Hidden Summit

fundraising things like pie-throwing contests or dunking booths. For their fortieth anniversary they went bungee jumping off a bridge in Oregon. They’re kind of Where’s the party? all the time. But I have to say, they’ve never let me down. Maybe I’ve let them down....”
    “That’s hard to imagine.”
    “I’m just realizing… I was pretty caught up in…other things for the past few…okay, for the past decade or so. I might’ve kept them at arm’s length. I’ll never do that again.”
    “You shouldn’t, Les,” he said. “You don’t know how much time you’ll have with them. They’re a little wacky, but in a good way. Enjoy.”
    “Do you understand everything?”
    He laughed. “Oh, hell no. But I lost my parents when I was young. And even though yours are a lot more fun than mine were, there are times I still miss them. And my life would be totally different if they hadn’t died prematurely. Just be glad you have a chance to spend some more time with yours.” He coughed. “That dye job, though…”
    “I know....”
    Conner sat in front of The Loving Cup in his truck and phoned Katie. He talked to Mitch and Andy for a few minutes, but, with the typical attention span of five-year-old boys, that didn’t last long. Then Katie was back on the phone.
    “I want to ask you something, and I want you to be honest.”
    “I’m always honest,” she said.
    “Are you afraid of what’s going to happen after I testify?”
    “We’ve been over this, but if we have to go over it again, okay. I know life will never be the same, Conner. I knew the morning the store burned down that life as we’ve known it is over. I knew then—I can’t live in Sacramento again. I’ll look over my shoulder like I never have before. I’m doing it already. But it is what it is—there’s no changing it. It happened to us—and you have to follow through. You can’t let that man win. You know what the worst part is? Having no choice. There’s no choice, Conner. We have to go on. Forward.”
    She was brave. She’d always been brave. “I’ll be honest—I’ve been giving a lot of thought to not going to court—”
    “Your woman,” she said immediately.
    He just grunted. “Not her. Me. But she’s like you. I haven’t told her anything, but she’d expect me to do the right thing even though it might cost her in the end.”
    “I like her,” Katie said.
    “I’m in a good place. I don’t know where you are emotionally, but I’m in a sweet little town off the grid. I want you and the boys here.”
    Dead silence filled the space in the conversation.
    “Katie?”
    “Because of the new girlfriend?” she asked softly.
    “No, honey. Because of the town. Because of the kind of place it is, because of the people. The woman might not even be here long. But this is the place to settle. I feel more strongly about that every day. The only downside is—it limits your prospects for a new man in your life. But the boys would do well here. And it would be easier to keep a close eye on them and you.”
    Again, silence.
    “Katie?”
    “Little complication,” she said. She took a deep breath. “I think I have a crush on the dentist.”
    “You mentioned that before....”
    “Yeah, but… Seriously.”
    “Are you involved?” he asked.
    “Not romantically, not yet. But we spend more and more time together and gosh, Danny… Oops, sorry. Conner. I like him so much. He wants the same things I want—a stable home, kids, family. He’s so sweet and smart and ethical. I think he’s trying to maintain a professional relationship, but I swear if he even leans toward me like he wouldn’t mind being kissed, I’m going to devour him. I’m sorry, but I am.”
    “This is happening at work?” Conner asked.
    “At work, after work, at lunch and we’ve done a little extra time on the weekends. He’s wonderful with the boys. He’s gone to some of their soccer games, and they think he’s so much fun. I cooked him dinner one night. He had us over for hot dogs and burgers on the grill one Sunday afternoon.”
    And now the silence was his.
    She was in Vermont. Could she get any farther away? And they had both met people of interest, to put it lightly. Of course, she was working up a crush while he was in all the way, though he had no idea the degree in which Leslie was committed.
    “Danny?” she whispered.
    “Yeah. Here.”
    Those boys meant the world to him. Hell, Katie meant the world! When their mother died,