Page 85 of Missile Tow
“Van, please,” I begged. “You’ve lost your senses. Did you hear him back there?”
“I did,” he acknowledged.
“He’s rude and arrogant, and… and, well, I don’t like him.”
“True. He can be all those things, but when he realizes he’s essentially stranded, he’ll change his tune.”
While dealing with a massive desirenot to haveto deal with Van’s ex, it suddenly hit me. I locked eyes with the man I fiercely wanted to be with. I saw myself loving and protecting this sweet man with all my might. But a far more serious reality hit me right between the eyes.
“Why is Evan here?”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: Van
“Give me your keys,” Chip said, flashing me a look that said he wanted to leave Evan right where he was.
“They’re in the Mercedes,” Evan snapped. “And don’t get grease on the leather seats, chump.” Evan turned to me. “Is he going to get my interior dirty?”
“I’m standing right here, asshole. I can hear you,” Chip snarled.
I hurried down the embankment to assist Chip. “Where are you going, Vance?” Evan asked, pointing toward the idling tow truck. “Let’s get in his warm truck. He can do what I’m paying him to do.”
“I’m going to help him.”
“Are you insane? We’ll get your vehicle next, and then we can figure out how to get out of this hellhole and back to civilization.”
Chip walked up the incline and stood in front of Evan. “What is your problem?” he demanded. “Because you’re two seconds away from me leaving your ass for the second and final time.”
Evan exchanged glances with me, and in hisI’m better than everyone elseapproach, took a step closer to Chip. “I’m not sure where your lack of respect comes from, country boy, but I’ll surely have your job by the end of this night. You can take that to the bank.”
“Seriously?” Chip replied, inching closer to Evan. “Would you like your ass kicked? Because you can take that to the bank.”
“Go ahead. I’ll sue you so badly you’ll be begging for pennies.”
I stepped between them, moving my hands behind my back, trying to find Chip’s. Chip grabbed my hand and stepped beside me. Evan’s eyes moved to our interlocked hands and then to mine. He looked mortified.
His surprised appearance quickly turned nasty. “No fucking way!” he stated. “With him?”
I held Chip back, possibly for the final time. Even I was at my wits’ end with Evan’s behavior. “What are you doing here?” I asked him.
He glared at Chip before returning his eyes to me. “I came to get you,” he answered. “John mentioned you were stranded in his hometown, or some shit like that.”
“I was,” I confirmed. “Initially,” I added. “And John is in Missile now, too.”
“Whatever,” he dismissed. “John can stay here for all I care. But you’re too good for Montana. I mean, really, Vance, what were you thinking?”
“I was thinking,” I began, barely maintaining my anger. “That, for one, I was a free man. And two, I was heading to Denver in search of a job. After dumping me, had you spoken to me in the past year, you would’ve known what was going on in my life.”
In his typicalmaybe you should read the room before speakingbehavior, he revealed some truth. “I was barely hanging onto a new relationship.”
“Got it!” I confirmed. “So, of course, why be kind to the ex who lived next door? And yet, here you are.”
“I made a mistake, for god’s sake,” he protested. “We’ll get counseling, or some shit. You can try harder.”
I practically spit bullets. “Ican try harder?”
“Sure,” he agreed. “I might have made a mistake or two, but you needed to get your head out of the clouds. And now, I figure you’ve grown from the experience of our being separated.”
Chip stood silently. I couldn’t tell if he still wanted to kill Evan or if he felt sorry for him. Chip turned to me as if to ask permission to share his opinion. I nodded slightly.
