Page 62 of Pit

It’s been a week. A week since Pit replied to my message. A week since I saw him.A week.And honestly, it feels like a lifetime. I miss him.

I’m so lost in thought, it’s not until the flash of black startles me that I realise King is running towards me. I laugh as he pushes me onto my back and licks my face. “Okay,” I giggle, pushing him away, “not the face.”

“Heel.” King immediately runs back to the voice, and as I sit up, I’m sad to see it’s not Pit walking him but one of the men from the club. “Sorry ‘bout that,” he mutters, clipping the lead onto King’s collar.

“It’s fine,” I say, pushing to my feet and heading over so I can fuss both dogs. “Shooter, right?” He nods. “Where’s Pit? I didn’t think he let anyone else walk his dogs.”

Shooter shifts uncomfortably. “He’s not around.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“I shouldn’t really say.”

“Is he okay? At least tell me he’s not hurt,” I say, panic lacing my words.

He scratches his head, still glancing around like he’s expecting someone to jump out on him. “He hit the road.”

His words surprise me, and I gasp a breath in. “Oh,” I whisper. “Right. Of course. Erm, is he gone for long? It’s just, I didn’t think he ever left the dogs.”

“He’s abroad. Too much hassle to take the dogs. Take care.” And he walks away, leaving me staring after him with a million questions.

I head over to the coffee hut. They give free coffee to people who need it, and as I pull a receipt off the help board and hand it to the cashier, I battle with myself not to cry. He always said he missed the road, that it was like a part of him, but I can’t pretend I’m not hurt he didn’t say goodbye.

I take my coffee and sit on a nearby bench, pulling my mobile out.

Me: You left and didn’t say goodbye? I guess I can’t blame you. Why would you come and say goodbye? It’s not like we were friends or anything.

I hit send and sigh, staring at the screen in anger.

Me: Actually, I take that back. We were friends. We shared something special and I can’t believe you’d just leave like that, Pit. You didn’t even have the decency to tell me to my face. And you could’ve left the dogs with me. King would’ve been great company.

I roll my eyes at how pathetic I’m being. It was always going to be this way. And why should I care if he left? The man wascrazy, right? I mean, he took me and held me captive. But he also turned out to be quite nice, in a dark and moody sort of way. Plus, he made sure I had a roof over my head. He turned out to be the only person who ever really took notice of me. He was my only friend.

“Well, you look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.” I look up just as a man sits beside me, taking a sip of his own coffee.

“I just found out my friend left. It was a bit of a shock.”

He side-eyes me, and I take a second to examine his kind face and laughter lines around his eyes. “That’s shitty. I’m Lucas, by the way.” He holds out a hand for me to shake, but I hesitate. After all, these sorts of random meetings never tend to work out well for me. “I don’t bite,” he adds with a laugh, so I reluctantly shake it.

“I’m Tessa.”

“Well, Tessa, I run workshops at the local church.” He retrieves a card from his inside jacket pocket and holds it out to me. “I saw you take a receipt from the board.” I feel myself blush. “Hey, not judging, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve all been there, me included. I help people find work, brush up on interview skills, that sort of thing. You’re welcome to join us later at six. It’s free of charge.” I stare at the card. Father Lucas.A man of God.“I don’t wear the collar,” he adds, almost reading my mind, then he laughs. “It puts people off.”

“I’ll think about it,” I tell him, tucking the card in my pocket.

He leans back, staring out over the park. “Sometimes, we attract towards people,” he says. “They come into our lives for a reason. I believe we met today because you need my help.”

“Maybe.”

“Something tells me you haven’t had much luck lately.”

I scoff. “Understatement.”

“Then come tonight at six.” He pushes to his feet and smiles down at me. “It could be the start of your new life.”

“I don’t believe,” I blurt out as he turns to walk away. He pauses and glances back with a small smile playing on his lips. “In God, I mean. He’s never there for me, so I stopped believing a long time ago.”

“But you believed at one time?”

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