Page 19 of Truly (Peachwood Falls #2)
L uke
I pull out of my driveway, taking a right instead of a left. Troy answers before I pass my mailbox.
“Castelli.”
“Hey, Troy.”
“What can I do for you, Luke?”
“I’m running to the feed store. I’ll be gone an hour, maybe. Just giving you a heads-up. Laina was doing the dishes when I left. If anyone shows up, you might just let her handle it. She’s in a bit of a pissy mood.”
Troy gives me one chuckle. One . It’s the first time in ten days I’ve heard him do anything besides relay or accept information.
“Noted,” he says. “Are you expecting anyone while you’re gone?”
“Nope. And if Gavin shows up, tell him to get his ass back to work.”
“I’ll let you know if we have any problems.”
My brows pull together. Would he really say that to Gavin? I’m not sure. I think he might.
“Well, all right,” I say, wondering if I should mention that I was just joking. “Thanks.”
The call ends.
My stomach knots like it does every time I talk to Troy.
Guilt eats me alive for not telling Laina he’s here.
I’ve almost told her more than once; the truth was on the tip of my tongue.
But then I remember Troy’s insistence, and Anjelica’s, that Laina’s safety was on the line.
And if she knew Troy was there, she might force him to leave.
I keep quiet.
I squint into the sun, driving a quarter mile before I can turn away from it. Luckily, I know where the giant pothole is in the center of the road and can swerve around it without seeing it.
“Laina, Laina, Laina,” I say, exhaling. “What are you going to do, my lady?”
We’ve danced around reality for days. She’s going to have to get back to her life soon. But it’s not been brought up since the morning she rode me into submission.
I grin.
She knew my answer before she asked the question. She just played along.
The knot in my stomach pulls tighter.
Every time I think about this, I get nauseous. I don’t know enough about her life and what it entails to predict the future. How much time does she get off? How busy is she daily? Will her schedule allow her to come home with me, or will I need to make a lot of trips to different cities to see her?
Can a relationship truly survive that?
I’ve stayed awake for a few hours every night, mulling over our options. The only option not on the table is ending things. If I must give up my business, I will. And I dread it’s going to come to that.
Of course, I’d have an answer if I’d just come out and ask her. But I don’t. Everyone in her life pressures her for shit, and I won’t add to her stress. Besides, in the end, it doesn’t matter. The result is the same.
That girl is mine.
My phone rings through the truck, and I click a button on the steering wheel to answer. “Hello?”
“Sounds like you’re in the truck,” Kate says. “Where are you going?”
“To the feed store.”
“Oh, that sounds like a great time,” she says, her tone full of sarcasm. “I haven’t talked to you in a while, so I wanted to check in.”
“Well, if you weren’t traveling all the damn time for work, maybe we’d run into each other a little more.”
She laughs.
“Where are you this week?” I ask.
“Albuquerque. You should come out here sometime. It’s beautiful.”
“We’ll see.”
“You sound like Dad. We’ll see ,” she says in her best Lonnie Marshall impression. “Anyway, I was calling you because I can’t ask Gavin. Well, I mean I could ask Gavin, but I’m not going to.”
I pull next to the store and park.
“What are you not asking Gav?” I ask.
“I called Chase a couple of nights ago, but his hands were covered in oil or something. I don’t know. Anyway, Kennedy answered his phone until he got cleaned up.”
“Okay …”
“And she told me Gavin borrowed some of her clothes for a sick girlfriend who couldn’t leave his house.”
Oh, shit .
“Kennedy said he was really weird about it, but she promised not to tell her dad. Or Megan. That, obviously, doesn’t mean she can’t tell me.”
I wince. “I’m pretty sure the promise not to tell was supposed to include everyone, not just Chase and Megan.”
“You do know what’s going on,” she says as if she just solved a riddle. “Come on. Tell me.”
“It’s nothing, Kate.”
“It’s something, Luke, or you’d tell me. And why is Gavin telling you secrets and not me? I didn’t move home so you two could leave me out.”
“You’re just going to have to trust me on this one.”
She huffs. “No. I won’t. I refuse. Tell me, or I’m telling Chase.”
I groan, wishing my niece wasn’t a snitch. We’re going to talk about this. Later.
I wish I could tell my sister what’s going on. She might even be helpful. If Kate is good at anything, it’s understanding women. But I swore to Laina that I wouldn’t say anything, and I’m keeping my word.
“Please, Kate. It’ll all come out soon.” I hope . “But don’t get anyone riled up over this. Please . Do it for me.”
“For you, huh?” She hums. “What will I get out of not telling?”
“You’ll be a good person.”
“Overrated.”
“ Kate …”
My sister laughs. “Fine. But you had better talk with Gavin, and the two of you had better start including me in stuff. I’m the baby of the family, remember. I can be a brat.”
“You’re always a brat.”
“Okay. Go buy your horse things or whatever you’re doing. I need to get back to work.”
“Love you, Kate.”
“Love you. Bye.”
“Goodbye.”