Page 83 of Poolside

Once the cats were fed, Tommy made a batch of the pasta salad he knew Chuck liked—with extra olives—and stashed it in a Tupperware in his fridge. He cleaned up the kitchen, changed the sheets on Chuck’s bed, and then vacuumed the living room. He took a quick shower to rinse off the sunscreen and sweat, and, dressed in sweats and a borrowed t-shirt from Chuck’s closet, realized that there was nothing left to do.

He wandered out in the living room, put in his ear buds, and tried to listen to a podcast about Alexander the Great’s visit to the Oracle at Siwa in Western Egypt, but he wasn’t retaining a single thing the deep-voiced British man was saying.

A phone call interrupted the podcast and he rushed to answer without looking at the screen. “This is Tommy,” he said.

“Littleton, hi. It’s Deb.”

Tommy blinked, surprised. “Uh, hi. What’s going on?”

“Your boyfriend,” she said, direct as ever. “Chuck. Is he okay?”

“Um.” Again, Tommy felt himself overcome with emotion, eyes welling up even as he shook his head. He cleared his throat. “I’m not sure yet, but he’s getting help right now.”

There was a moment of quiet. “That’s good to hear. He seems like a very nice man.” Another pause. “Mei Lin said he was kind to her, which isn’t always the case at work events.”

“He’s wonderful,” Tommy replied. “As is Mei Lin.” He rubbed a hand over his mouth. “How’d the swim go?”

Deb snorted. “Ridiculous, but fine.”

“Did you win?”

“Of course.”

Tommy laughed. “Good for you, Deb.”

She paused. “You’re not upset.”

Tommy was shocked to realize he wasn’t. After everything, after all the weight and expectations he’d put on that singular event, it had all vanished the moment he’d found Chuck on the bathroom floor.

He hadn’t been thinking about the race or the promotion when he’d ushered Chuck out the back door, hadn’t been thinking about Rick, or work, when he’d driven them back to Charleston.

He didn’t regret walking away for even a second.

“If you get the job,” Tommy began, “then it’s deserved, Deb. You’re a great manager. Your team respects you, your sales numbers are always high, and I’ll always be a phone call away if you want to talk customer service.”

“You okay over there?”

Tommy let out an exhausted laugh, tilting his head back to face the heat of the afternoon sun. “No, Deb. I’m not doing so hot.”

“I’m sorry, you know. It should have been the two of us out there today, and I’m sorry it didn’t happen like that.” With a sigh, Deb went on. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Deb, I can’t find a single fuck to give about Rick or that race. I’ve been so lonely and it’s taken me a long time to get over the hurt from my divorce, and I thought maybe it would all feel a little bit better if I got that job.” He stood up, hunger driving him into the kitchen. He pulled a block of sharp cheddar from the fridge and tossed it on the countertop. “But I don’t need the money. I’m not looking to get promoted out of state. I have a good life here, surrounded by an amazing team at work and the best friends a guy can ask for. And I think that might be enough.”

“Someone once gave me some really good advice about work.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Sometimes it’s okay for a job to just be a job. Sometimes, if it’s enough to pay the bills, it’s okay to show up and do your work even if your passions lie elsewhere.”

“Damn.” Tommy grabbed a knife, holding his phone against his ear with his shoulder as he sliced into the block of cheese. “What the hell am I supposed to do now? After all these years of having a work nemesis now I’ve got a work bestie.”

Deb snorted a laugh. “Don’t get too soft on me now, Littleton.”

“Why doyouwant the job?”

She didn’t hesitate to answer. “We want to have kids,” she said softly, surprising Tommy with her gentle tone. “And it’s expensive. Mei Lin wants to carry them, and I want to give her that. Seeing the person you love get to live out their dream? That’s worth all of it for me.”

“That’s amazing, Deb,” Tommy said, leaning back against the high marble countertop. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to be a great mom.”

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