It didn’t always go as well as it had on the river earlier, however, when we were called out for a capsized canoe with two individuals stranded on a log.
That had turned out to be a pretty straightforward rescue, with the biggest consequence for the adventurers—who fortunately were prepared for a canoe trip, but not for the early-season conditions—being a few scrapes and scratches and a mild case of hypothermia.
Sometimes, they didn’t end so positively.
Those were hard ones. And not a part of the job I liked to focus on. The reality was that the mountains and wilderness surrounding us could be dangerous. Especially if you weren’t properly prepared. Which was why groups like Teens in the Trails were so important to me. The more people I could help educate on the great outdoors, the better.
“What do you think, Pres? Are you up for a beer?”
I finished hanging up our gear in the SAR shed and looked at my buddy and partner, Kane Nelson.
“The brewery?” Like Kane, I always had a hard time coming down after a rescue mission. There was no point in heading home quite yet. “Or you have something else in mind?”
My buddy laughed, his brows wiggling. “It’s Saturday night. Let’s go to Brickhouse. I think they have a band tonight, which means…”
“Women.” I laughed, shaking my head. Kane was one of my only single friends, which would have made him a great wingman if I’d ever been interested in picking up women. Which I wasn’t. Not usually. And lately, not at all.
Not when there was only one woman who kept showing up in my fantasies. It was completely inappropriate, and even if she wasn’t engaged to be married, there was no way anything was ever going to happen between Jess and me. Not with all our history.
But I couldn’t seem to tell my subconscious that. No matter how many times I tried.
“Sure,” I agreed. “I could stand to blow off a little steam.” Maybe losing myself on the dance floor in the arms of a beautiful woman would be exactly what I needed.
When we arrived at Brickhouse fifteen minutes later, theplace was already packed with familiar faces. There was nothing like a live band during shoulder season before all the tourists flocked back into town to get the locals out in droves.
Kane and I made our way to the bar, greeting a dozen people we knew along the way. With our drinks in hand, we turned to lean back against the bar top and survey the crowd.
“Anyone you have your eye on?” Kane asked after a few sips of our drinks. “You haven’t mentioned anyone lately.”
That wasn’t unusual. I hadn’t dated anyone in over a year, and even that wasn’t serious. I shook my head, not willing to tell him the truth. “Not really. You?”
He used his head to gesture toward a small group of women, most of whom I recognized. “Mya is pretty cute,” he said. “She’s also pretty shy. I don’t see her out much.”
“Shy? That doesn’t seem like your type.”
“My type is cute.” He laughed. “Besides, she’s a chocolatier, and that’s pretty sexy. And…you know I like a challenge.”
I couldn’t deny that. “So are you going to ask her out?”
My friend spun on me, his eyes wide. “I thought maybe I’d start with a dance.”
“That’s not a no.”
“I’m not signing up to get married or anything.” Kane laughed. “That feels a bit extreme.”
The conversation I’d had with Jess a week earlier about love popped into my head again. Telling her I didn’t believe in love still felt unbelievable—even to me. Absolute bullshit.
Of course, I believed in love.
How could I not when I’d watched my brothers find the loves of their lives?
Practical?
I’d told her that love wasn’t practical. Why had I said that?
What kind of asshole said something like that?
I blew out a slow breath, because I knew exactly what kind of asshole said it.
