It felt so good just to be held.
“What’s wrong, Veronica?”
Oh how she loved the way her name sounded when he said it. She’d moved to the more masculine Ronnie in middle school. Something to make her sound more intimidating, more like someone who couldn’t be pushed around. But the way Peter said “Veronica” made her feel…soft.
Even treasured. Like she mattered to him.
“It’s just…” Then she leaned back and told him the entire story. He came inside and listened, no comment, his expression set on worry, even compassion.
Finally, “How is Tiago?”
“He’s upset. The boys hung out a lot. Josh is probably his closest friend. But if he’s having Tiago hide stuff that could get him in trouble, I can’t have that.”
Peter took the bag from the coffee table, pulled out the lighter and studied it. “Ronnie, something’s going on here. I know who this lighter belongs to, and it’s not Josh. We need to talk to your brother.”
Peter knocked on Tiago’s door and went in. Tiago was curled up in a small ball on top of his bed, petting Blue, his face chapped with tears.
Ronnie waited in the doorway while Peter approached him. “Hey, T. Can I talk to you?”
“What do you want? You gonna blame me too?”
“No, especially since I know this isn’t yours.”
Tiago sat up slowly. “You believe me?”
“Yeah, I do. But I don’t understand why you blamed your best friend.”
Tiago looked down. “I…didn’t actually say it was Josh’s.”
Ronnie stepped inside. “Yes, you did.”
“No. You assumed it was Josh’s. And I…went along with it.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “Because…it was better than telling you the truth.”
“So who does this stuff belong to and why do you have it?”
Tiago looked away.
“We care about the truth, Tiago, and we care about you.” Peter’s voice stayed steady. “We believe you when you say this isn’t yours. Help us understand why you have it, though.”
“Because I didn’t want to get beat up, all right?” He looked at Peter. “I tried. I tried to make friends. And Josh is cool, but these other guys, much bigger guys, don’t want me here. And one of them said if I didn’t hide that stash for him and keep quiet, he would—”
“He would what?”
Tiago shrugged again, but she saw the fear. “He said he’d get rid of us”—he pointed to Ronnie and himself—“once and for all.”
No way! A soft hand on Ronnie’s back stilled her mouth, Peter’s silent warning to tamp down the reaction and stay calm.
But oh, she wanted to punch something. Hard. And the way Peter’s nostrils flared, he was furious too.
“Oh no. If this punk is threatening your life, then we need to know who it is,” Peter said quietly.
“No! That will make it worse. Do you know what these guys will do to me?”
No wonder he’d been acting so strange lately. Oh, Tiago.
She sat on the bed and reached for Tiago’s hand. “You shouldn’t have to shoulder all that. We can help. Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”
He sat up and let go of Blue, who scampered onto the floor and over to Peter.
“I know you like it here, sis. You want us to stay. But these kids…they don’t. And—”
“Who threatened you?”
Tiago didn’t say anything.
Peter sat next to Ronnie, holding the puppy. “I think I know, but I’d like to hear it from you.”
Tiago clenched his jaw. She knew that look well. She’d lived it. That I-can-handle-it-on-my-own determination. But often it was fueled by anger, or fear that it might not be true. That she might just do everything she could and would still be betrayed. Or the fear that she couldn’t handle it and there was no one else to lean on.
Maybe she could show Tiago a different way.
“Bro, let us help. You don’t have to do this by yourself.”
Tiago said nothing for a long moment. “It was Ben and his friends.”
“Just to clarify, we’re talking about Ben Zimmerman, right?” Peter asked.
Tiago nodded.
Ronnie looked at Peter. “Is that who you thought the lighter belonged to?”
“Yeah. It’s Elton’s. He’s had it my whole life.”
“So how long has this been going on, T?” she asked.
“Since the pit party. He’d make me do stuff at play practice. Made fun of me at church. He gave me that bag and said when he needed it, he’d get it from me.”
“Let me guess, he broke the sprinkler in the auditorium too?”
He nodded.
“And you were more afraid of him than losing your friendship with Josh.”
Oh. Josh. Megan.
Ronnie groaned. “All right, Tiago, Peter and I will take care of Ben. But there will still be consequences for you. You need to come to me with this kind of stuff. And you may not have said Josh’s name, but you let me believe he was to blame. For now, you’re grounded. You do play practice and come home. That’s it.” She softened her voice. Because more than anything, this next truth had to sink in. “But most of all, you need to know I’m on your side. Whatever you face, we face together.”
He turned to her. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to be tough like you. Handle it on my own. But I’m not strong enough.”
Ronnie knelt in front of her brother, framed his sweet face with her hands. “You are so strong, Santiago Morales. Stronger than you know. Stronger than you should have to be. But if there’s one thing I’m learning here, it’s that sometimes strength means asking for help when we need it. That takes real courage. To trust people. To let them in.” She kissed his forehead. “I’m here for you. You can let me in.”
He looked at her, his brown eyes so hungry. “You mean it?”
“Yeah. I do.” And for the first time since coming home from the Army, she saw a lightness in him she hadn’t seen since…well, she didn’t remember the last time.
Maybe she hadn’t seen it in herself either.
She smiled at him. “We’ll figure this out. But for now, why don’t you take Blue on a little walk around the block, and we’ll go talk to Josh and Megan later.”
Tiago nodded and grabbed Blue. A few moments later, she heard the front door close.
Peter plopped next to Ronnie on the bed. “So…what was that groan about earlier?”
“Megan.”
“Right.”
“Yeah. She probably hates me now.”
“Doubt that. She might be angry, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the friendship. Go apologize.”
Before Deep Haven, she’d never cared. If someone was angry with her, she walked away and didn’t look back.
She didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore. Maybe apologizing didn’t have to be the sign of weakness she’d always attributed it to. It sure seemed like this took a lot more guts than walking away.
And she didn’t really want to lose Megan.
Peter nudged her shoulder. “Do you want me to come with you?” He held out his hand.
She should go by herself, but her own words to Tiago echoed back.
Sometimes strength means asking for help when we need it.
And she needed it. More, she needed him.
She looked at him, so much kindness in his eyes, the way he held out his hand, and she took it. “Yes, Peter. I want you to come with me.”
Chapter 14
“They have some kind of catastrophe happening in the kitchen,” Peter said as he put down the burger. “This is terrible.” The dark lighting of the VFW, mostly provided from the neon signs on the walls and dimmed fixtures hanging from the ceiling, couldn’t mask the burnt flavor and bitter aftertaste of the meat. Peter leaned back in the blue plastic chair and chugged his fountain pop.
“I think the cook quit,” Nick said, stirring a tot around in ketchup. “So she r
eally yelled at your father?”
Peter still couldn’t believe the disaster of Ronnie meeting his parents. “Yes.” He pushed his plate away, his appetite gone.
“That’s one way to introduce her to the family.” Nick shook his head. “I wish I could’ve been there to see Uncle Gary’s face when she brought up the military career to your brothers. He’s been counting on Johnny to get a football scholarship and take the U of M Gophers to the Rose Bowl since forever.”
“You mean since I failed to do so when I chose UMD over the U of M.”
“It wasn’t just you. Michael quit as a freshman.”
“Yeah, apparently he has more guts than I do because he told Dad that football took away from his time with girls and video games.”
“Yeah, that’s gutsy. And ever since, your dad’s been pinning all those hopes and dreams on Johnny-boy. His last chance.”
Peter sighed and threw down his napkin. “And Ronnie plowed right into ’em.”
“Your dad must’ve been livid.” Nick laughed.
“It’s not funny. You know how he is. He’s not like Uncle Gordy losing his temper and spouting stuff off. He held it together in front of everyone, but I saw the look on his face. And he talked to me the next day. He was not impressed. He’s afraid she’s brainwashing me.”
Nick was still smiling, but he shook his head. “Brainwashing? Like the KGB or something?”
“I don’t know.” He motioned to Melissa Ogden, another third cousin on the Zimmerman side, over for a refill of Coke.
“What about your mom? She liked Ronnie, right? She likes everyone.”
“She was insulted by her brownies, grossed out by her stories of medical procedures, and when Ronnie called my dad a blind fool, I think her fate was sealed as far as Barb Dahlquist was concerned.”
“She really called your dad a blind fool?”
“Well, it was something more along the lines of sticking up for me, saying if they couldn’t see how much I cared about this town and our family, yada, yada, yada, then he was a blind fool.”
“Ahhh.” Nick nodded like everything made perfect sense.
“What?”
“Peter, you are so far gone over this girl.”
Melissa came over. “Hey, Peter. Whatchya need?”
“I could use another.” He lifted his glass and she took it back to the bar to be refilled.
“So what are you going to do?” Nick asked.
“About what?”
“Well, about your vote and your family. You and Ronnie gonna leave Deep Haven and ride off into the sunset together or stay and join me as the black sheep of the family?”
“Oh, Nick. That honor is all yours.” But probably Peter would be close to it. “No, my life is here. I’d need to finish out my term on the city council at the very least before I can move. That’s over three years away. And I want to see this youth center through. How hypocritical would it be if I fought for it and then left town?”
“So you’re going to have to convince your family or live forever with their disapproval.”
“That’s the gist of it, but I think they’ll come around. Eventually. Don’t you?”
“To Ronnie or the youth center idea?”
“Both.”
“The Dahlquists know three things—football, cooking, and how to hold a grudge.”
Peter sighed. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
Melissa returned. Set his drink in front of him. Glanced at Nick. “I saw your latest vlog. I like your puppies.”
Nick seemed to turn a little red. “Thanks, Mel.”
Peter chuckled. “You’re so famous.”
“Leave me alone.”
Peter picked up the drink.
“Listen, Pete. You know I’ll support you any way I can. I’m used to their disappointment. And who knows? Maybe Ronnie will win them over in the end.”
“I hope so.” It was hard to remember, but yes, they’d had their own rocky beginning, and she’d won him over. “In the meantime, I just hope their disapproval doesn’t push her away.”
“I know family is everything for you, but don’t let go of this woman, Peter. She’s your champion. Most guys would kill for a woman to believe in them like that.”
“But what if she doesn’t stay? What then?”
“Stop thinking about the what-ifs. That’s your problem. You get all tangled up in things that may—or may not—happen. Enjoy the ride, dude. And have a little faith that it’ll all work out.”
Faith. Huh.
Nick stood. “I’ve gotta run. You’re meeting Seb here?”
“Yup. He wants to know more about the youth center before he leaves for his vacation. The town meeting will be right after he gets back.”
“Why isn’t Vivie meeting him?”
“This is the only time Seb had free and she has practice.” And since Nick had brought her up, maybe his cousin needed a bit of prodding too. “And speaking of Vivie, gonna take your own advice, stop worrying about the what-ifs, and go for it? She’s been back for over a month now.”
Nick said nothing as he waved, maybe a little bit of heartbreak in his eyes. Probably he’d heard the question and simply chose to ignore it. Like always. One of these days though, maybe Nick would fess up or do something about the girl he’d pined for since second grade.
Peter organized the folder with all the youth center plans and ordered a slice of pie and coffee just as Seb came in.
“Thanks for meeting with me before I go, Pete. Lucy’s already packed the car, so you’ve got an hour to convince me.” He settled into the booth and gave his order to Melissa. “Tell me about this youth center Vivien Calhoun came up with.”
Peter went over the rough plans for transforming the abandoned hotel into the Deep Haven Youth Center. Seb listened attentively, asked good questions. By the time Peter was on his third mug of coffee, they had gone through the whole proposal.
“Sounds like this project is important to you.”
“It is. We’ve seen an increase in kids who need this kind of escape. The town can use the space, indoor playground, theater, two big gyms. It would help ease some of the overcrowding with community sports and the school.”
“I see the social benefit, believe me. Wish it had been around when I was a kid. But I also have to see the money side of things too. The hotel and restaurant proposals would be bringing in revenue and have more people spending money in Deep Haven. Plus, the owners would foot the cost for the demolition and rebuilding. Who is going to pay for the youth center?”
“Thankfully the bones of the hotel structure are still good. It needs to be gutted and revamped, but we wouldn’t have to start from scratch. We can do the remodeling in phases. But no, we haven’t figured out all the funding. Obviously, we would be asking the town and people for help. Seth Turnquist’s family and the Christiansens have already agreed to help with labor and donating some of the materials. If we have more people like them on board, we can cut a lot of costs.”
“And the revenue?”
“Think of how many times people have wanted to rent facilities like these. We could host sports tournaments with the gyms, use a big meeting space and auditorium for special events. All those would bring people to Deep Haven as well as provide our youth with positive activities. And maybe we can turn the rooms on the second and third floors into offices and rent out the space. The possibilities are there.”
“And you think there’s enough town support for this?”
“I think the need is here.”
“That’s not necessarily the same thi—”
“There you are!” Elton thundered into the building and stormed toward them. “You’re a liar, Peter, and you’ve betrayed your own family.”
Peter leaned back and put up a hand to push Elton’s meaty finger out of his face. “What are you talking about?”
“You said the Westerman belonged to us! It was going to be our next hotel!”
Ready or not, the fight was on. Peter took a
deep breath. Leveled his gaze at his cousin. “I never said I was voting for the hotel.”
“Yes, you did. At the campfire at the Memorial Day hot dog roast. You said we could count on you.”
Peter blew out a breath. “No, Uncle Al said that.”
Elton leaned over the table. “You calling me a liar?”
“I’m saying you made assumptions. I didn’t say which way I was voting.”
“It’s tourism that drives our economy. We need more hotels. Who needs a youth center?”
Peter bit his tongue but hello, how about Ben? He and Ronnie hadn’t had a chance to talk to Elton about what his son was doing, and clearly Elton was in no frame of mind to have that discussion now. Not that Peter wanted to do so in public anyway. “There are lots of kids in the community who could utilize a place like this.”
“You mean like that little Hispanic kid? He’s been causing trouble since he arrived. And this”—Elton made a circle over the youth center proposal papers—“is all her fault. Isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s that woman. That paramedic. She came in, kicked my father off the first responders team, accused my son of being a drug addict, and it’s only a matter of time before she destroys this whole town.”
Peter kept his fist restrained at his side and bit hard, grinding his molars, trying to get a leash on everything pounding through him. “I think it’s time you left. We can discuss this later.”
“You’re choosing her over your own family!”
And that was just…enough. Peter stood up, met his cousin’s gaze straight on. “I’m choosing what’s best for our whole town. Including our family.”
Elton’s eyes narrowed. “She’s going to be your ruin, Pete.”
“You don’t know anything about her.”
“Yeah? Well I’ll tell you now, this youth center is not going to pass the vote.”
Peter crossed his arms over his chest. “We’ll see about that.”
Elton shook his head as he stomped out. Peter’s pulse roared as he watched him go.
Seb cleared his throat. “Uh, as I was saying, as much as I love the idea of this youth center, need and support are two different things. If we have a lot of people like Elton, who don’t support it, we can’t pass it. I’ll need to see a lot more people who want it before we can move forward.”
Crazy for You Page 20