Page 61 of Afternoon Delight
“But you told Erica you’re not coming back.”
“You want me to put the kettle on? You can tell me what’s going on with you and Zara while we’re at it?”
“No.”
“Then shut up and load the truck.”
He kicked his mouth sideways and we finished up.
Chapter 35
Meg
It was odd how much I noticed Zak’s absence. The antique store wasn’t very busy. They only got a few walk-ins a day, as far as I could tell. Although, I often didn’t notice when people came and went from his shop, but I sure noticed when it was zero.
Afternoon Delight had slowed down a lot since the advertising blitz of the relaunch. That gave me plenty of time to work on my instructional slides for the contract work Peterson, Londale, and Funk had offered me. At least now, when I trained titmice like Cameron to take jobs I would never be offered, I would be amply compensated. And you’d better believe I would tell any women I trained exactly how much they should ask to be paid.
Thursday was an even longer, slower day. Roddie went to his first LGBTQIA+ meeting after school. It was nice that he had somewhere to go, since the antique shop was closed. He caught the bus to the meeting and texted me the address so I could pick him up on my way home.
If I hadn’t been so bored, I might have stayed late at work, but I closed right at five and swung into the grocery store, killing time before I had to get Roddie.
Mom had let me start cooking now that Roddie was here. With Shelby coming for the weekend, my mind turned to a menu that felt a little more celebratory. She was a vegetarian, which always presented a challenge, especially because Mom was firmly old-school, meat-and-potatoes.
I was trying to remember what I might need for black bean patties when I came around the end of the aisle and found Zak standing in front of the dairy cooler. My heart leapt with way too much joy.
“Zak! You’re back.”
“What?” He turned his head. His expression was just... devastated.
“Oh my God. What happened?” I released the handle of my cart and stepped closer. I grasped his arm. He looked as though he was about to topple off a cliff and needed someone to hold onto him.
He swallowed, fighting to keep his composure. “Dad didn’t recognize me. I came out of the shower and he thought I was a robber or something. He told me to get out of the house. He was scared.”
“Oh, Zak.” I slid my arms around his waist, trying to press warmth into his stiff frame. “Is someone with him? Can I call Zara?”
“She’s there. Carl went over. Dad thinks she’s Mom.” His hand came up, but instead of wrapping it around me, he wiped his cheek where a tear had leaked out and started to run. “I had to leave so he would calm down. I thought I should pick up some groceries while I had the chance.”
Try to carry on. That’s what you did when your world flipped upside down, right?
“Let’s get a drink.” Maybe ten or twelve. I rubbed his back, then plucked my purse from my cart and left everything where it was. “Do you have your car?”
“No, I walked.”
I wondered how far. We were about a kilometer from our shops, and he lived within walking distance of the building, but the evening was chilly and he didn’t seem to be wearing more than his flannel.
I turned on the heat in my car while I drove us to Tap That. We both ordered a beer and a burger, then I called Mom to ask her to pick up Roddie.
“I’m fine,” I told her. “But Zak had a rough day. I’m buying him dinner.”
“Oh?” Her voice held both concern and speculation. “I’ll see you when you get home, then.”
“Thanks.” I ended the call and texted Roddie, then turned to Zak. “How was Leavenworth? Was it exactly like Europe?” I was trying to draw him out of his tailspin.
“Yeah,” he snorted. “Couldn’t tell the difference.”
“Was it okay for your dad? Disorienting, maybe?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.” He sat back and nodded his thanks as our beers arrived. “We got there and the buyers helped me unload the van. They were nice. They took us out to dinner and put us in a room with two beds. Dad was confused when we got up, but we had a great morning wandering around town.”
