decided to foster, needs to be let out. I’m glad that my yard is fenced in, so she can run around ’til her heart’s content. She’s a great little dog, and I’m happy that I agreed to do this. Even if it’s just temporary.
As I watch Tibby sprint out the door, I’m struck again by how much I love having a dog around. I wish that there was some way that I could keep her, but with work… I just don’t know how I can. Still, my heart isn’t at all sure. It flashes through my mind that it would be a good idea to ask Jackie what she thinks. Then I remember that she’s still mad at me. This isn’t an ideal situation, since we still have to work on the Tribute together. I still don’t know why she was so angry with me for comforting Maia. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.
Maia didn’t collapse into my arms and declare her love for me, but she seemed grateful to have a listening ear to pour out her story to. Julius was just a jerk in general, and he lied to her about something stupid, and kept insisting he wasn’t lying. But the final straw, I think, seems to be that he called her “old” one too many times… even though she’s really not that much older than him.
When I found out Julius was dating Maia, I did wonder if the age difference would be an issue eventually. Not so much because I think there’s anything wrong with it, but I questioned Julius’s lack of maturity for someone so smart and put together as Maia.
“Tibby, come inside,” I call as dusk turns to darkness. I hear her bark at something, probably a squirrel, before she comes bounding toward me, wagging her tail. This just makes me want to keep her even more. She clearly thinks of me as her owner already.
Tibby comes into the house, shaking herself like she’s wet. That’s one of the little quirks that I love about her. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I slide it out. Maia’s name flashes on the screen, and I feel a flush of excitement.
“Hey, Maia,” I say as I scoop up the call. “What’s up?”
My voice is higher than I would like, but there is nothing that I can do about it. Luckily, Maia doesn’t seem to notice. She says, “Hi, Joe, it’s been nice weather lately, hasn’t it?”
“Oh, yeah, I was just outside with my dog,” I reply, a smile crossing my face. She seems nervous, but I can’t figure out why.
“You have a dog?” Maia asks.
“Well, I’m fostering her for a short time. There was a fire at the animal shelter,” I say.
“That’s so sweet of you,” Maia says.
“Thanks,” I say. I flush, because it’s nice to be complimented by Maia. She never really complimented me when we were kids. Why would she? Do kids ever really compliment each other? I don’t know if they do, but we never did.
“No, it’s great,” she says. “Very heroic. I just didn’t know that you liked dogs.”
“My grandparents had a dog,” I remind her. “Elton. He was a golden retriever. You remember him, right?”
She pauses for a moment. “Oh, yeah,” she says. “He was so cute.”
I’m not one hundred percent sure that she actually remembers him. That’s okay, though, he was my dog. I remember him. I’m hopeful that she has called me for a reason, and this small talk is just her way of allowing herself to build up courage to say what she wants to say.
“So, I actually called,” Maia says, but pauses before she says anything else.
“Yeah?” I prompt.
“Yeah,” she repeats. “I was wondering if you might want to go out to dinner with me tonight?”
“Dinner, tonight?” I say. “Uh, yeah. That would be…great, Maia,” I try hard not to sound like my heart is jumping out of my words or that I’m about ready to keel over in disbelief at her request.
“Are you sure?” Maia asks. She sounds pleased, but also nervous.
“Absolutely,” I reply with so much enthusiasm, that I worry I sound fake.
“I mean, I just thought it would be fun to reminisce about our childhood,” she says, and my heart drops a bit. This isn’t a date. It’s just a friendly dinner, but still…she didn’t have to invite me out. That has to mean something. I won’t sink into discouragement.
“Of course,” I say. “Where do you want to meet?”
“There’s that Italian restaurant downtown,” she says. “What’s it called?”
“ Little Italy ?” I offer. “Isn’t that owned by Jackie’s friend, Marissa? Her parents, I mean?”
“Oh, yeah, I think you’re right,” Maia says. “To be honest, I never pay too much attention to Jackie and her friends. There are just so many of them to keep track of.”
“Well, I think Little Italy sounds great,” I say.
We agree to meet downtown and have a little walk around, so that we can talk about all our memories from childhood and high school. I have to admit that I’m hoping for some kind of nostalgic romance, but I’m not going to push anything. I want Maia to feel the same way about me, but she has to come to that realization on her own.
I shower quickly and change into fresh clothes. I’m staring into the mirror when Tibby comes into the bathroom. She sits down and tilts her head, like she’s contemplating this look on me. I swear it really looks like she has an opinion.
“What do you think?” I ask her. “Do I look okay?”
Tibby barks, but I can't tell what that means in dog language, so I decide to just go with it. There are no real rules on friend dates. It isn’t that I need to dress up or down in a certain way. It’s more that I need to get where I need to be on time.
After saying my goodbyes to Tibby, I head to downtown Cranberry Creek. Growing up here, our downtown used to be a lot more… well, traditional . Now it has an eclectic, cool vibe that I appreciate. There are art galleries, bars, restaurants, and more. I miss the little diner that used to be on the corner across from the post office, but I like the café.
I’m standing under a strand of fairy lights, waiting for Maia, and I can’t help but feel nervous. I feel like this is one of those moments in my life that could really change things. We have a shared history. That means a lot. Any relationship that is built on a solid foundation like we have, is bound to be a success.
I do worry that I’m living with a past version of Maia. She’s said some things recently that have surprised me, making me think that I don’t know her like I used to. Like I said, though, we have that shared history that I know we can fall back on.
“Joe, hi,” Maia says, coming around the corner.
I’m relieved to see her. She comes up to me, and we lean in to hug. It’s awkward. A weird side hug, but it’s good to see her, good to hug her without her being heartbroken for me to give her the hug. It’s just good to have her here.
“You look great,” I say, although my brain is barely registering what she’s wearing. I feel like my thoughts won’t slow down enough for me to say something to her. Like I literally can’t formulate a thought or pin it down.
“You, too,” she says, grinning at me. Is she flirting with me, or am I just imagining it? I don’t want to read too much into anything.
“Downtown sure has changed, hasn’t it?” I say.
Maia looks around, with an expression of mild surprise. “It has,” she agrees. It makes me wonder how much time she spends around here. “Remember when we were in high school, and there was that diner that was open late every night?”
“I loved that place,” I say. “We used to go there after everything.”
“And stay until one or two in the morning. Eating fries,” Maia says.
“And drinking coffee,” I add.
I’m glad that we finally have something to talk about. These are good memories. I’m glad that we share them. We start to walk down the street, and I really want to take her hand, but I don’t think we’re ready for that. We are walking along in companionable silence, when a familiar figure comes running toward us.
“Is that Jackie?” Maia asks.
“I think it is,” I say, even though I know it is. I feel something kick in that seems a lot like guilt, but I have no reason to feel guilty, so that can’t be it, can it?
“Hey, Jack,” Maia says as Jackie slows down and gets nearer.
“Hi, Maia. Hi, Joe ,” she says emphatically, ice dripping from her voice. “What are the two of you doing here?”
“We’re going out to dinner, if you must know,” Maia says. She moves closer to me and slips her arm through mine. I’m surprised, but pleased. I can’t help but see the dark look that crosses Jackie’s face. I have to assume it’s because she’s still mad at me.
“What are you doing?” I ask, trying to diffuse the tension in the situation.
“Going for a run,” Jackie says, her tone flat.
“Obviously,” Maia says with a laugh. There is a long silence during which no one else laughs. Then Maia says, “Well, we should be going, right, Joe?”
“Uh, right,” I say. “See you soon, Jackie.”
She doesn’t even acknowledge me as she jogs off. I expect Maia to make some comment about her sister, but she doesn’t. She chatters about all the different things that seem to be going on in her life, and I try to listen, since this is what I’ve wanted forever. But my mind keeps going back to Jackie.
When we get to the restaurant, we’re seated right away. The waitress brings us water and menus. While we are perusing the menu, my phone buzzes. I ignore it. I’m not going to answer any calls while I’m out with Maia. I’m just about to ask Maia what she’s thinking about ordering, when my phone buzzes again.
I pull it out and look at it. It’s the fire chief. He wouldn’t be calling me, unless he truly needed me for something. “I have to take this,” I say to Maia apologetically.
She nods, as I hurry away from the table. “Hi, Boss,” I say.
“Joe, I’m sorry to bother you on your day off, but there’s a wildfire outside of town. This isn’t the kind of thing we see very often, and with all of your experience, we need you to come in. I need you to direct the relief effort.”
I can feel adrenaline shoot through my veins. This is my area of expertise. And it’s important that I go immediately. Time is of the essence. I’m sorry that my pseudo-date with Maia has to end like this.
I go back to the table. “Hey,” I say. “That was my boss. I have to go in to work. Can I get a rain check and do this another time?”
“Of course,” Maia says with a smile.
“Thanks,” I say.
As I leave the restaurant, I can’t help thinking that this night turned out better than I could have hoped for. I got to go out with Maia, and now I’m going to fight a wildfire.