Page 59 of Savior

“Yes,” she exclaimed with a grin. “The Weathered Gray is her color. I will help you get it done. Now, you take a break and get some food.”

“What’d you whip us up tonight?” At some point over the last five weeks, I’d stopped seeing her as my enemy. Sure, we still got in each other’s faces from time to time, but she’d taught me a lot about family.

It meant never giving up on someone.

The woman who’d brought me into this world hadn’t shown her face since finding out I’d overdosed again. Seemed only Comedian got second chances with Betsy.

She grinned. “Your favorite,mijo… the fried chicken steak with my sofrito on top. I am so proud of you. You stop using the drugs, and I say to myself, ‘Gloria, he is trying so hard. You should make him a little treat.’”

I settled against the workbench with the plate in my hand, my mouth already watering just from the smell of it.

Gloria offered me the iced tea before saying, “I mean to tell you that Celia has called again. I tell her you are very busy and she says to tell you that it isimportantethat you call her back.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I need to talk to Lauren before I do anything, you know? Can’t seem to catch her, though.”

“I will call her,” she volunteered, but I shook my head.

“You’re not calling her. Torch will tell her I’ve stopped by…”

Several times now.

Unlike the first time, he and Louisa were fully dressed.

“When she’s ready, we’ll talk. I’ve got nothing but time.”

“Not me,” Gloria grumbled. “I am nothing but an old woman who just wants to see her only granddaughter happy before I leave this earth.”

I laughed through a mouthful of chicken fried steak. “You’re so full of shit,Abuelita. You and I both know that you’re going to outlive us all. You just say that to get what you want.”

“Is it working?” she asked with a sly grin.

“Fine,” I conceded. “If I haven’t found Lauren by the end of the week you have my blessing to meddle.”

“You say meddle. I say, ‘Gloria, you are just helping young love,’” she called over her shoulder as she made her way back to the house. “Do not stay up too late,mijo.”

I worked until the sky was blanketed with stars before finding a stopping point. After ensuring that everything was cleaned up, I popped the tailgate on my truck and climbed up, rubbing the sawdust from my eyes while scanning the sky for familiar constellations.

It had been the one constant in my life.

No matter how bad things got for me as a kid, the stars remained. Sure, the constellations shifted, depending on the season, but it didn’t matter.

They had always been a way for me to feel connected to Grey and later, Lauren. I leaned back and tucked my hand under my head, wondering if they were looking up at the same sky. Maybe we were even searching the skies for the same ones.

Was Grey even somewhere he could see the stars?

There was a crunch of dead grass, and then a soft voice asked, “Did you find Leo?”

I shot up, narrowing my eyes because I was convinced I was dreaming.

“Red?”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a nod; the majority of her body still hidden in the shadows. “Heard you were looking for me, Tex.” She tilted her chin up, pointing toward the sky. “Do you see it?”

I thought back to my speech, all the things that needed to be said to make up for what I’d done before swallowing against the lump in my throat. “It’s right there.” I traced the outline of the lion with my finger.

“What’s the story behind that one again?”

Her voice quieted my fears and calmed my mind enough for me to recall the mythology surrounding the constellation. “Well, let’s see. Leo was a lion who had a thing for damsels. So, he got really into kidnapping and would take them back to his evil lair, all to catch the attention of a few warriors. His skin was impenetrable, so none of their ‘weaponry’ worked against him if you know what I mean. I think it’s relatively obvious that Leo was into some freaky shit.”

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