“Don’t worry about me,” Simon said. “I’ll be there. I just want to check on a friend.”
“Okay, then. I’ll see you there. I’m going to make a detour and pick up Gisele. Valentin said Ouida Mae will be there. They’re bringing Ouida Mae’s school principal out for a little bit of a girls’ night out and hoping to include Gisele’s cousin, Holly, when she gets off her shift waiting tables.”
“Should be quite the crowd.” Simon gave Rafael a mock salute. “See y’all there.” He took the welder’s mask from Rafael and headed for the storage cabinet, hoping to end the conversation.
After stowing the items, he found himself alone in the factory. In the bathroom, he splashed water on his face, trying to remove the memory of the Syrian dust and bring himself more firmly back to the present.
A quick glance at his reflection in the mirror confirmed he was the same physically as he’d been that morning getting ready for work. Inside, he didn’t feel the same.
Whenever he had a flashback to that night in Syria, he came out of it shaken and emotionally wrecked. Much like he’d been when he’d carried his friend’s body to the helicopter. For the next few hours, sometimes days, he walked around like a zombie, going through the motions, but not really engaging.
Thoughts of Johnny always made him think of the wife and son he’d left behind. It had been four years since Johnny had died.
Lacy had been heartbroken but refused to let her grief impact her son. She’d put on a brave face and kept moving. Kept loving her son. Kept working. Because she hadn’t let herself wallow, she’d been blessed with the opportunity to move on. She’d met a very nice man at her son’s peewee baseball league. Though she was taking it slowly, she held onto hope for a future with potential for love with a man who would be good to her and her son.
Simon pulled out his cell phone and called Lacy.
“Simon, it’s good to hear from you,” Lacy answered immediately.
“Hi, Lacy. How’s Tyler?”
“Keeping me on my toes, as always,” she answered. “We’re getting ready to go to a minor league baseball game with Mark.”
“That’s great,” he said, smiling at the thought of Lacy and Tyler enjoying time with the new man in their lives. “I’m glad you’re getting out there.”
“Yeah, me, too,” she said softly. “Did you have another flashback?”
He could always count on Lacy to see through his casual calls. “I was thinking of Johnny.”
“You know he wouldn’t have wanted you to blame yourself for his death.”
Simon nodded, though she couldn’t see it. “I know.”
“And he would’ve wanted you to get on with living a happy life, not living through that awful night, over and over.”
“Yeah,” he said.
“I’ll always love Johnny,” Lacy said. “How could I not? I see him in Tyler every day. He’s the spitting image of his father—in looks and his nonstop personality.” Lacy laughed.
“You’ve learned to live without him,” Simon said.
“Physically, yes. But I’ve learned to live with him in my heart. I never even thought of loving another man, but Mark’s growing on me.” She sighed. “He’s kind and gentle. He’s good with Tyler, and he doesn’t expect me to stop loving Johnny. He's willing to wait until I figure out whether there’s room in my heart for him.”
“He’s a lucky man, Lacy. I’m glad you’ve found someone.”
“Me, too. Life can be lonely without someone to share it with. I was lucky to have Johnny for as long as I did. Now, I’m lucky Mark and I have found each other.”
Simon’s heart swelled. He was happy for Lacy. Truly happy. “I just wanted to make sure you and Tyler are doing okay.”
“We are,” Lacy said. “But what about you? How are things in the bayou? Do you like working for the Brotherhood Protectors? Still getting along with the team?”
Simon laughed. “I’m great. What can I say? I grew up around here, and I have a great team, all of whom have my back.”
“Hmmm,” Lacy dragged out the sound. “You grew up around there, but do you feel like you’ve come home? Please tell me you aren’t still living in the boarding house.”
He grimaced. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”
“Sinclaire Simon Sevier, you promised me that you’d start looking for a house and that you’d set down roots and make a home for yourself.”
