Rose
It’s been three days since Sam came to Rios to check on Ben and me, and he’s thrown himself into the challenge of turning Nico’s office into a space Nico can use rather than one that makes him want to burn the building down and start over in a new town.
There’s not as much banging from the office today when Ben and I walk into the diner as Sheriff Watson is on his way out with a takeout cup, and a small white box that smells of sweet almond and tart cherries.
“Hi, Sheriff Watson,” Ben says, head tipped way back to meet the sheriff’s eyes.
Sheriff Bill Watson is in his late fifties, with short, graying dark hair. As usual, he’s in his khaki uniform. We’ve seen him around town, but he’s always busy, so we’ve never had much time to stop and talk for long.
His blue eyes crinkle, showing laugh lines too numerous to count. “If it isn’t Ben Hayes. You been getting into any trouble?”
“No, sir.” Ben laughs, pressing his body against my leg.
A couple of days ago, Sheriff Watson pretended not to notice Ben picking up his gold badge from the diner’s front counter.
It was only inches away from Ben’s juice box because Ben had been staring at it, his desperate need to touch it radiating so strongly I could feel his excitement.
A sheriff likely has much keener instincts than I do, even when their attention is elsewhere.
Sheriff Watson, busy talking to Lawrence, one of his deputies, had unclipped his badge from his belt, set it casually on the counter, and turned to ask a question that required a lengthy answer from a confused-looking Lawrence.
I’d watched from Ben’s other side as he hesitated, glanced at the sheriff, then at me.
At my nod, he picked up the badge, studied it closely with wide eyes, and then carefully placed it back where he'd found it when he was through looking at it. For a man who had such a fierce expression, I’d been surprised and pleased by his thoughtfulness, and Ben hadn’t stopped talking about it that night to Murph, Win, and Joel at dinner.
I’m not sure if a sheriff is supposed to do that when he’s working. Probably not. But Sheriff Watson noticed Ben’s curiosity, fed it, and then tucked his badge back onto his belt as if nothing had happened.
“Well, if you and your mom ever want to stop by the sheriff’s office to look around, my wife, Audrey, manages the front desk and would love to meet you,” Sheriff Watson says to Ben.
“We saw her outside the grocery store the other day,” I explain.
“She said we could look in the jail.” Ben grins.
Sheriff Watson’s bushy eyebrows shoot up.
I squeeze Ben’s hand. “She said we could stick our noses inside, but the door would be open. Ben wanted to see it. Audrey would not have offered if Ben hadn’t asked.” I wouldn’t want him to think his wife is trying to lock people up while he’s out and about.
“Then I see no problem with it. I’ll let Lawrence and Gary know that it’s okay with me in case I’m not there to show you around,” Sheriff Watson tells Ben and focuses on me. “Good to see you settling.”
“It’s an easy thing to do.”
He nods. “If you have any problems, you know where to find me.”
I smile. “I’ll do that, thanks.”
We say our goodbyes, and he leaves as Ben pulls his hand from mine.
He is fast outgrowing having it held. He rushes to the front counter, where Win, seeing him through the kitchen hatch, stops singing and waves.
Win looks pretty busy in there, so it’s Nico, Lina’s dad, who steps around the counter with a smile and helps him onto a stool before I can lift him.
“Thanks, Nico,” I say gratefully.
He waves away my gratitude. “Good to see this little one again. Here for lunch?”
I shake my head. It’s nearly midday, but Ben and I had a big snack before we left the house, and neither of us is particularly hungry yet. We ate nearly half a container of peanut butter with our sliced apples and bananas. “Just a drink. I was actually hoping to speak to Lina about something.”
Nico points at a large table where Lina is busy taking orders. “She’ll be free in a minute. Anything wrong?”
“Not wrong. I had a couple of questions.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Anything I can help you with?”
I lean against the counter beside Ben, not wanting to take up a stool since I’ll be getting up in a bit to talk to Lina when she’s free. “I think only Lina can, but it’s nothing serious.”
“Let me get you two a drink. Lina will be free in a second. It’s quiet, so I can keep an eye on Ben if you want to talk with Lina away from curious ears,” he says with a sparkle in his eyes, for good reason. Ben isn’t even trying to hide that he’s eavesdropping.
“That sounds great, but no drink for me yet.”
By the time Nico has prepared a small chocolate shake for Ben, Lina has finished taking orders from her large table of eight.
She passes the tickets to Win through the hatch, then walks toward me.
Her expression is curious as she tucks her notebook into the front pocket of her apron while Nico gets pies and coffee for people who just walked in and are sitting at the counter.
“Dad said you had a couple of questions,” she says.
“I do.” I point to an empty table with dirty plates. “Want me to help you clear that while I ask? Your dad said he’d keep an eye on Ben for a couple of minutes.”
“You don’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.” She turns to Nico. “Dad, can you—”
“On it.” Nico waves her away. “Go. I have eyes in the back of my head.”
Before I follow Lina to the table, I glance toward the back of the diner, where it’s still quiet. “Is Sam working his magic? I haven’t heard any banging today.”
Sam spends a couple of hours in the afternoon with Ben and me and eats dinner with us, but most of the time, he’s hard at work in Nico’s office.
“He’s been in there since before I started this morning, but he might have run to the hardware store for something.” She shrugs. “I’ve never seen my dad so happy at someone else taking over that job for him. And he finally tossed out the crap he’s been cramming in that office for years.”
“Lina!” Nico scowls at Lina, proving he doesn’t just have eyes at the back of his head, but sharp ears too.
“Much-loved belongings that are both precious and sentimental,” Lina says with an apologetic smile. When Nico turns away, she mouths, “Crap. So much crap.”
I choke back my laughter.
Lina straightens from the counter she was leaning against and motions for me to follow. “Come on. Let’s tackle this table mess before I get more customers.”
As I trail her, I think about how to phrase a question that’s been on my mind since Ben said he wanted to stay in Rios and buy the house.
I’ve searched Murph's, Win's, and Joel’s expressions, but they don’t seem the least bit worried about it.
Ben wouldn’t have lied about what he overheard, so I’m certain that he heard them say they wanted to keep the house instead of selling, but that it was too expensive.
Lina gathers dirty plates from the table and stacks them. She does it so efficiently that she leaves me with nothing to do.
“Isn’t this all a lot of work for one person?” I ask, giving in to my curiosity about how she manages this diner and makes it look so easy.
She grins at me. “I’ve been doing this since I was thirteen, and I love it. One day, I’ll be running this place. I never wanted to do anything else.”
“But it’s still a lot of work.”
“Not as much as it used to be. Maisie worked here for a bit, and it was great having her, but her taking over all the pie baking means Dad doesn’t have to wake up so early to do it.
It gave him time to tackle the office he’s been procrastinating on for years, and Win asked for more hours, which helped even more.
I only need a bit of help during the summer, when we get more tourists, but Lora always comes home then. ”
“Lora?”
“My cousin. She’s in grad school in Arizona.
Last year, she helped out a bit, then spent the rest of the summer with her parents in Greece—her dad sold the barber shop he ran here, and he and Lora’s mom moved out there to retire when Lora left for school.
You have to ask her to play the flute. She’s incredible. ”
“Oh, at least you’re not always on your own.” I’d have offered to help, but watching Lina has made me realize I’d be utterly terrible at this type of work. The thought of carrying the heavy trays she moves about with ease makes me break into a cold sweat.
“What’d you want to ask me?” she asks.
“What’s the elementary school like? Is it good? Is Harry happy there?”
She grins. “Ah, so you've made up your mind to stay, huh?”
I glance at Ben, happily kicking his feet and sipping his shake while chatting with Nico. “Not yet. It’s why I don’t want Ben to hear me talking about schools until I’m ready to make a decision. But Ben loves it here, and I do too.”
She shoots Win a pointed look. “And is that all you love about our little town?”
“Lina…”
“What? It’s not like everyone hasn’t seen you, Win, Joel, and Murph, walking around, making eyes at each other.”
She surprises a laugh out of me. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” She finishes stacking the dirty plates on her tray and straightening the condiment holder.
She glances at the door when the bell chimes, calling out a greeting to a couple who walk in, and says she’ll be right with them.
Then she turns to me. “Go visit the school. You have a couple of weeks before they close for summer vacation. Look around and take Ben. I promise you’ll love it.
Harry is going into first grade this fall, but he loved kindergarten. ”
“I’ll think about it.”
She snorts. “If you were still at the thinking about it stage, you wouldn’t be asking me about whether it’s a good school, would you?”
She’s right.
I watch her carry the tray of dirty dishes to the counter for Nico to take into the kitchen, then she hurries to the front of the diner to greet the new customers and show them to a table.
Still deep in thought, I walk back to the counter and sink onto the stool beside Ben.
“Thanks for watching him, Nico,” I say when Nico returns from the kitchen.
“Did you find out what you needed from Lina?” he asks, drying his hands with a cloth.
“Yeah, I did.”
Confirmation. Though not so much about the school than about my state of mind. I’m not at the thinking stage; I’m at the putting down roots in Rios stage, and the only person who didn’t know it was me.
Now, it’s time to do something about it.
With Sam working late in Nico’s office, he skipped dinner with us tonight.
As we settle down in the living room to watch a movie before Ben’s bedtime, Joel’s cell phone vibrates on the wooden coffee table, pulling all our attention from the TV as we debate what to watch.
Joel picks up the cell phone, and a short call later, he hangs up and gets to his feet, tucking it into his pocket. “Sorry, guys. I've gotta go.”
“Problem?” Murph asks, reclining on the couch beside me with one arm slung around my shoulders.
“There’s a fire at a barn on Benson’s sweet corn farm. They have enough men, but Noah could use one more to help move animals if necessary.”
“Need me to come?” Win lowers the remote control. Ben, sitting beside him, stares at us with wide, curious eyes.
Joel shakes his head. “Nah, we’re good. I won’t be gone long.”
He’s turning to leave when I scramble to my feet and grip him by the front of his shirt. I cling to him so desperately that I surprise myself with how hard it is to let him go.
Joel is a firefighter. He’s had training. He knows how to fight fires, and all he’s doing is moving animals. That’s all. He will be okay. This is not the same thing as what happened to Simon. He will not walk out of this house and die.
But my heart won’t stop racing, and my fingers don’t want to release him, no matter what my brain thinks.
His brow lifts and his eyes bounce from my hands to my face.
I clear my throat. “I, uh, know this is an emergency and I’m wasting your time holding onto you like this, but, um, don’t let anything happen to you on this call. Obviously save whoever needs saving, but… don’t get hurt. Ben would miss you.”
He’s not the only one.
Joel’s eyes soften, and he steps closer to me. He glances at Murph, who raises an eyebrow and gives him a look that says, “What the fuck are you looking at me for?”
Joel’s attention swings back to me. He lowers his head and touches his lips to mine. “Thanks for worrying. I’ll be okay. And it is never a waste of my time to stop me and tell me that you want me to be safe.”
“Okay.”
“I’d better go.”
“Right.”
His eyes sparkle. “I might need that shirt you’re holding onto.”
I yank my hands from his shirt and step back. “Sorry.”
His smile fades. “I won’t be here for Ben’s bedtime story, but I will come home. I have training, a team, and a big brother who would kick my ass from here to kingdom come if I even thought of doing anything dangerous.”
He’s reassuring me that he knows why I was so desperate to stop him: fear I might lose him too soon.
“Thanks, and sorry again for hanging off your shirt like that.” I brush out some of the creases.
“It’s okay.” He captures my hand, lifts it to his mouth, and presses a kiss to my knuckles. “Don’t be sorry. I have something real special to come home to. Don’t have too much fun without me, okay?”
“Mommy can pick the movie,” Ben says, turning from the TV where he and Win were scrolling through potential movie choices. “Me and Grandpa Trey always fell asleep to those.”
Ouch. My kid can be downright brutal.
And the worst part? He isn’t even lying.
Joel leaves laughing after ruffling Ben’s hair and telling him to go easy on me. I sink back onto the couch with a sigh, and Murph wraps his arm around my shoulders and kisses my forehead in silent sympathy.