Page 111 of Out of the Storm

“Okay. Great.”

After the two of them hung up, Gary went back to hosting, and while playing one final song for his listeners, he scribbled some notes to figure out what, exactly, he would say to Don. Because once he was finished talking to Jeff, he’d be paying a visit to O’Henry’s. All he needed was a ride.

***

At ten minutes after eleven, Gary was in the passenger seat of Mel’s car, wringing his hands nervously as they made their way to Newton Falls. Every couple of seconds, Gary kept shifting his position, making the leather seat crackle beneath him. All of that courage he’d possessed earlier? Gone.

“I think you’re wearing a hole in the fabric,” Mel said without taking her eyes off the road. “Quit moving so much.”

“Oh, come on, this car is on its last legs, andyou know it.”

“Are yousureyou want to go through with this?”

“Positive.”

“Confronting someone’s ex? It’s not like you, Gare.”

“First, Jeff isn’tsomeone. He’s... he’s my sun.” Mel made a littleawwnoise, though there was a touch of sarcasm beneath the sweetness. “Second, I can’t letJefftalk to him. Trust me, he’s been through enough already. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if, because of my insistence that Jeffkindlyrequest Don stop calling, he ended up with a broken nose or... or worse.”

“Broken nose?! Geez, how violent is this guy?”

Gary let out a breath. “We’ll find out.”

“I’m pretty sure this is the dumbest thing you’ve ever done in your life.”

“Probably.”

The moment the neon-green O’Henry’s sign came into view, Gary winced, feeling like his stomach had somehow managed to leap up out of his throat while also simultaneously falling out of his ass. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been so terrified.

Mel pulled into a parking spot and asked, “Are you sure he’ll be here?”

“No, but Jeff said he invited him here tonight, so, you know, I think it’s a safe enough assumption.” Gary took a couple of long, uneven breaths. “I think I might pass out.”

She threw the car back in reverse. “Okay, that’s it, I’m pulling the plug on this harebrained scheme of yours.”

“No!” Gary put his hand on top of hers. “I need to do this.”

“Ugh.” Mel put it in park again. “Fine, but if you aren’t back in ten minutes, I’m coming in there. And I’m not riding with you to the hospital if you end up needing medical attention. I have work in the morning. Do you think I have time to waste in the ER?”

“You’re such a liar, Mel. We both know you’d come with me.”

“Shut up,” Mel said, her smile reassuring both of them that, yes, she would, in fact, accompany him to the ER.

Although Mel’s teasing had distracted him a tiny bit for a few seconds, the moment Gary got out of the car, his fear came back tenfold. And by the time he made his way inside, his body no longer really felt like his normal human one, but like a massive gelatinous blob barely being held together by a bunch of flimsy popsicle sticks. Walking was proving to be a challenge, what with his legs shaking beneath him the entire time.

Still, somehow, Gary managed to walk over to the bar. He thought about collapsing onto one of the bar stools but worried that he might not be able to stand again if he did. So instead, he settled for leaning against the bar counter. Once he was feeling a little more solid, he started to search the room for his target.

As sinister as he’d built up O’Henry’s to be in his head, it was really only a regular bar. Actually, it was kind of cruddy, with off-white walls and mismatched wood paneling and a third of the lightbulbs burnt out. It wasn’t long before Gary spotted Don by the other end of the bar, chatting with a couple of friends. Geez, Don really was a behemoth—nearly a head taller than everyone else and built thick and burly.

Ugh.

Heart thudding wildly, Gary took a bunch of slow breaths to try to calm himself (the phrase “breathing tricks” kept popping into his head, followed by the silly thought of a therapist telling Jeff to count sheep in times of panic, which made him smile a little). He started strumming his fingers on the countertop too (the repetitive sound brought a strange sort of comfort). After a couple of minutes, Don broke away from his circle of friends. And started walking toward Gary.

Stunned, Gary stumbled back a few steps, bumping into the jukebox. Gary realized Don was probably coming over to puton some music, rather than to beat the crud out of a complete stranger. Would Don even recognize him? In only seconds, he’d find out.

When Don and Gary were within a couple of feet of each other, Goliath stopped in his tracks and then proceeded to look Gary over, his head tilting to the side ever so slightly, brow furrowing in confusion.

“Aren’t you Jeff’s friend?”

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