Half a beer later, I’m sitting beside him with my legs outstretched in the sun, catching him up on my time in Inner Shores.Everything except Chloe.I know if I bring her up, Leo’s going to say things I’m not ready to hear.The guy can read me like a book.
We talk a bit about what he’s been up to—mostly surface-level stuff—and I help out with the BBQ until it’s time to eat.His friends that arrive are thankfully easy to chat with, and before I know it, they’ve all said their goodbyes, leaving Leo and me on the back deck as the sun hangs low in the sky.
“It’s really good to see you,” he says again, lifting his water bottle to his mouth.“When do you go back to work?”
I groan.“Don’t remind me.Michael wants me there tomorrow.”I fill him in on the drama with the other foreman, and how I’ve been called in earlier than expected.
A small smirk tugs at his lips.“I can see why you’re not exactly counting the hours to get back.”
I sit up straighter, reminded that I have the luxury of returning to a job I’ve done for years, while he can’t.Man, I can be such a thoughtless idiot.
Leo shakes his head before I can reply.“I don’t blame you,” he says.“I miss working, but I don’t miss being on those building sites.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, man.I hated that shit.”He laughs.“The hours, the noise, the dirt everywhere.And don’t get me started on the cubs these days.They hammer one nail and expect a promotion.”
One corner of my mouth lifts.“It hasn’t been the same lately, that’s for sure.”
Leo meets my gaze, and I hope he can read what I mean.It’s been tough working those grubby building sites without him there, cracking inside jokes and sharing the headaches.
“We had some good times,” he says.
A lump rises in my throat as he gives me a wistful smile.I sense an opportunity that may not come around again.
“Leo...”
He sits forward slightly.
“I…” My voice snags in my throat.“I want to say I’m… I’m sorry.”
His brow furrows.“For what?”
For everything.
“For not being there when… when it happened,” I reply.“For the accident, I mean.For not preventing it.I got distracted.And then I… I fell asleep.”I shake my head at myself, my throat clogging.
Surprise flickers over his features.“Hey, that wasn’t your fault.Michael had you doing way too much for one person.And as for the sleep, all you did was take a break.One you seriously needed.I still remember how exhausted you were that day.You looked like shit.”
A choked laugh rattles out of me as I lift my face to meet his gaze.Leo isn’t on the verge of tears like I am.He looks calm, composed, and kinda sorry for me.
“Ethan, it wasn’t all on you.And we’ve talked about this before.What brought it up again now?”
“I don’t know.I just… I know I’ve been distant and awkward since then.”I glance down.“And I’m really sorry for that.”
Leo doesn’t rush to tell me it’s okay.He just watches me, his jaw tight, like he’s deciding whether to say something he’s held back for a long time.
“You have been distant,” he admits after a pause.“And I’m not gonna lie.That hurt.”
His honesty knocks the air out of my lungs.I look away, blinking rapidly to keep it together.“I know,” I say, swallowing hard.“And thatisall on me.I shouldn’t have acted like that.At all.I’m sorry I’ve been so fucking weird.”
He lets my words sink in, then a hint of warmth flickers in his eyes.“Ethan, you were always fucking weird.”
Another chuckle slips past my lips.
He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees.“Look, I know that some things are different now.And yes, that matters.I can’t do everything the way I used to and it’s important you understand that.”He gives me a small nod.“But I assure you: I can still shoot the shit with you anytime, and talk about all the people we’ve worked with whom we can’t stand.So, nothing’s changed there.”
Another laugh comes from my throat, and he joins in.God, I love this guy.
