Page 88 of Give In To Love
Jimmy wasquiet over the next couple of days. He’d dropped me off at Gram’s after dinner Sunday, insisting that while he was upset, he would be okay. He’d said he needed some quiet time to process after all that had happened over the last couple of days. He’d kissed me sweetly, and then I’d gotten out of the car and watched him go, feeling like he’d taken my heart with him.
He’d seemed a little better at school the following day, holding my hand at lunch and later coming into my classroom for a quick hug when students hadn’t been around. I’d offered to take him out for dinner after school, but he’d said he needed to get back to the apartment to do more packing. When Tuesday produced more of the same, I found myself cruising down the county highway after school, heading toward Brinkley.
I pulled into the drive of Sammy’s shop a little after four o’clock. The large garage door stood open, presumably to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather. The trees surrounding the property had started to turn to golds, oranges, and reds, shining vibrantly on what was an otherwise unassuming building. As I stepped out of the car and shut the door, a golden retriever that had been sunning itself on the concrete hopped up to greet me, wagging its entire body happily and rubbing against my legs.
I gave it some love as I peered into the darker opening of the garage, trying to adjust my eyes from the light outside to the darker shop. I’d wrestled with the decision to come here. Jimmy had proven time and time again that he could handle himself and didn’t need me to fight any battles for him. But that wasn’t really why I was here. I’d felt compelled to meet Sammy on my own and let him see for himself just who I was and how much Jimmy meant to me.
I stepped inside the garage, hovering in the doorway, looking for signs of Sammy. I’d reached out to Will, who’d let me know Sammy would be here, and I was sure he wouldn’t have left the shop wide open if he wasn’t. I hesitated to go farther inside, not wanting to disturb his work area, so I called out instead. I wasn’t sure if he heard me or if it was a coincidence, but Sammy stepped through a door at the back, pulling up short when he caught sight of me. His posture went rigid but then relaxed as if resigned to a conversation he didn’t necessarily want to have. At least he no longer appeared hostile.
He crossed to where I was standing, pulled his hair loose, smoothed it back, and then secured it with the hair tie again. “Why don’t you come on back to the apartment. If we’re doing this, I want a drink.”
My brows shot up in surprise, but I nodded and followed him back through the door he’d just come from. “Goldie,” he called out, whistling for the dog, who happily trotted over to join us. “She’s Will’s, but she comes out to the shop with me while he’s at work.”
“She seems like a sweetheart,” I said, following him into the apartment attached to the back of the garage.
It wasn’t a large space, laid out studio style with a living area on one side featuring a flat-screen TV and a loveseat, and a large bed on the other end of the space, with a beautiful mixed-metal art piece hanging on the wall above. Along the wall that ran the length of the entire apartment was a door that looked like it led to a bathroom, a small kitchenette, and a countertop that also served as a small bar.
“Did you make that?” I asked, gesturing toward the artwork above the bed. “It’s gorgeous.”
“No. I commissioned it from a friend.” Goldie climbed up on the couch and curled herself into a ball while Sammy moved to a mini fridge underneath the countertop and pulled out a beer. “Can I get you anything? I have beer, pop, water? Something harder?”
“Just a water is fine.”
He handed over the water and gestured for me to sit on one of the stools while he took one on the other end. “Will says I owe you an apology.” He gave me an assessing look as he took another sip of his beer.
“What do you think?”
“I think I’m still trying to figure that out.”
I chuckled, appreciating his honesty. “I don’t need an apology. That’s not why I’m here.”
He cocked his head. “Then why are you?”
“I asked myself that all the way over here. Especially considering I wasn’t sure if I was entering a hostile environment. Thought I might get kicked off the property.”
“I can still make that happen…” He lifted a brow, but I could see humor in his eyes that were so similar to Jimmy’s.
“I just wanted a chance to get to know you. And maybe for you to get to know me without the pressure of other people around.”
“Does Jimmy know you’re here?”
“No.” His brows shot up. “He’s hurting, Sammy. You have to know fighting with you like that is stressful for him. I didn’t want to add to his worry. At least not before I knew how this would go.” I returned his pointed look.
He sighed, standing and pacing. “I’m not a bad guy.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
He turned and gave me an assessing look as he leaned against the side of the couch. “I’m assuming you know what a shitty mom we had?”
“I know she abandoned you when you were eighteen and he was fifteen. And that you pretty much raised him, even before she left.”
“Then you understand why I’m protective of him.”
“I do.”
He took another swig of his beer and started picking at the label. “Our childhood fucked us both up, but in different ways. Some of which I’m only now getting a handle on, thanks to Will.”
He got up, finished the beer, then tossed it in the trash before returning to lean against the couch again. I didn’t say anything, waiting for him to continue.
