She grasped the handles of her bag so tightly that her knuckles were white. “Thank you, Finn. So you’re friends with Peter, then? More than just workmates?”
Finn nodded, but he wished he’d been a better friend, had tried harder to helpPete. “We’ve gotten to be friends since he stayed with me in Melbourne.”
“My boy didn’t mention you. Or maybe he did, but only in passing. Peter has been… distant lately, not spending much time with his father and me, not talking much. We don’t know what goes on in his life anymore. We’ve been so worried about him.” She lowered her voice. “The drugs, the dangerous situations he’s putting himselfin….”
Her voice trailed away as the tears rose again.
Finn felt a need to reassure her. “We can only pray Pete’s going to recover, but you need to know that he’s a good man, Mrs. Crowley. He’s doing some things that would make you really proud.”
He caught Mitch’s eye and could sense Mitch’s confusion. There was so much he wished he could talk to Mitch about: how Pete felt a sense of hopelessnessfor his own situation and how he wanted to make amends. Finn wanted to tell Mitch exactlyhowPete was trying to make things right.
Finn had a sudden memory of the afternoon when Pete told him to go to Mitch if anything happened to Pete, that Mitch could be trusted. And Finn’s gut told him that was true—Mitchcouldbe trusted. A weight had been lifted. He smiled at Mitch as he resolved to talkto him later.
He met Mrs. Crowley’s eyes again. “But he’s going to be fine. He’ll come through this okay, and then he’ll be able to tell you himself.”
“I do hope so. But thank you for saying what you did about Pete. I’ve been so worried about him.” She looked to the door. “Oh, there you are, love. Look who’s here.”
Finn turned as an older gentleman entered the room. It wasn’t hard to see wherePete got his good looks from—the man looked like an older and healthier version of his friend, but at that moment, Pete’s father looked devastated. Slumped shoulders and red-rimmed eyes, evidence he’d been crying. Waiting for news of their son was obviously taking a lot out of both Pete’s parents. Mr. Crowley put the cardboard tray he was carrying on a small table. He stood uncertainly until Mitchrose, holding out his arms and pulling him into a hug. They gave each other a healthy back slap, but the hug obviously held a lot of emotion and indicated a once-close relationship between the two men.
Mr. Crowley pulled back but didn’t let go of Mitch, holding him by the upper arms and smiling at him. “It’s good to see you, son. Thank you so much for being here. It means a lot.” He cleared histhroat. “We’ve missed you being around.”
“I wish it was under better circumstances, Larry. I’ve missed hanging with you guys, too, and Mrs. C’s cooking, of course.” Mitch’s comment seemed to lighten the mood, and Mrs. Crowley smiled a genuine smile for the first time since they entered the room. Mr. Crowley released Mitch and moved to his wife’s side, sitting beside her and placing an arm aroundher shoulders. Mitch retrieved the drinks and sandwiches Mr. Crowley appeared to have forgotten, and passed a cup to each of them.
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Mrs. Crowley smiled at Mitch. She placed a hand on Mitch’s knee when he sat back down, the three of them leaning close.
Finn felt slightly uncomfortable as he watched them together, as if he were intruding on a private moment. They sharedmemories, obviously reminiscing about happier times, times when Mitch and Pete were together. Mitch met his gaze every now and then, giving him a reassuring smile, perhaps trying to let him know he wasn’t excluded.
With each story, every remembered good time spent celebrating a special occasion, each mention of the past, Finn’s chest tightened. At first he thought it was jealousy, being enviousof the close bond Mitch shared with these people. He’d never known such closeness and wondered what it would be like to have a history that was more than loneliness and fear. Perhaps it was the reminder of the time Pete and Mitch had spent together, but the more he listened, the longer he watched Mitch comfort Mr. and Mrs. Crowley, he realized it wasn’t jealousy at all. The strange feeling in hischest, the thickness in his throat, the pricking behind his eyes, was a mixture of pride and admiration at the way Mitch was helping the couple and keeping an eye on Finn, all while dealing with his own emotional state.
More and more he was starting to realize Mitch was one of the good guys.Isn’t he?Hehadto be because Finn didn’t think his heart was up to falling for one of the bad guys andthen being broken when everything went to shit. Because it would. Things were in motion that would bring everything in Finn’s world crashing down.
