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“Great event,” Remi’s father said. “I’m really proud of Remi. There are so many people here. I bet she’s raised a lot of money for the kids.”
Taking a large bite of my crab cake sandwich, I looked around at the crowd, eating and laughing. “I think so, too.”
Delilah nodded thoughtfully. “I love that the proceeds go to foster kids.”
“Remi has a huge heart,” I said.
“Giving back is important to her,” her mom added.
“She wants to make an impact, touch other people.” It was important to me that Remi’s family see her as the force of nature that I did.
“We see it,” Delilah said to me and touched my forearm lightly before pulling away.
I nodded, taking another bite of my sandwich.
“I see a friend. I’m going to say hi,” Delilah said to her parents and walked over to a woman who was walking with a small child.
Her father regarded me thoughtfully. “You’re pretty serious about Remi?”
“I know it’s weird because I dated her sister, but what Remi and I have doesn’t even compare. No disrespect to Delilah.”
“You were kids when you dated Delilah,” her mother said pointedly.
“We were good to each other, and maybe just what we needed at the time. But Remi, she’s so much more.” She was my present and my future. I could imagine her living with me at my house, being by my side through everything.
“Then I don’t have to tell you to treat her right.” His voice was stern.
Meeting his gaze, I said, “I’d expect you to tell me that, but I don’t want you to worry. I love Remi. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”
“See that you don’t.”
Feeling the mounting pressure, I unscrewed the lid to my water bottle and sucked down half of it before setting it aside. In an effort to ignore my foreboding thoughts, I asked, “You still have chickens?”
We talked about their small farm, her father’s job, and her mom’s involvement in church. They were the same sweet people I remembered back in high school. I couldn’t let them or Remi down.
My throat tightened, and I excused myself, getting back to my job of protecting everyone at the venue, the community, and the town. My shoulders felt heavy.
When the event was winding down, a band started playing. The young families with exhausted kids had already left.
Dexter clasped my shoulder. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Long day.”
“It sure was. It would be nice to enjoy these events instead of always manning them.”
“Yeah, maybe one day.” I didn’t think I’d relax, even if I were here in a personal capacity.
“You did a good job today. Everything ran smoothly.”
I should have been able to relax at the statement. I already knew that nothing had happened, but I couldn’t. My body felt strung tight. I couldn’t seem to draw in a deep breath.
I needed her. “Have you seen Remi?”
“She’s talking to her friends over by the band. Why don’t you relax and enjoy the evening with her? I’ve got cleanup.”
I’d been working since early this morning, and I should have been off a couple of hours ago. “I appreciate it.”
“I got you.” Dexter said it in an offhand manner, but something in his gaze told me he was verifying something I should already know.
