“My sister’s brought Blade around a few times, and he’s a cool dog. Even good with kids. Winnie loves him,” Johnny informs them.
No one can miss the look Robbie gives Ember, and her face heats up again. There are a few chuckles from the other guys, and she hangs her head but can’t hide her smile. Oh yeah, this guy is head over heels for her.
“Presley,” Dad cuts in. “Robbie, Max, and Finn were sharing stories about Simon with us. Do you remember that ‘yellow brick’ joke he always insisted on telling, forever changing the lines?”
I smile at the memory.
“Apparently, he drove the guys crazy with it for weeks. Always coming at them when they least expected it.” Dad grins knowingly.
“At least it was a cute joke!” I’m the one who told Simon the joke when I was ten. It was a terrible joke, and he made fun of me constantly, but knowing he told this to a group of Marines fills my heart with warmth.
“Seriously, we were in a training drill. Real life situations… running through a forest at night. Trying to decipher enemy fire from friendly.” Finn speaks, and my heart starts racing. “And out of nowhere, Simon yells, ‘Black, watch out!’ I turn, expecting to see a mark on my back. But instead, he stops running and
says, ‘The yellow brick just fell at your feet!’”
I can’t stop the giggle that comes out. Before I know it, I’m doubled over cackling at the ridiculous joke Simon and I shared for so long. Happy tears run down my cheeks for the first time in a long week. Pretty soon, everyone in our small group is howling at my brother’s stupid timing.
Winnie runs over to see what’s so funny, and I try to speak but can’t form a complete sentence. She starts dancing in a circle, singing the only thing she heard.
“Yellow brick, yellow brick…”
Then all five younger kids join her, and I’m gasping for breath. When I look up, Finn’s eyes are shining bright with his own amusement. Johnny snatches Winnie into his arms and tousles her back and forth.
Without even knowing it, Finn Black gave me the best present ever. And in doing it, he helped soothe the pain of today with laughter.
Chapter 4
Finn
One hour, that’s how long until I see her again. I look at my watch and then open the email of the new schedule James sent to the employees. My name is on a few lines for general security duties, concerts, festivals, and one high profile charity event.
Nothing is a surprise, considering I sign up for the things that fit with my school schedule. But the one thing that bothers me is the Saturday night charity event. I wanted to ask Presley to dinner next Saturday night.
Since leaving her house after Simon’s service, she’s been on my mind. While she may not have noticed, I watched her closely the minute she and her brother walked into the room. She was immediately scooped up by her family, but I kept an eye on her.
I’ve never loved Ember more when she kept asking Presley’s dad, Jeff, if Presley was okay. Finally, Robbie caught on and asked about their relationship, and we had to admit to looking at the dog and meeting her at the park. The second that happened, something in the air changed.
Max and Robbie looked at me with a hard stare, while Tripp blew out a deep breath. I tried to ignore them, but when Presley rushed out of the house and straight to Winnie, my body tensed. My eyes locked on her as she hugged her niece and started tickling her in an understandable ploy to escape the women inside.
When Max and Tripp hugged her in greeting, it was an apparent test to see my reaction. A test I failed. I swallowed hard to control the rumble in my throat, but Max gave me a cocky grin and shake of the head. It was a gesture I knew well, seeing as I had given the same one to Robbie, Gabe, and Jimi in the last few years.
“You ready, man?” Robbie asks from the doorway of the office I share with another guy.
“You driving?” I lock down my computer and grab my things.
“Let’s walk. Ember’s meeting us there. She’s so fucking giddy about this dog. Hope to God we get him.”
“I have no doubt it’ll work out. Something tells me you’ve already made sure Blade will be yours.”
He cracks a smile, and I have my answer. It’s only a matter of time before Blade will have a new home, and Robbie and Ember will be proud parents to a German Shepherd Warrior dog.
When we get to the park, Ember is waiting at the gazebo and bouncing on her toes. Robbie pulls her to him and crushes his mouth to hers. She whimpers slightly, gripping his biceps. This is not a ‘hey, babe’ kiss. It’s more of a statement of ‘mine’. Sometimes, I wonder how these two even leave the house.
I stand back and focus on the dogs running in the distance, specifically searching for the one woman who has filled my thoughts for days. There are a few breathless whispers, and I know it’s safe to look back when Ember gives me a quick hug.
“Let’s go.” She grabs both our hands and drags us along, her excitement growing with each step.
We stop outside the roped off area and watch a few minutes until Ember screeches and starts waving wildly. Presley waves back then tosses her Frisbee our way, and Blade takes off, chasing it. He catches it mid-air about twenty feet from us, and Ember immediately starts clapping. The dog turns to her and looks back and forth between Ember and Presley, clearly torn on what he should do. Instead of making a decision, he sits on his hind legs and wags his tail, waiting for someone to instruct him.