Page 53 of To Belong Together
“Drink up.” The smallest favor John could do for Issy was make sure her father smelled like coffee instead of alcohol the next morning.
Tim stared into his mug, so still he’d either fallen asleep or had a worse headache than John did.
“What’s going on?”
As though the question had flipped a switch, Tim lifted the mug and sucked down half of the coffee. “You’re in the sticks. Something could happen to you and no one would know. We’re lucky you didn’t die in that wreck.”
“God protected me, not luck, and you didn’t go on a bender last night because of me.”
“Last night … I don’t make a habit of that.” Tim managed to square his shoulders, but his red eyes and nose undermined his attempt to look respectable.
John had known the man a long time, and he had to admit, their manager had never been a drunk. Still, John didn’t like his options. He planned to leave in less than an hour to pick up Erin. After car shopping, he’d have wedding events in Fox Valley the rest of the weekend. He hated the idea of canceling on Erin and couldn’t back out of the wedding. But the alternative was to leave Tim unsupervised. He’d agreed to let him stay because he suspected the man needed help, and last night proved he needed it more than John had realized.
Would Tim and Issy be okay alone all weekend?
“Don’t look at me like that.” Tim drained the mug.
“Take care of your daughter while I’m gone.”
Tim flipped his hand, brushing him off. “We’ve made it this far, haven’t we? Like I said, drinking’s not a habit.”
“If you start a new habit that harms Issy, I’ll be your worst enemy.”
Tim scrunched his forehead at John’s intensity.
Let him think what he wanted. John wouldn’t explain the history that fed the promise. All Tim needed to know was that he meant it, and from the look on his face, he did.
John’s phone vibrated in his sweatpants pocket. The text came from Erin.
Had to work this a.m. Can you pick me up from here?
Isabella came around the corner clad in pink polka-dot flannels.
Trigger and Camo rushed to greet her.
When she made it past the animals to the table, Tim smoothed his daughter’s hair and pulled her against his side in a brief hug.
She slid into a seat beside him. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Eggs, toast, or cereal.” John pointed to the location of each option.
Tim stood, already acting on his promise to care for his daughter, so John left to shower and get to Hartley.
Though twenty yardsof shop separated Erin from Sam, she saw his face redden with anger when he spotted her with a customer’s car in her stall. Time to park the finished vehicle and clean up to meet John.
At that thought, a nervous thrill zinged through her.
“What are you doing here?” Sam’s boots echoed the stomp of his words.
“You weren’t going to get everything done.” Her giddy joy over the plans with John balanced her annoyance with her cousin, and her tone came out even. “Why shouldn’t I pitch in?”
“You’re stealing work.”
“It was a timing belt.” She’d finished the four-hour job in two.
Sam might’ve broken even on the time, but he’d make more income with some of the other work on the docket.
Her calm demeanor didn’t rub off on Sam, who lined his voice with razor blades. “You can’t keep coming in and taking work. You think you’re the only one who needs a paycheck around here?”
