Excerpt from
Between Today and Someday

“I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to all those places, seeing so much of the world. What surprised you most in your travels?”

“That’s easy. People.” Chase scratched his jaw. “For as much as we differ in our cultures, we’re all pretty much the same. The good and the bad of humanity.”

“Not long after college, I thought about joining one of those traveling nurse programs.”

“No way.” Chase crossed his arms on the tabletop. “What stopped you?”

“I don’t know. The timing just never seemed right.”

“Really?”

I nodded, awareness prickling my neck.

“Just timing?” He cocked his head. “A little vague, don’t you think?”

“I had more important things going on in my life. That’s all.”

He quirked a brow. “Like what?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I wiggled in my chair and swiped a loose strand of hair off my cheek. “I could ask you the same question, you know. Only about home.”

He half-shrugged. “You could. Fire away.”

I raised my chin. “Okay, so what stopped you from coming home more often?”

“I don’t know. Somehow the timing just never seemed right.”

I folded my arms, head tilted.

“Sorry. I couldn’t resist.” As his mouth twitched into his devilish crooked smile, he raised his hand. “But seriously. First, I needed to make something of myself, for myself. Second, I knew growing a business and building my brand was how I was going to make that happen. Third, I was busy collecting memories, and the ones I was making on the water were a lot more fun than any I might’ve made here.”

Chase paused for a breath, and I had to admit his honesty and candor impressed me. Outside of my dad and brothers, honest men were like a glass of lemonade in a heatwave. I looked at his hand, two fingers, two reasons left. Silence stretched between us, his expression shifting from unguarded to hopeful…maybe even a little cautious.

He raised another finger. “Carrie got married and moved away when I was eighteen.” And then he ticked off the last one. “And after Grandpa died a few years ago, I just couldn’t find much of a reason to return. I hired a management company to take care of the house because I wanted to keep it. But I don’t know.” He lowered his hand to the table, quietly drumming his fingers. “It didn’t feel much like home after that.”

“How about now…?”

Chase raised an eyebrow to what remained of our french fry mountain, and when I shook my head, he pushed the plate aside. Making a fist with his hands, he said, “Now’s good. The timing’s definitely right.” He winked at me with ease and familiarity, and my breath hitched. “And besides, I love a big project, and that’s exactly what I’ve got with the old place. Not so much repairs, but remodeling and updates, for sure.”

I gazed at him, and the diner fell quiet. Shapeless tables filled with faceless people faded to gray. There was no room for dinging pinball machines and children’s chatter in my mind fog.

I chewed on the corner of my lip. Chase had actually done the things he set out to do, and now had his razor-sharp focus on his homeplace. My world of lists and plans seemed like childish scribbling.

“I wish I knew my reasons as well as you know yours,” I said, trying to drag my thoughts out of the shadows.

His smile creased the corners of his blue eyes. “I bet you know. You just don’t like to talk about them, and that’s okay.”

I nodded, startled by his encouragement.

“Besides, you have your whole life ahead of you. You can do whatever you want.”

I folded my hands in my lap, unsure of how to move forward. “You make everything sound so easy.”

He chuckled. “Not really. I was just taught it doesn’t matter how much time is between today and someday. What matters is that you get there.”

© 2024 Ann M. Trader