“The night before you deployed? In Munich?”
“Yeah. She was lost. Couldn’t find her hostel. We ended up walking around and then I helped her find her way. She met Zach right before we hopped the train.”
“She met Zach.”
I nod.
“And now she’s here.” Her voice is soft, almost reverent.
“Yeah. I knew her the moment she walked through the station.”
I stare out the window, jaw tight. When I glance back at Mrs. Kinkaid, she has a soft smile on her face. I shift in my seat and take another bite of my sandwich, chewing deliberately.
“Does she remember you?”
I swallow. “So far? No.”
“And you haven’t told her?”
“What’s the use?” I grip my glass of tea, swiping at the condensation with my thumb. My eyes sting. I blink and take a sip.
Mrs. Kinkaid stares at me, shaking her head.
“Maybe she’ll remember you.”
“Maybe. But we’ve both lived a lot of life since then. She has a daughter. She’s a single mom.”
“I heard that from someone last week.”
“You heard, huh?”
“Can’t stop people from sharing. We’re curious. New woman in town. She’s a firefighter. People talk.”
“I know.”
“So you’re just going to sit on this memory and not share it with her?”
I shrug, taking another bite of my sandwich. “We’ll see.”
“You need to let people in, Grey.”
“I let people in.”
Her head rears back softly and her brows raise. “Do you, though?”
“I let you in.”
“I blew through the gates years ago. I don’t count.”
“You count to me.”
She smiles softly. “You count to me, too. On this hand.” She raises a hand and runs her pointer finger along the tips of her outstretched fingers. “You’re one of these people. The ones I count on and hold close.” She gets a little misty-eyed and then she says, “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Greyson.”
“Plenty of men in town know how to fix a sink.”
“Sink schmink. That’s not what I’m talking about.”
I think of the application. FEMA. DC. She’ll be fine. She might not agree with me if she knew about my plans. But I know Waterford. This town takes care of its own.
