Page 20 of Those Two Words

Dex is a hard guy to miss. His six-foot-five, husky frame towers above everyone, and his biceps are bigger than my thighs. He might look intimidating, but the guy is the epitome of the Big Friendly Giant. Soft and kind to his very core.

I notice he isn’t wearing his hearing aid—something he would always forget when growing up—so I make sure he can see my lips as I talk to him. He hasn’t lost all his hearing, but he’s completely deaf in his left ear, and I know speaking to him face-on makes it a lot easier for him.

“What was the job?” I ask.

“A couple of new cabins are being built near the Canadian border. Was up there just shy of seven weeks and then decided to take a detour on the way home.” He flashes me a megawatt smile that pulls out a grin of my own. Knowing I’m still worthy of those smiles adds to this already great day.

Dexter—or Dex, as most people call him—grew up a few houses down from my family home. We met on our first day of kindergarten. He was technically Patrick’s friend first, but because the two of us were inseparable, I easily forced my way into their friendship. Dex complained that because I was a girl, I would give him cooties, but I won him over eventually.

A lot of my childhood memories consist of riding our bikes around the neighborhood or playing hide-and-seek in the woods behind our houses. Once we all graduated from high school, Dex didn’t go to college but continued his job at the local lumberyard and later taught himself carpentry in his spare time. What started off as a summer job and a passion for woodworking, quickly turned into a successful carpentry business of unique and bespoke pieces. From dining tables to fully livable log cabins, you name it, he can make it.

“Are you on your way to a job now?”

“Sure am.” He jerks his chin toward the restaurant. “Just got here.”

“Here?”

“Mm-hm. Your dad asked me to measure some shelving in the kitchen. Once I heard a certain someone made a dramatic return to town, I pushed this job to the top of my list. Patrick sure kept your arrival quiet,” he says with a teasing nudge to my shoulder, and that’s when I notice the small toolbox at his feet.

“Hardly dramatic.” With a roll of my eyes, I ignore his last comment. I give him my back for a second and continue unlocking the door. Once the alarm is off and I’ve switched on all the lights, he drops his stuff on the parquet floor.

“You wouldn’t think so hearing all the gossip around town. Scandalous, Johanna.” He places his hand across his chest in mock aghast. “I’m sure I heard Mrs. Stewart whispering about how you’d run away to a convent and got kicked out.”

“Har-Har. That woman is a fuc—” My sentence is cut short when the woman herself slowly walks past the large glass window, eyes slowly examining us both. “Jesus, that was creepy. Well, do you have time for a coffee and to catch-up? I might have a little favor to ask.”

“For you, I have all the time in the world.” He pulls me into his side and squeezes me gently, smelling like wood shavings and home. “Missed you, slugger.”

“God, Harriet has not changed at all by the sounds of it.” Dex laughs from where he is kneeling in front of the sink in the ladies’ restroom. I’m leaning against the wall next to him, on hand with the wrench as he works. Or I think that’s what it is. I told him one of the sinks was leaking and he offered to look at it. It’s a good thing I came in early today, because it’s been great catching up with Dex for the last hour. He sent me a few texts when I first left, checking in on me, but like so many messages, I didn’t have the heart or energy to respond. I’m sure he knows everything that went down between Patrick and me. He could’ve easily given me the cold shoulder, considering we haven’t spoken at all in the time I’ve been gone. It’s so refreshing that it feels like no time has passed between us.

“She is a walking oxymoron; has the style of a trendy teenager yet can’t work out how to find an email she drafted the day before. It was great staying with her, but I always worried I was cramping her style. This move home came at the perfect time.”

“Are you glad you’re back?” He peers up at me, as he waits for my reply.

“I am. It kind of happened out of the blue, but I’m glad to be close to Dad again and to be helping out however I can. I didn’t realize how much I missed this town until I stepped back in it.”

“I’m sure you’re helping a lot. Some people just take a little time to recognize that.”

I don’t miss the insinuation in his words. I’ve been trying to find the right words for the last hour, but rather than think them over, I blurt them out. “I’m sorry I never texted back. I-I…A lot happened.”

It shouldn’t surprise me that Dex’s response is full of empathy. “This might not be the same thing, but remember we didn’t speak for about a year when you and Pat moved away for college?”

My fingers run across the cold metal of the wrench as I nod my head.

“That time apart didn’t mean jack shit in the grand scheme of things, and neither do the last few years. You’re like family, Jo. I’ll never see you any differently, no matter what happened.”

“Well shit, now I’m going to cry,” I say with a teary smile. It’s clear Patrick has told him everything, but why wouldn’t he? Dex is his best friend.

“Please don’t. It makes me uncomfortable.” He stands and tests the faucet, makes a few adjustments, and gives the sink a tap before turning toward me. “All fixed.”

“My hero.”

“Anything for the damsels in distress around this town. Hey, what are you up to tonight?” he asks and wipes his hands down the front of his pants.

“I’m meeting up with some of the team at Shirley’s, you?”

“I was going to see if you wanted a beer and a slice of pizza at Dough. Maybe next week?”

“Oh, I’ve missed Dough so much. Their pepperoni pie was always wicked good. I’m off on Thursday and Sunday next week.” Dough is the town’s pizzeria, somewhere Patrick, Dex, and I would hang out on weekends or after school.

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