Page 73 of A Case of You
Despite his ever-present levels of pain, when Jeff got out of bed the next morning with Brandon and Stuart, he actually felt better than he had in months.
Emotionally, at least.
He was going back towork. Yes, it was only part-time, and working the parts counter.
He didn’tcare. It waswork.
It meant he wasn’t a total waste of skin and bones anymore. Was it contributing to their household budget? Not in a meaningful way, but it meant he could actually feel like he was.
He still couldn’t believe Brandon and Stuart hadn’t overruled him on it. That proved how much they loved him.
Instead of calling Carl, he was going to drive there and let him know in person. If he was lucky, maybe they’d put him on the parts countertoday.
Otherwise, at the very least, he’d have to fill out employment forms and update his information with human resources.
Emma had already left for the morning, her swimming practice schedule back on track now that the winter holidays were over.
“What time do you think you’ll be home today?” Brandon asked Jeff.
“Probably around one. Earlier, if they don’t have me start today.”
“Make sure to leave the girls a note so they don’t worry if you don’t beat them home.”
“Good point.”
Brandon leaned in to kiss him. “Have a good day today. Good luck. Love you.”
Emotionally, Jeff felt lighter than he had in months. “Thanks. Love you, too.”
Stuart also kissed him and wished him well. By the time he was on his way to the dealership, a travel mug of coffee in hand, Jeff knew this was a great new start for him.
Carl was already at work when Jeff arrived. Twenty minutes later, Jeff was filling out forms and barely able to contain his smile.
Absolutely, he could work today. They were short-handed and needed the help.
Within an hour, he was familiarizing himself with the computer system. He already had experience with it from when he worked there before. Now he’d have to become an expert in parts instead of repairs.
He didn’t mind. It was a good challenge to have.
It was actually close to two o’clock when he finally clocked out after the other guy had a chance to go eat lunch.
“Thanks for coming in today,” he told Jeff. “This is great. Glad to have you back.”
“Feels good to be back.”
“Sorry you’ve got Lyme disease, but it’s nice having a guy behind the counter who understands repairs. It helps a lot. Especially when you have to deal with DIYers who don’t know the names of what they’re looking for.”
Jeff had already dealt with a couple of those that day, both on the phone and at the parts counter. The bulk of what he did was look up and pull stuff for the mechanics, or local repair shops, some of whom already had the parts numbers for what they needed.
When he returned home, Emma met him at the door. “Are you all right?” Grace watched from where she sat at the dining room table. It looked like they’d been working on their homework.
“I’m fine, sweetie. Didn’t you see my note?”
“Yeah, and I told Dad I’d rat you out if you had trouble.”
“I’m okay.” He grinned. “Had a great day. I’m going to go sit in the hot tub for a little while.”
His theory was if he proactively did that after getting home, maybe it would help him counteract the pain. He even did some light stretching while he was in there. He followed that by a few minutes in the pool to cool off, then grabbed a shower.
