Noah
I’d been in my new place a week and had gotten things mostly unpacked and situated, which meant I’d barely left the house.
I had to change that, so I called up Clay to see if he was available for a coffee, since he and Iris were the only people I’d gotten acquainted with since moving back.
He spoke to Iris and, a few moments later, agreed to meet me late this morning at The Crispy Biscuit.
I took off out the door and began walking toward the downtown strip. It had been years since I’d walked these streets, but I remembered most of them instantly.
It was good to see that Bluebird Books was still in business, and I wondered if Vi still owned it or if she’d finally retired.
I made a mental note to stop in and visit, perhaps pick up a new read.
I also wanted to check out the community center.
I wanted to find out more about the counselor position and drop off the donation I had for the food drive, and also to see if they were still looking for help with the holiday elves.
Since I was early, I headed there first.
I pulled the large brown door open and entered. Laughter rang out down the hall, and a few kids took off running past me. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Can I help you?” I heard a man’s voice say from behind me.
I turned and smiled, then held out my hand.
“Hey, I’m Noah Lucas.”
“Nice to meet you, Noah. I’m Ethan Alexander, one of the retired military volunteers here. What brings you in today?” he asked, shaking my hand.
“Well, I’m relatively new to the area, or, should I say, a returning resident.
I grew up in Willow Valley, and I, too, am a retired military officer.
I was in the grocery store the other night and saw that you were looking for help for both the holiday elves, and after speaking with the cashier, I learned you are also looking for a counselor.
Plus, I have this for the food drive,” I said, holding up a small bag of canned goods and some pasta.
“Well, first, welcome home.”
“Thank you,” I answered.
“Now, about the holiday elves program. We certainly could use help. Unfortunately, there are more kids and families enrolled in the program than ever before, so the more hands we have, the more we will achieve. My daughter Melinda, who works over at the Crispy Biscuit, is one of the head elves, and I know she will be thrilled to know that she will have one extra hand. As for the counselor position, do you know someone who would fit the job?”
“Yes, sure do. Before I left the military, I had been struggling. I took some time off, got treatment, and then put my focus on getting educated. I wanted to help others who were struggling like me. So, I did the courses and got my license to counsel with the military.”
“That’s wonderful. Are you currently working?”
I shook my head. “Unfortunately, in moving back, I left my current job hoping to find one here. So if the position is still available, I’d sure love a chance of applying.”
Ethan nodded and stepped out of the way of the five kids who flew past me when I walked into the center.
“Guys, slow down there,” he called after them.
“Sorry, Ethan!” one of them shouted back.
“I’d love to know where they get that energy from.” Ethan chuckled, turning his attention back to me.
“Same. What I could do with that again!” I laughed.
“Seriously!” Ethan chuckled. “Now, for the job. You’d not only be working with people in the military, but you’d mostly be with kids. We find that some of them are really struggling, especially with the holidays, so that is why we put the call out for a counselor.”
“That isn’t a problem. I’ve worked with kids at my last post.”
“That is good to know. Mindi, who looks after the program here, isn’t in right now. She had to step out and do a few errands, but she should be back later this afternoon. You could always stop by and speak with her.”
I felt my heart skip a beat at the sound of her name. Could it be true? Was it my Mindi who was running the center? She’d always been involved with the community when we were younger, and I’d remembered her working with this type of program years ago before.
“What do you say?” I heard Ethan ask.
“About?” I questioned, feeling silly that I’d allowed my mind to wander.
“Stopping back in this afternoon. It’s been so hard to find a good fit for the team. I’m certain Mindi would sit down and speak with you.”
I could feel my pulse in my throat as I nodded. “I can certainly stop back in,” I said.
“Sounds good. I’ll let her know you are planning on coming back in today or tomorrow at the latest, in case you get sidetracked, but I certainly hope we will see you again.”
“Sure will,” I said, holding my hand out for Ethan to shake once again.
The cold air hit me as I stepped out the door of the community center.
My mind wandered right back to where it was when I’d gotten sidetracked.
Could it actually be my Mindi? I wondered.
Had she really never left Willow Valley?
Was this fate’s way of dropping her back into my life after all these years?
How was I going to approach this? Should I just run now and not come back?
I shook my head. I needed to clear my thoughts.
So what if it was Mindi who ran the program at the center?
We were adults, not a pair of teens. Everything was in the past. She’d denied me, and that was okay.
I’d gotten over it and moved on. I knew things had been hard on her when I was gone, so it hadn’t surprised me.
What had surprised me was that she hadn’t reached out at least to tell me, but again, I had moved past that, hadn’t I?
I let out a sigh, glanced at my watch, and noticed I still had an hour before I was to meet up with Clay.
I glanced across the street at a small boutique shop, Treasures and Gifts.
It must be a new store because I didn’t remember it being there when I was younger, so I went to check it out. I needed a gift for my niece, anyway.
I took off across the street and pulled the door open, stepping inside the small store. A woman behind the counter smiled in my direction but was with a customer, so I just smiled back and went about looking at things for myself.
I took my time looking over the shelves, seeking some sort of idea for a ten-year-old girl who I’d not seen in five years. My brother had sent me a few things she’d like, but I wanted to get her something from me, like I used to, and not something just picked off a list I was given.
I slowly wandered into the back of the store and rounded the corner…and stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Was it really her?
I blinked and wiped at my eyes. I wanted to pinch myself to see if I was actually dreaming.
There in front of me was Mindi. She stood there, picking up one candle after another, smelling them with a soft smile on her face.
God, she looked the same. Her picture on social media hadn’t really done her justice. She was as beautiful as ever.
I stood there watching her, my pulse racing. God, I wanted to approach her, to talk to her, but my feet were glued to the floor. There was no way I could just approach her out of the blue like that.
She put the candle she’d been smelling down and was about to turn around and face me, so I stepped into another aisle, hopefully hiding out of sight.
I strolled away from her when I heard a man say her name.
The moment I heard her laugh, I knew without a doubt it was her.
Her laugh, like music to my ears, hadn’t changed.
I made my way to the end of the aisle and poked my head around the corner. His hand rested on her lower back as they spoke low to one another, and then they both laughed.
At that moment, my heart sank. I wasn’t sure what it was I was expecting by seeing her again, but somewhere deep inside me, disappointment hit.
I felt ridiculous feeling the way I did; I guess somewhere inside of me I’d hoped that everything had been a misunderstanding and that when and if we crossed paths again, it would have been like the last ten years hadn’t happened.
“Sir, is there something I can help you find?” I heard a woman ask from behind me.
It was then I realized I was crouched down on the ground.
“Ah, yes, I was just trying to find something for my niece.” I smiled.
“Well, how old is she?”
“Ten.”
“Well, come on over here and let’s see what we have.”
The woman led me over near the window, and while she pulled things from the shelf, I watched Mindi walk by.