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Bear sighs. “Youarea good man.”
“Still not good enough, apparently. This town won’t give me a job.”
“You’re both adults now. Can’t nobody tell you shit,” Bear points out.
“You better worry about your own love life.” I grin and set my water back down, changing the subject.
“What love life?” He grunts. “Why, you know any single ladies?”
I laugh. “They seem to line up to get their fluids topped off repeatedly. Stick around and find one.”
“That’s a strange metaphor for getting laid,” he mumbles, looking at me weirdly.
“It’s not a metaphor. They literally want their fluids topped off five times a month.”
“Oh, like literal fluids? Not…”
“Bear,” I groan. “No. Gross.”
He laughs. “Just giving you shit. I need one willing to date a biker.”
“Well, that’s on you. I’m not a matchmaker. Go down to Baked Inn Love, and that’s where they all hang out.”
“SJ!” my dad yells down from his office.
I swing around and look up, and he’s got his phone to his chin, holding up my phone, which is lit up with an incoming call. He puts his phone aside and says, “Your phone’s blowing up. You better come check these messages.” He looks concerned.
I take the stairs to the office and reach for the phone I’d left up there charging. I scroll through the messages, and my heart drops. No, no, no. I drop my head and scrub my hand over my face.
I stare down and hang my head. Pressure builds in my chest, feeling tight and unable to breathe.
“You good?” Dad asks, standing next to me, his hand on my shoulder.
“No. My Army buddy Sparks died. That was his mom messaging and calling me. I need to get out to Oregon.” I cover my mouth with my hand, wishing I didn’t have to say those words out loud.
“I’m sorry.” He squeezes my shoulder, concerned. “Take as much time as you need.”
“I’ll keep you updated.” I head down to grab my keys and coat.
“I heard that,” Bear says. “I’m sorry. You need help with anything?”
“Can you keep an eye on Rook and the cabin while I’m gone? I’ll be out of town for a few days.”
Bear nods. “Will do.”
I head out and make the drive home. I don’t even remember how I got there. I was on autopilot and feel numb. He was killed in a car accident. We did all that time together and went through hell on back-to-back deployments, only for him to make it back home and have it all end before he could even live his life. I shake my head and punch the steering wheel. “Dammit!” I scream. I should have called him more. Hot, angry tears streak my cheeks.
I walk out to my porch that overlooks the mountains. My heart is so heavy with sadness. Sadness I’ve fought hard to overcome. I’ll never understand some things and why they happen. Sometimes we’re not meant to understand them. I miss my friend, and I won’t ever have the chance to have a beer or go on a hike with him. He’ll never come to see my new cabin we talked about together. We had plans for him to visit as soon as I finished it. Now that’ll never happen, and I can’t wrap my head around this.
I pack a bag quickly, book my flight, then sit and think about everything that has happened over the past decade. I send out a quick text to Coach to let him know I’ll be out this week.
Jesus, I can’t bury any more of my friends. I hate this.
eighteen
Callie
Then
