Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64419 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 258(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Porter raised his hand hesitantly, then drew it back. He stepped forward as if he were going to give me a hug but thought better of it. “I don’t know whether to hug you or shake your hand,” he admitted. I offered a hand, and he took it with a grin. “Welcome back. Thank you for your service.”
I flinched. I had heard that line from every doctor and nurse at the VA. Every politician on television said the same thing. It was almost meaningless. My service had gotten me a bunch of bad memories and an injured leg that I was probably going to have to baby for the rest of my life. I knew Porter was coming from a good place, so I tried to be appreciative. I hoped for Gina’s sake that he was usually more genuine, but it really didn’t matter. He was going to be my boss, so I put on a quick smile and mumbled, “Thanks.”
“My office is upstairs,” Porter said.
I nodded. It didn’t take a genius to deduce that he had come from upstairs, seeing as how I had just witnessed him coming down. But I held my tongue. All the niceties of society had been burned away by my trial in the desert. I would have to rediscover them if I was going to be successful at work. Then again, all I wanted was enough money to move away, so maybe I didn’t have to play too nice.
I followed Porter upstairs, setting my jaw against the pain in my leg. His office looked like it used to be a bedroom. There was a desk, a few chairs, and some filing cabinets, almost the same layout as the reception area. I settled myself into a seat without being asked, eager to take the weight off. It was obvious from the moment I stepped through the door that Porter was in some kind of recovery program. Posters of mountains and sunshine dotted the walls with their twelve-step lists and “one day at a time” slogans.
“Gina’s eager to see you,” Porter said, cutting through the crap.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Okay.”
“We’d love to have you over for dinner someday,” he tried again.
I nodded. “Sure.”
“How’s Thursday?” Porter pushed the issue, giving me no room to maneuver.
“Sounds good,” I agreed. I wouldn’t mind seeing my sister again, and it didn’t seem like I had a choice.
“Don’t you want to know how she is?” Porter sat at his desk, fixing me with an accusatory stare.
“How is she?” I responded, meeting his gaze.
Now it was Porter’s turn to freeze up. He had chased me into a corner, and I hadn’t backed down. “Good,” he answered, turning away. “I want you to know, I’m taking good care of your sister.”
“Okay,” I responded. Gina could take care of herself. She always had. I didn’t feel any of the typical brother responsibility toward her and her life. I especially didn’t care who she took to bed. That was none of my business.
“Don’t you care?” Porter snapped, losing patience.
“Congratulations on the baby.” Now it was my turn to throw out an overused platitude.
Porter considered that and finally accepted it for what it was, an olive branch. “Okay, let’s talk about the job.”
He ran through a couple things that they were looking for and decided to start me as a driver. Being the boss’s kid and having a bum leg had its perks. They weren’t going to ask me to do any of the typical loading and unloading of lumber. I could make deliveries with the help of another guy, doing what I could and taking a break if I needed it. They offered me fifteen bucks an hour, which was better than most guys were making.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers. I wasn’t going to find anywhere else that would be so flexible. I thanked Porter and shook his hand again. If he thought I would warm up and submit to small talk, that was one thing I would never do. Still, the idea of seeing Aly again filled me with hope. Maybe I could think of something to say to her, and we could reminisce about old times. It was a longshot, but it gave me something to dream about.
6
ALY
Linc came downstairs alone. He paused at my desk, his eyes familiar and yet mysterious. There seemed to be a lot going on inside his head, but he said nothing. I watched him curiously, waiting for whatever dialog was going to erupt between us. It never came.
“Good to see you again,” he said and walked out the door.
I tried to go back to work, making a lame attempt to finish the email I was working on. It wasn’t helping. The words just sat there on the screen no matter how many times I tried to read them. Finally, I gave up and went upstairs to knock on Porter’s door.