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I only had to glance at him to see that this time, it wasn’t a joke. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“Most people don’t,” he agreed. “Back in the day, I could throw a shot put far and away past the abled tossers. I kept the team happy in several events but low-key honesty, it was mostly an academic scholarship. I worked off part of it in a low-income school district for two years after graduation. It was a great learning experience and taught me some important things about myself.”
“Like?”
“The biggest would be that I didn’t want to work with kids in that arena.”
“I’m surprised. I know you’re all about the underdog.”
“While that’s true, working in a school is a whole different animal. There was so much government involved that it was hard to do anything to actually help the child or family.”
“I suppose that’s true. Not that we aren’t dealing with government here.”
His laughter was relaxed now and I was happy that he was over his earlier anxiety about telling me the truth. He had nothing to be ashamed of and I hoped he knew that now.
“Trust me, Mr. Thompson is nothing compared to what I dealt with in a school. Speaking of Mr. Thompson, we have work to do. Now that you’ve had time to think about it, do you still want to move forward with the sleep-out idea?”
“Absolutely, and not just for Mr. Thompson. I think many people will be surprised by what they’ll learn. It might even spark more dedicated volunteerism. Bells Pass is great about volunteering, but it’s always the same people supporting the same events. We need people willing to focus their efforts on everyday needs, not just special events.”
“Completely agree,” Irving said with a nod.
“Rather than tie it to any other organization, I’d like to make it our own.” I grabbed a notebook, so I could jot down our ideas.
“What do you mean?”
“I want to focus on what Bells Pass Bungalows and New Beginnings is doing to curb housing insecurity for families, young adults, and veterans. I want to educate people about what we’re doing and how they can get involved.”
“Great idea. It’s better to act than to react.” He pointed at the notebook. “Let’s get a basic structure down for it.”
For the next hour, we tossed ideas back and forth. Some we kept, some we decided against, but in the end, we had an event that would utilize New Beginnings and help us reach our goal of getting this place open.We were making a list of what each of us needed to do to make this happen when Irving’s phone rang.
“Hey, Shep,” he said when he answered. “How did it go?” He nodded along, a smile growing on his lips right before he gave me a thumbs-up. “That’s excellent, Shep,” he said, his voice triumphant. “I’ll let Hazel know, and we’ll start our prep for the next board meeting. Thanks again. I may be in the spotlight right now, but I know there will be more people in Bells Pass over the years who will appreciate having access to the gazebo.”
After he hung up, he grinned. “The city works committee passed it unanimously! They will take the money from the park funds if we don’t win a grant before they start building it.”
I threw my arms around him in excitement. “That’s wonderful, Irving!”
His warm arms wrapped around me, and he sank into the hug. I’d never hugged someone who needed human contact more than this man. “It is, but we still have one tall hurdle to jump. I was never very good at hurdles in track and field.”
“Always with the jokes, Mr. Wallace,” I teased, still hugging him. “Maybe we have one last hurdle to jump, but you’ve taught me one thing over the last few months. When you’re determined to do something, you’ll find a way to do it, and I know this time will be no different.”
The way his arms tightened around me said more than any words could have. The fact that he didn’t let me go and we remained locked in an embrace for far longer than appropriate between two colleagues told me so much more.
Chapter Six
I slammed the SUV door once Star was clear of it. “Forward,” I growled, my voice low and angry. I wasn’t mad at Star, but sometimes, I was mad at the world, and he understood. The entire day had been one frustration after another, and I was over it.
At least the Nightingale Diner was easy to access now. Once I was through the door, Star walked behind me and followed me to a booth. I motioned to the dog bed. “Paws up. Rest time.” The dog hauled his body onto the bed and let out a huff. He was as over me as I was over this day.
“Hey, Irving and Star,” Indigo said as she approached the booth with a glass of water for me and a bowl for Star. If there was one thing the servers were good at here, it was taking care of their human and canine service professionals. She set the water down on the table and held up the bowl. “Does Star need a drink?”
“Probably, thank you.”
She set the bowl down near the dog and stood again. “You look rough, Irving. Everything okay?”
“Just Jim Dandy, unless you count the thirteen different ways that I got hurt trying to move around this town today.”
“I’m sorry,” she said with a frown. “I'll give you a few minutes to decide what you'd like to order.”
