Total pages in book: 191
Estimated words: 182070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 182070 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 910(@200wpm)___ 728(@250wpm)___ 607(@300wpm)
I’d been around when Connie had taught her daughter the same saying—minus the bitch part—and had impressed my sister by dragging my thumb across my throat while she’d done it. We’d had a good laugh over it later when my niece hadn’t been around. I needed to go visit them again soon.
“No, not with me. He’s been really worried.”
“Like he should be.” She sighed, attention still focused on the two generations of men. “Thank you so much for going to find him for us. Boogie said he had to call and get you out of work to go get him.”
“It’s not a big deal. I was almost done with my shift when he did. It was no problem.”
The same milky, light blue eyes as Zac’s, but on a much more feminine face, slid in my direction. Ms. Travis was beautiful. A thinking and judging beautiful woman who knew from our last interaction that I still hadn’t seen her son in years. I bet she hadn’t forgotten that part.
“It’s hard to keep track of him nowadays. If he could find it in him to settle down and stay somewhere, buy a place of his own, we wouldn’t have to be searching for him all the time. God knows I send him lists of houses every other week close to Paw-Paw and me, but he just won’t set up roots with anything or anyone,” she told me quietly and with an exasperated expression.
The only thing I could do was smile at her and nod like I understood.
And I guess, in a way, I did.
And if that comment about settling down with anything and anyone wasn’t my cue to get the hell out of there, I didn’t know what was. “If it’s okay, let me give Paw-Paw a hug, and I’ll get out of here before you get in trouble for having too many people hanging around.”
Ms. Travis nodded.
I made my way over to the bed as Zac and Paw-Paw continued talking to each other. As soon as the older man spotted me though, he stopped talking and gave me a tired but somehow bright smile. His deep, sweet voice was weak. “You came all this way to check on me?”
“You know I did.” I smiled at him before eyeing Zac and feeling a small part of my expression drop off. I glanced back at the older man. “Did you like the present I brought you, Paw? He was pretty hard to find.”
Mr. Travis’s hand, connected to tubes, slid across the bed and patted his grandson’s denim-covered hip. “Best gift anyone has ever found for me. Bless you, sweetheart.”
I leaned forward and kissed the older man on the cheek. He still had the faintest hint of cologne clinging to him. I liked it. “Do you need anything?”
“To get out of here.”
I grinned. “I’ll put in a good word for you with the doctor, okay? Maybe he’ll let you out of here sooner. We’ll smuggle you out if not.”
“That’d be real nice, sweetheart. How’s work?” he asked on a sudden yawn.
That was my second sign to bounce. “I’ve got a new boss, and he’s a jerk, but I’m hanging in there.” I reached down and combed his hair to the side with my fingers as he yawned again. “I’m going to get out of here before they kick me out. They don’t want your fan club taking over the whole floor. If you need anything, give me a call or have someone else give me a call, okay?”
His smile turned soft, and I did my best to keep ignoring the set of eyes that had been aimed at me from the moment I’d approached the bed. “I will,” he assured me.
I stroked Mr. Travis’s hand, his veins big and blue and purple, as Zac sat up a bit.
Right. Time to say bye. And I was going to do it right, because Mamá Lupe would haunt me in my dreams tonight if I didn’t.
And also, life was fucking short, and I wasn’t harboring any resentment. Just some melancholy and bittersweetness in there. That was it.
Zac was sitting up by the time I got around to his side, and I didn’t hesitate to put my arms around the parts of him I could reach, hugging him too—not very tight but just enough.
Those long arms that I knew had to be so strong went around my back instantly.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself; I almost sighed. I really had missed this guy, despite everything. But there was a reason why amputees survived and thrived; you learned how to live without.
I pulled away and smiled a little as I told the handsome man looking at me, “I have to head home. You’ll be fine getting back?”
“You’re goin’ back right now?” the man I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade asked, startling me. Yet again.