“No, it wasn’t. But I thought that’s just how it worked. You find someone, you build a life, you check all the boxes.” She looks at her donut. “Took me way too long to realize I was checking boxes for someone else’s life, not mine.”
I want to say something profound. Something that acknowledges how brave it was to leave. But before I can find the words, Tommy appears with Jake behind him.
“Uncle Jake says I can stay until eight-thirty if I promise to sleep in tomorrow.”
“You never sleep in,” Rachel points out.
“I will tomorrow! I promise.” He’s already running back toward the games.
Jake follows, calling over his shoulder. “I’ve got him. You two have fun.”
And just like that, we’re alone.
Rachel watches Jake disappear. “He’s trying very hard to give me a normal evening.”
“Is it working?”
“Honestly? Yeah.” She turns back to me. “Thanks for being here. I know Jake probably strong-armed you into it.”
“He didn’t have to strong-arm me.” The truth slips out before I can stop it. “I wanted to be here.”
Her eyes meet mine. Something shifts in the air between us. Not dramatic, not obvious. Just a slight change in pressure, and my pulse kicks up.
“Theo—”
“You want to walk?” I gesture toward the lake path. “It’s quieter down there.”
She hesitates. I can see her thinking through it. But then she nods. “Yeah. Okay.”
The path down to the lake is quieter than the festival. The noise fades behind us as we follow the worn trail through the trees. The moon is bright enough that we don’t need flashlights.
We walk in silence for a minute. Not uncomfortable, just… careful. Like we’re both aware that something’s happening, but neither of us wants to name it yet.
“I used to come here as a kid,” Rachel says finally. “Jake and I would sneak out during the festival and throw rocks in the water.”
“Yeah? We probably passed each other a dozen times.”
“Probably. You were always with Cole and Marco. The older boys who seemed so cool.”
“We weren’t cool. We were just loud and thought we were invincible.” I pick up a smooth stone. “Still think we’re invincible sometimes. Comes with the job.”
“Is that what made you want to be a firefighter? The invincibility?”
I skip the stone across the water. Five skips before it sinks. “Not exactly. It was more about… starting over. Being someone different than who I was.”
“Who were you before?”
“Someone who trusted the wrong people. I had business partners. Restaurant in Portland. They took everything.”
“Oh, Theo.”
“It’s fine. I’m past it now.” Mostly true. “But it taught me that fresh starts are possible. You have to be willing to walk away from what’s not working.”
She picks up her own stone. “That’s harder than it sounds.”
“I know.” I watch her throw. The stone skips twice. “But you did it. You walked away from Derek. That takes guts.”
“Or desperation.” She picks up another stone. “Some days I’m not sure which one it was.”
