Page 53 of Salvage Him
Eleven
Harrison
Ihadn't seenBrooklyn in a few days. When I spotted her husband's Hummer in the driveway, I thought all kinds of thoughts. None ofthemgood.
I parkedbehindit.
Maybe Brooklyn used his car. As soon as I stepped inside, his high pitch voice ground the nerves behindmyeyes.
"Yeah, Mike. Hopping on a plane in a couple of hours. I just needed to take care of some stuffathome."
I slammed thedoorhard.
He turnedtowardme.
"No, Brooke's fine. She's playing housewife really nice down here. Staying out of the wayanyway."
I gave him a head nod as a way of saying hello and continued to the kitchen. The guys were scheduled to install the cabinets, and I had to make some adjustments before theyarrived.
"Don't worry about it. She's not going to find out. It has nothing to dowithher."
His steps smacked against the wooden stairs as hecamedown.
The fucker had better not scratch my stairs. Those things wereperfect.
He turned the corner into the kitchen and held uphishand.
I keptworking.
"Yeah. Just hold tight. I'll stop in New York to get some stuff, and I'll be back there in a few days." He hung up the phone and cleared histhroat.
I continued working, not ignoring him, but if he had something to say to me, he didn't need me to lookathim.
"I'm sorry. What was your name again?" heasked.
The fucker knewmyname.
"HarrisonCrawford."
"Oh, right." He nodded and ran his hands over the granite counter. "I knowyourdad."
I nodded and checked the levels of the mounts for thecabinets.
"I'm curious, why you didn't go into the family business?" Paulasked.
I turnedtohim.
He took a couple ofstepsback.
He was such a fuckingweasel.
"Not my thing." I shrugged myshoulders.
"Oh. Yeah, well, it's not easy, I assure you. Have to go to the right schools, have the rightconnections.”
I nodded again and turned back tothewall.
The fucker didn't know a thingaboutme.
