The following Monday dawned thankfully clear and the dew on the grass was drying as the fire engine bearing Rusty’s casket pulled up to the Lutheran church downtown. The firemen stood at attention on each side of the walk as six of them carried the casket into the old brick building.
Brenna sat halfway back in the sanctuary. She had decided to wear her green suit rather than black; Rusty had never seemed like someone who would choose black. Evidently many of the other town's people were of the same opinion as pastel spring colors mingled with black suits and dress blues.
Adam looked back at her and smiled as he sat down in the front with the rest of the fire department members. He had called her the morning after Rusty’s death to let her know the funeral arrangements; she had been surprised to discover Rusty had been a long-standing member of Seacliff Station 5.
The pastor was graciously brief with his eulogy and then invited people to stand and share recollections of their lives with Rusty. Laughter and tears flowed freely as people shared his kindnesses, pranks and acts of courage. Several people were standing there solely due to Rusty’s quick thinking in fires and accidents. Brenna was amazed at the shared grief and gratitude for one man's life in the small community.
When the last person had stood and shared, a young man walked forward and the strains of ‘Amazing Grace’ hummed through the air as he played his bagpipes. Rusty’s casket was returned to the fire engine which bore him to the old cemetery on the cliff overlooking the bay.
When the ceremony was done and Rusty had been laid to rest beside his beloved Marvella, Adam found Brenna in the small crowd and invited her back to the station where people were gathering to mourn, laugh, drink and eat. She accepted, grateful not to have to go home just yet. Death was too close to her heart after losing her parents and patients, and some company would feel good right now, especially Adam’s.
Finding herself surprisingly hungry, Brenna filled a paper plate and sat down in an empty seat beside Wendy. “That was a wonderful service, with everyone sharing the way they did. When my parents died, the funeral was practically sterile. It was hard to find anything recognizable in what the minister was saying. I don’t think he even knew them very well.”
Wendy nodded. “I know what you mean. I’ve been to services like that. Weddings, too, for that matter. But when it’s one of our own, it’s different. These guys get so close with all they go through. Even if they don’t socialize together, there’s a strong bond.”
Brenna looked around the crowded bay. “I can see that. And I kind of know what you mean. It’s a bit like that at the hospital. But this is more...it’s like everyone’s family.”
“Good example. It used to really bug me when Vince jumped and ran when the pager went off, but I’ve gotten used to it. I don’t think I’ll ever get over worrying when I know he’s out on a fire or something dangerous, but I’ve gotten pretty used to the interrupted movies and dinners.”
Brenna slipped her new shoes off for a minute and wiggled her toes. “There, that feels better. So, are you and Vince planning on getting married?”
Wendy’s eyes tracked him across the room. “We’ve talked about it. We know we’re kind of young, but we really love each other. I mean, he hasn’t, like, got down on his knee or anything, but we talk about where we’d live and how many kids we’d like to have.” She held up her bare left hand. “Kind of weird to think of wearing a ring for the rest of my life. We know it’d limit what we do on our own as far as college, traveling, doing things the way we want. But why wait when all we’re really doing is trying to pass the time until we can get married?”
“That’s a good point. How old are you, anyway?”
“I’m nineteen, Vince is twenty-one. My parents really like him, but they think we’re too young. Time will tell, I guess.”
From the other side of the bay, Adam beckoned to Brenna. “That’s my cue,” she smiled, putting her shoes back on. “I’ll see you later.”
Adam followed Brenna home and pulled his freshly washed truck in behind the Blazer.
“Do you wash that truck every day?” she asked, laughing. “It's spotless every time I see it. And do you do housework as well as you clean your truck?”
“The answers are no and no. You’ve just never seen it on the rare occasion I allow dust to settle and no, I’m not a very good housekeeper. I keep things sanitary, but I’m not very good at picking up after myself.”
“Ah, finally, an imperfection to mar the perfect image. Thank God, I was afraid I’d always have to have the house clean when you came over,” Brenna said, unlocking the back door. Zoe paused long enough for a good lick at Adam’s hand and then bounded outside.
“Wait, I have something for you,” Adam said, snapping his fingers. He trotted back to his truck, shedding his warm suit jacket as he went.
Brenna left the back door open wide to allow the warm afternoon air to flow through the house. Kicking off her shoes with a sigh of relief, she hung her own jacket on the back of a kitchen chair and took a pitcher of lemonade out of the refrigerator.
Adam came in with his hand behind his back. “Close your eyes,” he instructed. She closed them, then heard a melodic, ringing sound and opened them again.
“Wind chimes! I wanted to get some and kept forgetting.” She took them from his outstretched hand and swung them gently. Different lengths of narrow aluminum rods hung from a disc of polished cherrywood. “I’ll hang them up outside the kitchen window.”
“Want some help? There’s a planter hook out there, I already looked.”
While Adam hung the wind chimes, Brenna ran upstairs to literally change into something more comfortable. She laid her suit over the back of her vanity chair and turned toward the dresser, but then glanced back. Nothing about her had changed, but somehow she felt prettier today. Admit it, it’s Adam, she thought. Ridiculous trying to play it safe when your heart was going to do what it wanted anyway. She smiled at her reflection and then pulled on some comfortable jeans and a cotton blouse. Twisting her heavy hair up in a hair claw, she took off her earrings and went downstairs.
Adam was sitting in the kitchen with a large glass of lemonade, Zoe nosing at the condensation dripping down the side. “I poured you one, but it’s on the counter over there; I didn’t know if you wanted Zoe licking it before you got it. She wanted in when she heard the refrigerator door open."
“Zoe, leave him alone! Your water’s over there. Here, I’ll put an ice cube in it.”
The wind chimes rang gently as a breeze blew past the kitchen window.
“Thanks for hanging them. I love them. They’re just the tone I would’ve picked too. Are you hungry?”
“After that spread? No, but thanks anyway. I noticed you finished the dining room; it looks great.”
“Thanks. I was kind of bummed out this week when the weather turned bad so I just made myself get to work on it. Amazing what you can accomplish when you get off your duff.”
Adam raised his glass. “Well said.” He took off his tie, unbuttoned his collar and rolled up his sleeves. “If I’d been thinking, I’d have put jeans in the truck just in case, but this will do.”
Brenna smiled. “It’ll have to. A t-shirt I could supply, but I’m afraid the jeans wouldn’t fit. Well, why don’t you kick those shoes off and come in the parlor.”
Brenna sat on the carpet and dug her feet into the worn nap while Adam lowered himself into the rocker.
“Man, this has been a crazy week. Work has been really busy and then this funeral on my day off. Not that I mind paying my respects to Rusty, he was a great guy, but I haven’t had time to even think. Poor Max is feeling neglected.”
“You could’ve run home and got him before you came out. Unless you weren’t planning on staying long.” Good one, Brenna. She twirled the melting ice cubes in her glass.
“I didn’t know if you’d be busy and I didn’t want to assume anything. I don’t have any plans today.” Adam watched her, mesmerized, imagining running an ice cube down the s
ide of her warm neck...he shook himself mentally. Behave, don't rush. Rush? How slow did he have to go? He'd never been such a gentleman in his life. What was it about her that inspired that in him?
“Do you want to go home and get him?” Brenna's voice broke into his reverie. "Earth to Adam."
“Oh...that’d be great, then I could change out of this suit too.” He swallowed the last of his lemonade. “Do you want to come with me? The place isn’t too much of a disaster at the moment.”
Brenna smiled and, getting to her feet, collected his glass. “Sounds good to me. I’ll leave Zoe here...unless you wanted to stay home awhile?”
“No, it’s not home I miss when I’m so busy; it’s being able to do what I want, go running, visit my family, you know...”
She followed him out to the truck, locking Zoe in the house only to hear a mournful whine. “I’ll be right back, baby, you’ll live.”
A couple miles north of Seacliff, Adam took a left toward the beach onto a one-lane dirt road without a sign.
“How does anyone find you without a street sign?”
“Well, I don’t give directions to anyone I don’t want to find me, for one. And if I do, I tell them it’s exactly two and a third miles after the last stop sign leaving town.”
They pulled up to a single-wide trailer at the far edge of the woods, just before the road opened up onto the beach. Instead of a lawn, the ground surrounding the trailer was covered with pine needles and there were pink wild roses bordering each side. Adam motioned toward his landscaping. “Low maintenance.”
Max greeted them joyfully at the door, his hind end jumping in the opposite direction just like Zoe’s.
“Are you sure they’re not related somehow? Or is this just a retriever thing?”
Adam smiled as he let Max out. “I think it’s just a retriever thing. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll just be a minute.” He disappeared down the long narrow hall.
Brenna took the opportunity to look around while he was out of the room. Kitchen was clean, only a bowl and coffee cup in the sink, clean dishtowel in the refrigerator handle. Living room vacuumed, some clean laundry piled on the couch to be folded. Barely any dust on the end tables. A fairly new DVD player and TV. Mini-blinds at the windows, now those could use a little dusting, but whose couldn’t? An afghan in shades of green and blue on the back of the couch; she wondered who had made that. The place smelled good, homey. Passed inspection.
“So, did I pass inspection?”
Brenna jumped. “Don’t sneak up on me! And no mind-reading. But yes, you passed inspection,” she smiled.
“Well, good. Let me check the answering machine and we’re off.”
He pressed a button on the small machine on the kitchen counter, the volume turned low. All Brenna heard was a woman’s voice saying “Adam”. He switched the machine off and turned to smile at her, but not before she glimpsed a brief frown cross his face.
“Let’s go,” he said, holding the door for her. She went out to the truck, wondering who would have caused a look like that, certainly not Ruth. Then she decided it wasn’t worth worrying about right now; he didn’t want to talk about it and he seemed happy to be with her today. Max jumped into the bed of the truck and they were off.
Chapter 37