“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Hot Shot bull rider. How long have you rode for, anyway?”
“Since I was eight. My dad put me on a steer thinking I’d fall off, it’d hurt, and that would get it out of my system. Jokes on him—twenty-two years later it’s still not out of my system.”
“Eight?! That’s insane. I know you said steer, but I still can’t imagine putting an eight-year-old on one.”
He laughs. “Yeah, it sounds a little young, but you’d be surprised how young most of today’s professional riders started.”
His phone vibrates on the table. I glance at it and see it’s a photo of him and a pretty woman in her fifties, with the same hair as Knox, and a little boy around six years old. He catches me looking.
“It’s my mom. Do you mind?”
“No, of course not. Answer it.”
I take a drink of my water and look away, trying not to eavesdrop. The café is empty though and I can hear every word.
“Hey, Mom,” he says as he takes his ball cap off, to smooth his curls. It does nothing—they bounce right back and it’s cute.
“Hi, Knox, honey. Are you still in Colorado? The dishwasher is leaking all over the floor. I got it pulled out and the water shut off, but I can’t figure out where the leak is coming from.”
“Yeah, I’m still out here. Is Logan gone? I can call Trey in the morning and send him over. He needs something to do, anyway.”
“Yes, he’s gone until next week. If Trey could come, that would be wonderful. I’ll bake him some cookies.”
I fight to hide my smile. She sounds so sweet.
“Ha, I’m sure he’d appreciate that. You’re okay now though? It’s not leaking anymore?” The way he talks to her makes my heart flutter. It’s sweet, you can hear how much he loves her in his voice.
“No, no, it’s shut off. There is no hurry.”
“Alright, good. Hey, Ma, I’m at dinner with a friend. Can I call you tomorrow?”
“Of course. Have fun, honey. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Knox sets his phone down right as our food comes.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to call my mom. It’s been years, but I still miss her. I see other girls out shopping or getting coffee with their moms and my heart breaks all over again.
Most people think of the big things you’ll miss them at—birthdays, graduation, your wedding—and they aren’t wrong. But often times, it’s the small moments you see other people getting to have with their moms that make you hold your breath through the wave of grief.
Knox clears his throat. “Sorry about that. She lives alone, so my brother-in-law Logan and I help out a lot, but he’s out of town for work.”
“It’s nice of you both to help her. Is Trey your brother?”
He smiles. “No, it’s just me and my sister. Trey is my traveling partner, and we live together. He’s a lot, very dramatic, and a little on the wild side, but he’s a good friend. The best, actually. He can fix just about anything and is always helping friends out. He even takes tools on the road with us.”
We eat our burgers and fries while he tells me more about him and Trey meeting and becoming friends. He even tells me a couple of stories about Trey and the wild things he’s done on the road.
“He sounds like Jessie. She’s wild and has zero filter. Drives Carson insane sometimes and I swear she does it on purpose.”
“Well, heaven help us all if Trey and Jessie ever meet.”
“I don’t know . . . the way you describe him, I might pay a pretty penny to see him give Jessie a run for her money.”
“How long have you two been friends?”
“As long as I can remember, she’s been my best friend. We are polar opposites personality-wise, but I think that’s why we work.”
We finish our food while I tell him stories about Jessie and me growing up.
