Page 45 of Infinite as They Come
“Right. You’re more of a gardening guy. Nothing wrong with that.”
“People think it’s boring, but it’s my favorite thing to do,” he said as we made it to the truck. “I’m gonna do some when I get home. It’s Monday, and me and my dad work on the flowers on Mondays.”
“Yeah?” I smiled as I held the door open for him. “Sounds like a good time.”
Spencer hopped in the car and it was only a few minutes drive to his house. I pulled into the driveway just as Kurt walked outside, a smile spreading across his face when he spotted the truck. He gave me a wave, walking overto my side as Spencer hopped out.
“Sawyer, hey,” he said, leaning against the door. “I see you bumped into Spencer.”
“Yeah, he was walking home,” I explained. “Figured I’d give him a ride back.”
“Ah, I see.” He looked over at Spencer. “Spencer, go get changed. I’ll meet you out the back.”
“Bye, Sawyer,” Spencer said, giving me a little wave before running through the front door.
Kurt had some thick old gardening gloves on, all stained with dirt as he gave the wrists a yank. He was shooting me a smile that always seemed to be there on his face. Part of me kept trying to find some fault in him. Like maybe there was something he was hiding, something dark and sinister that he was just too good at masking. I didn’t ever want my mom to get hurt all over again, to suffer like she did once upon a time. My fingers twitched against the wheel at the thought of her. I still wasn’t ready to dive right in yet, to open up, to share everything that was sitting heavy there in my brain and heart.
“I hope it’s okay I picked him up. We hung out a little,” I finally said. “Maybe I should have asked…”
“No, no, no. Not at all. Thanks for that.” He leaned in a little closer, his voice lowering. “We used to drive him home. You know, because of those kids. He’s getting older now and he kinda insists on walking by himself. It makes him feel more independent.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”
“He’s a sweet kid. Quiet and shy. I’m sure you can tell. But he really likes you. He talks about you all the time, you know? Thinks you’re a hero now after you saved him down at the park. Me and Linda think you’re a bit of a hero too.”
His words made me grip the steering wheel tighter. “Uh, where is… she?”
He pressed his lips together. “She’s at work. She works at a dentist not too far from here. The best receptionist in town.”
“Yeah, I bet,” I murmured.
Something behind his eyes softened. “She never wanted to hurt you, Sawyer. She told me about your dad. How he treated her and you. I’m sorry you went through that. She’s sorry too. I know you might feel like she left you behind, but… Sawyer, she didn’t know what to do. She was young. Only twenty. It wasn’t easy for her, and she talked about you every chance she got. Every day, really.”
“Thanks,” was all I could manage to say.
His throat cleared. “I finish work early on Mondays. Me and Spencer usually like to do some gardening to get the week started. Helps us prepare for everything about to come. You’re welcome to join us if you’d like.”
I wasn’t used to the tone in his voice. All warm and welcoming and encouraging and patient. I shook my head at his offer. Holly was at the motel, anyway, and I had been dying to see her all day. The house I saw hadn’t exactly worked out and that definitely left me feeling a little deflated, but knowing I’d be getting back to her made my chest feel all warm. I just needed to feel her close.
“Uh, thanks, but I gotta head out,” I said. “Tell her… Tell my mom I said hi.”
He rested a hand on my arm, giving it a pat. “I will. I’ll see ya around.”
I watched him move back inside before driving off, and I let my mind reel back to the day’s events. The morning had felt like yet another setback, but the afternoon was good. I liked hanging out with Spencer. I liked seeing his eyes light up when he realized that he was stronger and faster than he thought. He just needed a little push in the right direction to see that he had it in him.
I picked up dinner for me and Holly and made it back to the motel just as the sun started to set. One hand filled with food, I used the other to yank out another bag sitting there in the back of the truck filled with art stuff I picked up in the morning. I had been doing a lot of painting at night when I got back to the motel. Doing that got me to calm down for a little while, and a few of my tubes of paint were running low since I had been using so much. With both bags in my hands, I moved into the room with a long, heavy sigh.
There Holly sat on the bed, her laptop on her thighs and her browsfurrowed just that tiny bit. Her pretty eyes found mine and a smile spread across her face.
“And where were you?” she asked, shutting her computer.
“Paint.” I held up one bag filled with the art stuff. “Dinner.” I held up the other. “Which one do you wanna eat?”
“Ooh, the paint,” she said, crawling across the bed until she was kneeling at the edge. “Sounds so delicious.”
I put both bags down on the table, my hands finding either side of her face. She had such soft skin. Her big eyes blinked up at me, lashes fluttering, her dark hair cascading down her shoulders, and she looked so beautiful that I almost forgot to breathe for a second.
“I missed you,” I whispered. “So glad I get to come home to you, though.”
