Page 79 of The Last Guy On Earth
“Will Toby be okay?” she manages.
“Yeah,” I grunt. “He’s…yeah. If you call him, he’ll even be great.”
“I’ll do it. Tomorrow. At 3:30.”
“We’re an hour behind,” I grit out. “He needs to hear your voice.”
“Okay,” she squeaks. “I don’t know how to look him in the eye. I can’t tell him the truth—that I always thought he’d be better off without me.”
“That isnottrue.”
“Careful, Jethro. You must have thought it sometimes.”
“Well…” This conversation is killing me. “It’s been hard watching you self-destruct for twenty years. I never know what to think.”
“I know,” she says quickly. “We’ve, um, talked about that a lot here. I’m working on it.”
All the fight drains out of me, and I sag against the wall. “Okay. I’m sure you’re trying.”
“You don’t have to be sure,” she says. “But I’m still doing it anyway. Now I got to go. Good comeback tonight. Sorry you didn’t get the win.”
“I’ll live.”
“Jethro, I love you. Just wanted you to know that.”
My throat closes up. “Love you, too, Shel.”Even when it’s hard.
We fly home late. Sagging in my seat on the jet, I get messages from three people.
First there’s Toby. He congratulates me on the game.Too bad you didn’t get the win, he says, echoing his mama exactly.
I tell him thanks. And I tell him he’s up too late.
Idon’ttell him that I talked to his mom. Shelby has spent the last couple of decades failing to keep her promises. It’s better not to get his hopes up.
This time, though, it feels different. I want it to be different. For both of them.
The second text is from Doc Baker.
God that was fun to watch. But this doesn’t mean we’re done. Gonna be asking you about that vision board.
I’ll get right on it.
The third one is from Clay, who is texting me from somewhere on this same jet.
Are you all right?
I’m fine. Dealing with some sister drama.
Is Shelby okay?
I close my eyes and wonder what to say. I’m trying to be as honest with him as I can, so he’ll know that I’m trying with him. But some shit is so ugly that I’ve always hidden it from him.
When we lived together, I used to listen to you talk to your sister on the phone. And I was so jealous of how easy it sounded. Mine was always in trouble. I’ve bailed her out my whole life, but she and I could never just talk.
I’m lucky. Kait and I are close. But don’t forget I have two brothers I barely know.
Yeah, okay. But there was a lot of pain I might have avoided if I were better at dealing with her feelings.
