4. Shane
“There isnothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” ~Linda Grayson
It’s a good thing I brought cookies for Hope. And an even better thing that I only ate one on my way to the airport. In my defense, I wanted to do a little taste test before handing them over. The teenage version of Hope had high standards when it came to cookies—there had to be just the right amount of raisins and nuts, no more and no less. I can only imagine the adult version of her has grown up to have the same impeccable standards.
And boy, has she grown up.
I can’t tear my gaze away from the woman sitting in my passenger seat. Fortunately, we’re still parked because I am distracted with a capital D. Hope looks like the girl I once knew, but she’s even more beautiful now. Her features are more defined and sophisticated. My favorite trait of hers—her long red hair—has morphed from frizzy to silky, and it flows around her shoulders like it’s ready to star in a shampoo commercial. Those crystal blue eyes that used to light up when she got annoyed now radiate a sense of warmth and contentment as she grins. A satisfied sigh emerges from her lips, a sure sign that the cookie she’s devouring meets her standards.
“I take it you like the cookie?” I remark as I stand beside her car door. My shadow falls on Hope as I try my best to block the sun’s rays from her face and the prized box of cookies.
“Like it? I love it!” She takes another bite, then licks her lips. “You’re the best, Shane! You’ve single-handedly turned this day around for me. I can’t not smile when I look at this box of my favorite treats. The smell alone makes me happy.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You and your double negatives. I see you haven’t shaken that habit of yours.”
“You know what they say—two negatives make a positive. It’s how I keep my sunshiny outlook on life, so I don’t spiral into self-pity for trusting a complete stranger with my luggage.” She hams it up with a painful smile that makes it look like she’s sucking on lemons. “Oh, who am I kidding? I’m two bites away from spiraling. I’m pretty sure I’m never going to see my luggage again! It’s probably on its way to some remote town where it’s going to wind up being sold at a flea market, along with the birthday gift I spent months picking out for your sister! All of it gone—poof! Just like that.”
“Hey, you don’t know that for sure. The guy at the lost and found said people’s bags turn up all the time.”
After searching the entire first floor for her luggage and coming up empty, we’d filed a report with the airport, then the police. There hadn’t been much sympathy shown to Hope when the authorities learned that she’d practically handed her bag over to a complete stranger. Especially when she didn’t have a good description of said stranger, other than a vague memory of him being tall, blond, and friendly-looking. She’d walked out of the terminal on the verge of tears until I’d handed her the box of cookies. In my line of work, I get called a hero pretty often, but I never felt more like Superman than when I’d made Hope smile. Unfortunately, my words don’t do much to console her now.
“Thanks for trying to be optimistic.” She starts in on her second cookie, a chocolate chip walnut one. “You’d think with a name like mine, I’d be more of a glass-half-full kind of person. But let’s face facts—my situation is not looking good. As my students like to say, I’d be delulu to think I’m getting my luggage back in one piece or at all.”
“De-what-now?”
“Delulu. It’s short for delusional.”
“Oh. Well, I for one like to believe anything’s possible. God’s in the business of doing miracles. I see them happen on the job all the time.”
“That’s because you deal with major life and death situations. Mine hardly qualifies as one. God has way more important things to deal with.”
“It may feel that way, but anything that matters to you matters to Him.” Hope gives me a wide-eyed look that’s a cross between disbelief and impressed. I rub the back of my neck as her gaze stays on me. “I don’t mean to be preachy. I just don’t want to see you lose hope already.”
With an eye roll, she points to herself and laughs. “Actually, hope is one thing I could never completely lose even if I wanted to. But I do appreciate the reminder. Thanks, Shane. Ames was right. You’re a lot more pleasant to hang out with now that you’re older.”
“Ouch. My preteen self is deeply offended by that compliment,” I say with a smirk. “I was a fun kid… I think.”
“You were, but kind of like a fun-size candy bar. Cute and sweet and a little nutty, but just the perfect size when you don’t want too much of a good thing, you know?”
“Mm-hmm.” The cheesy smile she flashes my way makes it hard to keep a straight face. How can I when she called me cute? This comment brings to mind when she called me gorgeous earlier. I’m still on cloud nine over that one. Being around Hope is more invigorating than a shot of epinephrine. I fight hard to keep the corners of my mouth from curving up, then narrow my eyes to feign my disapproval. “Have you been taking lessons from a politician or something? Because you’re sure good at buttering a guy up.”
“Does that mean it’s working?”
“Possibly. Maybe.” I give up and let a smile overtake my lips. “Okay, fine, yes.”
“Oh, good.” She wipes some imaginary sweat from her brow. “’Cause I kind of just remembered that I’m at your mercy for the next couple of days. I already lost my luggage; I’d like to not lose my vacation associate, too.”
“Vacation associate?” A hearty laugh emerges from my gut, causing a couple of passersby to glance over. I give them a friendly wave while I catch my breath, then turn my attention back to Hope. “Where’d you come up with that?”
She shrugs. “It sounded good in my head. Would you rather be called something else?”
“How about friend? Or buddy or pal could work, too.”
“You’re totally right. We are friends.” She pauses to fan herself with her hand, then sets the box aside. “It’s really warming up. Don’t mind me, I’m just going to take off a couple of layers before I melt.”
A couple of layers?Before I can ask Hope what she means, she shocks me into silence with her next move.
I blink in disbelief as she gets out of the car and takes off one skirt, followed by another, her sweatpants, and a pair of jeans. She then proceeds to remove her jacket and a hoodie, leaving her with a long-sleeve shirt on. To my surprise, she starts pulling the latter off as well, but she stops mid-way with her arms raised and the cotton material covering her face.
“A little help, please!” Hope calls out, her voice muffled. “I’m stuck!”
I step forward and look for a hem or sleeve to work with. It’s a challenge with Hope squirming about like she’s desperately trying to escape a straitjacket. “Easy now. It’ll be easier for me to formulate an exit plan if you stay still.”
“Argh,” she groans, “I’ll try.”
Once Hope stops moving, I give her shirt a swift tug upwards and release her from her cocoon. The motion knocks her off balance and sends her falling forward. She lands against my chest with a soft oomph, and I quickly wrap my arms around her waist to steady her. Soft strands of her hair tickle my chin, and her sweet, intoxicating scent hangs in the air. The sensation of her body against mine sends a rush of adrenaline through my system. All of my senses are on high alert as I soak in this moment. My teenage self would be out of his mind to be this close to Hope. Meanwhile, my adult self is surprised to feel emotions I haven’t felt in a long, long time.
Maybe ever.
Hope pulls back, her cheeks flushed. Her expression is one of embarrassment mixed with relief as she steps out of my grip. “I’m free! Thank you, Shane! Who knew a shirt could be so dangerous?”
“No problem. That was by far the easiest life-saving measure I’ve ever had to do,” I joke as I hand her the shirt. “Are you good now?”
“Yes, much better. I have a couple more to take off, but these should be easier since they’re short-sleeved ones.”
“Oo-kay.” I figure it’s better to help first and ask questions later, so I gesture for her to come closer. “I can help you with those.”
“Oh, thank you, but I’ve got this.”
She turns her back to me and starts taking off not one T-shirt, but three. When she’s done shedding her top layers, I half-expect a clown to emerge from a hidden pocket as part of a grand finale, but by the end, it’s just Hope standing in front of me in a pair of leggings and a top. She does some kind of ninja-like move with her hair and twists it into a bun at the top of her head, then pulls the end through the middle as if tying a knot. By this time, I am thoroughly intrigued and confused at what I’ve just witnessed.
“Ahhh, so much better!” she exclaims as she folds all the pieces of clothing and puts them in a pile on her seat. When she’s done, she turns to me and confides, “To tell you the truth, Shane, I was kind of worried before about what it would be like to hang out with you on this trip. It’s nothing personal,” she quickly adds, “it’s only because we hadn’t seen each other in such a long time. I didn’t know what to expect, if you’d still be the same boy I knew growing up.”
“That’s fair. It has been a while since we’ve seen each other. Were you wondering if I’d still be fun-sized? Cute, sweet, and a little nutty?”
Hope’s gaze roams over me slowly, traveling from my head to my toes, as if mapping out uncharted territory. She licks her lips as she looks back up, then murmurs, “You are definitely not fun-sized anymore. Cute and sweet—sure. Nutty? That’s to be determined.”
“Says the woman who was wearing half the contents of her closet at the same time,” I tease. “Forgive me for being fashion-challenged, but is that some kind of new trend? I’m still in awe at how you were able to pile on so many layers.”
“That was not a fashion trend, believe me.” The bun on Hope’s head wobbles as she shakes her head. “Long story short, my luggage was over the weight limit, so I had to do a little improvisation.”
“As a walking, talking dresser?”
Hope rolls her eyes in her usual good-natured way. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? But more importantly, I still have clothes to wear even though I lost my luggage. I call that a win.”
“That is a win. Good on you to plan ahead like that.” We share a chuckle like we’re old friends, which I suppose we are. It’s the first time in a long while that I’ve done anything social, and I’m happy to see I haven’t lost the ability to make someone laugh.
“I have my talents,” she responds with a wink that’s sweeter than any cookie.
“It looks like your optimism is returning.”
“I think so. This trip may not have gotten off to the best start, but there’s still a lot to look forward to. Ames said she booked a really cute inn, and we even have a private patio with a fire pit.”
“Nice. We should try to make s’mores. It’ll be like old times when you used to come over for sleepovers.”
As soon as the suggestion leaves my mouth, Hope’s brows shoot up high on her forehead. “Um, Shane, I just realized there’s a slight problem.”
I swallow hard, wondering what could be the reason for the wariness in her voice. Did she leave her wallet in her luggage and potentially get her identity stolen, too? “What kind of problem?”
“Ames only booked one room.”
My shoulders fall in relief. “No big deal, I can book myself another one.”
“But she said she got the last one.”
“Really? Well, I’m sure there are other places to stay.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. We had to make reservations almost a year in advance. Summer’s the most popular time of the year in Solvang.”
“So, you’re saying there’s no more rooms at the inn or possibly anywhere else?”
Hope nods wordlessly.
“Well, I guess we’re not only friends—we’re going to be roommates, too.”