On just such a typical Friday afternoon, Rick and Liz walked into Jack’s, holding hands. They jumped up on bar stools and met with his grin. “Hey, kids, what’s up?”

“Large cola to go,” Liz said.

“You got it, sweetheart. Rick?”

He laughed. “Oh, you know what I want. Cold draft, please.”

“Coming up.” Jack put it in front of him and asked Rick, “You starting to work out a little bit?”

Rick took a sip and draped his arm around Liz’s shoulders. “Some light weights. But I’ve gained about ten pounds since I’ve been home.” He gave Liz a squeeze.

“I’m going over to Connie’s,” she said, giving Rick a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later, baby,” he said.

When she was gone, Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Looks like things are going better for you and Liz these days.”

“Better and better. I have some plans for the rest of the summer, starting with, I’m going to help Paul part-time. I talked it over with him—neither one of us knows how much help I’ll be, but I’m sure I can stay upright and hold a paintbrush. He said he might put Dan in charge of me.”

“Brady,” Jack laughed, shaking his head. “Who would have guessed he’d work out?”

“I’m still trying to figure out how he got up that hill so fast back when we were looking for Paige. I didn’t see him do it, but remember? Before we knew it, he was up the hill and bonked that guy on the head, knocked him cold.” Rick took a drink of his beer. “He said when I get a little more confident, he’ll show me some one-legged tricks.” Jack laughed.

“I signed up for Redwoods—I’m going to school in the fall. I’ll go with Liz.”

Jack took a breath. “Kid, you don’t know how good it makes me feel that you’re making plans.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be at Redwoods long,” Rick said. “I think I’m going to be forced to leave the area.”

“That so?”

“Not like I won’t be around,” Rick said. “You’re here. Gram’s here. And who knows, I might be getting ahead of myself here, but I’m interested in architecture. And there’s no bachelor’s program around here. Humboldt U doesn’t have one in that major.”

“Architecture? That’s the first time I’ve heard that,” Jack said.

“Yeah, I know. Me and Liz went over to Redwoods and Humboldt U, looking through all the catalogs. I met with a counselor, talked to some people. I’m good at math and I like drawing and building. I talked to Paul a little bit. My main interests and abilities seem to lean toward architecture or engineering. I’m thinking way ahead now, but it looks like I might aim for the University of Oregon in Eugene.”

Jack looked down and wiped the counter.

“You gonna get all funky about that?” Rick asked. “About me going away?”

Jack looked up. “Rick, if I can send you off to the Marines and stay standing, I guess I can handle sending you off to college. I put a little something aside for that, you know. We talked about it. I’d like to help.”

“Jack, you don’t have to do that….”

“It’s not a lot, Rick. When I said a little something, little was the operative word. You’ll have the GI Bill, but you also have living expenses.”

“I’m sticking around through summer,” Rick said. “To work, see what I can learn from Paul and gimpy Dan, to stick with Jerry the Spaceman for a while.” He laughed. “That nutcase has some ideas that just fit in the slots, you know? One look at him and you’d never guess it—he’s really such a dork. Toward the end of summer, before school starts, me and Liz are going to find a place of our own in Eureka. She’s got a really good job at that Albertson’s grocery. She thinks she can keep it while she goes to school. She might have to go to part-time if school is hard for her, but you know what? She’s finding out she’s way smarter than she thought she was.” He grinned proudly.

“Settling down?” Jack asked doubtfully.

“This will be it,” Rick said. “We’re moving ahead. We’ll live together now, that’s how it has to be. Living apart isn’t working for us anymore. You have to give us some credit—we waited. We’re not teenagers anymore.”

“Well,” Jack said cautiously, “she is.”

Rick grinned. “She has till the end of August to change her mind.”

“Ricky, buddy, did Liz talk you into this? I know she’s always wanted to—”

“This was my idea, Jack. It’s just better with her. But we’re trying not to move too fast. First we live together and do a year of Redwoods college and next summer we get married.”

“Whoa.”

“We need each other, Jack. I don’t think there’s anyone I counted on more than I did Liz. You, maybe, but you’re just not as soft and cuddly.” He grinned boyishly. Then more seriously, he added, “There’s no point in just finding things to keep me busy while we get older. Besides,” he said, lifting his beer and taking a sip, “when you think about it, we’re not all that young. Maybe in years, but not in experience. Me and Liz, we had to grow up kinda fast. And the only thing that hasn’t worked against us—we never lost interest. We’ve always loved each other. That’s been put to the test a bunch of times.”

Jack was quiet for a minute. Then very solemnly he said, “There’s just one thing that worries me, Rick. You two, you’ve gotten real good at holding each other up during the hard times. How about when there aren’t any hard times? How will you hold up then? Will you take each other for granted? Get bored?”

Rick cracked a big smile and let go a laugh. “Oh man! Please—throw me in that briar patch, huh?”

Jack turned away and pounded on the wall, bringing Preacher out of the kitchen with a pretty confused and interrupted look on his face. “What?” he scowled.

Jack was already drawing a couple of beers. “Rick’s got some plans, Preach. Go ahead, Rick. Lay it on him.”

Rick gave Preacher the condensed version. Unlike Jack, who was known to borrow trouble, especially where relationships were concerned, Preacher just stuck out a big hand. “Good for you, Rick. Congratulations. I think you kids are due a few good breaks.” Jack handed him a beer. “Here’s to you. You and Liz. I’m real happy for you.”

The three of them raised their glasses in a toast.

“Thanks, guys,” Rick said. “I’d never have made it through anything without you.”

“We wouldn’t have made it without you either, buddy,” Jack said. “I’m real happy for you. And I’m real damn proud of you, son.”

Dan Brady had been meeting Cheryl in the park in Old Town Eureka every Sunday for a couple of months and looked forward to every one. Those afternoons became one of the highlights of his week. He took great pride in filling her in on all the Virgin River happenings, and while their lunch together had covered an hour in the early weeks, by the end of June it had stretched to almost three.

They had covered pasts that were difficult to overcome, for both of them. Some of that had to be talked about and put away if they were going to accept each other as friends. But once that was dispensed with, their picnics became an easy three hours, filled with storytelling and laughter and ending with an affectionate peck on the cheek. The kind casual friends gave each other. When he told her about the day he dropped his pants and took off his prosthetic limb to make a point for Rick, left hopping one-legged in the street, she laughed so hard she had tears running down her cheeks, and people in the park were staring.

Dan was no longer unsure of how he felt about her. Cheryl was no longer suspicious of Dan’s motives.

He draped an arm along the back of the park bench while he talked to her. “So, Rick started working for Paul Haggerty, and Haggerty told me to keep him with me, to train him, keep an eye on him, make sure he didn’t take on too much. Boy, if Rick knew Paul was looking out for him that way, it might piss him off. He’s a lot better, but he’s still got that edge of pride, you know?”

“How’s he doing on the job?” Cheryl asked.

“It’s only been a few days and he’s holding up pretty good. If he didn’t have a new prosthesis, I’d have him hauling trash. But I’m teaching him drywall and texturing. I figure anyone can paint.”

“Anyone but me,” she laughed. “There must be a trick to it. I tried to paint my bedroom where I’m staying. It looks like I went after the walls with a scouring pad and dirty white paint.”

“Really? How’d you like me to fix that up for you?” he asked.

“No, thanks. But I wouldn’t mind if you told me the secret.”

“No secret, kiddo. Good brushes, good paint on a clean wall and a primer if the wall isn’t going to hold the paint—like if you stripped off wallpaper and there was some backing left. People run into trouble when they buy the cheap stuff or don’t prime a wall that needs it. I can show you how to use masking tape and caulk to make a straight line.” He ran a knuckle along her cheek. “Why don’t we fix it up together. I’ll give you some tips so you never need me for painting again.”

“You’re trying to tempt me into letting you get closer into my life,” she said with a laugh. “Tempting me with paint.”

He grinned at her. “No. I’m looking for an invitation to your bedroom.”

“There are five women living in that house. If you’re ever in that bedroom, it’ll be for painting.”

“Would you be embarrassed?” he asked her, lifting his eyebrows.

“You might be attacked. Only one of the five has had a man in her life in the last millennium. And it wasn’t me.”

“Cheryl, I don’t want to scare you, but I think maybe you have a man in your life now. You just haven’t had sex. That I know of,” he added with a shrug.

She laughed at him. “What have I done, getting mixed up with you?”

“Come on, it’s been nice. Admit it,” he said, leaning toward her and brushing his lips against hers. “Nice. Come on.”

“Nice,” she said. “But you know I don’t want to get into anything complicated.”

“Oh, Jesus, Cheryl, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to mislead you. I didn’t have anything complicated in mind…” Then he smiled.

“You’ve used that line on me before.” She put a hand against his cheek, then she grew briefly serious. “We’re pretty screwed-up people, you and me. We have some heavy past issues. What if we get together, then go back to being those screwed-up miserable people and take each other down into the hole?”

He thought about this for a moment, looking deeply into her eyes. “Honey, I’ve been there, down in that hole. I’m not going back that way. You can’t make me. And I, for God’s sake, have no interest in ruining you. How about that?”

“What are you looking for?” she asked him.

“Today? I’m thinking a real kiss, arms around each other, pressed close, wet and sloppy and longer than half a second. And then, I think I’ll call you Wednesday night after work, just to see how your day was.”

“I have an AA meeting Wednesday night….”

“You could tell me what time is good to call. I’m very flexible.”

“And then?”

“One of these days I’d like to take you out to a nice dinner. Nothing scary or fancy, just nice. Quiet, good food, a place to talk while we eat where there’s no risk of bird shit. I don’t expect you to miss a meeting, I could pick you up afterward. Get you home early enough to get some rest before the early shift at the diner.”