7. Lunch and Peace Offerings
7
LUNCH AND PEACE OFFERINGS
S ummer was hot and sweaty, but she’d never felt better. During her first four days working with Austin, she’d been on the lake twice, hiked several waterfall trails, and done two bike tours. Being outside with civilians had taken some getting used to, but she was settling in faster than she thought she would. Even Griff had been quiet for the most part. She didn’t see him, and he didn’t speak to her, but she sensed him nearby. Perhaps she was doing well enough that he’d move on to heaven or wherever he was destined after his death.
“Hah, not yet. And I’m offended you think I’m not going to heaven.” Griff’s voice sounded in her head, but he didn’t appear.
She laughed internally at his tone of voice. He always knew when to joke and when to take her seriously. If anyone deserved rest in heaven, it was Griff.
“Thank you, pretty girl, but I’m not leaving you alone. It’s not my fault you haven’t tried to see Brandon. What worries me is he hasn’t come to you either. What have you said to him in the past?”
Summer didn’t respond. Instead, she checked the bikes before sliding them into their slots inside the shack. Austin was outside wrapping up the tour and asking the customers to write reviews for him.
“Summer?” Griff tried again.
Only the truth , she thought. He’s better off without me .
“According to you, but you’re not the best judge of your worth.”
Griff became a fuzzy outline in the corner of the room. His torso stuck out of the low wall, separating the bikes from the repelling gear. She didn’t focus on him because he was more burnt than whole at the moment.
A shiver ran over her exposed skin, and a cool breeze raised goosebumps. That ashy scent tickled her nose, and she held her breath.
“Griff,” she moaned.
“Sorry.”
The air cleared, and Summer sighed in relief.
“So, you’re saying you won’t move on until I talk to Brandon?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he hedged.
“Summer,” Austin interrupted as he stepped into the doorway. “You hungry?”
“Yes,” she answered as she pushed the last bike into place. “I just need to wipe down the helmets and hang them up.”
“We can do that after we eat. Brandon brought lunch. You’ll want to eat it while it’s fresh.” Austin disappeared before she could answer.
She didn’t move. Brandon was out there. Was she ready to face him?
“About time.” Griff drifted to the door and waited for her. “You can do this. Just say hello. Let him talk. There’s no need to rush into anything unless you’re ready, but you must start somewhere. He brought lunch, and that opens the door.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“All you have to do is walk through it. There’s no need to unload secrets yet. See if you can be friends again.”
“Okay.” Summer took a step forward, then another, until she moved out of the storage shed’s shadow and into the sunshine outside.
“Summer,” Brandon greeted her with a hesitant smile.
It looked like he was as uncertain as she was.
For a moment, Brandon feared Summer wouldn’t come outside. He made sure Austin told her he was there because he didn’t want to surprise her. She paused long enough after his greeting that he almost headed for the parking lot, but then she stepped into the light.
She wore shorts that fell mid-thigh, a sage green long-sleeved t-shirt, and tennis shoes. Her hair was damp and smooshed from being under a helmet for hours. There wasn’t a lick of makeup on her face, but she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
He tried to be casual by holding up one of the bags in his hand. “I brought your favorite—a double cheeseburger with pepper jack and bacon, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, but no mayo or mustard.”
“Pickles?” she asked.
He immediately remembered the one time he mistakenly ordered her a burger their sophomore year and forgot to remove the pickles.
Summer’s nose scrunched up, and her lips puckered. “What is on this?”
“Just the usual stuff.” Brandon watched as she pulled the bun apart and stared at the items underneath.
“There are pickles on here,” she groaned.
“What’s wrong with pickles?” he asked.
“They are salty and gross. Most of the time, they’re slimy.”
“No, they aren’t.”
She held one up with two fingers, and it folded over. Then she grinned and flicked it at him. “If you like them so much, you eat them.”
That started a pickle-flinging contest and got them barred from JJ’s for a month.
“I’d never,” he joked. “But I did get you cheese fries and a Dr. Pepper.”
She took a few more steps toward him, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her lips. “Thanks,” she said.
“Is it okay if I eat with you and Austin?” he asked.
“Sure.”
They joined his brother at a picnic table on the far side of the shack. Brandon wanted to sit beside Summer but took the spot beside Austin instead. Since they were nearer to the rocks, fewer families were hanging out on the beach on this side, but the sound of children playing still danced with the soft swish of water on the shore.
“How did it go today?” Brandon asked.
Austin answered as he unwrapped his burger. “This group was awesome. We got to take one of the more challenging trails, and that always makes me happy.”
“The best part was no one got hurt,” Summer added. “We had some kid wipe out earlier in the week, and it was a pain getting him back to the drop-off point.”
“Was it bad?” Brandon asked, grateful they were having a normal conversation that didn’t feel weighed down by history and unanswered questions.
“Nah.” Austin shook his head. “He scraped his knees and hands but complained like he’d broken an arm. His mom babied him, and we finally made it back.”
“I hope they don’t leave you a bad review,” Brandon said.
“Accidents happen, and they signed the waiver.” Austin shrugged.
“The kid was being an idiot.” Summer pointed and talked around the food in her mouth. “Austin told him to stay on the trail, but he decided to go straight down instead of taking the switchbacks. His mom should have made him do pushups on those skinned hands instead of promising ice cream.”
“Pushups? Ice cream? How old was this kid?” Brandon turned to his brother. It was hard to stare at Summer for too long without wanting to switch to her side so he could be closer.
“Seventeen. ”
Brandon shook his head and chuckled. “When did teens get so soft?”
“Right?” Summer snorted. “Griff used to make the recruits cry. They couldn’t make a bed, do their laundry, or wipe their—” She stopped and blushed furiously. “Sorry. Old habits.”
Brandon and Austin stared at her. Summer gazed at the table in apparent embarrassment, and then both men laughed. It was strange to hear a pretty girl talk like that, but they didn’t miss the humor of the situation. Summer lifted her gaze as they snickered, and the relief evident on her face.
“Thank goodness Mom and Dad raised us better than that. We were doing our laundry by the time we were twelve.” Brandon sighed and took another bite.
This was good. If he could visit with Summer as easily as this every time, they’d be well on their way back to friendship, if nothing else.
“Not everyone is as lucky as we were,” Austin said. “I’ll make sure my son knows how to work.”
Brandon nodded but couldn’t respond. His easy-going feeling evaporated as he tried not to feel jealous. Would he ever have children of his own to teach? His gaze eased to Summer, who looked away as soon as their eyes met. Why couldn’t she tell him why she ended things between them?
The last time he asked, she said it was her and not him, but that didn’t tell him anything. He’d gone over that summer so many times over the years. As far as he knew, he hadn’t done anything other than choose football camp instead of the service trip. She had assured him she was fine with that before he paid the fees.
He needed to know, but he couldn’t decide whether it would be better to become friends first or not. Until he knew, there would always be a question as to whether he could trust their friendship to last.
Austin bumped his arm, returning his attention to lunch instead of all the unanswered questions. He’d waited this long. He could be patient a little longer.
“So, when are you coming back to church?” Austin directed his question at Summer. “You know everyone is waiting for you. Get it over with, and the attention you’re avoiding will go away faster.”
Brandon and Summer sighed at the same time. Obviously, she felt the tension between them, too. Austin’s subject change was welcomed.
“I’ll be there this week. I need to see that little man of yours in person,” she answered.
“Has he been showing you the hundreds of photos on his phone?” Brandon asked.
“You know it,” Austin answered before balling up his trash. “I’ll get started on wiping down the helmets.”
“Be there in a minute.” Summer held up a cheesy fry.
Her food was almost gone, and Brandon knew he was out of time with her. There was so much unspoken between them, but he reminded himself to be patient.
“Are you doing the Rosie Run?” he asked.
She blinked at him. “They still do that?”
“Yep, it’s next Saturday, July sixth. Maybe we could do it together like we used to?”
“I’ll think about it.”
He nodded. At least she hadn’t said no. He wanted to ask another question, but he feared it was too soon. However, it might always be too soon for Summer. At some point, he would need to take a chance. Now was as good as ever.
“Your family has joined us at the lake for the fireworks in the last few years. Will you come?”
Summer wiped her fingers clean and gathered her trash. “I don’t know, Brandon. I’m not?—”
She stopped. He wondered what she was thinking. He used to know, and it killed him that so much space had grown between them. Ten years felt like a lifetime.
“Just as friends. Your family, my family, nothing else,” he quickly said. “I won’t lie. One day, I hope we can go on a date. I want to see if we can find our way back to each other because I never stopped loving you. However, I know I might not get what I want, and that’s okay. More than anything, I want you to be happy. So, we can be friends if that’s what you need.”
Summer closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she leaned forward and rested her hand on his. That simple touch sent his heart into overdrive. It had been so long since she had reached out to him.
“Brandon, you are a good man. I’ll say it again. I don’t deserve you.”
“Summer—” He didn’t want her to move away, but his heart clogged his throat, making it hard to find the words.
“Shh. I’ll come to the fireworks.” With that, she got up and joined Austin in the shed.
Brandon sat there for another minute, trying to lock the memory in stone. Then he put his trash in the can. She would come to the fireworks. That was good, right? She didn’t shut him down. There was hope. All he had to do was not scare her away.
“Okay, step one, be normal if she comes to church,” he told himself as he returned to work.
Summer twisted her hands in her lap as she sat in her family’s pew. She wore a navy blue sundress with sunflowers all over it and her favorite light-weight jean jacket. Her mother had given it to her the night before when she learned Summer would finally join them for the worship service. She said it was a happy dress that would look great on her daughter.
Maybe it did, but Summer didn’t feel like the sunflower type. They were big and bright and drew attention. She didn’t want all the eyes on her. And she definitely didn’t want to exchange pleasantries with everyone in town, but their early arrival meant just that. She’d have to stick it out, hoping things would get easier after today.
The pastor finally took his place up front, and everyone sat down. Summer couldn’t relax, though. Her family sat across the aisle from Brandon’s family. Since she sat on the end, she was technically only three people away from him because he sat to the left of his parents. His profile was strong. He sat tall and straight, always looking forward, and his hands rested lightly by his side. It looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, but she knew better.
Long ago, he told her that whenever he got nervous, he sat like that and concentrated on breathing until his heart slowed down and he could think again. If he was sitting that way now, something was bothering him.
The choir director invited everyone to stand and sing the opening song. Pulling the hymnbook open, she glanced toward the Fletcher pew and caught Brandon looking at her. He smiled, then faced forward once more. Was he nervous about her?
“Of course he is,” Griff peeked at the book from over her shoulder. “He’s still in love with you.”
Summer tried to sing, but in her head, she was begging Griff not to talk to her during church.
Have you no mercy ? She asked.
“Nope, because you’re dragging your feet. The man declared his undying love for you over cheeseburgers, and you let him walk away.”
He said he’d be happy being friends , she thought.
“He said he never stopped loving you. That means he loves you. Duh.”
I’m not ready .
“At least you agreed to the fireworks. I challenge you to snuggle while watching them.”
Griff. Be quiet for the next hour. Please .
He did as she requested, giving her time to focus on the pastor’s words. Summer hadn’t been to church in years and felt uncomfortable there. Everyone looked happy as if nothing terrible had ever touched their lives, but she knew that wasn’t true. She couldn’t pretend, so she avoided the situation altogether.
Today’s message was about God’s grace and how it could heal the soul. Summer almost tuned out. How often had she wished for her heart to be put back together without any results?
“There are hurts that we can’t repair on our own. We have to take them to Him because only He can mend them. What are you keeping from Him? Turn it over in prayer and let it go. We’ve been taught He will forget our sins. He can also help us forget our pains.”
Summer sucked in a breath. Could it be that simple? She struggled to breathe evenly, and her mom reached over and took her hand. They sat together for the rest of the sermon, clutching hands and comforting each other. This is what she’d been missing all these years—her family’s support and love.
“I told you this is where you needed to be,” Griff whispered. “You complain about chatting with everyone, but all these people love you. They’ll always love you. There is no reason you can’t heal your heart and live a long and happy life.”
Summer smiled. For the first time, she believed him. It might not be as easy as the pastor made it sound, but she would try. She’d continue to take each day as it came and go from there. Eventually, it would feel natural again.
Think I can do it in four days ? She asked her friend.
He laughed. “Not a chance, but you’ll be with Brandon in four days under a sky of stars and fireworks. Let him heal a piece of your heart.”
Summer turned her head slightly to see the Fletchers out of the corner of her eyes. Brandon still sat in his meditation pose, but his head was turned toward her. He leaned back so they could better see each other around his parents and gave her a slight nod.
It was as if he’d spoken the words in her mind instead of Griff.
You can do this.