Page 134 of The Last One to Let You Down

“Yeah, I’ll remember you said that.” Cypress snagged a damp washcloth from the shower to get them cleaned up in a hurry. “I really do have to go.”

“It’s okay,” Tom said, kissing Cypress deeply. “Mm, go. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” Cypress promised. “House is yours, and there’s plenty of food and snacks in the kitchen.” He finished up in the bathroom and dashed into the bedroom to finish getting ready.

Tom brushed his teeth and put no other effort into making himself presentable. He wasn’t going anywhere today, after all. He put on a fresh pair of pajama pants, pockets turned out, and a t-shirt.

He found Cypress in the kitchen, shared a quick farewell kiss, and watched him leave. He made a cup of coffee, and he plopped down beside Mister Doodles on the couch and turned on the television.

It was way too damn early to be awake, Tom thought, noting that the sun hadn’t even come up yet.

He spent the rest of the morning watching the news, glued to the screen as reports of Junior’s arrest kept repeating, and he was hoping for some new information.

There wasn’t much.

Most of the time, Junior wasn’t even named. The news said a former employee of the funeral home had been arrested in connection with the burglaries.Formerwas a particularly interesting description, though Tom wouldn’t have been surprised if it was Gerald himself who had decided to let Junior, his own son, go like that.

Whatever was best for business, Tom thought bitterly to himself. He didn’t like how easy it was to feel sorry for Junior, but he couldn’t help it. At least in jail, maybe Junior could get clean and turn his life around once he got out.

If he got out.

Tom had no idea what kind of prison sentence Junior would be looking at for all those burglaries. Trying to look it up on his phone only gave him the most depressing results, most sentences running decades.

A few reports said the local authorities were looking for any additional information and posted a tip line for people to call in. Tom thought that was a bit strange considering Junior had already been arrested, but maybe he hadn’t been working alone. Junior had been working when many of the burglaries happened.

So, he couldn’t have done it by himself, which meant he had help.

Help meant another suspect.

Well, great, that was so reassuring.

Tom took a break from the news to walk Mister Doodles and went back upstairs to clean up a little. He really needed to get out of his pajamas. He tidied up the laundry, made the bed, and washed the dishes from last night and the coffee mugs from this morning.

Tom’s worries had eased by the time Cypress got home, and Cypress was very thankful for everything Tom had done around the house. Unfortunately, it reminded him they still had a big mess at Tom’s that needed to be handled sooner rather than later.

Begrudgingly, Tom agreed it was time to head back. He finally changed out of his pajamas into some jeans and got ready to go. With Mister Doodles in his lap, he rode with Cypress in his van back to his house.

The door was still busted, but Cypress had brought some tools along to make repairs. He’d also gotten some heavy-duty garbage bags and a few scented candles. He’d pretty much thought of everything, and Tom was so grateful.

Stressful as this was, he didn’t have to do it alone.

With Mister Doodles constantly underfoot, they started at the front door and moved into the kitchen and the living room. The bedroom was the last and the biggest mess. Junior, or whoever had done this, had torn all of it apart, and Tom wondered what it was they’d been looking for.

Piece by piece, it was all put back into place or thrown in the trash. It gave Tom a unique opportunity to do some off-season spring cleaning, and he found the whole process rather cathartic.

Cypress was there at his side the entire time, giving him comfort and warm affection, urging him to keep going. It took almost all evening, but short of a load of laundry that needed to be run, the house appeared right again.

Even so, Tom was uncomfortable. The house didn’t feel safe, and before he mustered the courage to ask, Cypress was already offering for him to stay the night at his place again.

Back to Cypress’s they went, dog and all, and Tom enjoyed the next few days in a state of complete bliss. He got to catch up on reading and some of his favorite television shows, and his evenings belonged to Cypress and him alone.

Spankings, crops, and cuffs—whatever Cypress wanted, Tom took readily. He fell asleep in his strong arms and woke up to his sweet kisses. As the precious days of his vacation waned, Tom knew it was going to be difficult to go back.

Beyond difficult, ha, it was going to be impossible. Just thinking about having to go back to work and return home made a ball of dread curl up in his stomach.

He was so happy here, and he didn’t want it to ever end.

It was the afternoon before Tom’s last vacation day, and he’d stayed firmly parked on the sofa. He had tonight and tomorrow night, and then that was it.