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Mom’s voice carried from the living room. “Max? Is that you?”
“Yeah,” I grunted.
“We’re in here!”
“I’ve gotta take a shower,” I shouted. “I’ve been working all day.” I stacked my boots tidily on the rack and took in a deep, pained breath. Mom and Dad would expect me to at least fake smile at Mrs. Carter and be civil.
“Hi Mrs. Carter. How are you? Please excuse me.” That’s all I needed to say.
Padding along the wooden floor in my socks, I poked my head in the room. Mom was the first person I saw, sitting on the leather sofa next to Mrs. Carter, Dad in the recliner.
“Hi, hun,” Mom said, “look who’s here!”
That’s when my eyes caught the black and silver walking frame, and as I stepped further into the room, there was Phoenix, sitting on the dark blue velvet armchair that was usually kept in the front room.
My eyes boggled. Phoenix was here, home in Covington already!
“Isn’t it great?” Mom was saying.
Speechless, I wasn’t sure how to greet him. I wanted to hug him, but Phoenix was making no effort to stand up. He lifted his arm and we bumped fists.
“You gonna have that shower first?” he said, pretending to sniff an unpleasant odor in the air. Or maybe he wasn’t pretending.
“Hey, yeah. I will,” I said, grinning at him, taking him in. He’d had his hair cut, back to the way he liked it, short around the back, a little longer on top, a side parting. His skin was clear, the grazes and cuts all healed, his eyes brighter, his smile wide, a far cry from the last visit where he’d looked like a boy on the verge of giving up.
“Laura and Phoenix are staying for dinner,” Mom said, “so go on, hurry and wash up.”
“Okay,” I said, and turning back to Phoenix, I winked. “Don’t go anywhere now.” For a second, my heart thumped erratically, a brief regret that I had spoken without thinking. Yes, it was supposed to be a joke, but...things were different now.
“Yeah, well, just don’t make me come up those stairs to get you,” Phoenix retaliated, and reaching out, he pushed his frame toward me.
In that instant, I knew we were okay. I dramatically hobbled with it for several steps, then parked it out of his reach.
“Be back soon,” I said with a salute. He laughed out loud and I rejoiced that my best friend was back. Yes, everything had changed, Phoenix’s life was going to be different from now, but there was one thing that was certain—he was my best friend, and I would do anything for him.
Chapter 14
