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“A horse is only as good as her rider.”
“Says the man who doesn’t ride.”
Ethan opened his mouth to say something else, but Liam interjected.
“So how long are you staying?”
I gestured toward Andrew with my beer.
“It depends on that guy.”
That led to a conversation about Andrew’s shoulder and healing timeframe.
“So how’s it been working with your dad again?” Owen asked.
“It was tough at first. He questioned everything I did.” I shrugged. “But now he just lets me do my thing.”
And we’ve barely spoken since he warned me to stay away from Summer. That’s a pretty mean feat considering we both live and work together. I thought about bringing the subject up with him again just to clear the air, but decided it’s not worth it. Also, after considering what he said, I decided he might be right.
As if he read my mind, Noah asked, “What about Summer?”
Every muscle in my body tensed.
“What about her?”
“I heard you two were hiking together and you ended up carrying Thea because she hurt her paw.”
That right there is why I should leave Summer alone. Seaside is a small town and I know people talked about our breakup when she moved back. And regardless of what happens between us now, they’ll talk again and Summer will be the one who has to deal with it.
“We weren’t hiking together. I was on the trail and Summer came along, but I’m glad I was there to help when Thea broke her nail.” Time for a subject change. “How are the girls doing?” I asked Liam.
He and his wife Christine…make that ex-wife…have two little girls. They divorced a couple years ago and from what I understand, have done their best to make it as amicable as possible.
As he filled us in on his daughters’ latest antics, I thought again about what my father said in the truck. I’ve never thought of my life as shallow, but sitting here with my friends, I feel like maybe it is. Liam has been married and divorced, and has two children. Ethan is married and Owen is engaged. Noah came out of the closet a few years ago and has been in a long-distance relationship with a man who lives in Eugene since then. Johnny has always said he’ll never settle down, but spends a lot of time with his ten nieces and nephews.
I make a lot of money and get to see the world, but at what cost?
Before I could dwell on that too much, Liam finished his beer and dramatically set the bottle on the table.
“We need another round,” he said, then pointed at me. “You haven’t been home in forever. I don’t care how tired you are, we’re not letting you go home until last call.”
CHAPTER7
Summer
“How’s it going over here?”Nora asked.
“We’ve been as busy as you are over there.”
The rescue’s booth usually gets a lot of traffic and today is no different. Between people purchasing biscuits and stopping by to see the animals, all the volunteers have been busy since this morning.
“I see Oreo’s been getting quite a bit of attention with his bowtie and new haircut.”
“He has,” I said. “Jeannie Williams made an appointment to see him Monday.”
Jeannie was devastated when her pug had to be put down two years ago. She swore she’d never get another dog, but Oreo may change her mind about that.
“Oh, I hope she decides to adopt him. She was such an amazing dog mom,” she said. “Plus we’d still get to see Oreo. As much as I want him to find his fur-ever home, I’ll miss him when he’s gone.”
