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18
Chase stared at Katie,noticing she was quiet.
“You okay in there?”
She took a deep breath and sighed.
Chase perceived some sadness, but she didn’t elaborate and didn’t talk about it.He didn’t press her.Almost reflexively, he responded by reaching out to grip her small hand, covering it with his.He felt something—was it a spark?
She didn’t pull away.
The waitress appeared with a full pot of coffee.
“Refill?”
Chase nodded, retracting his hand.He gestured at Katie and waited as the waitress filled hers.Then he slid his mug toward Mabel, murmuring a “thank you” when she finished.
“Nice wedding,” he said, changing the subject when they were alone again.“Laurie worked so hard on it.”
“Laurie looked so beautiful, and she and Ryan are so perfect together.”
“Yeah, they are.”
“And a house with a white picket fence?”Katie teased.
“They rented a small place with a fence.It’s cute.”
“Did you help them move in?”
Chase grinned.“Sure did.Laurie was thrilled when she found that house.They don’t have a lot of furniture yet, but they are so happy.”
“Dream come true,” Katie murmured, wistfully looking up into space.
“So, how about you?”
“I—I’m okay.Got a good, steady job.Pays the bills and then some.”
“Still at the same company since you graduated?”
“Uh, yes.I’ve worked my way up.”
Chase picked up his mug, watching the steam curl and rise.“You know, I just moved back to town about a year ago.”
“I think Laurie mentioned it,” Katie said.
“Yeah, she’s been bugging me for years, but then… this opening at the bank came up, and I went for it.”
“You work at the bank?”
“Yup, the one and only bank in town.”He grinned sheepishly.
“So you got hired.”
Chase nodded.“I came back for the interview with Timmy.Then they offered me the job.”
Katie frowned.“Timmy?”
“You heard about my brother Kenny and his wife Darlene?”Chase whispered, fingers white-knuckling his napkin.
“The accident… Mary told me.I’m so, so sorry.”
“Their child, Timmy—I’m raising him.I’m his mother and father.”
“I can’t imagine what you went through.”
Chase choked and tried to find the words as a wave of sadness rushed over him.The pain, raw and pulsing, ran through his body.It had never gone away.It had been just the two of them.Kenny was his older brother by a year and a half.They had grown up together—shared the same bedroom.Sure, they had fights and disagreements, but the bond between them was tight.Losing his only sibling created a deep vacuum that could never be filled.His eyes moistened as the memories came flooding back.
Katie touched his hand, offering a tissue.
