“Leo? What’s going on?”
“It’s Love,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Are they okay?”
“Uh, yeah.” He sniffed. “They got accepted to this amazing veterinary school in Colorado, with a full scholarship and everything. They’ve already done all of the prereqs online, and it’s a fantastic opportunity.”
Aw, buddy.
“Shit.”
“Exactly,” he said, sounding like the world’s most heartbroken man.
“Did you know that they might end up in Colorado?”
“No,” he said, somehow making that one-syllable answer the most forlorn word in the world. “I asked them why they didn’ttell me about it sooner, and they said that it was such a long shot that it didn’t occur to them to say anything.”
“When does school start?”
“Their first semester starts in six weeks.”
Jesus H. Christ.If there was anything sadder than a sad Leo, I’d never heard of it.
“Look, brother. I’m super sorry to hear this. You and Love deserve your happy endings. I know it sucks now, but school is temporary, and life is long. I promise you it will all work out in the end.”
I was lying. I had no idea if it would work out or not. Given the distance, the odds weren’t in their favor, but I couldn’t deal with that level of heartbreak right now.
“Okay,” he said, his voice full of sorrow and longing.
“Tell you what, Leo. Take tomorrow off, spend it with Love, and figure out how y’all are going to tackle this, okay? There’s nothing more important than family, and if it’s not too much of an assumption, Love feels like family to you.”
“They really do,” he said, his voice cracking. “Thanks, Major. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Leo?”
“Yeah?”
“Remember that this isn’t a bad thing. It’s okay to be sad, to know you’ll miss them. Hell, it’s okay to wish that they wanted something different, something that would keep them local. But if they thought they had no chance of getting into that veterinary school, that means that this opportunity is beyond their wildestdreams. That’s impressive, and it deserves to be celebrated, not mourned.”
“You’re right, Major. I’ll make sure they know I’m proud of them.”
“You’re a good guy, Leo. Even if your shoes stink.”
He laughed, sniffling again. “All right. Go take care of Mrs. Yuliya.”
I hung up and got dressed, found the request, and let Mrs. Yuliya know that I was on my way. It turned out that it was a simple repair, similar to the one Ren had needed all those weeks ago. Unlike Ren’s tank, however, Mrs. Yuliya’s assembly was pretty standard, and I had a spare in my truck. I had her bathroom up and running in under ten minutes.
Not that helping her out had made me feel any better.
“What would you tell me to do, Mr. Paige?” I asked, assuming he’d appreciate the impertinence of asking him how to get over his husband.
Speaking of Mr. Paige, I was reminded that he’d given me something in his will. Most people focused on the fact that I was able to buy the plot of land for my business from what he’d given to Beckett, but his actual gift to me was a seat at the bar run by Ozzie and Joel. One I’d not taken nearly enough advantage of.
I checked my watch. Ten a.m. Maybe I’d check out their new brunch specials and get in some solid friend time. I’d neglected them, what with the upswing in business and my Friday afternoons with Ren.
Time to catch up and forget.
I was surprised to find that I needed to park a little farther away than usual. When I reached their block, I realized that Kiyana’s—the Jamaican restaurant that Joel and Ozzie had opened—was hopping with a brunch crowd of its own.
