Page 67 of Red Mountain Burning
“Let’s do something fun tonight,” Brooks said.
“Like what?”
“Why don’t we both pick up Zack and see what he wants to do?”
“Oh, I think we know what he’ll say. He’ll want to go back to the mall and eat ice cream and play video games.”
Brooks raised his hands, palms up. “That makes two of us.”
* * *
For the next week,Brooks and Adriana repaired their relationship, and they found connection in all sorts of ways. They laughed together and held hands. They listened to each other as they shared the things on their minds. They also found a wonderful connection in parenting.
Every day, they rode together to pick up Zack from camp and went to the mall, the bowling alley, and the driving range. They fished and hiked together. When they were home, they played checkers, built paper airplanes, and cooked Mexican recipes.
Brooks was amazed at the transformation he was seeing with Adriana, but it was one particular phone call that blew his mind.
“I just left your mother’s house,” Adriana said, catching him while he was changing a propane tank.
Brooks froze. “Oh God.”
“No, it was a great visit,” Adriana assured him. “I told her not to worry about what she’d said and that I totally understood.”
“Wait,” he said, holding the phone in front of him and glancing at the screen. “Is this Adriana Hernandez? I don’t think I’m speaking to the right person.”
She laughed. “Oh, hush. I’m not that bad. Your mom and I are fine. In fact, she and your father are going to watch Zack so that we can go on a date.”
“A date? What’s that?” Convincing Adriana to letanyonewatch Zack was a tremendous task, and this giant step she’d taken was not lost on him.
It was during this date two nights later, while sitting across from each other in an intimate French restaurant in Walla Walla, that she finally brought up staying. “I guess I’m realizing that I can’t run away from my problems. And if you’re willing to stick by me, then I definitely don’t want to run away from you.”
Brooks nearly choked on a mussel. Knowing they finally had a chance filled his cup in a wonderful way.
She stabbed a fork into hersaladeNiçoise. “Zack loves you too, and he needs you in his life.”
“I need him,” Brooks admitted. “I needbothof you in mine.”
Like he’d discovered the secret to life, Brooks found himself dancing through the following days. He was more carefree about the goings on at Lacoda and more confident about his place on the mountain. Finally, he was getting the break he needed.
