Excerpt: The Mine by John A. Heldt

For the next fifteen minutes, Joel and Linda stood at the edge of the water, arm in arm, and watched dusk turn into night. Neither said more than a few words, but neither had to. Their silence was a source of comfort, not discontent.The tranquility was broken a moment later, when two couples noisily emerged from the hall. One walked to a shiny black Ford parked near the front of a dirt lot. The other stayed on the deck and propped open an exit, allowing the upbeat sound of “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller to drift across the lawn and drown out a cricket philharmonic.

“You sure you don’t want to dance?” Linda asked.

“I’m sure – and not just because I don’t want to fall on my face. I’d rather stay out here with you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Joel grabbed both of Linda’s hands and looked at her face. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Well, to be honest, I wasn’t sure you even wanted to go out. I didn’t exactly make the best first impression at Tom’s graduation party. I had a little too much celebration,” she said, staring at her feet. “And I’ve noticed you’ve become rather sweet on Grace.”

“I wasn’t sure about going out tonight, not at first. But I’m glad we did. You look stunning – breathtaking – and you’ve been perfect company. I could not have asked for a better date,” he said. “As for Grace, I do like her. I like all of you. But I’m here with you now, not her, not anyone else, and I’m very happy to be here.”

Joel meant it too. His feelings for Grace had not ebbed a bit, but for the first time in weeks he began to ask serious questions – questions he should have asked at the start. Did he and Grace actually have something? Or was he just a fool holding Paul McEwan’s jacket until he returned on leave?

And what about his so-called consolation prize? She had no restrictions and came exactly as advertised: smart, pretty, honest, flawed, and unabashedly interested in the new kid in town. If nothing else, Linda deserved a fair shake and an open mind. The old saying about a bird in the hand began to gnaw.

Joel considered another thing as well. It felt good having a woman in his arms and in his life. It had been two months since he had enjoyed a similar moment with Jana, two months and fifty-nine years. Life as a monk was getting old.

“Are you OK?” Linda asked. She looked at him with soft, expressive eyes, eyes any man could get used to. “You look kind of lost.”

He smiled and pulled her closer.

“I was,” he said, “but not anymore.”

Joel put a hand to Linda’s face and took a long look at his Second Impression. He kissed her and, for a few splendid minutes, forgot why he was lost in the first place.