Page 12 of When We Dare

A short drive later, I parked behind Wildlands Lodge & Restaurant.

It was situated in the center of town on a lake. It was a popular tourist destination during the warmer months and also a favorite for locals. When I was a kid, I remembered coming here for burgers with Nate and his parents.

After we stepped out, I turned to look at the lake. “Wow, the sky is putting on a show.”

Above the lake, the northern lights were flickering in the sky, mostly green tonight mingled with streaks of blue. The colors were shimmering like a translucent curtain in the sky.

Nate and I walked toward the lake. Our footsteps crunched on the frozen gravel in the parking lot. We stared up at the sky together.

“Never gets old,” Nate said after a moment of quiet.

“Definitely not.” My voice was low and reverent.

After my jumbled childhood and the churning anxiety I carried from it, the outdoors was almost like a cathedral for me. A sense of peace crowded out the cacophony of anxiety and uncertainty that took hold sometimes.

I drew in a slow breath, appreciating that Nate was comfortable with silence in these moments. After a few minutes, we turned together and walked inside. As usual, the place was hopping.

Nate and I threaded our way through the crowd, joining a group of friends at a large round table in a back corner.

“Hey there,” Graham said, clapping me on the shoulder as I sat down beside him.

Nate took another chair and I glanced around as greetings were lobbed across the table. Graham, Russell, Cooper, and Wes were here from my crew. While Beck, Ward, and Remy were here from the other hotshot crews. Just as a waitress arrived to get our orders, Parker approached with Donovan.

“Hey, man,” I called, lifting my hand in a wave.

A few more chairs were tugged over from nearby tables and Parker sat down near me with Donovan. Parker smiled uncertainly as he looked around the table. Donovan introduced him to everybody he hadn’t met yet.

“Both of you used to live in Fireweed Harbor, right?” Griffin prompted as theconversation carried along.

“I lived there a few times, but not full-time,” I offered. “Parker and I knew each other in high school.”

That was the truth, but I just left out the fact that we attended high school classes together while we were in detention. While I didn’t hide my troubles in high school, it wasn’t easy to explain in a large group.

Parker nodded along. “I’m glad our paths crossed again,” he offered. “Can’t imagine somebody I would trust more out in the field.”

I smiled over at him. “Same goes for you.” After our food and drinks arrived, I asked, “How have you been this last decade or so?”

He finished a bite from his burger before pausing, his gaze considering. “Good. Haven’t had a lick of trouble in my life since my younger days. Moved out of state for a while. Mostly, I needed to clear my head and get some distance from my dad, you know?”

“I definitely understand that. Sounds like we’ve kind of followed a similar path with different geography. I’ve stayed out of trouble since those days. Still get pissed off about how our dads dragged us into that mess, but I’m glad I’m okay now. I’m really glad to see you.”

Parker’s eyes crinkled at the corners, his lopsided smile familiar.

“So what’s the deal with your sister? I didn’t know you had a sister.”

Although you could bond when you were in juvenile detention together, there were a lot of things you didn’t talk about, unspoken rules about family and things. So maybe he had a sister all along and wanted to protect her. I didn’t really know.

“I always heard rumors that I might have siblings out in the world. My dad kind of got around, if you know what I mean,” he offered dryly.

I chuckled. “I do know what you mean.”

“I decided to do one of those you know DNA tests. Lo and behold, my dad had a few connections. I reached out to the mom of my half-sister and she was really nice. She told me about my sister. I don’t know if my sister even wants to know if I exist, but turns out she’s here in Willow Brook. I didn’t know that until after I took the job here. I’m kind of hoping I can connect. Be nice to have another relative,” he said with a shrug.

I studied him for a few beats and took a pull from my beer. “I bet that’d be nice for you. My dad was… Well, you know what my dad was like. He’s still kind of a flake although he hasn’t been in jail for a few years and finally found some legal ways to pay the bills.”

Nate stopped by the table, clapping me on the shoulder. “This is my cousin, Nate.” I thumbed toward him.

Nate waggled his brows. “That I am.” His gaze shifted toward Parker. “Do you have family in town?”

---