I just stared right back at him, one single memory flipping out of me as I thought about why I had never planned on going back home.
I’m gonna fucking kill you, Luna! You ever come back, and I will literally fucking kill you, you little piece of shit! I can’t fucking believe you!
It was enough to make me swallow. Enough to feel guilt for all of a split second before I squashed it with the heel of my work boots. I had no reason to feel bad.
Rip waited, thinking who knows what before he gave me a brisk nod, like it was a business transaction we had finally come to an agreement to after a lot of haggling.
Which I guess it was.
I had done something for him, and now he was doing something right back for me. It was what he had offered. It had been his idea.
But then he askedmesomething surprising. “You sure? That’s what you want your favor to be?”
I nodded gravely. “I didn’t want to ask you for anything, but, yeah, that’s what I want.” I gave him a smile that made my teeth hurt from how hard they were pressing down on each other at the memory I had just pushed right back out of my brain. “Please.”
I was doing this for Grandma Genie. I was doing this for Thea and Kyra and Lily. I was going through with it because doing the right thing was hardly ever the easiest thing to do.
This handsome, hard-faced man, who I barely knew anything about after three years, kept watching me carefully. He sipped on his drink for a moment and then two. He slid me another narrow-eyed gaze as he did it, but it wasn’t ameanone, or even an annoyed one.
“Okay,” was Rip’s reply.
Oh.
“Okay,” I breathed out, relief like I couldn’t put into words sliding right over my entire body. Just. Like. That.
Okay.
“Great,” I told him, jumping on it before he could change his mind. “Thank you.”
Those colorful eyes strayed to one of my ears and lingered there for a moment as he leaned back in his seat. “When?”
“Thursday,” I answered, tempted to reach up and touch my earring, but I didn’t. “I’m going to need the day off.We’regoing to need the day off.”
He nodded again, looking so at ease it was like I hadn’t asked him for anything.
“It’s in San Antonio.”
Thathad him grimacing, and I wondered why. But when he didn’t complain or change his mind, I kept my mouth shut. If he didn’t want to do it now for whatever reason, I wasn’t going to rub it in and make him change his mind. There was always plan B and plan C.
“One day?” he asked, his voice sounding off after that initial grimace.
“Yes.” There was no way in hell I wanted to stay in San Antonio longer than I needed to. Even one night would be way too much. One day felt like too much.
I didn’t admit any of that though.
He only tipped his chin down, moved his gaze to the empty spot at the table, and then glanced back at my face. I almost missed the way his nostrils flared again. “Thursday then.”
This Thursday. It hadn’t hit me just how soon that was until right then.
“Yeah,” I agreed, hoping he couldn’t hear how much I was dreading it already.
Before I could say another word, or he could, a hand landed on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
I didn’t need to look over to know it was one of my coworkers.
I was a little surprised when I heard, “Happy birthday,” in Mr. Cooper’s deep voice.
With the exception of maybe two or three times, Mr. C had never come out with us before. The only times he had were for Owen’s bachelor party, which wasn’t a party at all because he hadn’t wanted to piss off his lady, and to celebrate when another coworker had quit after finishing college and getting a job as an engineer.
