The evening had taken an unexpected shift. Her enthusiasm had evaporated like moisture in the cold night air, but Marisa didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself. If she couldn’t trade teams, she had a new mission—find William Graff. He and his snobby friends might not care about fifty thousand dollars, but Marissa wasn’t about to let him stop her from realizing her dream.
NINE
DARBY
Darby held the bouquet of roses in her hand as she watched Samesh answer every question and engage with each person waiting for a moment of his time. He had the same goofy, magnetic grin she remembered from college that drew people in and made you feel like you were in on the same secret. His charm hadn’t faded either, or the spark of mischief in his dark eyes when he looked over at her and flashed a warm smile. Something about it tugged at her, catching her off guard.
She drew in a breath and clutched the flowers tighter. She still couldn’t believe he was here in Bend. She also couldn’t believe she was still hanging around. He had asked if she wouldn’t mind waiting until he finished setting up the teams. Then he wanted to get a drink and catch up.
Fond memories of their college years came rushing back. They had met partway through their first year at Oregon State University -Cascades in Bend. Samesh came from Southern California, while Darby opted for a school in her backyard. She had been drawn to the teaching program and had received a full scholarship. Samesh was interested in studying urban forestry and had always wanted to live in the mountains. Bend was a perfect fit. It was on the West Coast, in a small high-desert townsurrounded by the Cascade Mountains, and the university had one of the best urban park programs.
Darby would never forget their first meeting. It had been a bitter day in January, with whiteout conditions and a wind so cold it made your bones hurt. The blizzard conditions didn’t shut down campus or cancel classes. Darby had bundled up in boots and a jacket to trek to her Psychology 101 class. She noticed a guy in a full snowsuit battling an umbrella in the middle of the quad. The umbrella was clearly winning the fight. It had blown backward by the force of the gusts, turning it into a mangled mess and a potentially dangerous weapon.
“Hey, careful,” Darby had called, sliding on the icy pathway that cut through campus. “Do you need a hand?”
They had found themselves in a comic struggle, each determined to wrestle the unruly umbrella back into position. Darby would never forget the scene that had played out like something from a romantic movie. They had stood shoulder to shoulder, their faces obscured with the hoods of their jackets as hurricane-strength winds hurled icy snow at them and the umbrella, caught in the clutches of the blustery storm, resisted every effort to close.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the canopy folded, the fabric collapsing inward like a defeated adversary, and the umbrella snapped shut.
“Success! Take that, umbrella.” The guy with the dark and handsome eyes broke out in a triumphant smile, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of relief and satisfaction that the umbrella was safely secured under his arm.
“Why do you have an umbrella in this?” Darby tilted her head toward the granite sky, dumping snow in heavy, wet clumps.
“To block the snow,” the guy replied, looking at her with big brown eyes.
She took in his innocent expression, and his navy snowsuit with bright yellow and neon orange stripes, and couldn’t suppress a fit of laughter. But when his face flamed with embarrassment, Darby had pulled herself together. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s only that umbrellas and blizzards don’t exactly match.”
“Yeah, I think I’m figuring that out.” He had pointed to the broken umbrella. “This is going in the trash when I get back to my dorm.”
“Don’t blame the poor umbrella,” Darby had teased. “I’m going out on a limb here and guessing you’re new to Bend.”
“Guilty as charged. I just transferred from San Diego State.”
“Ah, that would explain it. I’m Darby, a native Oregonian. I’ll give you the insider scoop. Rule one—no umbrellas. Ever. Rain, snow, sunshine. Ever.”
“Noted.” He grinned, making his face come alive and causing Darby’s heart to flutter. “I’m Samesh, by the way. It’s nice to meet you, Darby. Obviously, I need a lesson on Oregon life—stat.”
Their shared struggle over the umbrella had fostered an instant bond. They had been inseparable until the night before graduation, when he had broken her heart and sent her in a completely different direction than she had envisioned.
Darby shook off the memory as Samesh approached her. “Sorry about that. Duty called.”
“No problem.”
“What do you say to a hot toddy? Is the Matterhorn still around?” Samesh asked with a lightheartedness that suddenly made Darby uncomfortable.
“The Matterhorn? I haven’t been there in decades,” Darby replied. “I think it’s still open, but it’s primarily a college hangout.”
“School’s out for winter break, right? It shouldn’t be too crowded, and it will be like old times, and we have so much to discuss.” His voice turned throaty. “Darby, it’s been a long time, and I want to hear about you and your life.”
Like old times…Darby considered his statement as they headed toward the parking lot. Their time together had been wonderful and magical, but that was long ago. So much had changed since. So much had gone unanswered. Like, why had he ruined their plans for the future?
It had been a shock to have him vanish without a word. He had broken her twenty-two-year-old heart in ways that, at the time, she never could have imagined mending. She had spent countless days and nights questioning everything. Had their relationship been real? What had she missed?
But like with everything in life, her wounds slowly healed.
She landed her first teaching job, poured hours into building lesson plans and setting up her classroom, and then she met Jim. She had let the hurt go when she married Jim. It wasn’t worth questioning something that wasn’t meant to be. Meeting Jim had confirmed that. He had helped her move on from the past. In some ways, she owed Samesh. She never would have met her true love if it hadn’t been for him.
“Should we drive together?” Samesh asked when they trudged through the freshly fallen snow to his car. “I can bring you back here after.”
