“My wife and sister mentioned the resemblance. Nice to meet you, Cal. Hope you enjoy your stay in our small town,” Josh said, lifting his beer in greeting.
The server dropped off a pitcher along with a frosted glass. “I know how these two drink,” she said with a wink. Rafael immediately reached for the pitcher to refill his glass. “See?”
“Josh is right. I have a vague memory of covering US history at Pop High and there was always a rush to cover the timeline. I seem to recall class breaking for the summer somewhere around the war in Grenada, so it wasn’t as if we covered all of it. There’s no way any teacher can get to everything, so things have to get skipped,” Jake said. Rafe choked on his beer and glared at Jake.
“Are you seriously claiming that it’s okay to leave out important events from US history? FromColorado history?” Rafe demanded, and Jake’s eyes danced with amusement.
“It’s one event, Rafe. Why does it matter?” Josh asked. He’d turned in his chair and he was barely hiding his grin behind his glass.
Rafe’s face was getting dangerously red, and I half expected steam to come out of his ears. He’d always known his old mentor was passionate about US history and would often share stories of relatively events that took place in the towns where we’d competed.Evidently, once he’d retired his reins and become a high school teacher, his enthusiasm for highlighting these historical events took on a much more impassioned note.
“If it bothers you that much, contact the textbook publisher,” Jake suggested as the server set down a basket of curly fries in front of us.
“I did that,” Rafael said practically growling. He reached for a handful of curly fries and stuffed them in his mouth, chewing so hard, his teeth clacked. “I sent them three emails, and they aren’t getting back to me.”
“Maybe they need some time to research before they respond,” I pointed out.
“They shouldn’t have to research Colorado history. The publisher is in Denver!” Rafael insisted. “They should know it.”
“As fun as this is, I’d best get home to Zoe. Cal, it was nice to meet you. Hope to see you around before the rodeo,” Josh said and rose from his chair. He reached across the table and snagged a couple of fries before clapping Rafe on the back. “Go get ’em, tiger,” he added chuckling before tossing some bills on his table for the server.
I watched him leave while Rafe continued to complain. “History is important. It’s full of lessons that remain relevant, and we would be smart to heed it. And another thing…”
Rafael launched into a diatribe about history, and my mind started to drift as I drank my beer and half-listened. I caught the gist of it enough to know that Rafael was saying the past affected the present in positive and negative ways. That idea was similar to what had been going through my head when I’d talked to Amy earlier in the day. But I was also thinking about her beautiful red hair and the way her laugh during the photography shoot had made the entire room light up.
“Cal, you paying attention?” Rafael’s voice made my head snap up, and I got a little taste of what my friend must be like as a teacher. No student better daydream in his class.
“You were talking about the importance of history,” I said, trying to focus again. “I agree. I’m sure the textbook company will get back to you soon.”
“They better not try to pacify me with some free book,” Rafael grumbled. “That’s what they always try to do.”
“So, you’ve done this before?” Jake asked and Rafael nodded so hard, it hurt my neck.
“Every. Damn. Time.”
“Have you thought about getting your books from a different publisher?” I suggested, but he shook his head.
“Wish I could, but they’re who the district deals with.”
“How about writing your own book? You could call itRafael Alvarez’s Guide to Lesser Known Historical Events,” Jake said. Although I knew he was teasing, it also made sense, but Rafe was already shaking his head.
“Or just make it a special presentation or something.” I didn’t know what to call it but Rafe shifted gears and had actually started nodding his head.
“Like a module? I could assign them to work in teams and do presentations on some of the little-known historical events that shaped people’s lives. Like Mace’s Hole and the Battle of Glorieta Pass.” His whole face lit up, and I worried that we were in for another lecture, but thankfully, textbook talk got pushed aside when the server brought our burgers.
As we ate, our talk moved on to local ranching news and the upcoming rodeo. The guys filled me in on some of the fundraisers they’d had since the lightning strike burned down the community center and surrounding area. I wasn’t particularly surprised to find out that Amy had been behind most of them. Of course she would be. From the little time I’d spent with her, it was obvious that working for the mayor’s office was more than just her job. She genuinely cared about this town and the people who lived here.
A few people stopped by the table to meet me or greet Josh or Rafe, but mostly we were left alone. I listened more than I talked because my mind kept returning to Amy and Henry, their grief, and how much I wanted to put smiles on their faces.
What could I do to make Amy laugh more and shed some of her fear? I’d like to know the answer to that question.
“I didn’t order that, ma’am,” I said to the server when she set a glass of what looked like whiskey down on the table. Even though I’d walked here, I made it a point not to mix hard alcohol with beer. In fact, I was keeping myself to a two beer limit.
“It’s fromher,” the server said and pointed across the bar to a pretty brunette perched on a stool. She looked about my age and gave me a giant smile when she caught my eye. “She wanted me to give you this, too.” The server handed me a napkin with a phone number scrawled across it and a little heart in the corner.
I should be flattered since she was the most attractive woman in the bar, but I couldn’t muster any enthusiasm for a hookup.
“Not your type?” Jake asked, his sharp eyes watching.
