Page 13 of Love Me Steadfast
“I’m off till Friday,” he replies.
Great. Two more days of awkward. Of enduring his kindness while I dance around feelings I’ve tried so hard to smother.
I need to find a new place to crash. Though Wren and Denny just got a place together. She said they have a loft, but I don’t think they’re looking for an indefinite houseguest. Emmie’s filming in Wyoming—did she ever find someone to sublet her room? I’ve thought about moving into Morgan’s house. It would certainly make picking up the slack at Thunder Mountain easier. But I have a feeling I’m not going to find the house in any shape for a guest. And it’s farther from Evergreen than Will’s place.
I sip from my coffee and glance out the window.
“Can I do anything for you today?” William asks. Though he’s standing a foot away, his right hand rests on the counter an inch from mine. An ache ebbs low in my belly.
Hold me and tell me it’s all going to be okay. That the choices I made didn’t ruin us all for good.
“No,” I say, forcing the tremor from my voice.
Today is going to take all my strength, and he’s draining it with every second I’m near him. I spin away and carry my coffee back to my room.
On my drive to town,my phone rings through my Bluetooth. My thoughts are a mess, but I’m eager for an update.
“Hey, Pierre,” I say.
“Morning. You made it okay?”
“Yeah.” I stop at the end of Morning Star and turn left, toward town, and the hospital. “How is he today?”
“Not a great night, so he’s…restless.”
I sigh while my heart squeezes inside my chest. Is it too much to ask the universe for the small favor of easing this incredible man’s pain? “Any interest in music?”
“He hasn’t played since you left.”
That’s to be expected, but it still makes me ache inside. “Okay. Could I talk to him?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Maybe later. Or…tomorrow.”
“I sent him a postcard,” I say. Even though it cost me a half hour of progress yesterday, I was thinking about him and I couldn’t shake the image of the card in his hands making him smile.
“What a sweet idea,” Pierre says. “I’ll be on the lookout.”
We end the call just as I cross over Miner Creek and continue to town, passing the park and the recycling center, Glory Holes on the corner. I consider stopping in for my favorite treats, but I decide on sustenance instead and continue to the bagel shop for breakfast sandwiches.
I’m spinning away with my order plus my hazelnut iced latte when I nearly crash into the person waiting behind me.
“Charlie?”
I stare into the woman’s eyes as a flood of memories explode inside me. “Mrs. Taggart. Hey.”
Her smile is warmer than I expect. Almost tender. “It’s Sally, remember?”
“Right,” I say, nodding. My hands are full, but I don’t think she’d hug me anyway. We were never close like that, even though for a brief period of time, she was my lifeline.
“I…heard about Morgan.” Her blue eyes tense. “How’s she doing?”
Has Sally kept tabs on Morgan since she helped us? I have the sudden urge to ask her if what we did was a mistake. Did the choice we made back then prevent Morgan from healing?
“She’s hanging in there,” I manage.
Sally’s intelligent eyes laser on me, but I can’t say more. Not here anyway. “If there’s anything you need, you have my number.”
“Thanks.”
