The clouds moved in front of the sun, and gone was the hope of a beautiful mansion and in its place was half-burnt down home that looked haunted and dead. With a sigh, I ducked my head into the cab and buckled up.
Ethan put the truck in reverse, and before I knew it, we were back on the road and heading further into town. A light mist of rain started to fall, but it wasn’t enough to turn on the wipers. Rain, another thing that reminded me of Luna. She loved to stand in the rain and feel it on her face; at least she did when she was younger.
It was frustrating.
Fucking everything in existence reminded me of her. When would it end? I leaned my head against the window, and Ethan turned on country music, so we weren’t sitting in silence. See, I didn’t mind the silence. I could sit in quiet all day and be at peace, but words were the ones that caused me strife. A word could ruin peace.
The hum of the tires had my eyes feeling heavy, but there was no time to be tired today, not when I had a twenty-four-hour shift ahead. Ethan slowed the truck when the Lowe’s sign came into view, and the decrease in speed helped me wake up.
Plus, there was something about going to Lowe’s that got my blood pumping. I loved the smell of it in there, the wood, the plants— it was a man’s haven. We drove by the sheds and trailers, and I made a mental note that I would like one of each, but I wanted to build a shed instead. I loved projects.
Ethan parked further in the back and took up two spots since the truck was big. We climbed out, and I unzipped my duffel to grab my jacket when a shiver worked its way over my skin.
“Oh, look. Mr. Nightingale is here.”
I followed Ethan’s finger, where he pointed and flipped my collar to keep my neck warm. My heart stuttered when I saw the familiar red Lexus SUV. I suddenly didn’t want to go inside Lowe’s because if we saw him, he might punch me in the face. The man hated me, probably more than he hated his cancer, and that was saying a lot considering cancer was deadly.
“Maybe you could go price the lumber. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the truck.”
“Get your ass in gear and stop being a pussy.” Ethan fisted my jacket and shoved me forward, causing me to stumble.
“Alright, alright, but if I die here, you know why,” I said, tugging my jacket straight since he caused it to be crooked.
“Dude, he has cancer. Do you think he has the strength to punch you? If he did, I would be impressed, and I’d watch you get your ass kicked by someone twice your age.”
“He hasn’t talked to me since I was fourteen, and the last time I tried a few years back, he slammed the door in my face.”
“Do you blame him? You were the biggest asshole. The asshole of assholes to his baby girl. His one and only daughter. The light of his damn life—”
“Okay, I get it. I feel guilty enough.”
“You should,” he said, but his tone was different, angry, as if he still hadn’t forgiven me either. I know he helped Luna after the shit in high school, and they had become close. Were they still? I wouldn’t know since he didn’t talk about her, but what if they fell in love? What if Ethan was Luna’s first?
Just the thought had my fists clenching. I was no saint, but Luna was mine. My brother’s knew that. There was a code, and I hoped like hell Ethan followed it because if I found out he went behind my back to steal my girl, I’d never forgive him.
Even if it would be my fault.
The automatic doors opened, and a burst of heat slid over me. It felt good. Damn, the weather was changing quickly, and it was only a matter of time before the rain turned to snow. Ethan and I always started off by the lawnmowers and worked our way down to the lumber section.
We liked the build-up and saved the best for last.
“Are we going to paint the walls in the cabin or leaving them as logs?”
“I’d like to leave them as logs, but honestly, I’m not sure if that’s smart considering how cold it is. We need to make sure it’s insulated.”
“Let’s look at paint colors.” Ethan guided us toward the aisle where the paint swabs were, and then he spun around on his heel, slamming right into my chest.
“Dude, you okay?”
“Actually, let’s go look at lights or fans. This aisle is slammed. Let’s go.” He tried to push me out of the aisle and into the next one over, and I started laughing from his outrageous behavior.
“We are here, it’s fine. Let’s just get this over with.”
“No, dude, it’s fine. It was stupid, let’s go.” He grabbed my arm, and I yanked it away. “What is your deal?”
He was acting strange.
He leaned down and angrily whispered, “I just don’t want to be in this aisle, let’s go. Come on, man.” He had a pleading look in his eyes, one that told me that he was serious.