The Crush

Mom nodded. “I would imagine with Nathan out of a job, she’ll be even more reluctant to think about quitting for the time being.”

“Yeah, even though he shouldn’t be her responsibility, I think he impacts a lot of her decisions. She likely would’ve moved away to go to school were it not for wanting to be here for him.”

“Maybe now you can be there for him, so she doesn’t have to be so much.” She smiled. “I’m biased in saying that, though. I was always happy that you had a chance to get out of Florida for a while, but I hope you’ll consider staying here this time. I can’t imagine living away from my only child forever.”

Cue the guilt trip.

“I can’t make any promises, Ma.”

“I understand. I know you loved your life in Charlotte.”

“Well, don’t underestimate the need to be around family. As much as I did love Charlotte, I was alone out there.” I laughed. “But if your family is a pain in the ass, that can be a good thing.” I looked over at my dad and raised an eyebrow.

“I hope we can somehow convince you to stay,” she said.

“I think a lot of that is going to be contingent upon whether or not I behave,” my father chimed in.

“Damn straight, old man.”

I was more concerned about whether or not he would survive the cancer. But I didn’t want him to know how worried I was. No matter how things with the company played out, I wouldn’t be leaving Palm Creek until I knew he was okay.

• • •

Road construction meant I had to take another route home from my parents’ house that evening. That wouldn’t have been a problem, except it forced me to take a path I typically avoided with all my might—the road where the robbery had happened seven years ago. I’d managed to bypass that stretch of road all this time, and now a detour had cruelly led me there.

My hands began to shake as I passed the spot where Farrah’s parents were murdered. I stepped on the accelerator to get through as quickly as possible. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I gripped the wheel.

When I finally made it past, my pulse slowed.

So much of everything in life was out of sight, out of mind. I’d somehow managed to compartmentalize things, even while living with Nathan and Farrah. Maybe it was easier because they didn’t live in the same house as they used to. But driving on that road had brought that terrible memory to the forefront. All the things I never wanted to remember flashed through my head: Elizabeth’s screams as her husband was shot dead. The smell of the gunfire as she was killed shortly after. The horrible aftermath as I called 911. I wouldn’t wish that experience on my worst enemy.

By the time I got back to the house, my nerves were shot. It felt like I’d run a marathon with a load of bricks on my back.

I made it inside but stayed in the kitchen, staring at the wall for a while. My mood brightened a bit when I caught the smile on Nathan’s face as he entered the house. He was wearing a dress shirt and tie, which was odd.

“What’s up?” I asked.

He spun around. “You’re looking at the newest sales associate at Billings Ford.”

I beamed. “You got it?”

“I did.”

Smacking him on the shoulder, I said, “Congratulations, man. My mother was just asking me about it, and I told her I didn’t even know if you’d called.”

“Called this morning, and they told me to come in this afternoon for an interview. Hired me on the spot.”

“Well, that’s the best damn news I’ve heard all day.”

He examined my face. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“You seemed like you were down when I first walked in.”

“Just work-related stress,” I lied. “That’s all.”

Imagine if I’d admitted everything that was bothering me today—not only the fact that I’d driven by the site where his parents were murdered, but also that I felt guilty because I came hard last night while imagining his little sister’s ass. Yeah. That probably wouldn’t go over too well.

“Let’s go grab a bite, get your mind off things,” he said. “To celebrate my new job, too. I don’t know where Farrah is, but no need to wait around.”

As much as I wanted to flee, because being around Nathan put me on edge, I forced myself to do the opposite. Nathan deserved better than a friend who wouldn’t celebrate his new job with him. Plus, it would be more time away from the house and a way to avoid a run-in with Farrah tonight.

I smiled. “You know what, man? That sounds really good. Let’s go.”

Nathan and I went to Applebee’s and enjoyed burgers and beers. We reminisced about our childhood. I even made a point to flirt back with the waitress to further deflect from what was going on in my head about Farrah. At least on the surface, it seemed like everything was normal. But inside, I still felt like I was on the brink of messing up.