Page 22 of When I'm Gone
“Hey!” Annie called across the bar after hanging up her coat next to Brian’s on the coatrack. Luke returned the gesture as she headed toward the stool beside him. In his past life, Luke would be with Brian playing Golden Tee with Jose and Tanner from the station, while Annie and Natalie caught up over a few drinks. But tonight he wasn’t there for guy time; he was there to talk to Annie. She sat down beside him, bumping shoulders.
“Hey there.” She smiled before dragging a coaster in front of her and signaling to the bartender. “I’m glad you came out with us tonight.”
“Yeah, it feels strange. Thanks for letting me tag along.”
“I think it’s more like we’re the tagalongs here.” She tipped her head toward Brian, Tanner, and Jose, who were harassing each other over the video game.
The bartender made his way across the bar to Annie. He wore a tight black shirt with his sleeves rolled up unnecessarily high, showing off his biceps. Luke thought he came off as trying a little too hard, but maybe that’s how he got good tips. When he rested his eyes on Annie, the man flexed his pecs noticeably. Luke rolled his eyes.
“How can I help you?” the bartender asked, deepening his voice a fraction.
“Just a Diet Coke, please.” Annie didn’t seem to notice the bartender’s attentions. She tapped her fingers on the lacquered wood of the bar.
“You want me to slip a little rum in that Diet Coke?” The bartender wiggled his eyebrows.
“Uh, no, thank you. Designated driver.” She reached across Luke and grabbed the dark-brown bottle from the coaster in front of him, put it to her mouth, and took two long swigs before smacking her lips and replacing it. Luke used to watch Natalie and Annie share drinks. But he was not Natalie. Sometimes Luke wondered if Annie remembered that.
The bartender gave a hearty laugh. “I don’t think that’s how being a designated driver works, but, okay. Diet Coke it is.” He placed the drink in front of Annie and dropped a clear straw in her drink. “My name’s Mick. Call me if you want something stronger.”
“Thanks.” Annie took a long sip from her own drink before turning to face Luke, ignoring Mick completely. “So. How’re things going? You guys like Jessie?”
Luke nodded. “She’s a quirky one. A few days ago I came home to May singing ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life’ while mopping the kitchen floor. Jessie was directing her while singing along. Both were so off-key I’m sure dogs were howling.”
“Oh my. I wish I could’ve seen that.”
“Yeah, it was the least effective floor mopping I’ve ever seen, but May was glowing. Honestly”—Luke took a quick sip of his beer, running through Natalie’s description of Jessie in his mind—“she’s not exactly what I was expecting; sometimes she seems to live in a Broadway fantasy world. But the kids love her, even Will. Do you know Will does his homework every night now?”
Annie swirled the ice around with her straw. “Really? That’s great.”
“Yup, and I don’t even have to nag him to do it. It’s done by the time I get home.”
“He seemed almost happy when we texted last week. I was starting to think you’d finally taken him to a therapist or something.” She bumped Luke’s shoulder again. She’d been bugging Luke to take the kids to a counselor ever since it became apparent that Natalie wasn’t going to get better.
“Well, if the therapist’s name is Jessie, then yes, you were right.” He shifted in his seat again, the uneven legs making a ticking sound as they bounced off the waxed tile floor. “Actually I have an appointment for him next week.”
“You do? Good for you. You’re a good daddy.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” He couldn’t help but smile a little. It felt strange on his face and reminded him of why he was really there. Luke checked on Brian. He was still playing video games and refilling his second or third mug with beer. “Listen”—Luke lowered his voice—“I need to talk to you about something.”
Annie tilted her head and leaned it against her fist, all hints of amusement gone from her face. “What’s up?”
The nervousness returned. Why did he think this was a useful idea? He took another sip of his beer, hoping the alcohol would do its job and make him a little less inhibited. But when he put the bottle down and looked up and met Annie’s soft green eyes, the words he’d planned out so carefully disappeared. He glanced away, focusing on a long line of flavored syrups with gold pumps sticking out the top. If he didn’t look right at her, he might be able to get the words out.
“Did Natalie ever mention a guy named Dr. Neal to you? Her professor or something?” He said it quickly and picked at the corner of the yellow and gold label on his beer instead of meeting her gaze again.
“Hmm. Dr. Neal?” Annie tapped her teeth like she did when she was thinking.
Luke got up the nerve to look at her again. Thankfully she was staring up at the ceiling, like the dingy yellow tiles held the answer to his question. She kept tapping her teeth nervously. “I don’t remember a Dr. Neal. I do remember a Pastor Neal though.”
“Pastor Neal?” A piece of the label ripped off in Luke’s fingertips, sticking under his nail. He shook it on the floor. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’m positive. I swear Nat said he was a pastor.” Annie ran a hand through her short blonde bob. “I came over one morning and he was there, sitting by her bed. She introduced us.”
“He was in my house?” Luke choked mid-drink and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth before continuing. “You met him?”
“I did.” Annie patted his back as he gave one more cough. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Luke opened his mouth to answer but didn’t know what to say. What was wrong? What could he say that wouldn’t sound paranoid and disloyal to his wife and Annie’s best friend? This man had been in his house when he wasn’t home, a man he’d never met, a man his wife had never mentioned ... till now. A man who kept turning up everywhere he looked.
