“Be happy. Find love. Make a family.”
“My work makes me happy.”
“What about the young lady who works at The Dock? The one you spent time with?”
“The young lady who works at The Dock is better off without me.”
“You don’t give yourself enough grace.”
Gus didn’t take the bait. “I’ll be in touch. I promise.”
He sat in his truck for a few moments and then put in calls to Walker and Iris. He wanted to give them a heads up. Walker would stay put until the weekend, but Iris decided to fly back to DC with Gus.
“No sense staying if no one wants us.” She didn’t bother to hide her hurt.
“I’ve arranged for a jet from Albany in three hours. I’ll pick you up in one.”
His next stop was Lawson House. He pulled into his parking spot and hopped out of the truck. Immediately, Taco’s excited barks caught his attention, and instead of heading inside, he walked around the house to the backyard.
The dog was chasing butterflies while his owner stood by the purple clematis-laden trellis near the fence. What was it about this woman that snared him? That made his heart triple its beats? Her beauty was only a part of it. A small part, really, considering he could listen to her talk about pretty much anything for hours.
Just for the sake of hearing her voice. Her laughter. Of watching those expressive eyes.
She glanced over just then, and a slow smile spread across her face as she crossed the yard to stand in front of him. Small freckles dotted her nose, and he bent down to run his mouth over the sun-kissed spots before claiming her mouth in a last kiss. He pulled her in closely. Held her body tight while he said goodbye.
When they finally came up for air, there were tears on her cheeks. He kissed them away.
“You’re leaving,” she said softly, leaning her cheek into his hand.
“It’s time.”
“How did it go with Ford and Sunday?”
“They have a lot to process.”
Her smile was tremulous. “So, this is it.”
He nodded. Didn’t trust himself to speak.
“Give me your cell phone.”
He dug in his pocket and handed it over, unlocking it as he did so. She quickly typed something and then handed it back.
“In case you want to talk.”
His chest was tight. Full of things he didn’t understand, and the war inside him was making it hard to breathe.
“I’m okay, Gus. I’m where I need to be. You go and do the same and maybe someday if you find the need to come back to Fire Lake.” She gave a small shrug. “Look me up.”
He left her there in the backyard. Headed up to his place and grabbed his backpack, along with his other personal items. He locked up and left a home that had come to mean so much more than just a place to hang his hat.
Five minutes was all it took to leave a life behind.
He was his mother’s son, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The month of August saw Gus visit five countries. He worked like a son-of-a-bitch and spent all his time on the road. In hotels. In meetings. He even attended functions that required suits. Something he usually hated.
