pillow that still smelled like her.
When their shift ended and he watched Mason help Em into his truck, Jay had to forcibly remind himself that this was what he wanted, what he’d asked from her. Didn’t make it hurt any less, though.
***
“Come on. Come on.” The truck turned over after almost a solid minute’s worth of coaxing and Jay breathed a sigh of relief. One more day accomplished.
He alternated warming his frozen hands between his thighs on the drive home. The temperatures were still dropping below freezing at night, but he couldn’t waste the extra gas it would take to run the heater. He was almost on E as it was and he still had the rest of the weekend to get through. The frostbite would be a lot worse if he had to walk to and from work.
As soon as he turned into the drive, Jay shoved his hands in his pockets and headed for the house, looking forward to nothing more than a hot shower and a warm bed. The front step creaked under his boot. It was coming loose, and Jay added it to the mental list of shit he needed to take care of. Someday. Along with repairing the truck, and doing something about that ever-growing hole in the ceiling, and changing the locks, and fixing the leak in the bathroom sink, and about a million other things. Home ownership was a major pain in the ass. Most days, it felt like an endless losing battle. But then again, so did everything else in his life, so why should this be any different?
Collecting the mail, he sorted through it as he kicked off his shoes and coat, weeding out the junk. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much as usual, which meant all the more bills to deal with.
It was, undeniably, one of those days. The kind where the last thing you want to do is waste your money on a lotto ticket. Where absolutely nothing goes the way you want it to. Which was why, when the doorbell rang just as Jay was about to get into that shower he’d been craving, he wasn’t the least bit surprised by who he found standing on the porch.
“What the hell do you want?”
“Must we go over this every time?” All of the cruel amusement flickered from his eyes, leaving behind a cold rage. “I want my money and I want it now, Julian. Or my next stop will be Em. Don’t think I didn’t mean what I said. If you don’t pay, she will. ”
His father turned to go and all of the day’s frustration turned to despair. “No. Wait. I have some money.”
A hundred bucks made up his grocery budget for the month, but what choice did he have?
The asshole had the nerve to flip through the small wad of bills with a look of disgust. “That’s it?”
“It’s all I have.”
Jay knew better than to let his guard down around his father. Ever. But he hadn’t let it down, he’d repositioned it. All around Em like some kind of fortress, leaving himself vulnerable to the right hook that slammed into his left side just below the ribs. Air rushed from his lungs as he doubled over. It took several gasping breaths to reinflate them and bring the pain threshold back under control. He’d suffered much worse, but the shock of that first blow always seemed to be the hardest to overcome.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Julian.” Sh oving the cash in his pocket, his father stormed out of the house, leaving Jay cradling his ribs and feeling like he’d just made a deal with the devil.
Chapter Twenty
Em
She hadn’t seen Jay in almost a week. He’d done everything in his power to make it that way, and it stung. He was the one who dumped her, after all. What right did he have hiding? But, truthfully, she wasn’t angry about it. She was sad, and confused. But, above all, Em was lonely. Missing Jay was like missing a body part. Something essential, like an arm or a leg. Functioning without him was difficult and awkward.
When he finally showed up at Bart’s on Friday night, the urge to be near him was so strong she almost forgot why she couldn’t. Her feet had her
When their shift ended and he watched Mason help Em into his truck, Jay had to forcibly remind himself that this was what he wanted, what he’d asked from her. Didn’t make it hurt any less, though.
***
“Come on. Come on.” The truck turned over after almost a solid minute’s worth of coaxing and Jay breathed a sigh of relief. One more day accomplished.
He alternated warming his frozen hands between his thighs on the drive home. The temperatures were still dropping below freezing at night, but he couldn’t waste the extra gas it would take to run the heater. He was almost on E as it was and he still had the rest of the weekend to get through. The frostbite would be a lot worse if he had to walk to and from work.
As soon as he turned into the drive, Jay shoved his hands in his pockets and headed for the house, looking forward to nothing more than a hot shower and a warm bed. The front step creaked under his boot. It was coming loose, and Jay added it to the mental list of shit he needed to take care of. Someday. Along with repairing the truck, and doing something about that ever-growing hole in the ceiling, and changing the locks, and fixing the leak in the bathroom sink, and about a million other things. Home ownership was a major pain in the ass. Most days, it felt like an endless losing battle. But then again, so did everything else in his life, so why should this be any different?
Collecting the mail, he sorted through it as he kicked off his shoes and coat, weeding out the junk. Unfortunately, there wasn’t as much as usual, which meant all the more bills to deal with.
It was, undeniably, one of those days. The kind where the last thing you want to do is waste your money on a lotto ticket. Where absolutely nothing goes the way you want it to. Which was why, when the doorbell rang just as Jay was about to get into that shower he’d been craving, he wasn’t the least bit surprised by who he found standing on the porch.
“What the hell do you want?”
“Must we go over this every time?” All of the cruel amusement flickered from his eyes, leaving behind a cold rage. “I want my money and I want it now, Julian. Or my next stop will be Em. Don’t think I didn’t mean what I said. If you don’t pay, she will. ”
His father turned to go and all of the day’s frustration turned to despair. “No. Wait. I have some money.”
A hundred bucks made up his grocery budget for the month, but what choice did he have?
The asshole had the nerve to flip through the small wad of bills with a look of disgust. “That’s it?”
“It’s all I have.”
Jay knew better than to let his guard down around his father. Ever. But he hadn’t let it down, he’d repositioned it. All around Em like some kind of fortress, leaving himself vulnerable to the right hook that slammed into his left side just below the ribs. Air rushed from his lungs as he doubled over. It took several gasping breaths to reinflate them and bring the pain threshold back under control. He’d suffered much worse, but the shock of that first blow always seemed to be the hardest to overcome.
“You’re going to have to do better than that, Julian.” Sh oving the cash in his pocket, his father stormed out of the house, leaving Jay cradling his ribs and feeling like he’d just made a deal with the devil.
Chapter Twenty
Em
She hadn’t seen Jay in almost a week. He’d done everything in his power to make it that way, and it stung. He was the one who dumped her, after all. What right did he have hiding? But, truthfully, she wasn’t angry about it. She was sad, and confused. But, above all, Em was lonely. Missing Jay was like missing a body part. Something essential, like an arm or a leg. Functioning without him was difficult and awkward.
When he finally showed up at Bart’s on Friday night, the urge to be near him was so strong she almost forgot why she couldn’t. Her feet had her
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