Next to Never (Fall Away #4.5)

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“That’s not the ten millimeter!” I hear Jared yelling when I walk into his shop.

“You told me to get the eight millimeter!”

“The eight won’t fit.”

“Didn’t I tell you that?” Madoc bellows back, and I hear tools clank as I come through the large room.

Jared, Madoc, and Jax are all crowded around a Chevy SS, the hood popped open, no tires, and a missing windshield. Madoc is still dressed in his suit; however, the jacket and tie are gone and his shirttails are hanging out.

“It’s okay,” Jax tells him, coming up behind him and squeezing his shoulders, trying to calm him down. “Relax.”

Madoc shakes his head, pain written all over his face. “My kid doesn’t want to live in my house anymore.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that,” Jared says. “Give him time.”

I guess they all came here to blow off some steam after the scene at the station. Under the hood of a car is the one place they find their center.

“Hey,” I say gently, making myself known. I’d planned on Jared being here, but I was glad I’d found all three of them.

“How did you get here?” Jax asks, knowing I don’t have a car.

I won’t tell him I rode my bike at midnight.

Ignoring him, I reach into my satchel and pull out the Internet printouts I gathered at home and hand them to Jared.

“What’s this?” He takes the papers and starts skimming them.

“It’s a list of event coordinators. Your expo in Chicago is way too much of a time commitment, and one of them will do a much better job than I will.”

He narrows his eyes, finally looking up at me.

“I love you guys,” I tell them, “but I have other plans for the summer. I’ll be around, but I won’t always be available. And honestly, the expo is stressful. I’m sorry.”

Jared gives a half-smile. “Of course it’s stressful. That’s why I push it off on you or Pasha,” he tells me. “But it’s fine. I just like having you around. I’ll make do.”

He leaves a quick peck on my forehead and folds the papers, sticking them in his back pocket.

Thank God. I guess I should’ve known Jared would be understanding. He’s a firm believer in people doing exactly what they want to do.

I turn to Madoc. “And I will volunteer ten hours a week this summer, but I’m not interning, and I’m not on a schedule, okay?”

He shrugs, looking like his mind is on a million other things. “Okay.”

I glance at Jax. “And Hawke can coordinate the fireworks show,” I tell him. “He needs some responsibilities.”

Jax runs his hand through his hair, looking tired but in complete agreement. Hawke is allowed to roam at his own free will. A little routine wouldn’t hurt him, and Jax knows that.

“Are you okay?” Madoc asks.

“Yeah.” I nod. “How long are you guys going to be here?”

Madoc sighs, tossing down his wrench. “I’m on my way out. Fallon just texted and Hunter’s not home yet, so . . .”

“I’ll be here until this is done,” Jared answers, gesturing to the car. “Maybe an hour, but now that Madoc is leaving, it should go faster.”

“Blow me,” Madoc mumbles and walks over to the toolbox and grabs his jacket lying on top.

I jerk my thumb behind me, toward the door. “I’m going to head down the street . . . check something out,” I tell Jared. “I’ll be back soon. Can you give me a ride home?”

Yeah,” he says.

I wait until I’m outside to dig out my new keys.

Chapter 14

It’s mine.

I smile wide, unable to contain it.

Walking as quickly as I can, I carry the little lamp from my bike in one hand, and the keys my father gave me dangle from the other as I take a right on Sutton, scurrying across the narrow brick lane and into the alley behind the old bakery. While the main streets are well lit, I rush as quickly as possible, because back here, there’s nothing and no one. Not even a street light.

My hand shakes as I try to work the key into the lock. My blood is racing, and I inhale a couple of deep breaths to try to calm down. Twisting the knob, I finally swing open the door and immediately paw the wall inside, searching for a light switch.

I’m opening a shop. By next summer, I’ll have it ready.

I flip the switch but nothing happens. Well, I guess that makes sense. This place has been shut down for years. I turn on the flashlight and close the door behind me, aiming the light into the room that I can tell already is the kitchen. Three long wooden tables sit parallel to each other while stoves, sinks, a refrigerator, and a cooler door line the walls, along with old aluminum racks holding empty trays.

I walk in further, trying to take everything in, already inventorying in my head the appliances that would need to be inspected, possibly replaced, and all the cleaning that would probably take a whole month in itself. Lifting the toe of my shoe, I lightly shove an empty flour bag out of my way as I push through the revolving door separating the kitchen from the front of the store.

“What are you doing?”

I jump and suck in a breath, spinning around. “What the—” I gasp, flashing my light on Hunter, who stands in the open doorway. “What the hell are you doing?”

He shrugs and steps inside, closing the door behind him. “I was driving around, and I saw you sneaking in the back.”