Page 136 of College Town

Lawson resists the urge to roll his eyes. If Tommy and his crew are on their way to the city, if shit’s finally going down, whatever that means, Gino Giacoletti has bigger fish to fry than an overgrown barista. He supposes Mark could prove a problem, but that’s all the more reason to head for home and make sure his folks are okay.

“I’m supposed to pick up a pack of chicken and some butter. So I’m gonna head.” He fishes out his keys and jangles them for effect.

Ray’s frown deepens, and he sits up straight and dusts the pistachio dust off his shirtfront. “We’ll have to come with you.”

“Okay.”

Ray shrugs.Fair enough. He stands. “Lemme grab the guys.”

Ten minutes later, Ray’s riding shotgun in Lawson’s Honda, a Town Car tailing them as they head for the grocery store. Lawson doesn’t realized he’s drumming his fingers on the wheel until Ray says, “Nervous?”

Lawson stills his hands. “I guess, yeah. I mean…I don’t know what they’re doing in New York, but I’m guessing it’s not safe.”

“Definitely not,” Ray says. “But Tom knows what he’s doing, and he’s got a fucking army of guys with him, so.” He shrugs. “He should be fine.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Ray shoots him a grin. “It should be. Come on.” He slugs Lawson lightly in the arm. “Have a little faith in your man.”

Lawson snorts. He switches on the radio in an effort at distraction, and Ray says, “Oh damn, I love this song,” and leans over to crank the volume.

~*~

He texts his mom once they get to the store, and she ends up sending him a whole list of things to get besides the chicken and butter. If nothing else, he figures shopping will keep him from fretting about Tommy, so he nabs a cart and gets to work.

Ray follows along with him at first, but then says, “Ooh, free samples,” and beelines for a table where a woman’s handing out little cups of smoked sausage. He grabs one on a toothpick and waves it at Lawson. “I’ll catch up in a sec.”

Lawson rounds the endcap to get to the bread aisle.

The thing is, hedoeshave faith in his man, no matter how ill-advised. For every second that he spends worrying about Tommy’s safety, he spends two replaying his declaration over and over in his mind. And itwasa declaration: of love, of intent. If he pulls this last thing off, he’s going to leave the family, and he’s going to move to Eastman permanently, and make a life with Lawson.

It's Lawson’s longest-running, greatest fantasy, and it’s so close he can taste it…

But since when is he rewarded in that way? Since when do things go right?

His stomach’s in knots, and he stares at the bread selection for a solid two minutes before he remembers what he’s looking for.

Something soft for garlic bread, Mom had said, so he grabs two squishy loaves of store-baked sourdough and moves on.

He’s hunting for tomato paste when he spots Ray at the end of the aisle. He lifts a hand to get his attention, but Ray doesn’t see him. He’s on the phone. Lawson snags a can and keeps moving.

As he draws nearer, he catches a snippet of conversation. “…in ten minutes. Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” Ray ends the call, pockets the phone, and frowns when he glances up and sees Lawson there. “Hey. You about done?”

His tone is…off.

Shit, was that an update from the New York-bound crew? Has something happened?

“Yeah, I just need some ice cream.” He nods to the phone. “Everything okay?”

Ray smiles. “Oh yeah, sure. Just checking in. Which flavor are you getting?”

Mom requested Rocky Road, so they go get a quart of it, and then hit the checkout line. While Lawson’s digging for his debit card, Ray drops cash on the check-writing ledge and grins. “Here. Courtesy of the boss.”

Lawson makes a face, but doesn’t argue. He wonders if Tommy’s going to get to keep any of his money once he quits the biz. Petty as it is, he hopes so.

Ray helps him load the groceries into the backseat and then offers to run the cart back. They get back on the road, and head for home.

“I picked up some extra chicken and bread,” Lawson says. “I figure you guys might as well come in for dinner since you have to tag along with me. Mom loves hosting, so brace yourself for that.”

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