The Best Is Yet to Come (39)

Cade knew this was a big step forward for Silas, especially after he’d been dumped by his fiancée. Hearing the excitement and knowing his friend was anxious, Cade understood what Silas really wanted. Backup. If this date went south, he needed someone who knew his situation close at hand.

Before he agreed, Cade needed to clear the invite with Hope. “Give me five minutes and I’ll get back to you.”

“Sure thing.”

Cade disconnected and looked at Hope. “That was a friend of mine,” he said. “He invited us to join him later this afternoon for a beer. Is it something that would interest you?” Being out of practice, he felt a bit awkward asking.

“Sure, that sounds like fun.”

“Okay, I’ll text him back.” Before he finished typing, he felt he needed to tell Hope about Silas. Looking up, he made eye contact with her, unsure how much to say, although now was as good a time as any, he decided.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s something you should know before you meet Silas.”

“Okay.” She held his gaze, waiting.

Cade inhaled a deep breath. “Silas and I are in a therapy group together.”

“That’s nice.” She made it sound like a small thing, and maybe to her it was. He hadn’t mentioned his counseling or his need for it, or that it had been court-mandated. Telling her was harder than it should have been.

“Silas has been through hell and back. He was badly burned in an IED explosion. His face is partially scarred and it’s off-putting to some people. I thought you should know so when you first meet him, you won’t be taken back by his appearance.”

“Cade, honestly,” she said, with a small huff. “I’m not the kind of person to be bothered by something like that. You like and trust Silas?”

“I do.”

“Then that’s good enough for me.”

Relieved, Cade sent a text to let Silas know they’d meet him at five as planned.

Even though it was raining, Cade finished the railing and got the dog door installed before he left. He returned to his tiny apartment to shower and change clothes before picking up Hope.

Thinking he needed a few more details before he introduced Silas, Cade connected with his friend.

“You aren’t changing your mind, are you?” Silas asked first thing.

Cade could hear the tension in his friend’s voice.

“Not at all; we’re looking forward to it. I wanted to know a bit more about this woman you’ve met.”

“Like what?”

“How’d you meet?”

Silas didn’t answer right away. “Technically, we haven’t. We connected online.”

This didn’t sound good. Little wonder Silas wanted a sidekick.

“Jada suggested we meet for coffee, but I hate the stuff. I don’t think she’s fond of beer, but she likes wine. The way I figure, if she’s looped, she might be able to ignore my ugly face.”

Cade carefully broached the subject, afraid of the answer. He’d seen the before photo of Silas and he’d been a good-looking guy. “Did you send Jada your photo?”

“Of course.”

“Before or after?”

“After. She knows she’s not getting any shining knight with me,” he said with a short, tense laugh. “I did assure her I’m a prince of a guy, though.”

“That you are, my friend, that you are.”

“I appreciate you doing this, Cade. I have to tell you this is the first woman I’ve connected with since Yvonne dumped my sorry ass. I’m nervous.”

Cade was nervous for him, too. From their therapy sessions, he was all too aware of the emotional damage Yvonne had inflicted on his friend when she’d called off their wedding. Silas had made great strides since his suicide attempt, but he remained vulnerable. They all were.



* * *



—

At five, Cade picked up Hope, who had changed back into her black slacks and blazer, which was probably a little overdressed for The Logger. The plan was, if everything went well, the four would go from sharing a beer, or in Jada’s case, wine, to having dinner. Cade and Silas decided to see how matters went first before suggesting that.

Cade was silent as they drove into town.

“You aren’t whistling now,” Hope commented, as he found a parking place on the street outside The Logger. The tavern was a longtime establishment that served as a meeting place in town. It did a thriving business and had been part of the community since the 1960s, when lumber was king. Back then, much of the local economy was built around the lush forests of the Pacific Northwest. These days, Oceanside was a tourist town, having had to reinvent itself when several of the lumberyards and mills went out of business.

“I’m on edge for Silas,” he said, to explain his silence. “All I can do is hope that Jada is prepared for Silas’s reality. He claims she knows about his scars, but a picture is one thing. Seeing him face-to-face is another.”

“It’ll be fine,” Hope said. She was an optimist. Cade, not so much.

Silas was sitting at a table and looked up when Cade and Hope arrived. Cade made the introductions, and Hope didn’t so much as blink when they shook hands. Silas had lost two of his fingers from burns and his hands were also badly scarred. Reassured by her reaction, Cade wanted to hug her.