Page 115 of A Better Place

“Let me just finish up here, and I’ll be over. Give me twenty minutes, m’kay?”

“What about…”

“Just leave them for now. I’ll take care of it when I get there.”

“Okay,” I say quietly. “Thank you, James.”

“Of course,” he murmurs. “You don’t have to thank me.”

“I do,” I insist.

“Well, maybe we can work out a payment plan when I get there,” he says in a low voice, but I can hear the smile in his voice.

“Hmm, I’ll come up with some ideas.”

“You do that. See you soon.”

“Yeah, see you soon.”

I don’t hang up quite yet, just stay on the phone.

“Baby?”

“Yeah?”

“Gotta hang up so I can get my shit gathered so I can come be the hero.”

I smile and hang up the phone, almost forgetting that I am in the middle of a bird crisis. Okay, so it probably isn’t a crisis, but it feels pretty big to me.

James is coming over.

No hesitation.

I ask for his help, and he doesn’t question. Doesn’t make me feel guilty. Doesn’t make me feel like an idiot for not being able to take care of it on my own.

Now if only I can put my past behind me and get out of my own head long enough to realize that I can give over my heart again.

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