“I know you said Candace has her struggles, but she and Becka sound like wonderful human beings and daughters.”
“They really are. Other than her exceptionally poor taste in men, Candace is fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better sister. We would pick on each other, but I can’t remember any full-fledged arguments or fights outside of when we’ve addressed concerns over her choice in connections.” They arrived at his truck, and he opened the passenger door for her.
Once Judah circled the truck and sat behind the driver’s seat, Maegan replied. “Drake and I had six years between us, and I wonder if that’s why we rarely fought when we were younger. I do remember I could be a brat about tv. Being the youngest, especially after Mom and Dad thought they couldn’t have morechildren, had its advantages, and I would typically get what I wanted, even at Drake’s expense.
Judah cringed. “That brings back memories of my sisters insisting on watching that show with the blue dog. They would have watched it for hours if mom allowed them.”
She knew exactly which show he meant, and she launched into a rendition of the theme song.
He started the truck and cranked up the radio, shooting her a daring grin to keep going.
Playing along, she sang louder, raising the decibels each time he increased the radio’s volume, until they both broke into full guffaws.
After turning the radio down to a normal level, Judah rubbed his ears. “I’m getting too old for music that loud.”
“Even as a kid and teen, I never care for deafeningly loud music. My friends would go to concerts and I rarely joined them. I’ve always been more content in quiet settings.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. I enjoy an occasional concert, but I can be just as content listening to live music in a smaller, intimate setting, or even streaming my favorites at home.”
“Do you like jazz? There’s a great venue about thirty minutes away that hosts jazz club nights several times a month. They make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the forties.”
“Sounds like a fun time. I’d love to try it out.” He drove through the parking lot and stopped at the exit. “Which way to your parents?”
“Take a right and keep going until you come to the third stop sign, then make a left. They’ll be the fourth house on the left.”
She leaned her head against the headrest, watching Judah from the corner of her eye. He drove with one hand effortlessly controlling the steering wheel and the other on the door’s armrest. His eyes focused on the road ahead but would dart from rearview to side mirror. A peaceful expression covered his face, topped off with a subtle smile. The whole effect, combined with his personality made him immensely attractive.
If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fall for him, and that wasn’t a part of the plan.
Chapter Eight
“This layout is HO scale. The smaller one on the other side of the basement is N scale.” Noel Hanson picked up a model railroad engine and handed it carefully to Judah. “This is my favorite, a Rivarossi C&O steam locomotive.”
Judah knew very little about trains, especially model ones, but he could tell by the intricate attention to detail that he held a high-quality engine. “I had toy train sets as a kid, but they were nothing like this. These all look so real.”
“Model railroads come in all levels. Not all brands have the same level realism, but they all serve a purpose. Similar to the layouts people create. You should see how real many of them are.” Noel went to a nearby bookshelf and grabbed a magazine. He flipped through several pages then handed the magazine to Judah. “Look at these.”
He returned the locomotive to Noel before taking the magazine. Scrolling the pages, he saw stunning pictures of the American West. “These aren’t layouts are they?”
Noel nodded. “Impressive, aren’t they? If I saw the photos outside of a model railroad magazine, I’d never have known.”
“How much time have they put into them?” Judah asked, in awe of the workmanship.
“Oh goodness, years and years for many of these in the magazine, but I’ve seen a number of spectacular smaller layouts done in six months.”
“How long has yours taken?”
“Hmm. Good question.” Noel chuckled under his breath. “When I started this hobby twenty years ago, I jumped right in without learning. Five years later, I began to study the hobby and science behind it, basically beginning my layout from scratch with the exception of a few items I saved. Back then, I modeled the Sierra Nevada but decided to switch to the Mid-Atlantic six years ago. I guess you could say this specific layout has taken five years so I guess you could say that long, but pieces of it are from twenty years ago.”
“I had no idea the scope of model railroading.”
“If you ever want to learn more let me know. I’m always happy to share knowledge. Suzanne tells me I drone on about it, which I probably do, so also feel free to tell me to be quiet whenever you want.” Noel returned the engine to its place on the track.
“I enjoy the learning.”
“What are your hobbies,” Noel asked.
Judah froze and thought. “I don’t really have any.”
