Page 48 of Never Landing

“Also, you calling me Mr. Bailey is super weird. It’s still just Ev. Anyway, yeah, this is my—ex, I guess—boss, who I’m pretty sure was just leaving, since he fired me like he came to.”

Warren clenched his jaw. “The company laptop?—”

“Doesn’t exist, like I said. Also, if what you’re looking for is to steal the work you told the Crosslife CEO you already did, sorry. My hard drive was wiped in a freak accident a few days ago.”

Peter, still on the steps, cocked his head in something that looked like confusion. “It’s called a ‘freak accident’ when you say, ‘I’m going to wipe my hard drive, Peter, so the computer is going to be down a few hours’?”

I grinned back. “Something like that.”

Warren took a step toward me, and like the true newly teen-turned-man he was, Peter stuck out his foot and tripped him. “Oops.”

Once again, Jerry drew himself up. “Okay, so here’s what you were looking for, by telling me Ev is gay. We don’t really like your sort around these parts. You know, puffed up city folk so ashamed of their penis size that they drive expensive cars to make up for it. Seriously, it’s okay. However big or small your penis is, I’m sure it’s fine. People joke, but penis size doesn’tactually mean shit. Some of the hottest dudes out there don’t even have penises. Get some therapy and deal with your issues instead of taking it out on us. And meanwhile, leave town, because we don’t want you here.” He looked up at me. “Good enough?”

“Sounded like a hell of a speech to me,” I agreed. “Always knew you’d grow up to be a stand-up a guy, with a badass mom like yours.”

He beamed at me, then turned a gimlet eye on Tom and James, and watched them leave while I ran up onto the porch to check on Peter and the groceries.

30

Peter

It hadn’t even been a question, that Everett would stay.

When had that happened?

Sure, he’d said it. Yeah, we’d picked up his things. But when his bosses showed up to try and drag him back to the city, I hadn’t worried for a second that Everett Bailey—myEverett Bailey—was going to leave me behind.

It’d been the worst thing that ever happened to me, and I wasn’t scared anymore.

Sure, some people might’ve said the worst thing was getting taken from my family, but I didn’t remember that, and I had a family I loved anyway. But losing Everett? That’d been real loss—the first I’d ever really understood.

And now, he was mine, and I wasn’t scared that he was going to leave or drift away. I wasn’t scared that I wasn’t important, because every single thing he did in some way supported me, and I didn’t want anything more than to return that care.

From the tall, dense trees along the property line, a woman came out. “Everything okay?”

I looked over.

“Just fine,” Jerry called out. “Couple of asshole out-of-towners. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, good. Glad they’re gone.” When she got close, she crinkled her nose at the retreating headlights of Everett’s boss’s absurd car.

I could understand why the man was so upset, losing Everett. Well, okay, I wasn’t a complete fool. The man was more upset about losing Everett’s work than he was at losing Everett, but that was becausehewas the fool.

You didn’t get the kind of magic Everett spun out from someone who felt ill-used and disrespected. I wanted—no, Ineeded—Everett to be able to make his art, but only for someone who knew the value of what they were given.

Heck, Everett could start drawing on our walls in permanent marker if he wanted, so long as he didn’t lose the love of the thing.

Actually, that’d probably look pretty cool.

I spent a few seconds too long watching him, making sure that he was really okay, but even then, I didn’t expect him to fall apart. I just wanted to be there for him if it was hard.

And then, well, I got distracted.

A warm, rich, spicy scent carried through the air, and I turned to look at the woman who’d approached for the first time.

She was a young Black woman with dark brown eyes, and at once, I recognized her.

Every time, it got easier and easier, but with her, well...she’d been one of the first—the first lost children after me.

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