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She nodded silently, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb.
“Don’t worry, Sammy. They’ll get your application and you’ll get the grant. I just know it.”
She smiled up at him, such love and devotion in her eyes making his knees feel weak.
The shouts and high-pitched laughter of children startled them out of the moment as a gaggle of kids scurried past them and up the sidewalk.
Sam grinned after them as Aero watched her, an uncomfortable twisting in his chest. The words were right there, on the tip of his tongue, but they wouldn’t come out. Sam needed the truth. He wanted to tell her the truth, but he wasn’t ready.
Clearing his throat, Aero wrapped an arm around Sam’s slim shoulders and resumed their walk through the snowflakes.
? ? ? ? ?
“I need to tell Sam everything,” Aero said upon entering Dr. Byrd’s office. “I don’t know how to go about it.”
Dr. Byrd’s eyebrows rose. “You’re ready to let her in? That’s wonderful. You’ve made great strides with opening up to Sam, and this is one of your final hurdles.”
“It’s also the biggest,” Aero muttered, starting to pace behind the couch. He told the doctor all about their Christmas together, how much he had enjoyed it, and how Sam had witnessed one of his nightmares.
“She was so understanding,” Aero said, wringing his hands. “I thought she’d kick me out for ruining Christmas.”
“What was it that triggered you?”
“The ornament, I guess?” Aero frowned, deep in thought. “It was a nice gift. I like it a lot. It was even the right model. I don’t know how she found it… Anyway, I started thinking about the guys I worked with in the maintenance garage, wondering how they were spending Christmas, then I realized that the guys didn’t get to have Christmas anymore and their families must be suffering, and they suffer every year, and then I thought about Nora and how she only had three Christmases…”
Dr. Byrd let Aero rant, his thoughts, and feelings escaping him at a rapid pace until he had shared everything.
“I want Sam to know.”
Dr. Byrd nodded. “Good. If you’re ready, we can start talking about strategies for discussing Nora with others, particularly Sam.”
Aero nodded immediately, Nora’s face filling his mind. Instead of his stomach knotting with anxiety and shame, he felt a frisson of joy, and a bit of relief at the idea.
“All right.” Dr. Byrd smiled. “Let’s get started.”
“Okay, so we have our budget set aside for the Spring Carnival. Sonia, you’re handling decorations. Jackie, you’re on drinks. Peggy and Kelly, you’ll do games and ask others to help if you need it.” Amanda, the PTA president, carried on listing off jobs and duties from the notes in front of her. Sam listened intently, sipping a cup of tea, and tapping her foot nervously beneath the table.
They were in the school library as usual, the tables set up in a big circle, a variety of parents and school faculty in attendance. Sam had been part of the South Street Elementary PTA for years, loving to be involved in school activities and interacting with parents outside of the classroom. Now, she was their go-to for most jobs, fundraising, and clean-up duties. Now, each committee person was selecting the members who would help them complete their tasks and run the carnival.
“Sam, you’ve agreed to run the Ring Toss game, correct?”
“Yes. We’ve got the booth supplies left over from last year’s Fall Festival, and I’ll be supplying the prizes,” Sam said.
Well, the Iron Dragons would be providing the prizes, but Sam didn’t tell the PTA that. They would not be receptive to the idea that a motorcycle club was buying stuffed animals and candy for their children, even if those club members were some of the kindest, most generous people Sam had ever known. So, to avoid the spectacle, Blaze would write Sam a check and she would purchase the prizes. This was a common occurrence with the Iron Dragons donating money to various local charities, children’s programs, and mental health organizations, usually without any acknowledgment of where the money had come from.
“Great. Let’s talk about snacks,” Amanda continued.
Sam watched the clock, knowing the meeting would end promptly at six-thirty, and she wanted to escape the library before anyone could talk to her. Not that she didn’t like her fellow PTA members, and didn’t enjoy the after-meeting socializing, but being stuck in a small space with Kelly Weaver and Rachel Dean was more than Sam could handle.
As the large analog wall clock clicked onto six-thirty, Sam was up and out of her seat, but she wasn’t fast enough. Behind her, Kelly called out her name.
Sam turned to find Kelly watching her, waving her over. Reluctantly, Sam returned to the tables and sat beside Kelly. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Are you gonna make goody bags of candy, or just let the kids take a handful for the Ring Toss? Because I’ve got plastic baggies in my classroom you can use,” Kelly offered.
“Yeah, that would be great,” Sam said, looking all over the library and avoiding Kelly’s eyes.
“Are you okay?”
