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“Yeah.” Lachlan smiled, and it might’ve been the first real one that didn’t also sting when thinking back to living in his tent and being without a home. “He was persistent.”
“Tell me about it. One night there was this horrible storm,” I began, and as I was recounting the story of Oscar escaping to find Lachlan, his cell rang.
He glanced at it with a furrowed brow, then stood to take the call. “Be right back.”
I watched him stride toward the exit, likely so he could hear better. I was distracted, wondering if it was bad news or good. Or hell, maybe it was only a telemarketer.
“I can see how much you care about him,” Marcie said, then looked away guiltily. “I’m glad you were there for him.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you’re back in his life. He needed a friend.”
“I’m glad too. I just…” Her shoulders slumped. “I wonder if there’s anything more I can do.”
I twirled the ice in my drink. “What do you mean?”
“Not sure, exactly.” She drained her wineglass. “I don’t know if Clint will bring charges against you for the dog bite, but if anyone needs a character witness, I’ll be there.”
“That’s very kind,” I said just as Lachlan returned to the table, looking a bit dazed.
“Everything all right?” I asked, trying to temper my worried tone.
“Actually, yes. You’re not going to believe this.” He bounced into his seat as if the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. “That was Officer Holt. They found video proof of the assault.”
“No way!” We high-fived, unable to hold back our relief. “That’s good news.”
“Assault?” Marcie asked warily.
“That’s a whole other story,” Lachlan replied with a hollow laugh.
“Wait.” She lifted a finger. “This deserves more wine.”
37
LACHLAN
My restaurant shift on Friday ended after midnight. I was tired, messy, and ready to crawl into bed beside a warm, sexy man. But it was honest work, and receiving my first paycheck felt amazing, even if it wouldn’t help me beyond the necessities. Still, that was way more than I’d had even a month ago.
We hadn’t discussed our living arrangements again, mostly because I was torn. What mattered to me the most was having agency over my life, regardless of where I lived, and though I trusted Foster to respect my boundaries, I didn’t know if I trusted myself enough to know the difference.
So instead of talking about it with him, I began weighing the pros and cons. The options of where I could live with my current paycheck were dismal, but anything was a step above a tent on the street. If I could get through that, I could get through any conditions. Unless it was complete squalor. In that case, I’d choose my tent.
My best bet was moving out of the city to low-income housing and taking the bus to work. No way I wanted to return to Akron or be that far away from Foster—or Oscar, for that matter. I wanted them in my life. I wanted everything with them, but it was all right to take our time. Hadn’t Foster been saying that to me for weeks?
As it stood now, our schedules were mismatched, and I saw Oscar more than Foster most days. We treasured the nights I had off. I’d make dinner, and we’d spend quality time together, and it was difficult to think of giving that up.
I stifled a yawn at the crosswalk, then fished out my phone. There were a couple of texts from Foster telling me he was headed to bed and that leftovers were in the fridge. There was also a message from an unknown number, so I hit Play and lifted the phone to my ear as I walked across the street.
“Hey, Lachlan, this is Carlos from Urban Cuts. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but we had a water leak at the shop and some cleaning up to do. There’s always something. Anyway, if you still want the job, it’s yours.” My heart was beating out of my chest. “We’re pretty informal here, so either call or come by the shop to discuss the pay and hours.”
I listened to the message two more times, so many emotions crowding my chest. I’d wanted that offer so fucking much but thought that ship had sailed. I didn’t want to leave the restaurant in a bind, so we’d work something out after I gave my notice. Suddenly, I had too many job opportunities. Life was so fucking strange sometimes.
I keyed into the apartment and then jumped in the shower to wash off all the grease and grime. The water only energized me, so it was hard to stay quiet by the time I padded to Foster’s room.
“Sorry,” I whispered when Oscar lifted his head from his perch at the foot of the bed. I slid under the sheets and sighed at the feel of Foster’s warm, bare form beside me.
