Chapter 10
“Dude,” Nash said, “I’ve got to talk to somebody about this, or I’m going to go insane."
Tucker chuckled under his breath as he slid a glass of iced tea in Nash's direction.
"I was afraid of this."
Nash's eyes widened. "You don’t know what I'm going to say." Yet even as he said it, he figured the man knew exactly what he was about to say. He'd watched it all unfold, even if it was from a distance.
"You're falling in love with the girl. Now you're panicking because you know she can't stay here forever."
"Okay, you're right, but she actually does want to stay here. At least she makes it sound that way."
Tucker held his gaze for a blink. "You know what? I have a funny memory about your folks."
Well, that went in a different direction.
Nash lifted his glass and took a swig of the drink. "Okay…"
Amusement flashed over Tucker's weathered face.
“My wife, her name was Darla, made the best potato salad. Well, one night, for a barbecue, we hosted with some friends, your parents included. There, your old man made the grave mistake of complimenting said salad, going as far as asking what kind of potatoes Darla had used.”
Tucker paused there and shook his head. “See, I can tell you’ve never been married, or you would have groaned at that part.
Anyway,” he said with a shrug, “your dad went on to explain that he liked the texture of the red potato a lot better than the russet that Meg used in hers. Boy, did that cause a stink."
Tucker chuckled under his breath and shook his head, a distant look in his eye. "Meg got all riled and said, ‘I'm glad to know you hate my potato salad so much. Don't you worry because you'll never have to eat it again, and I'll see to that.’"
Nash chuckled, amused by the story about his mama's fiery temper. "That's a good one. She did like going on rants, I remember, but I never had any doubt that she was crazy about my dad, even if he did things to get her goat.”
"Oh, you're right about that,” Tucker agreed. “Those two had a great relationship, and boy, did they love being parents together."
Nash blinked back tears at the comment. Some days, it was still hard to believe they were really gone. It didn't matter that he'd had to acknowledge that fact every day of his life for the last thirteen years.
A thought suddenly occurred to him. It'd been fourteen years now, hadn't it? The anniversary of the car accident was just last week. Which, he realized with a pain level of chagrin, was when his brother Wyatt texted him. He should have known that's what he was texting about.
Nash could hardly believe that he hadn't paused long enough to recognize the meaning behind Wyatt's text.
"I'm sorry, son. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought up the memory."
Nash shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's just that… their death date just passed, and my brother and I usually exchange words on that day. I just realized that I never responded to his text."
Tucker furrowed his brow, tilting his head to one side. "He's your brother. I figured you talk to him all the time."
It was a safe enough assumption, but in this case, not an accurate one. "My brother and I don't get along too well. It’s complicated, but we’ll get there, I’m sure.” It was the best way Nash could put a cap on it. He didn’t feel like going on some deep dive into his issues with Wyatt.
“Well, it's not all that uncommon for siblings to go through seasons where they’re not as close. My guess is that the relationship will get better in time, as you say. For now, I’d say it’s a good thing you each found a bonus brother you click with.”
"Definitely.” Nash shook his head and sighed.
"But now I’m going to have to eat crow. I always claim I’m the nicer one, the one making all the effort, then here he sends me a text on our parents’ death date, and I don't give him so much as a word. In my defense,” he added, “I was trying not to talk to any of my brothers since Ellie and I had… well, started getting close…"
“Right, right,” Tucker said, catching his drift. He was the one who’d had Nash sign the NDA, after all.
“Back to the story about your folks and the potato salad,” Tucker said. “A lot of times in life, we keep going about our day-to-day, thinking everything's great until we have a taste of something else.
“That's when the things we may not like so much make themselves known. Ellie has come to this new place, a small town with country charm, and she met a guy who likely has better manners than she’s accustomed to.
It's bound to have her thinking she's missing out on the finer things in life. I, for one, would agree."
Nash already sensed what was coming, and not just in his mind either; his whole body knew what he’d say next, and he was already tensing up in preparation.
The truth was, his time with Ellie would soon come to an end.
She’d fly out to Dallas to film her show, and who knew where she’d go from there.
Nash had started to wonder if he was a fool for getting in so deep.
When Tucker delayed for a moment too long, Nash nudged him with the word he knew was coming. "But?"
Tucker pursed his lips. "But that doesn't mean she's ready to make a change. I'm not saying she's not, mind you, I'm just saying that it's not a bad thing to…"
"To guard my heart?" Nash filled in for him.
Tucker shook his head. "No, I wouldn't tell you to do that at all.”
Nash furrowed his brow. “Then what? I’ve got to protect myself somehow.”
“You protect yourself by first acknowledging the risk and then doing it anyway. Go ahead and give your heart, show her what she stands to gain if she really entertains this other life, but you do it with both eyes open, knowing exactly what you're getting yourself into.
“If you do that, your love for her will grow deeper. Of course, the pain grows, too, if things don’t last, but at least you’ll know that you gave it everything you had. That's how a man is meant to live life, you hear?”
Nash nodded as he let that sink in.
“Let’s face it,” Tucker added, “you and I both know we can't take tomorrow for granted."
The sentiments resonated through Nash in warm, walloping waves. It was a sensation he felt when he sensed his parents were near, speaking to him through prayer or even in nature. He sensed that they spoke to him through people, too.
He wondered if Tucker felt the same way in regard to his late wife, Darla.
Just then, Nash caught eyes with the kind man and lifted his glass ceremoniously.
"Thank you," he said as Tucker extended his glass with a clink. “Here’s to going in with both eyes open and giving it my all."
Nash felt as if he’d gotten just what he needed from his conversation with Tucker, even if he hadn’t known what he was looking for. He was falling fast and hard for Ellie Blaire, and as scary as that was, he hadn’t wanted to stop.
Tucker had given him permission to take his foot off the brake, and that’s just what Nash planned to do.