Page 62 of Fall of Us
“Andrew. I don’t want to interfere...”
“Then don’t.”
She sighed, finally meeting my gaze head-on. “I know. But you have to understand that I see you as my son just as much as Brandon.”
It wasn’t fair to punish her. She was only trying to make things better, though I wasn’t sure how much it would help to come from her and not from the source.
“I think with Brandon unable to come to work, I just want to make sure that you were doing okay.”
He wasn’t able to work? The thought shouldn’t make me feel better about the situation. His pain shouldn’t ever make me feel that way, but he’d torn me in half and left me feeling raw in a way I thought no one could.
“Mrs. Davis...”
The way she frowned hurt. Since the beginning, she’s always hated when I called her that, preferring Patricia or Mom. “I want to let it go. I do. It doesn’t change the fact that what Brandon did hurt on a level I didn’t think anyone could touch—especially him.”
She looked off to the side. Seeing her where I work was different. Growing up, she was always in the organic stores, anywhere she could find things that were ‘better for the body’ than the big box store I worked for. As a believer in holistic medicine, how much did it kill her that I pushed big pharma? It wasn’t that I supportedit. This was just a job. Her opinion was just as important to me as the opinions of my own parents.
“I’m glad—I’m glad to see you’re okay. That’s all I wanted, I guess.” When she shrugged and turned to leave, I couldn’t stand seeing this woman in pain. My hands reached for her as if they had a mind of their own.
“I’m not. I miss him every day. This is probably just as hard for me as it is for him. I just need—”
“Space. I told him that. If there’s anyone who gets it, I would. Andrew, my son loves you deeply. Just as much as you love him. I can clearly see that you two aren’t the best at communicating that. My only ask is that you don’t approach him again until you’re ready to talk things through like mature adults.”
That hadn’t been what I was expecting.
But I had used being in love with him against him when I’d stormed out.
Mrs. Davis pulled free from my hands and left the store, leaving me to gape at the empty space she left behind. Now I just needed to figure out what the hell I wasgoing to do.
The handle didn’t turn. I cursed as I shoved my shoulder into the door before giving up and heading into the kitchen. Teresa and McKenzie sat at the kitchen table. Joe’s niece had a piece of paper and some markers, and her mom was helping her draw something. Looking over her shoulder, it was a picture of two people holding hands.
“What do you have there?”
Teresa smiled up at me. “She wanted to draw us together.”
McKenzie added two little triangles to her stick figures to make skirts to show that the two people she had drawn were female.
“This is my family.” As if something clicked, she moved off to the side of the page and drew another stick figure, holding hands with another one.
“Who is that?” I asked.
“You and Uncle Joe. Since you’re his boyfriend.”
My face heated. “I’m not...”
The door to the basement opened, and Joe emerged. He was rosy-cheeked and looked like he’d been working out. He stared at us before coming into the kitchen.
“Your niece seems to think I’m your boyfriend.”
Joe had pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and had just started to drink when he choked on it. “She what now?”
Teresa rolled her eyes, patting her daughter on her shoulder before going to her brother and taking the bottle of water away from him.
“Don’t confuse her.”
Joe looked between all three of us before throwing up his arms. “I didn’t do shit. Not my fault the kid drew conclusions about a friend in need.”
McKenzie giggled. “Uncle Joe said shit.”
