Page 168 of The Spider & the Storm

Strangers to me were all friends with Soldier and Ray, greeting them with warm smiles and friendly waves. They all knew the kids by name, all offering the sense that they looked out for one another like true neighbors should. It was something out of a movie, something I'd once believed to be impossible, but there it was, acted out before me with every shake of the hand and genuine grin.

They were all glad to meet me, and I believed them.

“Any friend of Soldier and Ray is a friend of mine,” many of them had said, and how nice was that?

They didn't treat me with anything but acceptance when I hadn't even found that type of welcome in Witch City, where the misfits and misunderstood were taken in with open arms.

You were different then,I reminded myself. You didn't want to be welcomed. You didn't want to be accepted. You wanted the exile, and they gave it to you. How could you have expected anything more?

I followed our group past picturesque shops and restaurants as my brain worked its way through the past several years while appreciating the life Stormy's sister and brother-in-law had found for themselves in this coastal small town. It was truly amazing when I considered where Soldier had come from. A drug dealer who'd done time after a manslaughter charge? God, the fact that he wasn't living in a run-down shack somewhere, sliding his way back into old habits, was nothing short of a miracle, and I started to think …

Maybe there was room in the universe to grant me one too.

***

“This is where I work,” Soldier announced as we walked into the town's grocery store.

The Fisch Market was larger inside than it appeared to be from its storefront. Light-colored hardwood floors with tall, wooden shelves to match and bright fluorescent lights filled the space. We walked past the line of carts by the door, through an impressive produce section, and toward the back of the store.

Soldier wanted to pick up his paycheck before we headed down to Dick's Diner for dinner. We reached a plain wooden door, and Soldier knocked, only to be answered immediately by a cheerful voice.

“Come in, come in!”

Soldier opened the door to reveal a small office space and greeted the rotund older man behind the desk with a smile. “Hey, Howard. Sorry to bother you.”

“Oh, stop it. You're never a bother to me, and you know it. Here for your check?”

“Yeah.”

“All righty, just give me a second here.” The man stood, and it was then that he seemed to notice that Soldier wasn’t alone. His smile broadened at the sight of our small group, kids included. “Well, this is a surprise! Ray, Noah, Miles! It's nice to see you guys. And it looks like you have company?”

Ray returned the grin. “You remember my sister, Stormy, right? She stayed with us when—”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Howard said, hurrying around the desk as fast as he could to take Stormy's hands in both of his. “It's nice to see you again, Stormy.”

“You too,” she replied, placing her other hand on my arm. “This is my boyfriend, Charlie.”

It was absurd of me to expect that this introduction would go similarly to the way it had with her father. This man wasn't her father. For all I knew, this man meant next to nothing to any of them, outside of him being Soldier's boss. Yet it filled my heart with an unexpected warmth when both of his hands moved from hers to take mine, his grin never faltering.

“Charlie, lovely to meet you. How long are the two of you in town?”

“Until tomorrow night,” I answered, even as my head filled with an abrupt whisper.But you never know, do you?

“Wonderful! I hope you enjoy your stay here. My wife is the mayor, in case these two kids haven't told you yet.” He addressed Soldier and Ray with a wink. “If you need anything at all, just give us a holler.”

I couldn't begin to imagine what we'd need in less than twenty-four hours, but I thanked him graciously anyway.

Then, he turned and hurried to the desk drawer, insisting that he didn't want to keep us longer than necessary. He produced a check and handed it Soldier's way, and the two men briefly talked about the job. Something about a shipment that would need to be accepted and unpacked.

“I'm visiting Uncle Levi tomorrow,” Soldier told Howard. “But I'll be around after, if it can wait.”

Howard nodded. “Oh, that's fine. I can be here to accept the delivery if you don't mind—”

“Do Ievermind?” Soldier asked in a teasing tone.

Howard chuckled and glanced my way. “I have to practicallybegthis guy to take a day off work.” Then, he clapped his hand against Soldier's arm. “I won't keep you guys. Have a great night, and, Soldier, I'll see you tomorrow.”

We left the store, falling in line once more as we walked to the diner. Stormy chatted with her sister while holding Miles’s hand. Noah talked endlessly to Soldier about one thing or another, and if my mind hadn’t been so focused on something else, I might’ve taken note of how wonderful their relationshipseemed to be for a teenage boy and his close-to-middle-aged father.

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