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I return my attention to Link. “I need to go. But I want to talk to you about the reunion.”
“We’ll talk at the park. Are you feeling barbeque or honey mustard today?”
“Hmm. Let’s go crazy and have both.”
Link holds up his hands. “Whoa. I don’t know if I can handle crazy Allyssa.”
I laugh. “Thanks for talking me out of seeing Billy.”
“It only would’ve upset you.”
“I know.”
Tom comes up behind Link and kisses him on the cheek. Link turns and shoves him. “Get off of me, man.”
Tom laughs. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see your fiancée.” Link swings at him and Tom ducks out of the way. “Are you sure you want to marry this guy, Allyssa? He seems to have some anger issues.” He leaves and Link looks at me.
“I love my fellow officers.”
I laugh. “And they love you right back.”
I leave the police station and go back to my office. Mitch left the pastry box on my desk and I take out a bear claw and sit in my chair. I should be thinking about Billy and what I learned from the whole experience, but all I can think about is Link’s grin.
I remember the first time I realized it was something special. I was thirteen and was sulking in my room because I hadn’t made the final cut for the eighth grade cheer squad. Link showed up at my door with a chocolate donut which, at the time, was my go-to comfort food. But he didn’t give it to me. He stood in the doorway and took a bite from it.
I got up to close the door on him and he put his foot out to stop it. He then grinned at me and it was the first time I felt butterflies. I’d heard about them—but Link’s fifteen-year-old self was the first person to give them to me.
He told me to get over myself and use the humiliating loss to improve my less-than-impressive cheer skills. He told me that eighth grade cheer was amateur stuff. And if I really wanted to be a cheerleader, then I should spend the year working on it. Then try out the next fall for the junior varsity cheer team.
I took his advice, worked all year practicing cheers in my bedroom and gymnastics in the backyard. I made the high school team a year later.
I gave up eating chocolate donuts that day, too. Because they’d never again taste the same. Not after watching Link stand in the door and eat one in front of me. It was the best donut I never had.
As I get to the park, I receive a text from Link telling me he’s running late. I go to a bench by the pond and watch the ducks. There is something peaceful about watching ducks swim around a body of water. I’m there for about twenty minutes when I see Rosie running toward me at full speed. I can see why she’s so intimidating to the bad guys. I know Rosie loves me and I am in no danger, but still, it is an impressive sight. She stops short of the bench and comes up to me. I rub her ears, and she lays her head on my lap.
“Hey, pretty girl. You’re scary, you know that?”
Link comes up behind her and sits down next to me with a bag in his hand. Rosie glances at him, then leaves me and lies down at his feet.
I shake my head. “Rosie is smarter than most people I know. She knows what you want without you even saying anything.”
“Telepathy.”
“I believe it.” I take the bag from him and remove the box with chicken strips and french fries in it. In the bottom of the bag are multiple containers of honey mustard and barbeque sauce.
“You remembered.”
“It was like two hours ago. Of course, I remembered.”
I hand him a strip and one of the barbeque sauces. “So, about the reunion…”
“I’m not wearing a suit.”
I take out a french fry. “I’m not asking you to. I just want to rescind some of the requirements.”
He turns and looks at me. “Such as?”
“Such as, let’s take it back to the original bet. You go to the reunion with me.”
