26. Dawson

Deep twilight fell over the woods behind Beau's garage as Dawson pulled up. Overtime was usually his friend, but he'd grumbled through the extra hours this week. Granted, it wasn't as if Olivia had extra time either. They'd spent the last few days just missing each other at every hour.

He pulled out his phone and checked the time. She'd be working at the church for the next hour and a half.

Impulse had him pressing her name on the screen. The steady rings dragged on and on. His hand fisted and flexed where it was propped on the steering wheel of his truck.

"Hey, you've reached Olivia. I can't answer the phone right now."

Even her recorded voice had his shoulders lifting, but he ended the call quickly. On any other day, he'd leave her a funny message.

Not today. Today, he missed her so badly he could barely breathe. She'd been number one in his life for years, but he'd only experienced a day and a half of bliss before they both went back to the real world.

But the time they'd spent together at the campsite? It was epic. Those days would forever live at the top of his list of favorite memories. They'd finally given up on acting like they weren't together and just told their friends not to tell anyone.

Dawson took full advantage of their time after that. He'd been so wrapped up in Olivia he couldn't see straight. He'd barely been able to work–the reason they were camping in the first place.

Now, he was having Olivia withdrawals. He fired off a text message asking if they could meet up later tonight. Another night without seeing her sounded like torture.

A few extra trucks were parked in front of the garage. He'd expected to see Asa here, but Olivia's dad and Asher Harding were a surprise.

Gage Howard's beat-up truck stayed parked at the garage lately. Nothing about that guy sat well with Dawson, but he'd been doing a good job of keeping his eyes and ears open when Gage was around. You don't earn a rap sheet like his without logging a whole bunch of hours for the dark side.

Dawson wove in through the open garage bay, but the shop was empty. It was suppertime, and just the thought of food had his mouth watering. He stepped through the back door and turned down the small hallway where voices drifted out of the break room.

Five men sat at the table, leaving only one empty chair. Beau and Asher took up one side with Jacob and Asa across from them and Mr. Lawrence at the head of the table.

"Evenin', gentlemen," Dawson said as he made his way around the table shaking hands and slapping backs.

"Good to see you, man," Asher said as he stood to shake Dawson's hand. "How are you?"

"Any better, and I'd be you. What brings you out here?"

"Just getting the tires changed on Haley's truck. She drives like the law is after her twenty-four-seven."

"We keep a close eye on her," Asa said.

Asher laughed, but the smile on his face was nothing but pure, gushy love for his feisty wife. "Then you're smarter than you look."

"Olivia isn't here," Jacob said.

The room erupted into laughter, and Dawson joined. "Buddy, you'll understand one day."

"Not today, though," Asa added.

Jacob shrugged like he wasn't sure he cared to understand why Dawson followed Olivia around like a lost puppy. "Where is she?"

Dawson picked up a paper bowl and started filling it with chili. "Church. They're packing for the Fish and Loaves ministry tonight."

Jacob turned to his dad. "Oh, I want to do that too. Can I go next time?"

Asa nodded until he finished chewing the bite in his mouth. "Sure. Lyric is there now. I didn't know you wanted in on it."

"I do," Jacob said quickly. "I've heard Lyric and Olivia talk about it before."

Dawson added a pile of cheese to the chili and took the last seat at the table. "Then consider yourself volunteered. Liv would love to see more kids helping out."

"How's Liv doing?" Mr. Lawrence asked. "I haven't seen her all week."

Dawson didn't run into Mr. Lawrence nearly as often as he did Beau and Olivia, despite the goats living on the old man's farm. Mr. Lawrence lived a quiet life since his wife's death, though Olivia constantly pushed him to get out of the house.

For the first time in a while, Dawson noted the extra gray hairs on the man's head and the sagging skin under his jaw. Mr. Lawrence was Dawson's hero growing up–a man who worked hard, loved the Lord, and made sure his family was fed and clothed.

Everything Dawson's dad wasn't. He couldn't imagine Jerry Lawrence bailing on his family. What made a man do that anyway?

He looked back at Jerry. For once, the giant of Dawson's childhood looked tired. "She's good I guess. I haven't seen her much this week either. She's been busy."

"She came by earlier and dropped off the chili," Beau said without looking up from his bowl.

Mr. Lawrence shook his head, but the grin on his face said he was proud. "That girl is something else."

Dawson often had trouble explaining his unwavering attraction to Olivia. Not because of her looks, but the way she compelled him toward her without a single word. She radiated kindness and love. Who wouldn't want to be around that?

But Dawson couldn't break free of that bond, and he hadn't tried. He wanted to stay stuck in Olivia's orbit his entire life.

"How are things going with you two?" Asa asked.

Jacob's chin lifted, zeroing in on Dawson like he was about to spout off the answers to the questions on his next test.

"Awesome. Well, I'm sure it would be better if I'd seen her this week, but things are good."

For someone with a lot of doubts hanging around like hungry buzzards, he sure could pull off the aloof act when pressured.

Dawson's phone dinged in his chest pocket, and he pulled it out. A text from Lyric had the last few bites of chili threatening to revolt in his stomach.

Lyric: Warning. Liv is freaking out a little bit about the reel that went viral.

Dawson flipped over to the Instagram app to see thousands of unread messages and comments.

"Son of a tater tot," he whispered as he spotted the number of views on the reel. He'd posted it earlier on a whim while he'd been missing Olivia like crazy.

"Oh, tater tots would go great with chili," Jacob said.

"What's wrong?" Asa asked.

Dawson typed out a quick message.

Dawson: Does she want me to delete it?

He switched back over to the Instagram app. The number of likes and views on the reel kept climbing. Dawson gripped the phone in his hand, willing it to slow down. "I posted a reel on Instagram this morning, and it's taking on a mind of its own."

Beau scoffed. "You take your shirt off again?"

A reply came in from Lyric.

Lyric: No. But I think she got a little freaked out after Anna called.

Dawson dropped the phone on the table and covered his face with his hands. "I messed up."

"What'd ya do?" Jacob asked.

"I kinda implied that Olivia and I should get together."

"And… that's bad?" Jacob looked back and forth between his dad and Dawson.

"It's not bad, but it's not great because Olivia wasn't ready to tell everyone we're dating."

Jacob tilted his head, clearly confused. "But you are dating. And we know. Why wouldn't you tell everyone?"

Asa clapped a hand on his son's shoulder. "Grownups don't always know what they're doing."

Jacob's shoulders sank. "Aw man. I was hoping I'd know everything when I hit twenty."

Asher had just taken a drink, and he covered his mouth to contain the spit as he choked on a laugh.

Dawson pointed his spoon at Jacob. "One thing I do know is that you do whatever your woman says to do. That also means I might have just made a big mess."

"What kinda mess?" Jacob asked.

Gage Howard walked into the kitchen, and Dawson watched him carefully. The guy had grease from his bearded face to his boots and wore the same Black Sabbath T-shirt he'd worn for one of his mugshots.

Yeah, Dawson had brushed up on some records when Beau hired the guy. He didn't love the idea of Gage working in the place where Olivia, Lyric, and Jacob liked to hang out.

Gage opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. He turned around to prop his back against the counter and crossed his ankles.

Dawson leveled him with a warning glare.

"Don't stop now," Asher said. "I'm invested in this story like it's my retirement plan."

Gage took a sip of water and stared around the room. "Don't mind me," he whispered.

No one said a word, and Dawson wasn't about to talk about Olivia with Gage around. He took a breath and turned his attention back to his chili. Beau needed the help, and running off the only guy in town who knew the difference between a crescent wrench and a pipe wrench wasn't going to help anyone.

Still, that didn't mean Dawson had to befriend the guy.

"Like I was saying," Dawson continued, "I just don't know if I should wear the green shirt that matches my shoelaces or the gold shirt that brings out the flecks of amber in my eyes."

Gage pushed off the counter and headed for the door without looking back.

Beau glared at Dawson when Gage was out of earshot. "Dude, lay off."

"I know he works here now, but you won't catch me braiding his hair and going fishing with him anytime soon."

Asa pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't like him being here either, but Beau needs the help."

"I know. I know. I'll behave, but I can't let down my guard around him."

"I get it. I wish I had other choices too, but the guy knows cars and he gets the job done," Beau said.

"So things are working out? No issues?" Dawson asked.

"Fine so far."

Asher cleared his throat. "As much as I love dancing around our feelings for Gage, can we hear more about your budding relationship with Olivia? Haley is going to want all the details when I get home."

"We're not telling anyone yet. Well, a lot of people know, but we want to keep it sort of secret until Olivia gets to talk to…someone."

Asher propped his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers. "That's not vague and curious at all. Who are we not telling?"

"Anna Harris."

Asher nodded. "I won't tell. Well, except Haley, of course. You know, Haley and I kept things a secret for a while too."

Asa leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "I remember that. She dated Micah first."

Dawson laughed. "Love triangle plus brothers equals disaster."

Asher rubbed the back of his neck. "Could'a been. Thankfully, it all worked out."

Jacob held up a hand. "Wait, are you saying Haley and Micah dated? I didn't know that."

"They didn't really date," Asher explained. "They were talking on a dating app, and when she came to surprise him with a visit, she thought I was him."

"And planted a big kiss on him before realizing she'd smooched the wrong brother." Dawson slapped the table as another laugh bubbled out of him. "Those were good times."

"Happy to be your comedic relief today," Asher said. "Yeah, it was a mess for a hot minute, but we got things worked out. You and Olivia will too."

Dawson pushed around the chili he'd barely eaten. The gnawing in his gut about the viral reel was still too fresh. "I think you're right, but I need things with Olivia and Anna to smooth over before I'll sleep easy at night."

Mr. Lawrence shifted in his chair and propped his elbows on the table, leveling Dawson with the fatherly look he'd seen the man give his own kids hundreds of times over the years. "The Lord has someone for all of us, and if it's meant to be with Olivia, things will work out at the right time."

"I hope so, sir. I'm trying to be patient, but I've been hung up on Olivia for a decade."

The older man's beard twitched to one side, and a smile crinkled the lines on the outsides of his eyes. "Did I ever tell you about how I got together with Martha?"

A wave of reverence relaxed Dawson's shoulders. Mr. Lawrence hardly ever talked about his late wife. "No, sir."

Mr. Lawrence blinked down at the table as he composed himself. Or maybe he was traveling back down memory lane.

"We went to school together. I'd known her all my life. Martha was always quiet, and she might as well have been another faceless person in my class all those years.

"But one day, I woke up. She walked into Deano's with her friends, and I immediately noticed her. I stopped hearing anything my buddies said and walked right up to Martha and asked her if I could buy her breakfast."

"I bet she liked that," Jacob said.

Mr. Lawrence chuckled. "She did not."

"What?" Jacob's wide eyes moved from one man at the table to the next, trying to understand why a woman would turn down a free meal.

"Because she wasn't interested in one meal. Martha knew what she wanted and what she didn't want, and she wasn't about to get our wires crossed over a plate of biscuits and gravy."

Jacob scratched his head. "But you two got married," he pointed out.

"We did, but it wasn't easy. She was a stubborn one. She had her own thoughts about me before she got to know me, and I had a long row to hoe when it came to convincing her things with us could be more than just a flash in the pan."

"I don't know what that means," Jacob said.

Asa patted his son's shoulder. "She wanted a commitment, and she was afraid he only wanted a fling."

The kid nodded. "Oh, okay. That makes sense."

Mr. Lawrence stared down at his empty dinner bowl. The man probably had a million memories running through his head. Losing the woman you love had to be torture of the worst kind.

"She was beautiful, but that's not why I noticed her. It had nothing to do with Aquanet or that smile that lit up a room. No, it was all about that woman's heart. It was because she helped someone."

Shoot. Dawson's throat was threatening to close. There wasn't anything as gut-wrenching as watching a man relive true happiness while realizing he'd never have it again.

Mr. Lawrence sighed. "There was an old man at the checkout counter at Deano's. He'd stopped by the diner for breakfast, but he noticed his wallet was missing after placing his breakfast order.

"I knew enough about Martha to know her family was just as poor as the rest of us. She probably only had enough money with her to buy her own meal that day. I had to beg her to let me buy her breakfast, but I think I bought every meal she ate after that one."

Olivia's heart was just like her mother's. She couldn't sleep at night knowing she hadn't done something for someone else, and she never asked for payment. She just worked extra hours to cover the costs.

Dawson had plenty of friends, but at that moment, he understood Olivia's dad as if they shared the same mind.

"I was drawn to her goodness," Mr. Lawrence said. "She made me a better man every single day."

Nodding, Dawson met the man's stare. "It's the same with Olivia."

"She picked up right where her mother left off. She needs a man who will support her like that."

"You don't have anything to worry about, sir. I'm behind her one hundred percent."

Mr. Lawrence's mustache crinkled. "I know you are, son. You two will figure it out."

"Yeah, I think it'll be okay too once the storm blows over," Asa said.

Storm. That was a good way to describe what was coming. It definitely wouldn't be peaceful, but if Anna was half the friend Dawson thought she was, she'd see Olivia's heart and be happy for them.

In a perfect world.

Asa stood and started stacking empty bowls. "You two are the home team. We've been rootin' for you since day one."

Dawson's phone dinged, and he pulled it out. A text from Olivia waited.

Olivia: Tonight sounds good. Your place?

Dawson pocketed the phone and picked up his empty bowl. "You're right. We'll figure it out."

They had to. Losing wasn't an option.