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“Of course, of course,” she said. “I’m just so glad it’s you. I love you, Slate.”
He pressed his eyes closed, the burning sensation in them more than he could take. “I love you too, Momma.” He cleared his throat. “Tell Daddy I love him too.”
“I will, baby. I will.”
Slate wrapped up the call and collapsed back onto his bed. His chest rose and fell like it always did, but he knew he’d just done something great. He’d done something hard. He’d done something the Lord had prompted him to, and while he’d wondered what in the world was happening there for a moment, he had to believe God wouldn’t lead him astray.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Now, if you could tell me what to do about Jill, that would be amazing. Oh, and Luke too. The cabinetry. All of it. I could use help with all of it.”
Nothing else came to him though, and before he knew it, Luke was banging on the bathroom door and saying they had to get back to work.
Slate got up and answered the door. He looked right into the eyes of his best friend.
“Did you get my texts about the cabinetry call?” Luke asked. He was harsh in so many ways. He always said what was on his mind, and Slate had appreciated that in prison. Out in the real world though, he thought Luke could use some etiquette lessons.
“I got them,” Slate said. “I was at lunch with Jill.”
“Oh, right,” Luke said, as if he’d forgotten. He frowned and pushed his long hair back so he could properly seat his cowboy hat. “Well? What do you think?”
“I think…” Slate sighed. “I think you’re the one who likes building stuff.”
“You do too,” Luke said, his eyes wide. He looked at Slate again, the fear in his gaze right there. “I don’t want to go to Lubbock alone.”
“I know that,” Slate said. “So let’s talk to the guy tonight before we make any decisions, okay? It might not even be something you want to do.”
“It looks great online,” Luke argued.
Slate sighed and picked up his cowboy hat from the bed. He led the way out into the hallway, with Luke still detailing how “great” everything looked about the custom cabinetry apprenticeship online. Luke tended to get carried away with things he didn’t know much about, and he’d pull back once all the real details came out.
So Slate let him talk, and he said he’d join the call at six-thirty that night. Meanwhile, he needed to talk to Ginger about some time off to go see his parents. He needed to ask Jill out again. He needed to talk to Granddaddy about why he hadn’t wanted to meet Jill. And he needed a firm, foolproof strategy for going to Austin andnotcontacting anyone he’d known in his previous life.
