2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
Nick
“You’re young, single, and there’s so many other things to do on a weekend. Are you really going to spend your free time at the fire station?” Mom asks me as I finish counting the day’s earnings at our family’s small hardware store.
I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing my brow. “We live in a town with less than five thousand people. I don’t think I’m missing out on anything.”
“Except finding a girlfriend,” she mutters under her breath.
“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at her, pretending like I didn’t hear what she said.
“You heard me.” She laughs, shaking her head. “I know you get tired of me harping on that, but you’re thirty-two now, Nick. I want you to have a family.”
“I thought you said I was young,” I retort, giving her a smirk as she rolls her eyes at me.
“You are young.”
“So then why push me to find someone?”
“I just don’t want you to grow up and be alone.”
I shrug, pushing away the worry. “I’ll be fine. If the right person comes along, then so be it. I need to get to the station, though. I told Daniel that I’d sit with him tonight.”
“You’re a volunteer,” Mom reasons as I walk around the counter and make my way toward the front door. The scent of fresh wood chips lingers in the air. “You don’t have to sit at the station.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it’s nice to have some guy time—without Vanessa and the kids there,” I add carefully, knowing that Daniel’s wife is also one of my good friends—and their one-year-old twins are adorable. It’s not like I don’t want to hang out with his whole family or something…
It’s just that I appreciate a little quality guy time every once in a while.
“I get it,” she says, giving me a warm smile. “You know who I talked to the other day, though?”
I stop, hovering by the front door. “Who’s that?”
Please don’t mention an ex-girlfriend.
“Marilyn Willis. ”
I blink a few times at the mention of the eighty-year-old woman we go to church with. “Uh … okay? You talk to her all the time.”
“Yeah, but she told me her granddaughter is coming to town.”
“Wow, cool!” I chuckle, shaking my head at her. “That’s really great, Mom. I hope she has a nice visit.”
“She’s about your age.” Mom wiggles her eyebrows. “She’s cute, too. I found her on Facebook.”
“Creepy.”
“Everyone does it.”
“Not me.” I shake my head. “Social media is a huge waste of time. And prevents people from minding their own business.”
“Yeah, well, you’re missing out.” She smirks. “Anyway, I was thinking we could all get together when she comes to town.”
“Yeah, or not , because that’s really freaking awkward,” I say, shaking my head again. “I don’t need my own mother conspiring to find a wife for me. This isn’t the eighteen hundreds, Mom.”
She sighs, running her fingers through her dark hair. “I just … okay. Fine.” She holds her hands up in surrender. “I won’t set you up.”
“Thank you.” I laugh, flashing her a grin before swinging open the door of the hardware store.
I glance down at the watch on my wrist, noting that it’s already nearly six. I promised Daniel that I’d be at the station by now. Looks like I won’t be stopping at home to shower.
“Hey, Nick!” a voice calls out behind me as I make my way to the driver’s side of my pickup truck .
“Yeah?” I turn around to see Frank, an older gentleman in the community, shuffling toward me. “How’re you?”
“Good, good,” he grunts, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stops a few feet away on the sidewalk. “I was just comin’ to talk to you about a project.”
“Oh?” I say, wondering who needs handiwork this time. “What’s going on?”
“Well, you know Ms. Marilyn, right?” he asks.
Man, everyone is talking about Ms. Marilyn today. Bet her ears are burning.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Well, you know, she lives across the street from me, and I was over there this morning. That ramp of hers really needs to be redone. It’s sure losing its integrity; I’m worried she might fall through it.”
I nod, making a mental note. “Does she want it replaced?”
“Well, that’s the thing…” his voice trails off as he scratches the white stubble on his chin. “She don’t want nobody to touch it.”
Well, that’s going to make it hard to fix.
“I see…”
“But I was thinking maybe you could come by and just take a look at it? Her granddaughter is coming this evening, and I just … I don’t want nobody to get hurt.”
I nod, glancing down at my watch again. “Well, I could maybe come and take a look after work tomorrow? I’ve gotta get to the fire station to work a shift with Daniel, but I’ll be free tomorrow. Maybe I can talk her into it. ”
“Well, I was thinking maybe you could talk to her granddaughter about it, and then she can talk to Marilyn. You know how stubborn Marilyn can be. Eliza is more likely to be concerned about her wellbeing, and might finally talk some sense into her.”
Eliza. That’s a pretty name.
“Sure, I can try that,” I say, opening up the driver’s side door of my truck. “I’ll stop by tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir.” He beams, before shuffling off toward the ice cream shop next door to our hardware store.
I sigh, sliding into the seat.
I’m always up for helping out where needed, but there’s nothing more challenging than trying to convince an elderly woman, set in her ways, that she needs something different.
That’s not going to be fun.
Firing up the truck, I back out of the parking spot and head toward the small fire station on the other side of town. By the time I pull next to Daniel’s black half-ton, it’s nearly fifteen minutes after six. I throw it in park and hop out, not surprised to see Daniel standing outside, leaning against the door frame.
“You’re late ,” he teases, letting out a chuckle.
“Yeah, I know.” I elbow him as I slip past him and head inside. The scent of pepperoni hits me as I walk into the station, and my eyes land on an open box of pizza, my stomach growling at the sight.
“I figured you’d be hungry.” He chuckles as I head straight for it, swiping a piece and taking a bite .
“Yeah,” I say through a mouthful, savoring the texture and taste of the warm sauce and cheese.
“You know you didn’t have to come this evening,” he says, plopping down in the chair. “Chief Wilson just wanted me to stay the night while he’s out of town for the next few days.”
“Hope he has a nice honeymoon,” I say, plopping down in the other chair. “Where’d they go?”
“Mexico or something,” Daniel answers, grabbing his own slice. “I don’t know why though. Mexico seems … hot. ”
“I guess,” I say, having no clue, since I’ve never been there.
“I like his wife,” Daniel comments.
“You probably shouldn’t tell your wife that.”
He shoots me a look and then laughs. “You know what I mean. Speaking of Vanessa, she has a few friends coming in from Texas after the new year. Apparently, she thinks that one of them might be just your type.”
Jeez.
“Why is everyone always trying to set me up?” I groan, letting out a heavy sigh. “I don’t even have time for a relationship.”
Daniel laughs. “I take it your mom’s been scheming again … who is it this time?”
“The granddaughter of Marilyn Willis,” I say with a chuckle. “Never seen her in my life—not that it even matters. You know how it always goes for me. I meet whoever it is, they’re nice enough, but then they change their mind about it. ”
“No, you change your mind about it,” Daniel counters, shaking his head at me. “You don’t want to leave this town, and most of the time, women want to leave.”
It’s true. I grew up in West Falls and I have no intentions of ever leaving this place—it’s where I belong and where my responsibility lies. Which can be a tough sell on a woman who dreams of bigger cities and brighter lights.
“Vanessa doesn’t want to leave,” I point out, taking another bite.
“Yeah, but that’s just because she loves me. I don’t think she ever would’ve picked West Falls if she had a choice. It grew on her—just like I did.” He flashes a goofy grin.
Lucky guy.
“Well, maybe someday I’ll find someone … or not,” I add with a laugh. “Makes no difference to me. Between running the family hardware store and looking after Mom, I don’t really have time for it.”
“Sure you do! You just haven’t met a woman who sweeps you off your feet yet, but I think you will, and when you do, it’s going to be something really crazy. I already know it.”
“I have no idea what you mean by that, but I’ve never been swept off my feet, and I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
“Nah, it will. It’ll be like one of those romance movies that Vanessa always forces me to watch. You’ll see the woman and then have to catch your breath or whatever.”
“Right, okay. I’ll hold you to that.” I laugh, reaching for another slice of pizza.
That’s insane.