Page 90 of Love It or List It
Of course, Will was more than happy to join him for dinner the second night after Austin stopped for pizza on the way home.
Joe did his best to keep in touch, but he was busy all day and only managed a few short texts during breaks.Austin and Joe sneaked in a late-night call on the first day, but he was too tired on the second night, so Austin wasn’t alarmed at first when he didn’t hear much on day three.In fact, he wasn’t alarmed at all until just before day five.
When Joe called, Austin cheerfully answered, “On your way home, sweet thing?”
“Well,” came an unfamiliar voice, “I will be as soon as I can get my boss home safe and sound.”
“Uh,” Austin said intelligently as his face flamed.
“Joe’s passed out in his passenger seat,” the voice continued.“We’re parked at his place.Managed to get your name out of him before he dozed off, though.”
“What’s wrong with him?”Visions of the worst flashed through his mind’s eye.
“Other than being a self-sacrificing idiot?Just a cold.”He snorted.“Refused to take the morning off.I finally convinced him to take a nap after lunch, but he wouldn’t let me take him home early.”
Austin groaned.“All right.Thanks for calling.I’ll come get him.Hey, you want something from Timmies on my way there as a thank-you?”
“I’ve eaten nothing but for five straight days, man.If I see another Timbit, I’ll hurl.Thanks, though.”
Austin snorted.“Fair enough.See you in ten or so.”Then he hung up and shouted, “Will!”
He usually made a point of not shouting, so instead of ignoring him, Will scrambled to the top of the stairs to look down.“What?What’s going on?”
“You have your driver’s license, right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Great, put on your coat and shoes.We gotta go pick up Joe.”
Ah, there was the surly teenager.“What do you need me for?”Then a pause as pieces started coming together and some of the color drained from his face.“Wait, why does he need a ride?”
“Apparently someone let him work too hard and now he’s passed out in his truck because he got sick.I need you to come so we can get himandthe truck home, ’cause you’re probably going to have to use it to drive yourself to school.”
“Oh my God.Typical Joe.”Will clomped down the stairs.“Leaves us to starve for a week, and when he comes home he’s too sick to feed us?”
“Maybe wait until we know he’s not actually on death’s door to start making jokes,” Austin said as he nudged him toward the door.“Come on, his coworker can’t leave until we get there.”
If he bent the speed limit on the way up Walker Road, Will didn’t say anything.Not that that was unusual.
When they were a minute or two out, though, Austin had to prompt a dialogue.“Do you remember seeing any cold medicine in any of the cabinets?”
Miracle of miracles, Will seemed to actually think about it instead of simply sassing him.“Uh, I think maybe some DayQuil and a couple Halls.”
No good for nighttime, and they’d definitely need a stockpile from the sound of things.“All right.You want to take Joe home or stop at Shoppers for drugs?”
A streetlight ticked by.
“I’ve got homework,” Will said finally, “so I’ll take Joe, I guess.”
“You just want to drive the truck.”
He couldn’t see Will smile, but he thought he heard the trace of one.“Maybe.”
In the parking lot at Romano Tree and Landscape Service, Austin shook hands with Greg, Joe’s foreman, and let him know he and Will would handle Joe from here.“Uh, I’m assuming everyone’s got a few days off coming, after this?”Austin asked.
“Yeah, and I can check messages on the work number.We’ll take care of it.”
Fantastic, because Austin had no idea how Joe ran his business.“Great.Drive safe, eh?”
