Illias thought back on his texts with his mom since their failed brunch a couple weeks ago. How he pulled every excuse under the sun to not see her again, afraid of what she might say once they were together. Terrified of the fact she might be disappointed in him for not, at the very least, accepting Henry’s apology. He pulled the blanket tighter around his body. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
She shuffled closer to him so that their arms pressed against each other and laid her head on his shoulder. “You know, whatever you’re dealing with, you don’t have to handle it alone.”
He shifted so that his head laid on top of hers. Everything sat on top of his chest, an unbearable weight he didn’t know what to do with. “I know, I guess I’m just not sure what to say right now.”
“When you are, I’m right here.”
He shifted closer to her, muscles relaxing for the first time since Tuesday. Exhaustion took hold of his body and he yawned. “Thank you.”
Illias woke up to the smell of bacon and fresh coffee. Praying he didn’t sleep through his shift, he sat up and rubbed the crust from his eyes. He glanced towards the kitchen to see Charity with her head stuck in the fridge. A small smile rose and he shook his head.Leave it to her to act like a mom. He grabbed his phone from the coffee table to check the time. Luckily, he still had an hour before he needed to get ready and leave for work.
Forcing himself off the couch, he let the blanket fall from his shoulders and headed towards the kitchen. Charity closed the fridge door and looked at him with an emotionless face. “You talk in your sleep. A lot.”
“Oh really?” he yawned, grabbing a World’s Best Son mug from the cabinets.
She handed him the coffee creamer she grabbed from the fridge. “I’ve never been more uncomfortable my entire life.”
He sidestepped over to the ancient coffee pot that sat next to the stove. “Not uncomfortable enough to leave, apparently.” Steam curled towards the ceiling as he poured fresh coffee. “Thanks, by the way.”
“One of us has to take care of you.”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Mm-hmm, and I’m the Queen of England.”
Scoffing, Illias sat down at the small, circular table shoved against the far-left wall of the compact kitchen and sipped on his coffee. Charity joined him a moment later and passed him a plate. Fried egg eyes and a bacon smile. The corner of his lips twitched.Just like Mom used to make when Charity came over in the mornings.
They ate in silence but it wasn’t long before Charity began to fidget in her chair. He waited for her to say something; ask a question, try to get him to explain what was going on. He dropped his fork against his plate with a clank. “I can practically see the gears in your head spinning. What’s up?”
She laid her fork on a napkin next to her plate. “Are you going to be honest with me?”
He shifted and crossed his arms with a shrug. “As honest as I can be.”
“Are you okay?”
Of all the things she could have asked, Illias hadn’t expectedthat. A question about his parents or about what was going on with Cantrell, and he could’ve given a response that resembled the truth. Explained that there was nothing to worry about and the good Father was helping him work through family issues. Yet she asked him the one question that there was no way to answer without her knowing he was lying. He swallowed, lowering his shoulders as he stared down at the table. “I don’t know, actually.”
“Do you think you’ll go talk to Father Cantrell?”
He looked at her funny. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I think you should.” She picked up her fork and cut into her uneaten egg. “Like I said, you talk in your sleep and I’m not an idiot. I can put two and two together.” She gave him a small, almost motherly, smile. “Just be careful, he is kinda a priest.”
Illias picked up his fork and pushed his food around on his plate. “I will be.”
She pointed her fork at him, egg nearly falling off the prongs. “Also, if you do anything stupid, you tell me first. Got it?”
He raised his eyebrows and looked at her. “You sure about that?”
Narrowing her eyes, she shoved the fork into her mouth, which meant one of two things; Illias was in the clear or he was going to have to tell his best friend that he was screwing around with their priest. Unfortunately, he knew he wasn’t in the clear.
Chapter Fifteen
Cantrell
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
- James 1:12 KJV
