Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

DUSTY

I was not a sophomore in high school, fresh off my first date to a homecoming dance and reeling from the awkward peck I’d gotten after dropping my date off. I had kissed loads of girls and women since that night. But, somehow, two days after my puzzle night with Nova, I was sitting in the firehouse with Randy putting together lunch, and I still couldn’t stop thinking about that hug.

I was a grown man. It had only been a hug. It wasn’t even a peck . But man, my body had been on fire. It had taken everything in me not to toss Leia aside and wrap my arms around Nova. Cats always landed on their feet, right?

Well, I hadn’t done that. I should be inordinately proud of myself. Really, I just regretted letting the moment pass and was eager for it to happen again.

I finished grilling chicken with vegetables and had taken the rice off the stove when a call came in through the overhead speakers for a possible kitchen fire on Main Street.

“Isn’t that the diner?” Randy asked, suiting up beside me and jumping into the truck .

Jill was there a second after us. “I don’t think so,” she said. “But it’s probably close.”

The nearer the truck drew to the address on Main Street, the harder my heart pounded. Most of these buildings were places of business. The only kitchen I knew near the diner was Nova’s apartment building. But it couldn’t be her. There were three other apartments in her building, and she was at work since her kids were in school.

When we pulled up to the street, I swore.

Nova stood outside, frowning, in a white T-shirt with a yellow apron tied around her waist.

I hopped from the truck before it came to a complete stop and ran to her side.

“I don’t know what happened,” she said. “I started the oven to preheat and left to get something from my car. When I got back inside, smoke was pouring from the oven. Something was inside, but I couldn’t tell what it was. It smelled awful.”

“Did you turn off the oven?”

“Yes, and I opened the windows.”

“Stay outside while we investigate,” I told her. Randy joined me on the stairs. “Left something in the oven. Probably not food.”

“Got it.”

It only took a few minutes to discover that the item melting in her oven was plastic and no longer on fire, but definitely melted on the rack. We pulled the rack out and I bent over it, peering close enough to recognize the remains of what was once a toy. Jill set up a large fan while Randy opened another window to air out the smoke. It was going to cling to the apartment for at least a few days.

It could have been so much worse.

“You want to talk to Ms. Walker?” Randy asked, looking at me.

“Sure.” I let myself outside. Nova stood on the street with her arms folded, her thumbnail in her teeth while she chewed worriedly. Her hair was back in a ponytail that trailed down between her shoulder blades.

When she noticed me, she started up the stairs, her hand dropping from her mouth.

“It was a toy in the oven,” I told her. “Looks like it could have been a gorilla. About eight inches long.”

Nova stopped on the step below me, her eyes narrowing before realization hit her. “No, not a gorilla. That was probably Chewie.”

“Oh.”

She leaned back against the railing, her head in her hands. “Ben is going to be crushed.” She looked up at me. “Oh, gosh. Alice.”

“You think she put it in there?”

“She hides things when she’s mad at him, and he’s been missing Chewbacca for a while. I don’t know why she moved it to the oven, though. It wasn’t there yesterday when I made dinner.”

I grimaced. “We did our best to scrape the rack, but you’ll want to clean it fully before using it. Melted plastic can be dangerous. We have the fan airing out the place, so give us another twenty minutes and we’ll get out of your hair.”

“Okay.” Her smile slipped past me to where Jill stood in the doorway now. “Thank you guys for helping.”

“No problem,” Jill said before walking past us down the steps.

After we got the place aired out and squared everything away, the ride back to the firehouse was quiet. Jill and Randy chatted, but I was too distracted to pay attention. By the time we got back, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

I waited until after I got off work the following morning, went home, and showered before letting myself into the attic to search the boxes for my old toys. Dust particles flew around the air, disturbed by my motion and dancing in the orange glow of sunlight streaming through the dirty window. The box was a treasure trove. Old figurines of Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and Obi Wan Kenobi were littered among Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Jurassic Park dinosaurs. We’d gotten most of my toys secondhand at the Goodwill, so they were usually a season behind and already well-loved, but I had never cared.

I took care of my things, which meant they were still in excellent condition.

My Chewbacca was smaller and probably not as cool as whatever newfangled thing Ben had, but maybe it would take some of the sting of loss away.

I sat on a plastic tote full of Christmas lights and sent Nova a text.

Dusty

Can I stop by tonight? I have something for Ben.

I took a picture of the toy and sent it to her so she could decide if it was a good idea or not.

Nova

Are you lending him this like you’re lending the table? Because I can’t ask you to part with that. I’m guessing it’s vintage

Dusty

Sure. Let’s go with lending. He can take care of it for me

Nova

Then come by anytime .

My phone started ringing, so I picked up Chewbacca and headed for the ladder. “Hello?”

“This is Maurice with Pleasant Gardens. Can I speak to Dusty Hayes?”

“Speaking.”

“Hello, Mr. Hayes. I wanted to inform you of an incident we had this morning with your grandfather.”

My steps stilled on the ladder. “Is everything okay?”

“His health is in good order,” Maurice said. “It’s of a different nature. Do you have a minute?”

“I do.”

“Great. Well, when Mr. Hayes was walking to breakfast this morning, his…uh, pants fell down.”

I took the last step so both my feet were on the hallway carpet and blinked. “His pants fell down?”

“Yes. We quickly helped him correct the situation, but it would seem he has a reputation now. Some of the women who witnessed the incident have taken to calling him Pants.”

I leaned down to lift the ladder back into the ceiling. “Pants,” I repeated. It wasn’t very original, but I couldn’t help laughing. Given the serious way Maurice was explaining the situation, I tried my best to stifle it.

“Indeed. Mr. Hayes seems unperturbed, but we thought it best to inform you. If he mentions discomfort from the nickname, would you please keep me informed? And perhaps you could bring him a belt.”

“I will do that straight away. Thanks for letting me know.”

“Of course.”

I giggled like a child all the way down the hall and outside to my truck, imagining Grandpa standing in the entrance to the dining room, his pants around his ankles and his hands on his walker. Those women with the front row seats were teasers after my own heart. Of course my grandpa didn’t mind the jokes. The man had lived with me for years .

Tossing Chewbacca on the passenger seat, I reversed out of my driveway. “Come on, Chewie, let’s go get Pants a belt.”

When I reached Pleasant Gardens that afternoon, Grandpa didn’t seem the least concerned with his new infamy. I stood in the doorway to his bedroom and held up a belt, grinning. “Hey there, Pants.”

“Not you, too,” he grumbled, his bushy eyebrows drawing together. “I tell you, the women in this place need better entertainment.”

“You seem to be providing plenty.” I closed the door behind me, dropped the belt on the edge of his bed, and took the second armchair that faced the TV, playing the sports channel. “Hey, what do you think about getting out of here this weekend?”

He didn’t tear his frown from the TV. “Do I have a dentist appointment?”

“No. Arcadia Creek is putting on the Battle of the Badges, and we’re having burgers and a flag football game.” I had told him about it a few times, and every time I mentioned it, he wanted to go. He would forget by the next time I visited. “Thought you might enjoy seeing some old friends.”

Grandpa eyed me. “Will they let me leave this place?”

“Yes. I checked with the front desk.” That was weeks ago, but I didn’t see why the answer would be different now. “What do you say?”

He looked at the belt I’d put on his bed, then back to the football reruns being analyzed on screen. “Sure.”

“Great.” I stared at the screen too, but my vision wasn’t clear enough to recognize what I was seeing. Nerves shimmied through me. I drew in a steadying breath and tried to sound nonchalant. “There’s someone I want you to meet. ”

Grandpa picked up the remote and hit the power button. He immediately turned in his leather chair to face me. “Who is she? The Gable girl?”

Sheesh. Why did everyone connect me to Gracie Mae? “No, not her. It’s someone new. Gigi’s niece, actually. She just moved here from New York City.” I swallowed. “Brought two little kids with her. I coach one of them.”

Great. I was rambling and he was seeing through me.

Grandpa looked at me through clear, narrowed eyes. “She must be special.”

“She is.” This conversation was so uncomfortable. Maybe because we both knew I wouldn’t tell him about a woman unless I cared a lot for her. I had never brought anyone home before, not since high school—even then, I’d never had a steady girlfriend.

“You said she’s Gigi’s daughter?”

My stomach dropped. Gigi didn’t have kids. “No, her niece. We aren’t actually—things are very slow-moving. I’m not sure she’s even ready to date. But I like her, and I want you to meet her.” I wasn’t sure he’d remember her—or even this conversation—but getting his opinion mattered to me.

“I’d love to,” Grandpa said, a suspicious twinkle in his eyes.

“Just do your best not to embarrass me,” I teased. “Can’t have the woman running away before I get her to agree to a date.”

He turned the TV back on. “Then it’s a good thing you got me a belt, son.”