“She’s not struggling anymore,” he says, sitting up and looking at me through cloudy eyes. “I don’t know what I’ll do for breakfast now and don’t know why I’ll get out of bed. But I suppose this is a part of life and I’ll manage. At least I had her back for a few minutes before she passed.”
“If there’s anything I can do, please tell me.”
He pats my arm. “Thank you, Walker. I wanted to see if Sienna was around today.”
Biting back a lump in my throat, I shake my head. “She’s not.”
Despite his grief, even though he just lost his wife, Dave looks beyond the surface. “You two have a falling out?”
“That’s nothing you need to be worried about.”
“She reminds me of my wife. As kind as she is pretty. Wanting to fix everything,” he says, a small smile slipping across his lips. “Take it from me, do whatever it takes to keep her around.”
“I think I messed up pretty good on this one.”
“Well, we all do that from time to time. Nothing is bad enough it can’t be fixed.” He stands, swaying a little on his feet. “If you see Sienna, please tell her I said thank you for the breakfasts from Carlson’s this past week.”
“What?”
“She had something brought over to the nursing home every morning this week,” he admits, shaking his head. “It . . . It was appreciated.”
A clap of thunder hits outside and I run to the back and grab an old coat of my father’s. “Here,” I say to Dave, throwing it over his shoulders. “Let’s try to keep you warm.”
He starts in on a story about my dad and this jacket as I open the door and help him to his car. He gets settled in, the rain pelting my back. “If you’re lucky enough to get a shot at love, Walker, it’s worth whatever you have to do to keep it.”
I watch him pull away. Standing in the middle of the parking lot, getting drenched, I know he’s right. I just don’t know if it matters.
“I REALLY DON’T FEEL like lunch, Delaney. But thank you,” I say, trying not to let her hear how much her insistence drives me crazy. She goes on and on about how I need someone to hang out with today, how Cam asked her to check on me, how she’ll take me for coffee cake at Carlson’s.
She means well. I know that. But I also know what it’ll be and that’s a huge anti-Walker fest. While I’ve wanted someone to join my grumblings, as the day has worn on and I really consider listening to it, it doesn’t seem appealing.
“Delaney,” I say, cutting in. “I need to go. I have a call coming in.”
“Call me back.”
“Okay. Bye.”
I end the call and toss the phone on the sofa.
The sun is out, but a little creek has formed in the back yard. It flows from the neighbors on the north to the ones on the south. The kids at the top of the hill have made these little boats and are floating them down to their friends below. Like a busybody old lady, I stand at the window and watch them play in the water. They’re so happy. So carefree. Not old enough to have their hearts broken.
A knock at the front door startles me. Expecting to see Delaney with a bag of takeout, I pull it open without asking who it is. But it’s not Delaney. It’s Peck.
The mischief that typically riddles his eyes is gone and is replaced with a concern that rushes back all the events from last night. I lean my head against the door and expel a sigh. “What are you doing here?”
“Came to check on my buddy.”
“Don’t make me cry,” I say, choking back a sob.
He gives me his goofy smile. “You doing all right?”
“About as well as you might’ve guessed when you realized I found out what you all already knew.”
I let that hang in the air, a little jab to let him know how I feel. He takes the hit, actually flinching, before removing his hat and running a hand through his wild, blond hair.
“I fucking told him to tell you,” he says, shaking his head. “We all did. Every single one of us, Slugger.”
“But none of you did,” I say, standing upright. “I can see why Machlan didn’t. I don’t really know him. Maybe not even Lance. But you?”
His face falls as I stand before him, calling him out on what certainly feels like a betrayal.
“You were the one lugging me to Nana’s,” I point out. “You were the one shoving us together and making sure we had enough opportunities to connect. Hell, Peck, you were the one who came up with the idea for me to work there.”
“You wanna know why?” he shoots back.