Page 84 of Grumpy Bear

“Coming through town.”

“You coming straight home?”

“Planning to. Why? You need me to stop somewhere?”

“No, no, no. I need you to get here.” His next big pause was borderline ominous. “Now.”

Oh, God. Could this day really be that bad? “I don’t even want to hear it. The creek can have the damn pool.”

“It’s not the creek, Sawyer.” His voice shifted from exasperated to soft. “Just get here. Come straight to the lodge.”

“You can’t just tell me what’s going on?”

“Not over the phone.”

“I swear to God, if this is about some vibes—”

“Shut the fuck up, and get your ass home.”

Driving through the campground when it was this empty normally filled me with a sense of relief, but today it all looked worn out. The begonias in the hanging baskets beside the gate were wilted. Overflowing trash cans left out in front of the RVs made the trailer park look shabby. One of the posts in the split rail fence behind the pool complex tilted like somebody must have backed into it over the weekend.

Work to do. Shit to fix.

I sat in my truck for a minute listening to the cooling engine tick. Plenty of times I’d jetted out of here on an impulse only to slink back with my tail between my legs, but that had always been about me. Nobody else. At least I’d only wasted a single day this time, right? Could’ve been worse.

I couldn’t think of anything worse.

The spotless guitar case with its stupid frilly oversized red bow sat there silently judging me.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do with you?”

With a sigh, I dragged it out of the seat and went inside to find out what fresh hell Jim couldn’t wait to add to my list.

When I walked into the lodge, Luke was sitting in the same spot where I’d seen him for the first time four days ago. Only now, the room was quiet, Jim’s voice a low serious rumble. There was none of the silliness and laughter and music I’d come to expect when they were together.

Goddamn, Luke was beautiful. The late afternoon light from the windows behind him fell across his shoulders. He was leaning forward, and his hair was down, hiding his expression. He was listening intently to Jim, picking at the calluses on his fingertips.

Shit. He hadn’t seen me yet. Maybe I could turn around and slip back out. Jim should have told me so I could drive around and cry in my fucking truck like a normal person. Alone. I didn’t have time to get this out, and I couldn’t swallow it. My throat ached with the effort.

All the miles and minutes getting used to breathing with my heart broken… I would have managed it. I would’ve gotten better at it. Eventually.

But the sheer relief of seeing him was like when you dive into water too deep, and the bottom you need to push off is farther down than you predicted, and for a few seconds, you panic thinking you really might not make it to the surface in time. And when you do, you gulp air. You heave with this combination of horror and joy. And there’s that desperate sound you can’t help but make.

If I opened my mouth right now, I would make that sound.

I set the guitar case by the front door as quietly as possible, buying myself a few more heartbeats without witnesses. It was enough to manage one word. “Hey.”

Jim turned, his expression wary.

Luke stood immediately, hands diving into his pockets. “Hi.”

I tried to make my voice light and casual. “What’s going on here?”

From the office, Karen Walker started barking, and Jim excused himself to go check on her. He raised his eyebrows at me as he went past. Don’t fuck it up.

Luke was only ten feet away. My careful breaths felt like they should be visible, like some tractor beam reaching out of my chest, wanting to drag him to me. I was afraid if it happened too fast the forcefield containing the fragile miracle of him being here might pop like a soap bubble and he’d disappear. “You left.” I meant the audition in Atlanta, but I thought he understood. He winced. He looked pained. He was also holding something back. “What happened?” That little dickhead Brad better not have tried to fuck him.

His neck flushed. “I just wanted to be here more than there.” His eyes opened wide with what looked like fear. “If that’s okay.”