Page 47 of Fractured Hope
“He’s been in a funk and almost completely shut down. I don’t know how to help him. I hate feeling helpless.” My hands clenched involuntarily in frustration.
“All you can do is be there for him. Listen to him and show him you’re there no matter what,” Seb said.
“Believe me, I’m trying. He’s with Kay now. I think it’s good for Bodhi to know he has friends and a life here. Remind him that he’s no longer trapped.”
“You’re doing all you can.” Seb clasped my shoulder reassuringly. “I can tell he cares about you. I’m sure today was hard. Just give him some time to get his head around it all.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” I turned and hugged my brother. “Thanks for everything. Are you okay for me to do a final check of Sid’s Ford and then leave for the day? I would like to get Bodhi home.”
“Sure thing.” He stepped out of the hug. “Oh, Theo said he would be back this afternoon and can help where needed. How come you never called to fill him in by the way? Poor guy didn’t even know you had a boyfriend. Sorry, I spilled the beans.” Seb sent me a disapproving look.
“Shit! It’s fine, I figured someone would have told him. I know Lyric and Mama love to tell anyone and everyone how I met Bodhi, so it was bound to happen.” I shrugged. I really should have been the one to tell him, but it’s not surprising someone else got there first. “Originally, I didn’t want to bother him, and then I kind of forgot with everything else going on.” I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to keep Theo in the loop, even via text. I’d been so caught up in Bodhi. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d spoken to him. I would need to give him a calland check in. “Stop looking at me like that. I’ll call him. Will he be at Mama’s tonight?”
“I would say so and you better. You know he hates feeling left out.” He pointed at me. “Now get to work so you can get back to that boy of yours.”
I held up my hands in surrender. “I will, I will. Promise.” Rolling my eyes, I went into the office to grab a spare pair of coveralls and got to work. I’d done all the requested modifications and a general service, so all I needed to do now was take it on a test drive to ensure the shock absorbers would cover all terrains like Sid wanted. I guess I was going somewhere out of the way for this test drive.
I had a quick look at the engine and did an external safety check before heading out. I waved to Seb as I turned onto the main road and headed out of town.
I wanted to check the general handling of the newly raised vehicle, the suspension, and the new premium thirty-five-inch wheels. Sidney wanted all the extra bells and whistles and had splurged on the pricey new wheels. They made the truck handle like a dream. I could barely feel the road beneath me as I cruised out of town.
The true test would be changing to all terrain and going off road. We usually used the abandoned tractor business next door, but this truck was too big to maneuver there, so I had asked Mitch, one of the local farmers, if I could use one of his fallow fields for the testing. It so happened that he’d just cleared one of his roadside fields. Mitch’s farm was about twenty minutes out of town so I could test all the other parts of the vehicle before I made it to Mitch’s place.
About ten minutes into my drive down the empty country road, I noticed a black Jeep pulled off to the side. I slowed down as I approached to see if anyone needed help. There were no homes or businesses nearby, and it would get cold at night ifthey were stranded or had broken down. I couldn’t see anyone in or near the Jeep, so maybe it had been there a while and was abandoned. I made a note to tell Max in case it was important, if for no other reason than so he could get it towed away and returned to its owner.
When I arrived at Mitch’s, the field was the first one on the left and had plenty of divots and valleys from crops and machinery. He also mentioned he was teaching his son to use the large fertilizing tractor and it wasn’t going well—that’s why the field was so messy. His son was only sixteen and couldn’t drive a normal vehicle yet, let alone heavy machinery, so I could understand the mess. It was, however, perfect for my purposes.
Switching the vehicle to four-wheel drive, I did all the necessary tests, and the truck was in perfect condition. Once I was happy with everything, I shot a quick text to Mitch to thank him and let him know I was done, and then I headed home. I wanted nothing more than to finish up for the day and go cuddle Bodhi on the couch. Smiling to myself, I sent Bodhi a quick text saying I would be by for him soon and that he should think of a movie to watch in our date fort. We hadn’t taken the tent down yet. Every time I thought of our first date, I couldn’t help but smile.
My phone had just pinged with a response when a loud crack pierced the air. Suddenly, the truck jerked to the side with such force my head hit the driver’s side window. I gripped the steering wheel, trying to regain control of the vehicle as the back wheels fishtailed out until it was facing the wrong way. The world tilted on its axis and I was upside down. I tried to gauge my surroundings and make sense of what was happening.
My vision became hazy, darkening at the edges. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears and could smell something metallic mixed with smoke, then everything went black....
23
BODHI
I’d beenin a daze for most of the day. No matter what anyone tried to do I just couldn’t seem to break out of my mood. I was a zombie, barely functioning, responding to people in grunts. The only smile that had crossed my face all day was when Atticus mentioned watching a movie in our date fort.
“Finally, a smile. I’m guessing that was Atty,” Kay said, gesturing to the phone clutched in my hand like a lifeline.
“Yeah.” My face heated. “Thanks, by the way, for your help with my date yesterday.”
Chuckling, he shrugged. “It was fun. It’s good to see someone in that family has an idea of romance.” Looking very thoughtful all of a sudden, he gazed into his coffee cup like it held the answers he was looking for.
“No one romancing you at the moment?”
He looked up at me, eyes wide. “No, no one. Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering. You haven’t mentioned anyone, but I haven’t been around long. Maybe someone was trying to woo you,” I said.
“Woo me? Ha! No, sadly I’m single.” He looked forlorn as he shook his head.
“Is there anyone you’re interested in? Where do people meet others in a town as small as this?”
“Usually, we have to go into the city or to a neighboring town with a bar. There’s an LGBTQ-friendly bar in the city that Lyric likes to go to. Theo discovered it, since it’s near where he lives. We’ve dragged Atticus there a time or two, but it really wasn’t his scene. There aren’t many match options in Hope’s Ridge unless they fall at your feet.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
Groaning, I thumped my head on the table. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
