Page 37 of The One Who Got Away
“Yeah, I was hoping you could check over the house to see if there was anything we needed to do besides some cosmetic updates.”
“Right.” I swallowed down the fire in my throat. “I can definitely do that.”
“Good. Great. I’m off today so whenever you want to stop by is fine.”
“Okay. I have a few jobs this morning but a light afternoon.”
“Sounds good. I’ll take you to lunch. Something without a sandwich.”
I forced a laugh. “Probably sick of them.”
“Yeah.” She sounded drowsy. “Everything okay?”
“All good, love. Get some rest.”
“’Kay. I really like when you call me love.”
I love you.
The words were there. So easy, just like breathing. But I didn’t want to hold her back.
Fuck.
“Gus?”
“I’m here. Sorry. Just a text from my brother for the job this morning.”
“Oh, sure. I’ll see you later.”
“You got it.”
“Bye.”
“Bye, El.”
I shoved my phone in my pocket and grabbed my keys.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I didn’t wish her mother to have another existential crisis, but I wasn’t ready for her to move on again. Indigo Valley wasn’t exactly a hub of video game creators.
I didn’t even remember getting in my truck, but I was on the road and my brain rolling through a million scenarios.
Maybe I could go with her.
I could work anywhere. I had worked anywhere. My brothers could live without me. My mom would probably lose her shit, but she was used to all of us on the roam.
I got a text for breakfast sandwiches, from the morning crew for this job. It was just Sully and me today with a couple hourly guys we had on the payroll. I swung through a fast-food place and ordered food as well as a hot coffee for myself.
October was upon us, and the mornings were a bit chillier.
I popped the address of the job into the GPS, not realizing it was so close to Eloise’s place.
There were tons of little townhouse complexes on that side of Indigo Valley.
I parked on the street and hoofed it up the dug-up driveway. We had a blacktop guy coming in tomorrow, I just hoped the rain would let up or the schedule would be fubared. Sully and Frank were already framing out the pour for the front porch.
“Food!” Frank ran over and took the bag from me. “Thanks, man.”
