Cameras in the bathroom sounds extreme, even for her. Bitchtopher Columbus?
LUCE:
yeah, shes claiming she’s your mother when she’s not, enslaving you to do her bidding while stealing up all the gold, and she is a huge bitch
LUCE:
i think its a pretty accurate nickname, tbh
ME:
Whatever you say, kiddo. Gotta go, love you.
She sent a bunch of heart emojis back and I clicked the button to lock my screen.
The tension Cecilia had instilled in me wasn’t budging, even with the brief exchange with Lucy. I rolled my neck, hoping to loosen the strain there. Absently, I shuffled some files.
Who was I kidding? I hadn’t been focused even before she had called. I was basically useless at this point. I groaned, checking my watch. It was still too early to slip out of the office unnoticed. But, what I needed now was a beer or five.
I collectedmy things and made my way out of my office space. As I was heading to the elevator, I ran into Charlie. He smiled warmly but eyed my briefcase.
“Headin’ out, my boy?” He drawled, his mustache ruffling some.
“Yeah. I’m not feeling too hot, and I’m just not getting anything done here. I’m going to go home, shower, and then hopefully go over some things tonight.” I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck.
Charlie shot a hand out, resting the back of it against my forehead.
“Well, it doesn’t feel like you’re running a fever, so hopefully a shower will do you some good.” He patted my shoulder softly. “Rest up. Let me know if you need tomorrow off.”
“Nah, I doubt it. Thanks Charlie.” I gave a half-smile.
He nodded a bit but continued to eye me like he was searching for whatever ailed me. After a moment, he pulled me into a bear hug, catching me off guard.
“I may not be your Pop, but you can always talk to me.” He murmured as he patted my back gently.
Moments like these made me jealous of Colton and his brothers. My dad had changed a lot after Toni came around. She grounded him in ways and gentled his approach to life. The version of our dad Lucy got was a different man than the one I’d had growing up. He made time for her, was sure to encourage her and her efforts, and was present for the things that mattered to her.
I was grateful for that, but sometimes it stung too. I knew he’d been dealing with a lot when I was growing up, between trying to support a family that was slowly falling apart at the seams and being a student. But, even after the divorce, I’d had to care for myself most of the time. My grandparents had been there in the beginning, but their support fell off pretty quickly. Dad had tried to be better when I was in high school by showing up to baseball games or events I had. But,sometimes it still felt like he wasn’t putting in any more effort than necessary because I’d be going off to college soon. Either way, it was times like now I would be forever grateful I’d met Charlie Shaffer.
I slapped his back a bit, trying to swallow around the lump lodged in my throat. “Yeah, I know.” I choked out.
When he pulled back, he squeezed my shoulder again before letting go with a smile. “You get some rest now.” He stated, passing by me.
“Yes sir.” I cleared my throat and blinked a few times before making my way toward the elevators.
When I walked through the front door an hour later, Colton looked up from the couch, his smile faltering some as he eyed the six-pack of beer in my hand.
“Hey,” he looked at me questioningly. “Everything alright?”
I shrugged, using the hand that held my briefcase to undo my tie slightly.
“Define alright.” I grunted, slipping my shoes off and trudging past him to put the case in the fridge. I heard Colton shifting on the couch and turned back to him with a beer in hand. “Want one?” I asked as his eyes scanned me over.
“No…” He trailed off. “What’s going on, dude? It’s like barely four o’clock.” He had his arm slung over the back of the couch, body turned to fully face me.
“It’s five o’clock somewhere.” I cheersed the air.
“Yeah, there is definitely something wrong.” His face was full of concern.
