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Ari got up and dusted off the snow so they could go in. “Should we leave Bubba here in the yard until the Devlins call him—let him play longer?”
“I’m sure that would be okay,” Patience said. “The yard’s fenced for a reason. Or you could ask if he can come inside with us.”
“You’d let me?” she asked in surprise.
Carl wasn’t here to have a say. That felt nice. For once, Patience could make her own decision. “Fine with me,” she said, and Ari hurried off to knock on the Devlins’ back door.
As they went inside where it was warm, Patience slipped her hand inside Kanon’s. Whether anything developed from their friendship or not, she was grateful to have him in her life.
“Patience…”
She could tell by his tone that he was about to offer another warning not to get too attached, so she cut him off. “I know you’re not interested in a serious relationship, and that you don’t want to hurt me. You don’t have to say it again. I just… I hope we can hang on to our friendship, at least.” She hadn’t had someone in her life she liked this much in a long while. She’d never been able to fill the hole Glenda had left. Being a mother, living a small town and working for her father didn’t leave her with a lot of opportunities to meet new people.
He tugged her to him and kissed her. “I have to stop doing this, but it’s all I want to do.”
Patience certainly didn’t mind. It was all she wanted to do, too, but the barking of the dog alerted her that Ari had the approval she’d sought and was on her way. “I’ll make some popcorn,” she said, stepping back.
She and Kanon sat on opposite ends of the couch while they watched the cartoon with Ari and the dog on the floor in front of them. But Patience could feel him watching her as Charlie Brown bought his sad little tree to save the Christmas play. She’d enjoyed every moment they’d spent together today—every smile, every laugh, every sarcastic comment he’d made as he teased her or Ari or both. He was special, a far better person than anyone in Hard Luck had ever given him credit for. Maybe she was the only one who could see that, but she was beginning to fear being friends would never be enough to satisfy her. The woman who’d promised herself she’d never give a man as much power over her life as Jack had once possessed—would never allow herself to get hurt again—was falling victim to her own loneliness.
Chapter Eighteen
“Feels weird to have you back.”
Patience startled at the sound of her ex-husband’s voice. She hadn’t heard him come out of his office. Glenda had left Mather Trucking in such a mess she’d been fully absorbed in putting all the paperwork into some semblance of order while Jack managed the dispatch portion—until he could get back to sales, hiring and maintenance, which was his job.
“It’s strange to be here,” she admitted. The office smelled faintly of diesel and toner; the heater clicked on and off while the printer whirred behind her. All familiar—and yet it wasn’t. Glenda had left her stamp on everything. When she and Jack first started the business, they’d run it out of their home until they’d needed more space to park and service the trucks they were acquiring. At that point, they’d rented a warehouse at the edge of town with a small office inside. But Glenda had changed the way Patience had done almost everything. To get back on top of her old job, she first had to put her own processes back in place.
“You figuring everything out?” Jack asked, pausing by her desk.
She saw the small signs of aging in his face—things she hadn’t bothered to notice since their divorce. He had a couple of worry lines on his forehead that’d never existed before, was no longer just a kid—the kid she’d married when she was only a kid herself. “For the most part,” she replied. “I’m just trying to familiarize myself with what’s been done and what still needs to be accomplished.”
“Glenda was never as organized as you were. Wasn’t as hardworking, either. I had to badger her to get stuff done—almost hired someone else even while we were married. That was one of the things we would fight about. So you’re probably going to have to play a bit of catch-up.”
Patience had already realized as much. She just hadn’t wanted to say anything about it, hadn’t wanted to pile on. Glenda had let her down, for sure, but now that her former friend’s actions were coming back to bite her, it was hard for Patience not to have some compassion. “I’ll figure it out.”
“I know you will.”
When he didn’t walk away, she looked up again. “Is there something else?”
“I met Glenda before you came in this morning to get her key to the office.”
“How’d that go?”
“It wasn’t fun. I’ll tell you that. She was pleading with me not to end our marriage, but I can’t get back with her. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m just…exhausted, done.”
Patience knew she was part of what had taken such a toll on him. They’d both struggled—to get along, to make ends meet and to be parents way too soon. “I’m sorry.”
He laughed without mirth. “And you mean it. That’s the thing about you.”
She blinked in surprise. “What’s the thing about me?”
“You’re a damn good person.”
She tilted her head to give him a questioning look. “Are you saying Glenda’s not?”
“Honestly? She’s not even in the same league.”
As gratifying as that was to hear—after Jack had divorced her for her best friend—Patience couldn’t gloat over it. Doing so made her feel guilty. “It’s nice that you’re willing to say something so kind about me,” she said.
