Page 62 of Laugh

Shit, we’ve only got this afternoon. Running things through my head on how we can pull this off, I start thinking of people I know I can call.

“Got it. We’re going to go so we can figure this out. Keep in touch with any updates today, would you?”

“Always. Girls? Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” Haddie croaks out. “Will you tell him I’m going to kick his ass for getting cancer when I see him tonight?”

Mrs. O’Brien’s laugh is watery, but I think it’s lightened the mood. “Kick it good. We’ve already decided we’re grounding his ass for this stunt.”

Snickering, Addie uses a finger to wipe away her own tears. “Good. Asshole deserves it. We got you, Mrs. B. All our love.”

“Tell him I love him more than old people love talking about their bowel movements!” Haddie calls out.

She giggles as we all say our quick goodbyes. Standing together in silence for a moment, I watch my girl as she takes a few deep breaths with her eyes closed, centering herself. I don’t want to push her quite yet. Both of them need a minute to take in the news and refocus.

Addie is the first to snap out of it. “I’m going to call work then Jensen. Haddie, you need to run back inside and take off work for the rest of the day. Maybe give your brothers a call and see if any of them are free.” Haddie wrinkles her nose at that last suggestion but doesn’t argue. “Beau? Do you have anyone with a truck or trucks that you could reach out to? We’re going to need boxes, totes, garbage bags in case we need to do some quick cleaning–”

“His place is clean,” are Haddie’s first words.

My stomach turns over at the realization that she and I have effectively already packed up his apartment. Aside from stuff in drawers, which we can just remove and pour into boxes, it will mainly be dismantling furniture and heavy lifting. It’s like the universe was pre-emptively getting us prepared to handle this today and do this as fast as possible.

Addie looks surprised. “Really? He’s normally a disaster.”

Huffing out a laugh, Haddie looks at the sky for a moment. “Your disaster is much different from everyone else’s disaster, my friend. You’re a freak.”

The scowl on Addie’s face is priceless. “I amnot,” she hisses, then flips her hair over her shoulder.

Giggling, Haddie pokes her friend in the arm. “Seriously though, I was just there to grab things to take to the hospital. It’s perfect.” With a glance up at me, she silently thanks me for not adding in that we’re the ones who got it ‘move out’ ready. “I’m going to run inside to speak with my boss, then we can get moving.”

I press a kiss to her lips, lingering for a moment because I haven’t had a chance to kiss her since I got here. I pat her bottom toward the library. “Get going, happy girl. I’ll wait for you.”

Shooting a scathing look over her shoulder, she hauls ass into the building. Addie is already deep into conversation, organizing plans for today. I quickly run through who I should call first and remember a friend I’ve kept in touch with since we played in college together. He also lives with a few guys and all of them own trucks. That’s the most important part.

Picking up my phone, I dial Vincent Mercer, and pray he’s off today and answers his phone.

“Beau! My man! How you been?”

Quirking my lip, I fight back the smile over my friend’s exuberance. He’s always been a pretty friendly and energetic guy.

“I’ve been good. Busy. Listen, I’m actually calling for a huge favor. Are you and the guys free today?”

“Umm, yes? Sort of. We’re on vacation this week. We planned a surprise camping trip for the little lady. Heading out tomorrow. What’s going on?”

It took me a bit of time to come back from my surprise when I learned that he, along with his best friends Max and Ethan, were all dating the same woman. I’d never judge what they do in their personal lives, and itdoesseem to be working well for all of them, thankfully. Mina is a sweet woman and they’re all head over heels for her. There’s no way I’d be able to share Haddie with anyone. I’m entirely too selfish and want all of her attention focused on me. Maybe it’s an only child thing, but it’s definitely not something I foresee for our future.

Quickly, I explain what’s going on with Haddie’s best friend Marcus, and what we’re trying to accomplish today. I cross my fingers after I finish with a request for their vehicles and their help to move things out quickly. Vincent is silent for a moment, then says, “Hold on a second. Let me run it by them.”

A minute later, he comes back, and I feel a massive rush of relief that I’m able to pull this off for Haddie and Mrs. O’Brien.

“Yeah, we’ll help out today. Ethan’s a little pissy, but when isn’t he?” He snickers into the phone. “Send me the address and the time you want us there. We’ll just push our trip back a day since we aren’t on a tight schedule. Mina said she’d like to help. She’s already in the kitchen throwing together snacks. We’ve only got two trucks now, though, but we’ll bring both of them.”

Sighing in relief, I thank him profusely and turn to Addie, who’s staring at me. “Who was that?” she asks curiously.

“Friend from school. I’ve got four bodies and two trucks. Is Jensen coming?”

With a quick nod, she says, “Yes, but no truck. So, your four, then the four of us, that’s eight people. We really need another truck or two in order to get this done today.”

Chewing on my lip, I glance over at the library to see Haddie isn’t on her way out yet. Then ask Addie with a hint of hesitation, “Do you think I’d be stepping over the line if I reach out to her brothers?” I saw a couple of trucks there when we went to dinner a few weeks ago. I assume a couple of them belong to them and not her dad.

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