What’s he like?” Troy asked.
“He’s kind of like a medieval knight, but has a gentle, sophisticated side. Big and brawny, very physical but disciplined. He’s also clever. Wise.”
“Fantastic,” Troy said. “Where are you going?”
“We’re staying in, actually. We might watch a movie.”
Troy lifted an eyebrow. “If I popped over unannounced, would I meet him?”
“Very probably. He’s a little possessive but I completely ignore that. Like I said, I’m not one to get serious. Let’s talk about your girlfriends.”
“I don’t kiss and tell.”
She straightened. “Humph. Yet you expect me to!”
“I think you were bragging and maybe stretching the truth. You’re a little weird, Grace. The last time we hung out was Halloween and you were a witch, complete with missing teeth. And you put a hex on me.”
She smiled, remembering. She’d told him she was going to shrink his thing. “How’d that work out?”
“Turns out you’re not much of a witch. So when you say your heart was never broken...”
“Come on, I’ve had my share of disappointments like everyone else, just haven’t had a romance end badly. We can moan about our various letdowns another time, when we’re both drowning our sorrows and feeling sorry for ourselves. Let’s not do that now, okay? I have a feeling if you get started...”
“Did Iris ask you to check on me?”
“Absolutely not. She said you were very grown-up and wished her every happiness. And I must say, buying a Jeep you can’t afford is definitely mature.” Then she grinned at him.
“It’s a great Jeep. Maybe I’ll take you off-road in it sometime. Besides, I only have one person to worry about so if I have trouble paying the bills, it’s not like I’m taking milk out of the baby’s mouth.”
She leaned her head on her hand. “You’re all about fun, aren’t you, Troy?”
“I work two jobs, Grace. I like to think of myself as active.”
“And your favorite activity is?”
“It’s a toss-up between diving and white-water rafting or kayaking. One of the things that brought me to Oregon is the great river trips. I was torn between Colorado, Idaho and Oregon. Oregon had the job. In a town on the water.”
“And you’re a teacher for the time off?”
“And the high pay,” he said, smiling.
“Iris says you’re the most dedicated teacher she knows,” Grace said.
“Iris should raise her standards.”
“Okay, so you’re still a little pissy.”
“I said I’d need a week or two,” he reminded her. He lifted his coffee cup to his lips. “What’s your favorite thing to do with time off?”
She didn’t answer right away. “I need more balance in my life,” she finally said. “That shop gets too much of my time. But it’s a good workout.”
“Flower arranging?” he asked doubtfully.
“I beg your pardon! I stand all day, haul heavy buckets full of fresh-cut flowers in water, deliver hundreds of pounds of arrangements to weddings and other events, get in and out of the back of that van all day, lift heavy pots and props and that’s before I have to clean up and do the books. It’s not for sissies.”
“And for fun?”
“I like to dance,” she said. “I don’t very often, but it’s fun.”
“I bet you were a cheerleader,” he said.
“I was never a cheerleader. I think I could’ve been. But I wasn’t interested.”
“You are the first girl in the history of the world, then.”
“I’m sure I’m not,” she said. “When I was that age I was into ballet, sort of. They are not the same moves at all. That, like flower arranging, takes strength. Plus, I have a bike.”
He raised his eyebrows. “A Harley?”
“A mountain bike. Retired for the winter due to ice, rain, cold and slick roads.” She drank the rest of her beer and put her money on the bar. “I’d love to stay and keep you company but I have a date.” She started for the door and turned back to him. “I’m glad you’re doing well, Troy. I’d like to see what that Jeep can do off-road. Maybe when the weather warms up. And dries up.”
“It’s a date,” he said.
But Grace knew it wasn’t a date. She went back to the shop but didn’t go inside. She went upstairs to her apartment, put some leftover lasagna from Carrie’s deli into the microwave, changed into her soft pajamas and turned on the TV. While her lasagna cooled on the plate she went through the channel guide and settled on some reruns until her favorite shows came on. With her dinner on a tray and her e-reader in her hand, she opened an old and beloved book—The Wolf and the Dove—and settled in with Wulfgar, her medieval knight.
She loved him. And she trusted him.
When Cooper asked Troy about his plans for New Year’s Eve, Troy agreed to work. He hadn’t gone skiing and was getting a little bored—might as well make money. Even though the night was clear and cold, it was a party night and Cooper’s wasn’t where the party was. Cliff was packing a full house at his restaurant and would stay open past midnight to accommodate his revelers, but Cooper’s on the beach didn’t have patrons past eight o’clock.
At a little after eight Troy locked up and walked next door to Cooper’s house and brought him the contents of the till. Cooper and his wife, Sarah, were bundled up and had been sitting on the deck where an outdoor hearth blazed under a star-studded black sky. “I hear Cliff is going to shoot off some fireworks over the bay if the wind stays down,” Cooper said. “If we’re awake, we’ll have the best seats in town. The problem with having a house like this—you never want to leave it.”
“You look pretty comfortable. The fireworks might wake you up,” Troy said.
“We had invitations for New Year’s Eve,” he said.
“I’m sure,” Troy said, grinning. “Getting old, Cooper?”
“Oh, yeah, I guess so. But look at you—working tonight and all washed up before nine...”
Troy was ready to move on. “I’m going to stop at the store, grab a six-pack and drop in on a friend.”
“Let me save you a trip,” Cooper said. He got up, went to the refrigerator and pulled
