“You weren’t. You were part of the team.” I reach over and take her hand. “Ruth loved you. The food was a hit. We did it.”
She squeezes my hand back. “We did.”
“Are you hungry? We can stop for food.”
“No. I just want to sleep. For a week.”
I laugh softly. “I know the feeling.”
The drive to her house is short. The town is quiet, the streetlights reflecting off the snow. I pull up to the curb outside Jude’s place.
“Thanks for the ride, Eli,” she says, turning to me. “And… thanks for checking on me earlier. In the office. It meant a lot.”
“Always, sweetheart.”
I lean over and kiss her. She tastes so good. I takes all my effort to pull back, brushing a stray hair away from her puffy eye.
“Go inside. Get some sleep.”
“Good night, Eli.”
“Good night.”
The drive back to the specialty market feels quicker than my drive there earlier. I pull up to the back entrance, my hands gripping the wheel a little too tight. I jog inside, ignoring the chill, and find Robert at the counter.
“Told you I would be back.”
Robert waves a dismissive hand, a small smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “Don’t worry about it, Eli. I knew you were good for it.”
I pay him with the cash I have on hand, making a note to transfer the rest immediately. The drive home is longer in the opposite direction, giving me too much time to think.
My mind replays the image of Amber in the office—her red, puffy eye, the bandage on her arm, the shame in her voice when she called herself an idiot.
It makes my chest hurt. I should have been there. I shouldn’t have left.
My phone buzzes in the cupholder.
Amber: I’m so tired I think I left my brain on the counter. I left my car at the restaurant. I’ll pick it up tomorrow.
Eli: I can drive it to you. It’s no trouble.
Amber: No, you go home. Relax. You’ve been running all day. I’ll pick it up tomorrow after work. I’ll have my brother drop me off in the morning.
I stare at the screen, my thumb hovering over the keys.
I want to be the one to take her home. I want to tuck her in and make sure she puts more burn gel on her arm. I want to hold her until the tension drains out of her shoulders.
But she’s right. I’m dead on my feet. I’ve been running on fumes and adrenaline since five this morning.
Eli: Okay. Call me if you need anything. Sleep well.
I toss the phone onto the passenger seat and turn onto the main road. The snow has started falling again, heavy wetflakes that stick to the windshield. By the time I pull up to the converted warehouse, the world is white and muffled.
I let myself in the back door, shaking the snow from my coat. The living area is dimly lit, illuminated only by the glow of the massive flat-screen TV.
The sound of gunfire and explosions fills the high ceilings, punctuated by the rapid clicking of controller buttons.
“Hey guys.”
