He nods. “Congratulations on getting that scholarship, too.”
I smile. “Thanks.” Then a ‘v’ forms between my brows. “Wait, how did you know about that?”
He blushes, raking a hand through his hair, and it’s adorable. “I creeped your Facebook page.”
I smile, impressed. “You did?”
He nods, still not looking at me. There is a scar running up the inside of his arm, and it still looks very fresh. “How’s your arm?”
“Good. I have to go to goddamn physio twice a week, but otherwise, I can’t complain.”
“How did you do it, anyway?” I ask, looking at the scar that spans the entire width of his forearm, on the inside, from his elbow to his wrist.
“Helping Maverick’s girlfriend move. I tried to lift up the bed frame by myself, and a whole load of other stuff came tumbling down on me. My arm was outstretched and everything t-boned it, basically cutting it off at the elbow.”
I wince, just thinking about it.
“Bone stuck right out of the goddamn thing. It’s just a good job that my mama’s got a stomach for that. Had steel rods put in, and a whole load of screws to put it all back together.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t lose it altogether.”
He nods. “Yeah, that’s what the surgeon said. He’s a good guy. If I had’ve lost it for good, I don’t know what I would’ve done. Fat chance becoming a one-armed engineer. I wouldn’t even be able to keep up with my schooling on account of that, I reckon.”
“You’d be surprised, Gunner. There’s an answer for every disability out there.”
“Yeah. I suppose you’re right. It wouldn’t make it any easier, though.”
“Nothing in life is complicated, Gunner. Just thinking about it makes it so.”
His jaw muscles are working. He’s pondering that. We’ve almost finished our tea. We’re silent for a beat. Then he speaks again. “So, what’s that whole church thing for?”
“Raising money for homeless kids in the area. Felicia’s always helping out with fundraisers for the school and the church. It’s like she has a second job.”
“She’s a lot like my mama. Not a week goes by that she isn’t baking some pies or sewing something for the church. It keeps her humble, I suppose. Me and my brothers help out, too. Y’all think adding a silent auction for free horseback riding lessons would help at that fundraiser?”
“Anything helps, Gunner. But you don’t have to do that.”
“No, I want to. My mama’s always doing that, anyway. She finds out that there was something going on with a church that I knew about, and I didn’t offer, well, she’d come after my hide for it.”
Something is on my mind that’s been bothering me for a while. “Gunner, how come y’all came back to Dallas? How come you didn’t stay in Houston?”
He draws in a deep breath and exhales. “How about we save that for another day, huh? I think we’ve discussed enough heavy shit for one day. You okay with that?”
I nod. “Sure.”
He gives my hand a squeeze. “I ought to get you back to Felicia. She’s probably needing your help.”
“Okay. Hey, did you want to stay and help out, too?”
“If y’all need a hand, sure.”
***
Gunner
The least I can do after everything is help. Now, I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve got a lot of experience helping out at church fundraisers over the years, and with all these old ladies, I think I’ve managed to charm the pants off all of them. Plus, most of them know me, anyway, on account of my mama participating at every church shindig going on in town. Hell, even Felicia’s got a sparkle in her eye when she looks at me, by the end of the day. I think I’ve won over Ava, too. I sweeten the pot by adding myself as the instructor for the horseback riding lesson, and it seems like all the ladies are falling over themselves trying to make a bid.
“You ever learn to ride?” I ask Ava, as we start packing up. The winner of the silent auction has been chosen and notified. Turns out she placed the bid for her grandson, who’s always wanted to learn.
