Page 54 of Crumbling Truth
“For the love of Christ,” Theo muttered, adopting an impressive scowl until I pinched his hip and nudged him out of the way.
“Hey, guys. Everyone having fun?” I asked.
After a round of answers encouraging us to check out the adult beverage tent before the end of the night and a friendly wager between Theo and Oliver regarding the ring toss, the group of them ordered half a dozen cupcakes and a few brownies, thanks to Theo’s sales pitch. We promised to come find them before the tree lighting and they mosied away with a bevy of knowing smiles and pointed looks.
I grinned at Theo’s exaggerated sigh of relief once they were gone. “You know you love them. It’s good to have friends.”
He waited patiently while I directed my attention to a family of twin preschoolers with peanut allergies, then when I turned back, he quietly said, “You’re right, it is.”
The implication that they were my friends too was not lost on me, but an announcement saying the tree would be lit in ten minutes came over the loudspeakers, so we got the truck closed up and threw on our coats. Theo took my hand in his so we wouldn’t get separated in the crowd as we set off toward the green.
With his height advantage, it was much easier to find our friends than it would have been for me on my own. When I told him as much, he squeezed my hand and bent his head to whisper, “They don’t call me Long John for nothing, you know.”
Once we were positioned on the far side of the park, huddled together for warmth, the middle school chorus started their holiday repertoire with enthusiasm that waned steadily from song to song. Oliver teased Sofia about her chorus years, Melody and Theresa sang along under their breath, and Theo wrapped me in his arms like he could single-handedly ward off the chill.
He succeeded.
I leaned into him, ignoring Sofia’s raised eyebrows, though I couldn’t hold back a smile. These people had been my friends before Steve came into my life, and even after all the times Ipushed them away, here they were, ready and willing to welcome me back.
Maybe Theo had served as a bridge, but hopefully things could continue like this even after he left.
The wave of sadness that crashed over me nearly took my breath away. Theo leaned down to rub his cheek against mine as though he’d felt the change, even if I told myself he was probably just being his usual affectionate self. In any case, the chorus finished off their final song and merged back into the mass of bodies standing around the tree.
“Here we go,” Theo murmured into my ear.
A hush fell over the crowd, then the dark pine tree erupted into thousands of twinkling lights and a cheer went up from everyone in the park. Theo’s arms tightened around me as fireworks went off somewhere beyond the tree. A toddler perched on his father’s shoulders beside us began to wail at the loud booms and pops.
I sighed and relaxed into Theo’s embrace, staring up at the display. Events like this were the kind of thing Sofia had dragged me to in college, the kind of thing that made me feel like I was part of something bigger, that made Spruce Hill feel like home.
Now, surrounded by friendship and kindness, I finally felt that way again.
Steve had put a lot of stock in public appearances, but only when it would benefit him in some way. There would never have been friendly banter about carnival games or trips to the booze tent, only subtle digs at what I was wearing or who I smiled at or how I’d disappointed him at some ritzy function or another.
As if summoned by those unhappy memories, the crowd on the other side of the tree shifted and I caught sight of Tyler, standing alone and scowling in our direction. My body stiffened enough that Theo bent down and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I replied swiftly.
“It’s not nothing. I felt you go solid.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms like he could brush the tension away.
“I saw Tyler over there,” I said, keeping my voice low.
Theo followed my gaze, but even in the light of the enormous tree and the colorful flashes overhead, Tyler had disappeared from view.
“Tell me if you see him again,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ll take care of it.”
I wasn’t sure exactly how he intended to do that, but I didn’t want a brawl on my conscience—Tyler would probably fight dirty and might hurt Theo—so I just nodded.
When the fireworks came to a close and the high school chorus took the stage in front of the enormous tree for their performance, Theo and I slipped away to check out some of the vendors. While he said hello to a few acquaintances, I chatted with the gluten-free baker whose goods I often kept in stock during the busy season. I left so she could help a customer, and a familiar voice called my name.
“Drew, hi!” I replied, smiling as I turned to greet the young man who was one of my regulars. He worked in the event center where I sometimes parked the truck during lunch hours.
“How have you been?” he asked.
As usual, he looked at me with something like hero worship, which always made me vaguely uneasy. Not long after Steve’s death, Drew had asked me out to dinner. Though he’d accepted my refusal easily enough, I always got the impression he was waiting for me to tell him I was finally ready to date again.
“Really good, thanks. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving?”
He nodded and started to respond, but his gaze caught on something over my shoulder and instead he said, “I gotta run, Esther. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
