at first. My mouth was so dry I couldn’t speak. Then someone saw the blood. Things got blurry after that.”
Katie moved closer still. She took one of his hands in hers, resting them on his leg. “If you’re trying to prove to me you’re not a hero, you’ve failed.” She smiled sadly. “What you did... That was the best example of a hero I’ve ever heard.”
He shook his head, ready to argue, but she held up her hand.
“Listen to me, Noah. You were scared out of your wits. You said it yourself. But what did you do? You risked your life to make sure that girl didn’t lose hers. You did it because you felt you had to.”
“I did have to.”
“Not everyone would feel that way.”
“Could you have left her lying there?”
“I don’t know what I’d have done. I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have just run for dear life.”
“Don’t look at me like that.” He broke eye contact, focusing instead on their hands. He absently caressed hers with his thumb, thinking nothing of the intimate gesture.
“Like what?”
“Like you think you’re right and I’m wrong. I’m not a hero, Katie. It doesn’t matter what you say.”
“Heroism isn’t based on whether you’re scared, Noah. You don’t have to set out to be a hero. It’s all about how you react in the heat of the moment. You do what comes instinctively, without ever thinking, ‘Gotta do something heroic here.’” She paused. “You passed the test. A lot of people wouldn’t have.”
He stood, uncomfortable with her words. He realized now, the only way he could convince her how wrong she was would be to tell her the rest—what had happened to Leah just before he’d found the child. And he wasn’t about to do that.
He’d set out to shut her down, but now she’d twisted things and was more certain than ever that he deserved some kind of award. The thought made him queasy, because it was so far from the truth. “I should go. It’s getting late and you need to go home and go to bed.”
“ Now you’re being a coward,” Katie said with a half grin.
“Look, I haven’t told many people that story at all.” He straddled the bench, too, facing her. “It probably sounds strange, but I don’t like people to know what happened. I don’t like to talk about it. Other things occurred that day that I can’t go into, but if you knew, you would change your mind about me.”
Katie studied him closely wondering what else might have happened. Maybe he’d tell her that, too, later. For now, though, she’d have to be satisfied. It was obvious he wasn’t in the habit of sharing anything about his African nightmare. “I’m not going to tell anyone any of what you said.”
“You’re not going to call the press, anyway? Or tip off your dad?”
“I said I wouldn’t. For all the many faults you think I have, breaking my word isn’t one of them.”
“Thank you.” He rose from the bench, clearly ill-at-ease. “I have to head out. Please go home and sleep some more.”
“Right behind you,” she said, not moving. Her mind was racing a hundred miles per hour, trying to process everything he’d said. “Noah...”
He stopped and turned toward her.
“Thank you for telling me.”
He stared at her for several seconds, then nodded once and headed for the parking lot. Slowly, shoulders sagging.
Katie watched him unlock the Tahoe and climb inside. Heard the engine start, saw him back out and waste no time getting out of there.
She was reeling from his revelations. Her imagination was in overdrive as she replayed the story he’d shared. There was no doubt about it, he was a hero.
She didn’t want to be impressed by anything he’d said, didn’t want to gain respect for him. They weren’t friends. They had nothing in common.
But she couldn’t help herself. She saw him differently now. Understood a little better why he was uptight and serious. She felt empathy for him—how could she not?
Begging him to talk had been a mistake, she
Katie moved closer still. She took one of his hands in hers, resting them on his leg. “If you’re trying to prove to me you’re not a hero, you’ve failed.” She smiled sadly. “What you did... That was the best example of a hero I’ve ever heard.”
He shook his head, ready to argue, but she held up her hand.
“Listen to me, Noah. You were scared out of your wits. You said it yourself. But what did you do? You risked your life to make sure that girl didn’t lose hers. You did it because you felt you had to.”
“I did have to.”
“Not everyone would feel that way.”
“Could you have left her lying there?”
“I don’t know what I’d have done. I’m not so sure I wouldn’t have just run for dear life.”
“Don’t look at me like that.” He broke eye contact, focusing instead on their hands. He absently caressed hers with his thumb, thinking nothing of the intimate gesture.
“Like what?”
“Like you think you’re right and I’m wrong. I’m not a hero, Katie. It doesn’t matter what you say.”
“Heroism isn’t based on whether you’re scared, Noah. You don’t have to set out to be a hero. It’s all about how you react in the heat of the moment. You do what comes instinctively, without ever thinking, ‘Gotta do something heroic here.’” She paused. “You passed the test. A lot of people wouldn’t have.”
He stood, uncomfortable with her words. He realized now, the only way he could convince her how wrong she was would be to tell her the rest—what had happened to Leah just before he’d found the child. And he wasn’t about to do that.
He’d set out to shut her down, but now she’d twisted things and was more certain than ever that he deserved some kind of award. The thought made him queasy, because it was so far from the truth. “I should go. It’s getting late and you need to go home and go to bed.”
“ Now you’re being a coward,” Katie said with a half grin.
“Look, I haven’t told many people that story at all.” He straddled the bench, too, facing her. “It probably sounds strange, but I don’t like people to know what happened. I don’t like to talk about it. Other things occurred that day that I can’t go into, but if you knew, you would change your mind about me.”
Katie studied him closely wondering what else might have happened. Maybe he’d tell her that, too, later. For now, though, she’d have to be satisfied. It was obvious he wasn’t in the habit of sharing anything about his African nightmare. “I’m not going to tell anyone any of what you said.”
“You’re not going to call the press, anyway? Or tip off your dad?”
“I said I wouldn’t. For all the many faults you think I have, breaking my word isn’t one of them.”
“Thank you.” He rose from the bench, clearly ill-at-ease. “I have to head out. Please go home and sleep some more.”
“Right behind you,” she said, not moving. Her mind was racing a hundred miles per hour, trying to process everything he’d said. “Noah...”
He stopped and turned toward her.
“Thank you for telling me.”
He stared at her for several seconds, then nodded once and headed for the parking lot. Slowly, shoulders sagging.
Katie watched him unlock the Tahoe and climb inside. Heard the engine start, saw him back out and waste no time getting out of there.
She was reeling from his revelations. Her imagination was in overdrive as she replayed the story he’d shared. There was no doubt about it, he was a hero.
She didn’t want to be impressed by anything he’d said, didn’t want to gain respect for him. They weren’t friends. They had nothing in common.
But she couldn’t help herself. She saw him differently now. Understood a little better why he was uptight and serious. She felt empathy for him—how could she not?
Begging him to talk had been a mistake, she
Similar Books
