Page 15 of Only Ever You
I bit back a sigh. “Dad, things go the way they go. If there’s one thing we can’t change, it’s the past. I figure I learned a lot from that, so stop worrying about it. Okay? I don’t worry about it. I met Hudson there, and he’s my best friend.”
“All right, all right. I’ll try not to worry,” my dad muttered.
“Don’t they tell you in your groups to let go, let God, and all that. You made your amends with me. Honestly, maybe you didn’t always make the best decisions, but I never doubted you were there for me, and not everyone gets that in life.”
Another sigh filtered through the call. He was big on the sighs when he was worried. “I love you, Parker. I’ll text you the dates for when we set up our trip.”
“Looking forward to seeing you. Love you too.”
When I tapped to end the call, I stared at the picture of my dad saved with his contact in my phone. His hair was mussed, and he wore a goofy grin. I still marveled that he and my half-sister’s mom had reconnected. The modern miracle of DNA testing had brought them together. My sister Stella’s mom hadn’t been busy running drugs like my dad, but from what I understood, she hadn’t had the most stable life.
That’s how my dad got me in trouble. He thought it would be great for me to help him sell drugs in high school. I shook my head, almost bemused now. Every word I told him was true. I was over it. It was a lesson I had to learn. Maybe he’d been the one to lead me to that path, but, at the time, it held powerful temptations for me. Money, street cred, and a few other dumb things had seemed important when I was young and stupid.
To this day, I never forgot something the public defender assigned to me had said. I’d written it down and covered it with clear tape. I still kept it in my wallet. Pulling it out, I read it once again.Don’t judge yourself for your worst days. There’s more to you than that.
I had met Hudson in detention and would always consider him one of my best friends. We hadn’t stayed in touch for a chunk of time because that was before cell phones were ubiquitous. Needless to say, both of us had been poor and broke with dads who weren’t financially stable. We hadn’t been able to stay in touch, but I was beyond grateful life had brought us back together. We’d both ended up doing firefighter training and becoming hotshots. We’d even managed to get through him falling in love with my half-sister.
I’d been a little overprotective at first, but Stella had put me in my place on that. With a mental shake, I snagged my keys and headed out the door.
When I glanced down at my phone screen once I climbed into my truck, I saw Luna had finally replied to my text.Sure! Tomorrow?
Even though a tiny part of me thought maybe I should delay it and play it cool, I ended up replying right away.
Me:Sounds good. Should I pick you up?
Luna:That would be great. You know where I live.
Anticipation hummed through me. I was impatient to see her again. More than that, I was impatient to understand why she used a fake name before. In reality, I recognized that when we spent that hazy, dreamy afternoon together, I’d been a complete stranger to her. Maybe it had been safest for her to call herself Jane instead of giving me her real name. I still wanted to understand why.
Hudson leaned back in his chair, chuckling at a comment Griffin had made. “Dude, you have to decide. It’s a choice between fewer fish and a pretty boat ride.”
“Or more fish and bigger fish,” Leo added.
“I prefer the Kenai River. China Poot’s beautiful, but it’s really only worth it if you live nearby,” I pointed out.
“What’s the difference?” Kincaid asked.
Kincaid was not only new to our crew, but he was new to Alaska. He seemed like a solid guy. Cade, a superintendent on a different crew, leaned forward. “Okay, here’s the deal. For dipnetting in this area, the main choices are Kenai River, Kasilof River, or China Poot Bay, which is across Kachemak Bay. Youcan only get one permit every year. China Poot is six fish for every trip. Kenai and Kasilof are twenty-five fish overall. For families, it’s another ten fish for every other person in the family. Personally, I prefer the Kenai River. The fish are bigger, so you get the most for the work. Kasilof River is nice, but the fish are smaller. Some people like China Poot, but you have to make four trips to get the same number of fish. Although it’s totally beautiful and the fish literally swim over a waterfall. Once was enough for me. I go to the Kenai River,” Cade said with a tap of his fingers on the table.
“Wow,” Kincaid replied. “Sign me up.” He chuckled.
“How long you been in Alaska?” Graham asked.
“Three months,” Kincaid said.
“You’ll be able to go next year,” Graham said. “You gotta be a resident for a full year before you can get a dipnetting permit. They’re strict about that.” Graham was the superintendent for our crew and a solid guy.
“I don’t mind the wait.” Kincaid shrugged.
We were at Wildlands Lodge, a local hotel, bar, and restaurant. It was situated on a lake in the center of town. Even though it was autumn and the height of tourist season was over, the place was packed. It always was. We often got together here for dinner and drinks with anyone who wanted to tag along from the fire station. Willow Brook was a hub for four hotshot crews, along with a local crew, which meant for a lot of firefighters in town. Lately, we stayed busy with fires popping up all the time, with summers getting longer and hotter on the West Coast, and Alaska a busy place for wildfires. I loved my job, and I loved the wilderness.
Conversation carried on as everybody shared their opinions on dipnetting and debated favorite local fishing places.
I glanced toward Hudson. “Did Stella tell you about the elopement? Is that what we call it?”
Hudson flashed a smile. “Guess so, and yeah, she did.”
“Good for them.” I chuckled. “My dad is one happy guy. He said they’re doing a ferry trip for their honeymoon. He said they want to try to meet up with us when they stop in Anchorage.”
