Page 27 of Waiting for Tuesday

I tossed the nail gun to the corner of the room and unfastened my tool belt. Tonight was the first get-together since Katie got out of the hospital, and everyone was already waiting on me.

I gripped the back of my neck and closed my eyes. A happy as I was that Jake and Katie were finding their new normal after the scare, I’d rather go home. I hadn’t opened the letter, but I held it in my hands all night, unable to muster enough guts to burn it. I hated the fact that his name affected me so much. Hated that even now, as a grown man, it still gave me nightmares.

My keys were on the edge of the counter, and I snatched them up before heading to the back room. I nodded to Eddie to go ahead and pack up then pushed myself through the plastic divider to let Tuesday know we were taking off.

I stopped when I saw her laughing. She was sitting on the floor with that girl who’d been helping her all week, and I leaned against the doorframe to watch them, my feet crossed in front of me. Tuesday’s smile was beautiful—wide and honest. It brightened the whole room and warmth spread through my chest. It was good to see her smile, and for some reason, I longed for more of it.

She doubled over, gripping her stomach with more laughter, and started to wheeze. “Oh my God! You didn’t!” Her words were coming on gasps of air between each giggle. I shook my head in amusement.

The scene reminded me of one of my sisters’ slumber parties when I was young. And just like all those days, I knew if I stuck around too long, I’d be caught.

I pushed myself from the wall and cleared my throat.

Tuesday turned to face me and instantly sobered. Her eyes locked on my chest, and she pushed her friend’s leg to get her attention.

Her reaction bothered me. I wanted her to look at me like the night we met. Before I screwed everything up. “I just wanted to let you know we’re packing up.” I threw my chin toward the product floor. “Eddie’s already gone.”

Her friend smiled at me and Tuesday nodded, but they both remained silent. I gripped the back of my neck and nodded to the other room. “I’ll lock the door behind me.”

Again, they both remained silent, and I eventually turned around to leave. The sound of Tuesday’s laughter hit the minute I stepped foot on the product floor.

“Oh my God, he’s SO hot!” the brunette shouted.

“Shhh…” Tuesday whisper yelled, and I shook my head as I walked across the room to gather my stuff, unable to stop myself from chuckling.

I still didn’t know how I felt about leaving. There were always vagrants hanging around the alley at night, mostly just looking for a safe place to huddle down for the evening, but it still worried me. The fact she had her friend with her eased that a bit.

I climbed into my F150 a moment later, noticing Tuesday’s old truck parked by the trash cans. Her friend’s brand new sports car parked right beside it. They were a mismatched pair if I ever did see one. But it was obvious they loved each other.

* * *

The gang wason the back deck when I got there. Jake stood at the grill, Katie and Em sat in front of the fire, and the smell of smoke filtered through the night air. I tilted my head up and inhaled. I hadn’t been sure if I wanted to be here tonight, but now that I was, it felt good to be around friends.

Em waved before pushing herself from her seat and coming toward me. The sway in her step indicated she’d already had too much to drink. I tilted my head and looked at Katie. This wasn’t the norm for Em. She could drink like a sailor and still hold her ground. She must have had a lot.

Katie shrugged at my silent question, obviously having taken notice of Em’s condition. Truth be told, I was surprised to see Katie out and about, and that Jake looked so relaxed beside her.

Em came toward me, throwing her arms around my neck as she exhaled. “I missed you,” she whispered. Her words were soft but filled with a heaviness that wasn’t like her.

My brow furrowed, and I gave her a tight squeeze. “Back at you, kid.”

She leaned back to smile at me, but her walls were still up, and I raised my eyebrows, silently asking her what was going on. Her eyes glassed over, and I realized maybe she was drunker than I initially thought. She moved away, staggering a little as she pushed her hands through her short messy hair.

“Woah! How much have you had?” I asked.

She shrugged indifferently and looked over at Katie. “I’m drinking for two.”

Katie gave a slight shake of her head, and Em continued to the back door where she walked back into the kitchen.

“She okay?” I asked, coming to stand beside Jake at the grill.

Katie gently rose to her feet, waving off Jake as he eyed her cautiously. “It’s been a slow progression. She got here around four and has been drinking ever since. I’m a bit worried.”

Jake’s jaw tightened, obviously concerned with what had been going on. “Something’s up with her tonight, but she hasn’t said anything.”

Katie’s hand came to rest on her belly, and she looked toward the kitchen. “Do you think something’s happened?”

I looked back over my shoulder. “I don’t know.” I grabbed a beer from the bucket of ice and cracked it open before going into the house to find Em.

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