Chapter Thirteen
THERE SHOULDhave been some sort of festivities that night. Liam wasn’t sure exactly who would have had time to plan anything, or energy to take part, but even sitting around the building site with a few cases of beer and ordering some pizzas would have beensomething. Instead, the teams just sort of dissolved around dinnertime, dragging tired bodies home for some well-deservedrest. But no beer or pizza, at least not with everyone all together.
Ben didn’t even say goodbye. Well, he waved, but the wave was foreveryone, with nothing special for Liam.
Because you’re nothing special, he told himself.Because you’re just some guy he used to know, some idiot who keeps driving up from the city for weird reasons. There’s no cause for him to pay any more attention to youthan he does to anyone else.
Except… as Ben and Seth and the pregnant woman who must be Seth’s wife reached the corner and were about to turn, Bendidlook back, and it really seemed like he was looking right at Liam. But when Liam raised his hand and waved, Ben turned away as if he hadn’t seen the gesture.
So Liam climbed into the passenger seat of Calvin’s pickup truck and sat quietly as theydrove through the still-sunny evening.
“I’m not getting any younger,” Calvin said. He sounded—well, he sounded sincere. But that didn’t mean too much, not with Calvin.
Still, Liam tried to be sympathetic. “None of us are. I’m going to be creaky as hell tomorrow.”
“You did good work today, though.”
It had to be a trap, didn’t it? Liam waited for the punch line, but it never came.
Neither ofthem said anything for the rest of the short drive, and they stayed quiet as they pulled into the driveway of Calvin’s house and slid stiffly out of the truck.
“I worry about Ben sometimes,” Calvin said. Liam stood frozen on his side of the truck, and Calvin leaned his forearms against the hood and looked across at him. “His parents are—well. My sister was always a flake, and she sure pickeda hell of a guy to have a kid with. They’re both useless, obviously, or Ben would never have come to live with me. When I’m gone, Ben will be all alone.”
That didn’t sound right. “You’ll be around for a long time, still. And he’s got good friends, and a place in the community.”
“Right.” Calvin stayed still for another breath, then pushed away from the truck. “Right. He’ll be fine, and it’s ahell of a long way away anyhow.” But there was something strange in Calvin’s voice, an unfamiliar emptiness that Liam didn’t like at all.
“Why did you invite me up here this weekend?” A bit of a jump in the conversation, but if anyone could handle that, it’d be Calvin.
Calvin turned and started slowly toward the house. No answer? No rambling, nonsensical explanation from Calvin the Verbose?
And he was walking like an old man. Liam had never given much thought to Calvin’s age—when they’d first encountered each other Liam had been a snot-nosed kid who thought any adult was hopelessly over-the-hill, and after that there’d never been much reason to think about it. Calvin was justCalvin. But now?
“Are you okay?” Liam took a few long steps and caught up to Calvin before he made it tothe front door. “Did you overdo it today, or is this something more serious?”
“I’m fine,” Calvin grumbled. He shoved the front door open—of course it hadn’t been locked—and stepped inside. At least, he tried to step, but he stumbled over the low rise, and Liam reached forward to steady him. Calvin shook himself free from Liam’s grip. “Mind your own business.”
“That’s pretty rich, coming fromyou.” Liam kept his hands half-outstretched, ready to reach forward and grab Calvin again if necessary. A bruised ego was better than a broken hip.
Calvin shuffled off without a reply, which was just one more sign that things weren’t quite right. Resisting the urge to verbally spar? That wasn’t the Calvin he knew.
The Calvin hehad known, at least. But maybe things had changed. Maybe this wasall normal, now. But if itwasn’tnormal, Liam had to do something about it. He wasn’t sure exactly what that “do something” would look like, but he’d figure it out when the time came.Ifthe time came. If all this wasn’t just what Calvin was like these days.
Well, it wasn’t a question Liam could answer for himself.
And it wasn’t just an excuse. It wasn’t another weird reason for contactingBen. It was totally legitimate to be worried about the health of a friend, especially if that friend was elderly. Did sixty count as elderly? Sure, it was close enough.
Liam let himself make the phone call. The pleasant fluttering in his stomach? That was probably just relief at the idea of getting some help. Everything was fine. He was just being a good friend.
BEN FELTunsettled. Theday had gone well enough. Certainly from a practical standpoint, they’d gotten a lot done. And there’d been nothing unpleasant, nothing painful between him and Liam.
No, it had all been a bittoopleasant, really, and that was probably what he was reacting to. He just needed some time alone to center himself. Maybe he’d meditate, or do his breathing exercises—they’d have the same effect, he wassure.
But maybe he didn’twantthat effect. Maybe he didn’t want to get rid of the unsettled feeling, the sensation that something was about to happen, something wonderful and terrifying and important. Maybe he wanted to savor it, feed it, let it grow and expand—
His phone rang from the front hall, and he scolded himself as he went to answer it. Of course he didn’t want drama, didn’t want toencourage himself to wallow in whatever nonsensical emotions he was coming up with. He was a mature adult, and he would behave in a rational manner.
His call display showed Uncle Calvin’s number, and Ben schooled himself against remembering who was staying at the house. If Calvin was inviting Ben over for dinner—dinner with Liam Marshall—how would Ben respond? He knew exactly what heshouldsay, but—
