“Better to just rip that bandage off.” She laughed. “Where do you want to eat?”
Valerie leaned back against Brad’schest and laughed at the joke Ken just told. They sat in the middle of the floor of the apartment Ken and Brad currently had ripped apart for renovation. For the last three weeks, she’d brought them dinner two or three nights a week and shared it with them. Tonight, they had just finished polishing off barbecued chicken and potato salad.
“Thanks, Val,” Ken said, stacking his plate into the empty picnic basket. “You’re spoiling us. I’m used to Brad or Jon bringing takeout in the middle of the night. About once a week, mama takes pity on us.”
“I’m happy to do it, especially because it means I can work time into seeing Brad. Apparently,” she added dramatically, “he’s committed to you and can’t leave all the work to you, blah blah blah.”
She felt Brad’s chuckle before she heard it. “That’s pretty much what I said.”
Her phone chirped with an incoming text. She leaned forward and pulled it out of the pocket in the basket. “That’s Buddy,” she said. “I need to call him back.”
“Of course.” Standing from sitting on the floor always proved to be a chore. Brad deftly got to his feet and held a hand out to her, pulling her up. She winced and limped away, stopping to stretch her leg muscles as she dialed the phone.
“Hey, Buddy. What’s up?”
“I came by, but you’re not there. Are you somewhere I can meet you?”
With a frown, she said, “Sure. Do you know where Brad and Ken are renovating an apartment building?”
“Yeah. Sure. I figured that’s where you were. I’ll be there in about five.”
“I’ll be waiting.” She hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment.
At her elbow, Brad said, “Everything okay?”
He ran a hand over her back, and she had a feeling he’d be able to feel the tension in the muscles there. “No idea. He’s on his way over here.”
Needing something to do while she waited, she packed the basket then turned to Brad. “I know you guys have plans of what to finish before bed tonight. I’ll get out of your way.”
She slipped the strap of the picnic basket over her shoulder and started to walk away, but Brad grabbed her arm. “Hey,” he said softly, pulling her closer, “you aren’t in the way and you’re more important than any self-imposed deadline we set.” He cupped her cheeks with both hands and looked down at her. “If you need me, I’m here.”
Her smile didn’t feel natural or real. “I know. Thanks.”
He gave her a gentle kiss and she wondered if she would ever get used to how right, how perfect it felt to feel his lips against hers. Her swirling thoughts vanished into a vortex of nothingness and the only thing that existed was the feel and taste and smell of him. Each time they kissed, she soared above her daily mundane existence and escaped into this feeling of complete adoration.
Their lips parted and suddenly she could breathe again, open her eyes and see again, feel the ground beneath her feet again. She sighed and grinned.
Three weeks had passed. Three weeks of stolen moments and interludes, taken as breaks in busy lives.
“Well,” Buddy said from the open doorway, making the word sound like it had two syllables.
Valerie jerked away, feeling uncomfortable and a little guilty. Buddy knew about Brad. He’d seen them holding hands in church, swimming together at the Dixon estate, arms around each other while watching a family movie. She didn’t know why she felt nervous. She turned toward him and smiled. “Hi.”
“Valerie. I need to speak to you in private.”
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the apartment. Valerie looked up at Brad and saw his worried frown. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said, handing him the picnic basket then rushing out after Buddy.
As soon as she got outside, he held up an envelope. “This came for you today.”
“To me?” With a frown, she reached for it. “Why would it come to your house?”
“I’m your emergency contact and the Georgia prison system does not have your current information.”
Her stomach fell out from under her and suddenly her entire world, her entire focus became that envelope. What? Why?
With shaking hands, she took it from him and opened it. She recognized Tyrone’s scrawl before she even had the letter open. A sob came out of her soul. She didn’t even realize she’d made a sound until she heard it.
“Is this the place to be reading that?” Buddy asked. He put a hand on her arm, but she jerked away.
