Page 127 of One Small Spark
“The turnout’s even better than I hoped.” Lila’s twisted in the seat next to me, eagerly watching the crowd behind us.
I haven’t turned to look, but the ambient noise is loud enough I’d guess the auditorium is packed. That’s good for the trails. For me, less so.
My hands are so clammy I have to subtly wipe them on my pants every few minutes so I don’t drop my tablet. My heartbeat is thrumming in my ears, and my thoughts are like an upended toolbox. There’s probably something useful in there, but I’ll have to hunt to find it.
“This is so exciting,” Lila’s saying. “Mayor Martinez is really championing the project. Did you know he’s a big biker? You probably do.”
Enrique Martinez visits Get in Gear regularly, and he’s voiced his enthusiasm for this project over the last month. Thatdoesn’t do anything to settle my stomach, currently riddled with anxiety like mold in a hunk of blue cheese.
I need a strong drink. A long bike ride. An evening next to my fire listening to a Greek mythology audiobook. Wren’s soft body tucked up next to mine on the couch. I need?—
Arms come around me from behind, a warm cheek rubbing against mine. “Okay there, Callahan?”
“Wren.” I clasp her arms over my chest. It’s not an SSRI or a shot of whiskey, but it helps. “Better now.”
“I like the jacket.” She runs her fingers over the lapel of my navy corduroy suit jacket I layered over a flannel shirt. “You look like a hot, dangerous professor.”
This woman. “I feel like a kid who didn’t study for his final.”
Even though I have the source material memorized.
“You’ve got this,” she whispers in my ear, her lips grazing over the shell. “This isyourvision. Your plans. You know every last detail. And you are going to rock these people’s worlds.”
I don’t deserve her, but I’m never going to let her go.
“Thank you for being here.”
She shifts forward and faces me better. “What? You think I was going to coach my boyfriend and not come cheer him on? No way, kitten.”
My eyes must light up at that shared nickname because she leans back in. “Would it make you feel better if I smack your butt while you walk up to the podium?”
I laugh out loud, my mood truly lightening for the first time this evening. “It might.”
“In front of your parents and everything, huh? Saucy.”
“What?”
She straightens but keeps her hands firm on my shoulders. She tilts her head behind her, a secret smile peeking out. I turn and have to laugh again.
My parents are in the seats next to hers with Charlie and Leo—holding hands, not that I have the brainpower to ask about that—next to the aisle. They’re in suits and frilly dresses, clearly taking time away from the event at the lodge to join us. Hope and Griffin are here, along with Tess and Ian. Lila’s boyfriend, Grant, is next to Palmer, Laurel, and the rest of my Get in Gear crew. Even Jamie from Blackbird’s is here, waving at me from three rows back.
“You showed up.” I’m talking to any and all of them.
“You should have told us about this, you big dope,” Charlie says.
“We’re always here to support you, Shepherd,” Mom adds.
“But the gala?—”
“We can miss the silent auction,” Dad says. “But we can’t miss being here for you.”
Leo holds out his fist for a bump. “We’re your pack, bro.”
I bump his fist, trying to make sense of that. They’re my what?
I tilt my head to look up at my goddess. “What did you do?”
“I threatened them all with bodily harm if they didn’t come out here to show you how important you are to us. We’re no Grandpa Callahan, but we can be your rock, too.”
