Page 26 of Quiet Longing

She gave a watery smile. “They are pretty great even if Derek can be a little overprotective.”

“Hey, didn’t you promise me a tour of the town? Go grab your things, and let’s go.”

Finally, she smiled fully. “Okay, so long as we get to discuss your crush on Rhys. The guy deserves a bit of good news after that accident at work. His poor face, it looks so painful.”

Huh, so that was the story he’d told everyone. A work accident. “There is no crush,” I insisted.

Nuala grinned playfully as she stood from my bed and went to the door. “Sure, sure.”

I slumped back, bringing my hands to my cheeks. I felt flushed. Nuala and Derek now both knew about me liking Rhys, and it was only so long before it somehow got back to him. The last time someone found out I had a crush on them was Tommy Kean in fifth grade, and that had been mortifying, not to mention unreciprocated. I could only imagine how embarrassing it would be for this to get back to Rhys and for him to have to let me down gently.

Ugh, why did I even open my big stupid mouth?

***

I didn’t bump into Rhys again until the following day when I’d had my second shift at the hotel. One of the other kitchen staff put me through two hours of health and safety training before leaving me to wash dishes with Rhys. Aside from a brief nod, we mostly worked in silence. I’d been assigned a locker, so I hadn’t needed to store my things in his this time, which was a relief because broaching the silence between us was proving tough.

Not to mention, working in the kitchen was an endless stream of dishes, mopping up spills, and collecting trash. I knew Rhys worked more hours than I did because, like last time, he was already there when I’d arrived. I wondered where he found the energy. Or maybe he’d built up a tolerance.

I was pretty sure my ears were going to be ringing with food orders and “Yes, chef” all night after I clocked out.

I still worried about what was really going on in Rhys’ home life. During our walk about town, Nuala had mentioned againhow awful it was that all those boxes fell on him in the hotel storage room, which was how she’d been told he’d gotten his bruise. I wasn’t certain I believed the story, especially not with how he’d reacted when I’d noticed the injury. If the bruising was from a simple accident, he would’ve just said that instead of clamming up. No, I had a feeling whatever was going on with his father, it wasn’t good.

I’d lost my own Dad two years ago, but I still thought about him every single day. Thinking of Rhys’ situation, I considered myself lucky I’d had a kind, loving father who’d do anything for me for sixteen years.

Studying Rhys, I wondered if opening up to him would encourage him to do the same. It wasn’t that I was trying to be nosy or interfere, I just wanted him to know I was prepared to listen, be a non-judgmental ear if he needed it. Keeping things all bottled up wasn’t good for a person in the long run. And sometimes, it was easier to talk to someone who didn’t know you that well. He could confide in me because, by the end of the summer, we might never see each other again.

I felt strangely sad thinking it. I’d never been a fan of endings, even though they were unavoidable in life.

“I’m a little worried about my mom,” I said, and he glanced at me before returning his attention to the dirty dishes. “She’s been calling me a lot,” I continued. This wasn’t exactly true. She’d been calling me once a day, sometimes twice, but I could afford to exaggerate a little. “We haven’t ever been away from each other for this long, and I’m scared she’s going to be lonely.” This was true. Iwasworried about her being alone.

Still focusing on the dishes, Rhys said, “It’s just the two of you?”

“Yes, my dad passed away two years ago.” A pause as I struggled past the clenching pain that always struck me whenever I mentioned it. “Car accident.”

At this, he stilled then looked at me fully. A strange sort of heat filled me. I’d missed having his full focus. “Fuck, Charli. That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

I swallowed down the lump of emotion that got caught in my throat at his empathic tone. “Mom’s still not entirely over it. Well, I don’t think you ever really get over losing someone so suddenly like that. I know I won’t.” My voice wobbled. I should’ve avoided bringing up what happened to Dad. I could never talk about him without crying.

Rhys side-stepped closer. We were standing side by side, and he gave my arm a bump with his. “Hey,” he murmured low. “I’d give you a hug right now, but I’ve been washing dishes all day in this stifling kitchen, and I’m disgusting.”

The idea of a hug from Rhys was a little overwhelming. That would be like being cocooned in the arms of a strong, cuddly but solid bear. A bear I found very attractive.

I chuckled lightly. “No, I’m the same. I get it. I definitely need a shower when I get home.” The hotel kitchen was large, but it was also full of people, ovens, pots, and hot pans going constantly. Not to mention, it was the middle of summer, and the Irish didn’t appear to have come around to the concept of air conditioning yet. Well, at least not here in the kitchen. I’d bet the rooms upstairs had it. My work uniform was practically glued to me at this point.

We fell into silence for a minute or two, quietly resuming our work. Then Rhys said, “Sorry I’ve been so quiet today. My head’s a bit …” he trailed off before finishing, “I’ve some stuff going on.”

“With the home renovations?” I asked. I wasn’t going to try and get the truth out of him again. Somehow, it felt better going with the lie. It left him with some dignity. And if he ever wanted to tell me the real reason he was staying with my cousins, I was always willing to listen.

Rhys sighed. “Yeah, with the home renovations.”

“You know what’s great for stress?” I asked, and Rhys arched an eyebrow, which caused my cheeks to flare. Okay, so maybe I could’ve asked the question a little differently. I cleared my throat and soldiered on, “AFalloutmarathon. I’m guessing my cousins have a PlayStation somewhere in the house?”

Rhys smiled. “Derek has one in his bedroom. And there’s an Xbox in the playroom downstairs.”

My eyes widened. “The playroom?”

His grin held amusement. “I guess it’s weird to still call it that since they definitely aren’t kids anymore, but it’s the room where they had all their toys growing up.”

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