Adrenaline

Walking up to Emmit, I grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him against the wall. “Shut the fuck up, Emmit or I swear I’ll punch you.”

He never once made a move to stop me. “Why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re pissed off, Wallace?”

I pushed him as hard as I could before turning and grabbing the dog’s leash. “Please be gone by the time I get back.”

Emmit grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “Don’t let her go. I’ve made the mistake of letting the woman I loved go and lost out on so much time. Trust me, Malcolm, you’ve got to let the guilt of Casey and the past go and look at what you have waiting for you now.”

Yanking my arm free, I turned away from him and pushed the door open. I needed air to breathe. Emmit was right behind me as I dragged in a deep breath of air.

I stared off toward the lights of the track as I slowly shook my head. “I’m no good for her. I’ll end up hurting her again and I’d rather die than see that look in her eyes like I saw before she left.” Looking over my shoulder at Emmit, I whispered, “If I stay away from her . . . I can’t hurt her.”

Emmit called out my name as I quickly started walking away with Deuce.

“SO, DO YOU WANT TO tell me what’s on your mind, Paislie?”

I looked at Elizabeth with a questioning look. “Nothing. Why?”

She shrugged and replied, “Let’s see, where should I start? You’ve been coming to mass for the last few Sundays. I’ve found you sitting in that same pew at least once a week with your head bowed down in prayer for the last month, you look like you’ve lost about ten pounds, you have dark circles, and your eyes hold a look of sadness.”

I snarled my lip at her as she talked.

“Shall I keep going?”

Shaking my head, I said, “No. Please stop before you really depress me more than I already am.”

She bit out a laugh then took a drink of her tea.

I pushed my food around on my plate before peeking back at her. “My eyes look sad?”

With a nod, she took a bite of her chicken potpie. “Yep.”

“How do you know it’s sad? Maybe I’m just tired from working this week.”

Her head snapped up as she peered at me. “I know sadness when I see it. It’s a look I’ve seen many times in my own eyes.”

My breath stalled as I chewed the corner of my lip. “Elizabeth, do you regret—”

“No.”

My mouth dropped open. “You don’t even know what I was going to ask you!” I exclaimed.

“I do. You were going to ask if I regretted becoming a nun. You always ask me that when you think I’ve been locked away for years crying my eyes out from a long lost love.”

Dropping back in my seat, I stared at her. “Father Tim.”

Her gaze fell.

I knew it!

I knew she had feelings for him.

“Does he feel the same way about you?” I asked as I reached across the table for her hand.

Her silence was my answer.

“Elizabeth, you can’t go through life denying how your heart feels.”

She laughed and shook her head. “I’m not sure I should be taking advice from someone who clearly is hiding from her own feelings.”