“You fucked him, didn’t you?”
Grinning, I say, “Of course, I did.”
Miguel steps up, high-fiving me. “That’s my boy. How was it?”
Something washes over me at the question. Something like… protectiveness. Which makes no sense. Of course, I want them to know we fucked, but for some reason, I’m not dying to tell themallthe juicy details. It feels personal, like I want to keep that part of him all to myself.
So, instead of delving it all up, I say, “It was as good as I knew it would be.”
That seems to appease him, because he slaps me on the back before we all get back to work. My mind frequently goes back to Travis and this need to see him again. Have a repeat of the other day. A repeat of yesterday morning before he went home.
I wonder how hard it’s going to be to talk him into it. I know he wants it, but he’s stubborn.
“Heard your sister’s getting married.” Benny’s voice pulls me from my train of thought. He’s working on an old Chevy a few stalls down.
“Yup. Scottie’s giving her that dream wedding she’s always wanted.”
“Do we like him?” Miguel asks.
I wipe the sweat off my brow with the back of my wrist. “Yeah, he’s cool. Treats her well, makes her happy.”
“I don’t know him that well,” Benny interjects. “But he seems nice enough. She said you’re giving her away?”
“Yeah. I don’t know anything other than that, though. She called me a few nights ago to ask if I would, then we got into it a little about mom, so I got off the phone.” I close the hood to the car I’m working on. “You going to the engagement party she’s having?”
“Yeah, I’ll go,” Benny confirms.
“Miguel?”
“If I’m invited, I’ll come. I can probably bring Izzy too.”
“Cool. Should be fun,” I lie.
The truth is, I’m dreading it. Not because I’m not happy for Ally, because I am, but because it’s a situation where I’m forced to be around people I have no interest in being around. And not just my mom.
Which, yes, she’s a huge stressor for me. But more than her, it’s Robbie. He and Scottie are cousins, so I know he’ll be there. That didn’t even hit me until after I got off the phone with Ally. She knows we dated, obviously, and knows we broke up, but doesn’t know all the details about how fucked up our relationship was, and how messed up I was coming out of it.
Aside from recently running into him at the bar, I’ve done pretty well at avoiding seeing him altogether since the breakup, and I’d prefer to keep it that way.
Robbie and Scottie aren’t close by any means, but their parents are. There’s just no way he won’t be there. His mother would never allow him to miss it. The thought alone of having to see him at this thing is enough to have lead knots twisting in my gut. And knowing it won’t be the only time I’ll have to see him, too, makes it that much worse. There’s still the actual wedding, and any other wedding-related event there may be.
Lucky for me.
The rest of the day goes by quickly, but not without distraction. My mood soured after all thoughts of Robbie, my mom, and engagement party. Regardless, I’m able to wrap up my work and leave the shop a little early. By the time I get home, I’m in serious need of a shower, a bowl, and a beer. So, I do all of that, in that order.
21
TRAVIS
This morning has been non-stop crazy since the minute I walked into my office. The phone’s been ringing off the hook, I’ve sat in meeting after meeting full of unorganized people, and there’s construction going on in the next building over that can be heard obnoxiously loud at my desk.
It’s almost noon now, and I finally have a single free moment to call over to Benito’s Garage to check on my car. There’s no way it’s not done by now. How fucking long does it take for one tire to be delivered?
After pulling up the phone number on my computer, I dial, bringing the phone to my ear. It rings several times before finally connecting to the voicemail. I hang up and try again. Same thing.
Taking a quick glance at my calendar and confirming I don’t have another meeting until two, I grab my keys and head out. If they won’t answer, I’ll just go down there in person and ask. Maybe they’re so busy working on my car, they can’t hear the phone.
I park out front, walking in through the wide-open garage. My eyes flit to the office, but I don’t see anybody in there. Music’s playing loudly toward the back of the area, so I walk back there. The upbeat tune of Olivia Rodrigo’sGood 4 Uis playing. Kind of surprising. Not exactly the type of music you’d expect to hear in an auto garage.
