Page 42 of Come Break My Heart Again

This answer will matter. The longer I hesitate, the more it’ll mean. I apologized twice, and that was supposed to be it. Closure.

I swallow. “Yeah.”

If the answer didn’t include her, I would have said it aloud. I’m pretty sure Elle knows that, based on how she breaks eye contact so I can’t read her expression.

She tosses her keys at me, sitting once I catch them.

We’ve never left a party together before. Never been in a car together before. Tonight is the most we’ve talked in over two years.

This should be awkward.

But it’s not.

9

More light creeps across the horizon, illuminating the patchy yard. I sip some coffee from the cup in my hand, shifting in place so that the railing I’m leaning against hits a different spot of my spine. It looks sturdy, but it also creaks ominously each time I move, like it could collapse at any second.

A bird swoops down from the old oak that’s the stateliest part of the property. It pecks at the overgrown grass for a few minutes, then flies off when a shiny Mercedes drives down the street.

The neighbors must hate this place. It’s an obvious eyesore amid the immaculately maintained houses that surround it. Tuck said the previous owner lived here for sixty years. At one point, it was undoubtedly the nicest house on the block. The surrounding homes lack the big lot and charm of this property.

I stretch my legs out and close my eyes. I didn’t sleep well last night, which has been a consistent pattern since I moved back into the trailer. My twin bed had been too small when I was in high school. I haven’t gotten any smaller since. Bed hasn’t gotten any bigger either. But I’m not even sure if you could fit a double in the space.

A distant slam sounds as a car door shuts nearby. I reach up and tug the brim of my ball cap down lower, trying to block more of the rising sun. Based on how warm it is already, it’s going to be a scorcher.

I must doze off at some point because Tuck’s voice startles me. “How long have you been here?”

“A while,” I answer without opening my eyes.

“You must love your job to show up so early. Awesome boss?”

I snort. “That’s exactly it. Plus, it’s nice to be outside whenever I feel like it.”

“Shit.” Tuck takes a seat next to me.

Reluctantly, I open my eyes.

“One of those things you don’t really think about, huh?”

I nod, then yawn and rub a palm across my eyes. They feel dry and gritty. Worse than they did before my nap.

“Seriously, everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just adjusting.”

“Must be tight in the trailer. Cormac’s back for the summer, right?”

“Yeah, he finished finals a few days ago.”

“If you need a place to crash …”

“I’m good, Tuck. You’ve done plenty. But thank you.”

“I can still ask around. I’m sure you could find your own place. They put up those apartments by?—”

“I can’t.”

I feel his eyes on me.

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