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I searched for the words. “Oh, wow.” That was the nicest thing I could say. It looked like someone had designed it on their computer from 1999.
Bryce laughed. “I think the chief made this. So obviously, I think it’s wonderful.”
I nodded, my eyes wide. “It sure is…something.”
“I’m thinking we can improve it a little.”
“Let’s hope so.” I scanned the flyer for the information this time. “Are the basics the same? Location, time, date?”
Bryce took a drink of his coffee. “Probably. I’ll check the calendar. It needs to be a Saturday. The morning works well because a lot of people use their winnings that same afternoon.”
I nodded. “Okay, I could see that. What about the location? It says it was at the park?” I kept my voice steady, even though the thought of the park brought a certain memory to mind. There wasn’t much to do growing up in Minden, and we spent a lot of time at the park. It was where Bryce had ultimately brought up his feelings and questions about our future.
He cleared his throat, and I briefly wondered if his mind had taken the same run down memory lane as mine. “Yeah, we try to hold it at the park. First Baptist lets us use the Fellowship Hall as a backup location in case it rains.”
“Are you still good with that?”
“Yeah. I don’t see why not. I will check in with Pastor Justin and make sure the Fellowship Hall is free.”
I glanced at the calendar on my phone. “Saturday the 7th?”
He nodded. “You’ll still be around then, right?”
In my mind, that was just before I planned to head back home. “Should be. I don’t have my ticket back home yet, but I was thinking around the 15th. It will depend on how Mom’s therapy is going.”
“How is she so far? I meant to ask.”
I gave a small smile. “She’s doing okay. A bit of pain. The medication helps, but she doesn’t like to take it. It makes her sleepy.”
Bryce clicked his tongue. “I’ll be over this afternoon to clear your walk. I meant to do it this morning before our meeting, but we had a long night.”
I shook my head. “You don’t have to do that. Go home, take a nap.”
“It’s no problem, seriously.” The tone in his voice made me pause.
I looked up at him and saw the sincerity there.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked. The question had been eating at me since I got back and ran into him at the bistro. If anything, I deserved to be ignored. But here he was, treating me like a friend. Taking care of my mother.
His serious look softened, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. “Why wouldn’t I be?” He leaned back, creating space between us.
I tipped my head. “Come on. We both know you should hate me.”
He shook his head. “You don’t think that, do you? Look, you left to pursue your dreams. It’s been nearly fifteen years.” He sighed. “Yeah, it sucked, but we’ve both moved on. Haven’t we?”
His question made me pause. “Of course,” I answered. But the truth was I wasn’t sure. I’d never really dated anyone. In the back of my mind, hadn’t I always been comparing the men in LA to Bryce? Laughing at what he would think of the man who hit on me while getting a pedicure in the next chair. Or comparing their slick smiles and perfect teeth to his carefree grin and slightly crooked front tooth.
Even at eighteen, I’d known that Bryce would never lie, cheat, or leave. But I’d left anyway.
“It’s ancient history,” he continued. “And I’d help your mom with or without it.”
I smiled. Of course he would. “That’s really nice of you.” Sometimes, I thought growing up in a small town was a bit like being in a group chat you never signed up for. Too much of everyone else’s business intruding on your day-to-day. But things like this—a friend willing to go out of their way to shovel an older woman’s sidewalk? It almost made the rest worth it. “Thanks. For looking out for her all these years.” That’s just the kind of guy Bryce was.
“Don’t mention it. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to it before she fell.”
“Don’t feel guilty. She’d kick your tail if she heard you blaming yourself.”
He smiled. “Yeah, she probably would.”
