Page 6 of To Belong Together
Gannon smiled ruefully. “Good point.”
Tim didn’t have faith and had even fewer meaningful relationships than John did. How had the man chased success for so long without seeing the emptiness of it?
John unsilenced his phone as they walked toward the living area of the house. One of his brothers-in-law had texted. Good. He’d needed the reminder of the family he did have.
Bachelor party for Tanner Saturday at 8. My place.
All the members of John’s immediate family were Christians. Whatever Robby’s idea of a bachelor party, it’d be tame, and John could use a visit home. He texted back that he’d be there, then stopped next to Gannon’s couch and glanced at the missed call log. Hirsh Auto Repair topped the list. He’d dropped the car off yesterday and hadn’t heard from them since. Either Erin had taken her time with the diagnosis and ignored his instructions to do the work without calling, or she’d finished the repair.
“How’d it go today?” Adeline rose from an overstuffed armchair. Behind her, the lake-facing windows framed a light-dotted obsidian landscape.
John lowered the phone. “Pretty well.”
Though she lived in her own house in Lakeshore, Addie looked at home in Gannon’s. She ought to, since he had given her equal say in the purchase. They weren’t engaged yet, but it was only a matter of time, and Gannon would’ve bought her a castle in the sky if she’d asked. Actually, he practically had, considering this house overlooked Lake Superior from a perch atop a one-hundred-foot-tall bluff.
What would it be like to have someone to share everything with like that? He’d have to find someone who wasn’t after his money the way Nicole had been, but once he did, he’d enjoy lavishing her with as many of her dreams-come-true as possible. If she wanted a house? Done—provided the Lord continued supplying the means long enough for him to find this mystery woman.
If she even existed.
Tonight, Addie wore a classy black lace dress and heels, a change from her usual jeans and T-shirts.
“Hot date?” John asked.
She grinned, and her gaze flitted to Gannon. The sparks between those two were the whole reason the band had moved. Gannon loved Adeline, whose home was here, more than any of them cared for LA. The couple would probably spend the meal discussing the music studio Adeline wanted to open to offer lessons to underprivileged kids. The idea was to launch it this year with Addie at the helm. Later, when her situation changed because she, say, married a rock star and wanted to go on tour with them, they’d hire someone to run the details while she transitioned into an advisory role with the non-profit.
Philip raised a hand and strode for the door. “See you.” He never dawdled after practice because his kids were home with a nanny, waiting for him.
Gannon slid his hand across Addie’s back and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.” He focused on John. “You could come.”
And be a third wheel?
“No, thanks.” He lit up the screen of his phone again, thumb hovering over the button to call voice mail. He’d rather find out if Erin had left the message herself.
Chuckling, Gannon left, and John looked up from the phone to find Addie studying him as if he were an enigma, not a guy she’d known since high school.
“What?”
“You really could come. I could invite Tara.” Hope lit her voice. Addie’s former roommate, Tegan, had moved away with her new husband, Drew. Since then, Addie had been growing closer to a friend from church. “She’s been having a really hard time since her breakup. You two are important to me and Gannon, and you might really like each other.”
“Gannon’s in on this?”
He’d never tried to set John up before. His involvement could indicate John seemed as pitiful to everyone as he’d felt when Erin thought he was joking about coffee.
Addie gave a sheepish smile. Didn’t really matter if Gannon was in on it. John had never been interested in Tara.
“I’ve got plans.” To check his voice mail and walk his dogs, but he kept that to himself.
Erin leanedto see around the driver’s headrest into the back seat of her car.
Dad sat behind her, a cloth in one hand, the spray bottle of window cleaner in the other. He wore a winter hat, jacket, and gloves because his garage wasn’t heated, and he’d become more sensitive to cold as his condition declined. Meanwhile, Erin stayed plenty warm in her uniform and Hirsh Auto jacket.
“How’s it going back there?” she asked.
“Good.” He passed his rag over the closest window.
The scent of the cleaning solution misted the air, but streaks marked his window. He used to insist on perfectly clear glass. But a job well done wasn’t the most important part of this project. She’d wanted him tofeelas if he’d accomplished something.
Something in the garage, like old times.
