Page 22 of Hit the Ground
I pulled up to the curb in front of her house and put the truck in park so I could twist around to look at her. “Because you’re not going to be using the app anymore?”
She shook her head, her mouth curving into a smile that didn’t look anywhere near happy. “No, I’ll still be using it. You don’t have to worry because I’m none of your concern.”
She wasn’t harsh, but her words were a punch to the gut anyway. I didn’t understand it. She was right. Alice was just a waitress at Joy’s. She wasn’t my concern in the least.
But I didn’t like the idea of her meeting strange men on an app—men who’d see a small, quiet woman like her and take advantage. I’d be concerned about any woman in that situation.
When the silence stretched too long, she unbuckled herself and pushed open her door. “Thanks for the ride, Caleb.”
“Yeah,” I rasped, my throat tight. “Anytime.”
She paused, like she was going to say something else, but she only nodded and climbed out, shutting the door gently behind her. I watched her walk up the cracked path to her porch, the light above her front door flicking on as she approached. She didn’t look back as she entered.
I sat there for another minute, staring at her closed door, my chest feeling too small for my lungs. Then I put the truck in drive and pulled away into the quiet night.
Chapter Eight
Caleb
Ilovedlivingina small town. Wouldn’t trade it. The shitty part, though? It was small, making the chances of running into people I didn’t want to sky high.
The Grocery Barn was a veritable hotbed for such occurrences. I avoided it as much as I could, but I needed to eat, and my parents and grandparents would eventually get sick of me if I kept showing up at their door, begging for dinner.
I was pushing my cart down the dairy aisle when a cart bumped into mine. I looked up, frowning at the man.
“Hey, Caleb. Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
Recognizing Kent, Shelby’s boyfriend, my frown deepened. “No problem,” I grunted, aiming to continue on my way without getting stuck in a conversation.
No such luck. He swiveled around, falling into step with me. “While we’re in the same place, I thought I could talk to you. You know, man-to-man.”
I threw a block of cheddar into my cart. “If it’s about Denver, I’ve already spoken to Shelby. The subject’s closed.”
Kent was a little guy, the top of his curly brown hair barely reaching my shoulder, but he kept up with me. In his button-down tucked into belted khakis, he looked like he’d stepped out of a real estate ad. Something about his easy grin put me on edge. It rang false, calculating.
“Look, I get that. But I don’t know if Shelby imparted how much we’re willing to do to make this work. I’ll personally drive Jesse up here to spend every weekend with you. You won’t ever have to make the drive.”
I stopped walking to look down at him, my chest gripped by something hot and clawing. “So you, a man whose last name I don’t even know, who I’ve exchanged a few sentences with, get to spend all week with my son? Have him living in your house, and I should be thanking you for the scraps you’re willing to throw me? No, Kent, that’s not gonna happen. Jesse’s not going.”
He put his hand on my arm. “You really need to think about this, Caleb. I love Shelby, and Jesse’s great—”
I shrugged him off, cognizant as ever we were in public and I couldn’t toss him to the ground like I wanted. “I know my son is great. I don’t need you telling me that.”
“Of course you do.” He held his hand up as if placating me. Like I was some wild bull and he was the levelheaded one, talking me down. “I didn’t mean to imply anything. My point is, I’m willing to work with you. Shelby won’t go without Jesse, and if—”
“It’s a done deal, Kent.” I threw in a tub of cream cheese and kept on walking. “You want to move to Denver, go ahead. You can drive up on weekends to see Shelby, if that’s what you want. That’s none of my business.”
He cleared his throat, glancing around to see if anyone had overheard. “All right. I can tell you’re not listening. We’ll talk later, when heads are cooler.”
I left him in the dairy aisle, but my blood kept simmering long after my exit.
My foul mood clung to me on my way to pick up Jesse, and I hated it. My boy was the brightest part of my life. Always had been. I’d gotten lucky with him, and I knew it. How he’d turned out had little to do with Shelby or me. He was…good, all the way through. Smarter, too, than any thirteen-year-old had a right to be.
I sat in the library parking lot, engine idling while he finished up inside. That place had been his after-school haunt for years. As soon as the final bell rang, he’d walk over and spend a couple hours getting his homework done before disappearing into some book.
According to him, I wasn’t allowed inside. It was his place, and he didn’t need his old man embarrassing him. Fine by me. I’d never been much of a reader anyway. I read the paper, kept up with what was going on in the world, but I’d never gotten lost in a book the way Jesse did.
A few minutes later, Jesse came jogging out of the library, a smile stretching across his face. All long, gangly limbs, he made it to my truck and threw open the door.
