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“I have some money saved up from my allowance and from working here. I want to take you out for some ice cream. Ice cream always makes everyone feel better.”
“It’s the middle of winter. Wouldn’t some hot chocolate be better?”
Zeke shook his head.
“We can have hot chocolate any time we want. Ice cream is a special treat and is delicious all the time.”
Jamie laughed and said, “I can’t argue with that logic.”
They grabbed their coats and the three of them went to the ice cream shop. She ordered a mint chocolate chip cone, Zeke got a birthday cake cone, and Reno got a vanilla pup cup. Jamie had to admit that Zeke was right. Doing something simple like going out for ice cream in the middle of winter had made her feel a lot better.
While they walked back to the café, Jamie hoped that when she had kids that they would be as smart and sweet as Zeke.
She was shocked by the “when” in that sentence. Jamie realized that her dream of having a family had never really died. It had just been put on hold.
16
Luke
“Hey, have you given any more thought to talking to my chief, yet?” Josh asked.
Luke leaned across the counter of the hardware store and yawned.
“I’ll probably go in next week sometime. I’m going to enjoy just a little bit more time off before I have to adhere to a rigid schedule,” Luke said.
“I get you. I could just quit and the two of us could be nomads and travel the world with just what we can carry in our backpacks. We can work when we need to but otherwise, just enjoy life.”
“Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? No bills to pay, no one to answer to. No schedules to keep.”
“The only problem with that is, that while I enjoy camping every once in a while, I do like my bed, my television, and my microwave,” Josh said.
Luke laughed, clapped Josh on the back and said, “You’re getting soft.”
“I might be.” Josh laughed. “Don’t judge me.”
“Oh, I’m judging,” Luke teased. “It took me a while to get used to sleeping on a soft, comfortable bed once I got back. I’ll admit though, that I’m partial to it now.”
“There goes the backpacking adventure idea. We could get an RV,” Josh teased.
“I just can’t see that happening until I’m about eighty years old. And even then, I’m not so sure.”
“Party pooper,” Josh said. “How are things going with Jamie?”
“They are good. I like her. I like spending time with her.”
“Good for you. Who knows, you might just be settling down before too much longer.”
Luke held up both hands and said, “Don’t get too ahead of yourself. We’ve just had a couple of dates.”
Josh laughed and checked his watch.
“I have a training I need to be at in half an hour. We get to practice running up and down ladders in full gear, in a certain time period. Loads of fun. I’ll see you later.”
Luke thought that it actually did sound like fun. He enjoyed a challenge. There was a Spartan race coming up in a few months that he was thinking about doing, just so that he could stay in shape. The extreme obstacle course challenged the strength and endurance of everyone who participated.
He was thinking about the obstacle course and different tasks that everyone had to perform in order to get through it and wasn’t paying attention to anything around him. He didn’t see his father approach from behind one of the shelves that was next to the counter.
“Why are you thinking about joining the fire department?”
