Page 37 of All In
“Not really.” He was closed up tight, arms crossed, expression locked in determination.
You left when he asked you to stay. You weren’t the only one suffering, about to shatter into pieces.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“What for?”
“You know what for. You hurt as much as I do.”
He shifted like he was going to say something dismissive. Instead, he sighed and said in a low voice. “Like I said, you’re here now.”
I nodded against him, my tired eyes wanting to close but if they did, the ache in my heart would pull me under. I drank in the beautiful glass instead.
We sat with Jonah for a long time.
CHAPTER
TWELVE
I went into work the next day at noon and Vivian told me Gus was already there, waiting for me.
“How bad is it?” I asked.
She shook the Magic 8-Ball on her desk, one of her many kitschy knick-knacks. She turned the blue triangle toward me:Ask again later.
“Thanks, Viv,” I muttered. “That’s super helpful.”
She chucked me on the arm. “Go get’em, tiger.”
I stepped into the back office that was hardly bigger than a broom closet, and just as cluttered. A bank of five lockers lined one wall, and the desk practically barred access to the bathroom.
“I’m trying to retire, Theo,” Gus Monroe said, as I shut the door behind me. He leaned back in his chair, kicked his cowboy boots on the desk and smoothed his long, handlebar mustache with two fingers. A ponytail of thin brown hair hung over the shoulder of his plaid button-down. He pinched a quarter inch of air between his thumb and index finger. “I’mthisclose to Belize’s beaches for the rest of my life. I’m not trying to get back to inking.”
“It was an emergency,” I said. “I had to help a friend. She was in a bad way.”
“She, huh?” Gus rolled his eyes. “For a chick you drop everything and take off for a week?” He shook his head. “Don’t let women lead you around by the balls, Fletcher. They do it once, they won’t ever stop.”
“Good advice,” I said, adding silently,From the guy who’s on his third marriage.
“Here’s another piece of advice: You take off like that again and I’m going to have to let you go. Can’t be helped.”
“It won’t. I promise.” A lie.I was thankful he wasn’t firing my ass but if Kacey ever needed me again, I was gone.
Can’t be helped,I thought and almost smiled.
Vivian poked her head in the door. “Sorry to interrupt, but she's here, Theo. Your brother’s…girlfriend?”
Kacey mentioned she might stop by, but the last fucking thing I wanted was Gus to figure out she was the reason I’d taken off for a week. I turned to go. “Thanks, Viv.”
“You just got back,” Gus said. “Now you're socializing on company time?”
“She’s a paying customer. She’s here to pick a design.”
He rolled his eyes. “Go.” Then leveled a finger at me. “But I’ll say it again, Fletcher. I love your work. You’re a talented artist. And havingInkedsniffing around here for news about you isn’t exactly a bad thing. But no more taking off, you got me?”
“Loud and clear.”
I slipped out the door and shut it behind me. Kacey stood in the little waiting area, making small talk with Vivian. Her hands gripped opposite elbows, hugging herself tightly. She looked frail and nervous.
