Chapter 22
861 Words
CHAPTER 22
Lucas felt like he’d been picked up by a tornado and dumped back into the debris field when it spun out.
Most of the kids were gone, and the moms—thank God—were also gone.
Now that it was quiet, Lucas could hear sounds coming from next door. The restoration crew that Jenna had called in to fix the place up was still working. Isaac was sweeping the floor one last time while he waited for Jenna to finish up with the contractors. “I hope she has good insurance.” Calling the crew out on a Saturday would cost a lot in overtime, but he appreciated her willingness to dive in and get things fixed up right away.
Isaac nodded and kept sweeping. “Sara went home with the twins for a sleepover tonight. You up for a family dinner out? None of us really feel like cooking, so I’m going to take Jenna and Shannon to Just One More while we wait for the contractors to finish up next door.”
His plan had been to go upstairs, have a ridiculously long shower and order a pizza. Maybe even throw in some beers and wallow a bit in his misery. The thought of redoing all the work from the past couple of weeks made his stomach ache. He’d do whatever it took, but just the fact that Isaac thought of him as family, even when Sara wasn’t in the picture, meant a lot to him. For the first time in a long time, he realized he didn’t have to go it alone.
Lucas pushed off the wall and headed out the door. “Yeah, I’m in. I’ll shower and meet you there in about forty-five minutes. I need to check in next door first, and I’ll send Jenna back your way.”
When he walked back through the front doors of Higher Ground, he couldn’t believe his eyes. The firefighters had done an amazing job of helping him shut off the water and mop up that morning, and thankfully the new tile floor mopped up without warping.
But what he saw now felt like ten steps backwards. The floor that had been clean was now covered in plastic, plaster, and chunks of soggy insulation, as the ceiling literally came down onto the ground.
The place was a disaster. There were contractors tearing out wet drywall and insulation. The tables, chairs, mugs, and everything that could be moved had been taken to the empty space next door, and the remaining equipment was covered in plastic sheets.
It was fixable, but there was no way they’d have it put back together in time to open on Monday.
He just couldn’t stand here watching the destruction. But he knew what he needed.
Shannon, shower, and food.
He caught sight of her through the window and dashed out to where her car was parked on the street. He spotted Max buckling himself into the back seat while Shannon walked around to the passenger’s side door as he approached.
Shannon followed Lucas’s gaze to where it rested on Max. “His dad never came for him, so I’m going to drive him home.”
He resisted the urge to tell her to be careful. She was a smart woman who knew how to take care of herself. It was all he could do not to put his hands on her. “Thanks for sending the firefighters over to help. It meant a lot to me.”
She met his eyes directly, and he felt his stomach flip-flop. “No matter what happens with us, Lucas, you’re not alone here.” She reached out a hand as though she was going to touch his arm and then pulled back at the last second.
Probably too many people watching, Lucas thought grimly.
“Look, Isaac invited me to dinner with you and Jenna tonight, but if you don’t want me there, I’ll stay away.” It would hurt more than he wanted to admit if she was still avoiding him. “But you need to know that I didn’t realize Oona was going to be at the pub the other night. I swear, I thought I was having a night out with the guys.”
Shannon looked down at the ground and shifted her weight so she was no longer leaning on the car. “About that… I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. And I’m sorry I avoided you. I don’t think of us as a dirty little secret. I just didn’t want whatever is going on between us to risk your relationship with Isaac or Sara.”
He finally understood that was true. And it hadn’t slipped his notice that she’d said is not was. Did that mean she was up for a second chance? “Look, I don’t want to lie to Isaac or keep any secrets from your family again. But I’ll let you lead on this one, okay? They’re your family even more than mine. Just tell me we have a chance to start fresh, and we can play it any way you want.”
Her smile lit up her whole face. “Look, now’s not the right time to finish this conversation. I’ve got to get Max home, but I’ll see you at the pub, okay?”
Right now, he’d take whatever he could get. A whole week without her had seriously sucked.
- Writer
