After the Rain

by Bruce, Brandy

  He raised an eyebrow at me, and I reached for the last piece of bread.

  “She misses you. We all do. I miss seeing you up on the stage on Sunday mornings. Are you singing out here?”

  I sipped my wine. “Um, no. I’m not going to church anywhere.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Why?”

  “Because I needed a break. Because I’m reinventing myself, Jason. Because a lot has changed for me.”

  He nodded, undeterred by my rising voice. One of Jason’s best qualities—he wasn’t easily ruffled.

  “What did you think of that chicken parm?” he asked.

  I glanced at my empty plate. “Really good.”

  He nodded. “The chicken marsala was excellent. I’m going to have another glass of wine. Want one?”

  I shook my head. “I think I’ll order a cappuccino. Let’s split a dessert. Your choice.”

  The restaurant had filled with groups and families and couples, but we were seated at a small square table for two, tucked away in a corner. Ideal for private conversation and lingering at the table. Over a piece of cheesecake, one more glass of Pinot Noir for Jason and a steaming cappuccino for me, Jason brought up the subject that had been hovering.

  “So ... how are you doing with all of it?”

  I looked at the fancy white leaf someone had artistically made on my cappuccino cream. “I’m doing better. I’m seeing a therapist, and I think that’s been helpful. How are they? Wedding planning and all that?”

  I saw the pain and sympathy that filled those black eyes. His fork sliced off a piece of cheesecake. “Yeah. The wedding is in December, like Addi’s was. They’re fine. The same, I guess. Sara’s still working at the museum. Luke’s still at the architecture firm. Sara’s mom had a fall and ended up with a slight bone fracture in her hip last month.”

  I winced. “Poor Suzanne.”

  Jason nodded. “It’s not the same without you, if you’ve wondered. Which I would. But things have changed, you know. Glen and Addi are crazy busy. I feel like I never see them, even though Addi is good about intentionally keeping in touch. And with the pregnancy, Lily has been tired and sick a lot. Sam’s been working overtime, trying to make extra money. I still hang out with Sam and Luke. We try to do lunch once or twice a month. We still play basketball the first Saturday morning of every month.”

  He was quiet for a moment, and I took a bite of cheesecake, thinking of what was unsaid.

  Life goes on.

  “I miss all of you too,” I finally said, my voice small. “But my job is good here. I’ve got a couple of friends, who are both excited to meet you, and I’ve started exploring a bit. Ben took me to the zoo and zip-lining.”

  “Ben?” Jason’s brow furrowed.

  “Yeah. He’s cool. I think you’re going to like him. Oh, that reminds me! Do you want to go up to the mountains this weekend? Ben invited us to go rafting and fishing and camping overnight. What better way to see Colorado than in the mountains, on a river, right?” My tone spiked with excitement.

  “Camping? Deb, I’ve got nothing with me for camping.”

  I waved that off. “He’s borrowing stuff for both of us. Please, Jason? I think it will be awesome. If you say yes, we’ll drive up to Breckenridge Saturday morning early, then meet up with Ben. We’ll go white-water rafting and hiking and then we’ll camp in tents that night. Oh, I forgot to mention that Paige is coming with us.”

  “Who is Paige? Your other friend?”

  “Yeah. Paige and Ben.”

  “Are you into Ben or what? Are you dating him?”

  “No. We’re just friends.”

  He gave me a look. “Just friends, but he invites you up to the mountains for the weekend?”

  I glared at him. “It’s not like that. And if it were, so what? You think no guy will ever like me again since Luke doesn’t?” I snapped, unable to hold back.

  His jaw tightened immediately. “Of course I don’t think that. I’m here, aren’t I? Wanting to see you? I like you.”

  The tension in my neck pulled at me.

  “Hey,” he said, his voice easier. “You don’t have to be defensive with me, Deb. I was there. I know how it was. Luke breaking things off was about him. You’re amazing. You always have been. Maybe I’m just being protective. Remember, you were my friend before you were theirs.”

  That right there.

  Jason, his open hand reaching across the table to me, melted my guardedness.

  I breathed out. “Sorry.” My hand slid into his, and he squeezed it, then released. I took a sip of my cappuccino. “Ben and Paige go to the same church. Ben is the worship pastor. I went once. C’mon, Jase. I’ve worked so much since I moved here that I’ve never gotten to go up to the mountains, and getting to go up with you will be double fun. Please?”

  He held up both hands. “Okay, okay. If you want to go, I’m up for it.”

  Chapter Ten

  Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.

  Les Misérables

  Debra, you realize we’ll be camping one night, right? And we’ll be sleeping in tents?” Ben stood at the door of my apartment, mouth open. His eyes took in my luggage.

  “Well, yes. But it’s been a while since I’ve been camping. I don’t want to forget anything I might need.”

  “How could you possibly need this much stuff?”

  “You can come inside, you know.” I crossed my arms. “You don’t have to stand in the doorway. My luggage doesn’t bite.”

  “It will as we’re hiking.” Ben took three steps inside. “You have to condense. You need maybe one change of clothes.” He held up one finger to emphasize. “Is that a pillow?” He pointed to my obvious pink pillow-cased pillow.

  “It’s my favorite!”

  He didn’t respond. I huffed out a sigh as I looked at my bags that included toiletries, a book or two, my camera case, and more.

  Ben maneuvered his way around my bags and sat on the sofa. “I’ll tell you what you need while you unpack. I’m limiting you to one backpack.” He held up that one finger again.

  “Grr. Fine.”

  An hour later, we were barely speaking. Well, I was barely speaking. Ben was fine.

  “This is not going to be enough.” I motioned to the backpack and shoulder bag I’d packed.

  “Trust me—it will be enough. The hike to the campsite isn’t far, but after rafting, everyone will be exhausted. It’s not a strenuous hike. Do you think Jason will be able to handle it?”

  I nodded. “Probably better than I will. Assuming the altitude doesn’t bother him.” I snapped my fingers. “I should pack some aspirin.”

  “Make sure he drinks plenty of water. Staying hydrated will help avoid the symptoms of altitude sickness. I’m going to text you the address where we’ll be. It’ll take you guys about two and a half hours to get from your apartment to Breckenridge, so try to leave by nine at the latest. Actually, aim for eight thirty. I’m doing a half-day raft that morning with a group. When you guys get there, we’ll suit up and raft for a few hours. You should eat lunch beforehand. At the spot down the river where we stop for the night, we’ll unload. The company will have brought down all our luggage and gear already. We’ll load up and hike—it’s not very far—to our camping spot. Don’t go crazy, but you and Jason and Paige should stop and pick up some small snacks.” He gave me a pointed look. “Like granola bars or something, not a bag of groceries. I’ll have water filters. We’ll cook dinner. The guides will have planned out the meals for dinner that night and breakfast the next morning.

  “There will probably be two other groups staying with us at the campsite. Sunday we’ll hike back to the outpost, where vans will pick us up and take us back to the main building. I was thinking we’d hang out in Breck for a while. I have some friends I’d like to see. Then we can all head back to Denver at some point. Have Jason try those on.” He pointed to a pair of hiking boots. Jason had told me his size and I’d passed the word on to Ben. “We’re the same size, so
I think he’ll be okay. He needs really thick socks.”

  I nodded. “We’ll run to the store tonight for whatever we need.”

  Ben stood up and I followed suit. “Okay, then. I’m going to go. I need to get on the road. I’m staying with some buddies tonight in Breck. Text me any questions. I should have decent cell service once I’m there, but it could be spotty on the way up.”

  I followed him to the front door. “Ben,” I said. He faced me. “Thanks. Truly. For inviting me, then inviting Jason, then inviting Paige. I’m really excited to do this.”

  A half smile inched its way to his face. We stood a bit awkwardly. Unlike my Texas friends, Ben wasn’t a hugger. Or he wasn’t with me anyway.

  “I’m glad you’re coming. When I said I wanted to introduce you to Colorado—well, this is the best way to see it.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and moved into the outside hallway. I leaned against the doorframe.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow and I’ll text you before then.”

  “You and me and the mountains,” he said with a wink, borrowing my tagline. I grinned.

  When Jason came home that evening, we made homemade pizza together and then ran to three different stores for snacks and socks and everything else Ben said we should get. Excitement was building in both of us. Paige too. She texted me every three minutes and had agreed to be at my apartment the next morning at eight fifteen. After making sure we were packed and ready, I said good night to Jason and went to bed, leaving him to watch TV until he was tired enough to go to sleep.

  Paige knocked on the door at eight fifteen on the dot. Her hair was in her signature side braid and she wore long shorts and a hoodie and her usual Birks. With a yawn, Jason shook her hand and said hello; then he loaded up my SUV with all our stuff and we headed out. Jason insisted Paige sit in the front, and he climbed in the back, pulled his ball cap down over his eyes, and fell back asleep. Paige and I were jittery with excitement. After about a half hour, Jason perked up, and we pulled into a drive-thru for breakfast sandwiches. Jason wanted to drive, so Paige moved to the back. She peppered both of us with questions the whole way, wanting to know about Jason’s life in Texas, how our group had been formed—she was smart enough to avoid any mention of Luke and Sara and just stuck to general questions about our friendships and Texas and so on.

  The farther we got up in the mountains, hardly any of the radio stations were getting a good signal. Paige tucked into the corner of the car and closed her eyes to rest, and I tried to read for a while. Reading and winding roads didn’t seem to mix for me, and I stopped when I felt a hint of motion sickness. We stopped for gas and a bathroom break a little more than three quarters of the way into the drive. Jason bought an energy drink. Paige was acting bubbly at that point, chatting and bright-eyed, and I was feeling sleepy, so we switched spots, and I fell asleep. I woke to the sound of Paige and Jason talking in quiet voices about the scenery. I sat up and tucked back my hair, looking out the window. We were basically on the side of a mountain, with netting hanging to keep any falling rocks from hitting vehicles. On the other side of the road, beyond oncoming traffic, was a river, snaking its way around rocks and fallen logs. And beyond that, wide open space led upward to more mountains, covered in Evergreens.

  Having lived in Minnesota and Texas, mountains were new to me. They stood so majestic and powerful, I felt small just looking out the window. Paige glanced back at me.

  “You’re awake. We’re almost there. Should we pick up something for lunch before we go to River Run?” she asked.

  I stretched and nodded. “Ben said we’ll definitely want to have a good lunch before we leave for rafting. I didn’t even think to ask, but have either of you rafted before?”

  Paige nodded. “Oh, sure. Every summer since I was a kid. It’s tons of fun.”

  “Does tubing the Guadalupe count?” Jason asked, and I chuckled.

  “I hope. That’s as close as I’ve come too. And I flipped my tube and fell into the river, remember?”

  “Oh, right. I thought that was Addi. Well, fingers crossed none of us falls into the river this time.”

  “Don’t worry,” Paige assured us. “We’ll all be fine. Even if someone went for an unintentional swim, the guides will give instructions beforehand so you know what to do. Last time I went rafting, one of the girls in our group fell out of the boat. It was scary, of course—for one thing, the water was high, we’re at the end of the season here, and it was a fairly dry spring, so I have a feeling the rivers won’t be bursting at the seams. But she was okay. A little scraped up and shaky, but she lived to tell the tale.”

  Jason and I were quiet. “Um, that wasn’t a very reassuring story, Paige,” I finally said, and Jason laughed.

  “That’s what I was thinking.”

  Paige looked sheepish. “Sorry. But honestly, the guides know what they’re doing. Ben did this for years. We’ll be fine. You’re going to love it!”

  We stopped in Breckenridge for lunch, and Jason and I kept gushing over what a fun town it was. Touristy shops everywhere and restaurants lined the streets of the mountain town, home to ski resorts. We ate cheeseburgers while sitting at an outdoor table at a local burger joint, with a mountain backdrop to our lunch. Then I took over at the wheel, and we made our way to River Run Rafters, about ten miles outside the town.

  The gravel parking lot was packed. I finally found a spot at the very back of the lot and we left our bags in the SUV while we went to find Ben. He stood waiting on the front porch of the building, which looked very much like a large, rectangle log cabin. I waved at him as we got close. He held the remnants of a sub sandwich wrapping in his hands, so I figured he’d just had lunch.

  “Hey!” Paige jumped forward and gave Ben a hug, then I introduced him to Jason. The two guys shook hands but both seemed guarded. I glanced back and forth at them, a bit surprised, since I knew them both to be two of the friendliest guys I’d ever known. This aloofness seemed weird.

  “We’ll get you guys wet suits and all that. There are forms to sign. I’ve told Lee, the girl at the front desk, that we’re all together, so you’ll get a discounted rate. Before you change, you should bring out all your gear. They’ll load a van full of our stuff. There are two other couples riding with us. Paige”—Ben looked at her—“are you okay with going with the second raft? They had an open spot.”

  She nodded immediately. “Absolutely. But I’m camping with you guys, right?”

  “Yes. We’ll all meet up at the outpost and hike to the site together and make camp.”

  Even from the log-cabin base, we could see the river, calm at the outset. Jason and Paige and I retrieved our luggage and piled it on the front porch. My stomach tightened, a mixture of nerves and excitement, as we filled out the forms and got our wet suits and splash jackets and water shoes. Paige and Jason both paid and then browsed the small section that sold T-shirts and souvenirs while they waited for me. I stepped up to the counter and gave Lee my information. She shook her head.

  “Ben already paid for you, Debra. You’re covered.”

  My eyes widened. Even with the discount, the cost of rafting and overnight camping was just over a hundred dollars. “That can’t be right. Am I supposed to pay him?”

  She looked at the paperwork. “You could ask him, I suppose. But he made the reservation for all of you, then paid your balance.” She then asked my size and handed me a wetsuit, pointing to where the restrooms were. I took the wetsuit, and Paige and I made our way to the restrooms to change. Jason had already disappeared into the men’s bathroom. From one stall over, Paige talked to me.

  “You didn’t mention that your friend is basically a hot tamale.”

  I burst out laughing at her description of Jason. “I guess Jase is pretty cute. And I know for a fact that he can make a very decent tamale. He’s a talented cook. Did I tell you he catered my friend Addison’s wedding?” I zipped up the already damp wetsuit, then wrinkled my nose. “This feels disgusting. I’m trying not to think abou
t the person who already sweated in this.”

  Paige stepped out of the stall, a pained look on her face. “I feel like a seal, slippery and cold. And I look ridiculous.”

  “Ben says the wetsuits will keep us from freezing when that white water hits us. He better be right.”

  We waddled out of the bathroom, giggling at each other. Jason seemed unaffected by the cold ickiness of the suit. He clapped his hands. “Let’s get this show on the road. I’m ready to hit the river.”

  Lee waved us over and told us to make our way around the side of the building to find Ben. The three of us slathered on sunscreen and then walked down closer to the river, all of us feeling a bit ridiculous in our wetsuits. I sighed with relief when I saw Ben in swim shorts, a neoprene shirt, and waterproof shoes, down by the river, talking to four other people. A stack of huge rafts stood piled on the riverbank. Ben motioned for us to join him.

  “Hey, guys, this is Chloe and Kyle, and Greg and Rita. They’ll be joining us on the raft and camping tonight.” We all introduced ourselves. They all looked about our age or older. I assumed they were in their very early thirties. I didn’t see wedding rings, but both sets of people were obviously couples by the hand holding. They all seemed nice enough. As we grouped together and listened to Ben’s instructions, warnings, and advice, Jason casually threw his arm across my shoulders. Having known Jason for years, this was completely natural for me. But midspeech, I saw Ben do a double take.

  The fact that Ben had paid for my excursion niggled at my mind. I appreciated the gesture very much—but it made me a little nervous. Again, there didn’t seem to be anything romantic between us, but he kept doing these nice things. Always including me. Paying for me. At this point, I obviously had to consider the reality that he liked me in a romantic way. For that matter, I knew I was trying not to like him in a romantic way—a task that was starting to take more effort.

  Of course, there was that whole “he’s in ministry” aspect. I could explain away some of his behavior just by acknowledging his expression of Christianity—reaching out, being kind to the new girl, offering friendship to someone struggling with faith.