Page 5 of Won’t Let You Get Away

It wasn’t until we left the hospital three days later that it hit me—Bri hadn’t called.

I threw myself into making funeral arrangements to keep from dwelling on her absence. After we laid our dad to rest, I sought solace in working on the farm. It was easier than facing the reality of what went wrong with Bri and feeling angry towards her for not even texting. But every time I allowed myself to think about her—usually in the shower where I couldn’t control my thoughts—all I could remember were the moments we shared during our steamy vacation.

Still, even those private moments of self-pleasure with memories of our passion filled time left me feeling empty and disappointed. I had too much to do around the farm to be consumed by thoughts of Bri.

After turning off the shower, I quickly go through my mental to-do list as I get dressed. When I make it downstairs, Connor is already filling two to-go cups of coffee and pushing one towards me across the kitchen island.

“Why are you up so early?” I ask bluntly, skipping pleasantries.

Connor has never been a morning person, even when he worked on the farm. It was usually fine since it meant someone would be around to help with things at night. But seeing him here at six in the morning sets off alarms in my head.

Connor shrugs casually and turns to face me after placing the pot back on its warmer.

“Tuck wanted me to remind you about dinner with the Jones family tonight, just making sure you’re not bailing.”

My gaze snaps to him.

“What? What dinner?”

He raises an eyebrow at me, a mischievous smile forming on his lips.

“The dinner he told us about two weeks ago.”

“Shit,” I curse under my breath. Rubbing the back of my neck, I shake my head. “Crap, man, I completely forgot.”

Connor chuckles. “Tuck owes me five bucks.”

“You bet that I would forget?”

“Hell yeah. Tuck bet that you knew and had an excuse ready to bail. So thanks for helping me win.”

His words sting, even though I know he’s just teasing. It hurts that they automatically assumed I wouldn’t go tonight. Instead of responding, I take a sip of my hot coffee and shake my head.

“What time?”

“Ma said dinner at six. That’s why I’m up early today, got some things to do at the shop and wanna finish with my three o’clock session without having to clean up too much after.” He explains. Making his way towards me, he grabs his baseball cap off the counter and playfully nudges me with his shoulder. “So you’re comin’ tonight?”

Clearing my throat, I nod. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

He beams at me, his hazel eyes crinkling at the corners as he jokingly punches my shoulder with his tattooed fist.

“Perfect. I’ll be finishing up my last appointment by five, so I’ll meet you here after changing and we can head over together.”

I follow behind him, grabbing my old Clover Creek Farm baseball cap off the coat hook in the entryway and pulling it onto my head as we head outside. The cool air hits my face, and while it doesn’t bother me, I’m glad I remembered to put on my flannel this morning.

“How’s the shop?” I ask, trailing a few steps behind my brother as he heads towards his car. He turns to face me with a proud grin on his face.

“Really fucking good. Ever since we started posting the tattoo’s we do on social media, we’ve been slammed! All my slots are booked for the next month and a half, which is impressive for a town this size.” He opens his car door and leans in to place his travel coffee cup in the holder before turning back to me. “I gotta list a job opening for an assistant, though. Bookkeeping and general cleaning on top of all the appointments Sean and I are bringing in is starting to get overwhelming. Not that I’m complaining since it pays the bills.”

He laughs it off, but concern creases my forehead as I realize just how busy he’s been lately.

“If there’s anything I can do, just ask,” I offer, though I’m unsure how helpful I could really be.

Connor shakes his head, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m good, man. Just need to hire some help,” he reassures me.

I nod, feeling a pang of guilt for not staying updated on everything happening with him and his business. As he drives off, I turn towards the barn, determined to leave my pity-party behind.

Losing my dad and not hearing from Bri has been tough, but it shouldn’t affect my relationships with those still here for me. Iremind myself that I need to sort through my own issues without neglecting the people around me.

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