“I don’t know or understand men sometimes,” she added. “It’s like they start a marriage, a family and then one day decide it’s too much or there’s something better. And they leave. And the ones they leave behind…” She swallowed hard. “We’re the ones who grow up learning not to trust.”
Finn didn’t speak. He pulled her a little closer. Nothing he could do to change what happened.
“Hey, old man. Where did you go?” Dex chucked a wing at him.
Finn blinked. Why had that memory been stirred up?
He hadn’t thought about Lainey’s dad in years. Hadn’t thought about him when he left for the service. Hadn’t thought about him when he left her behind.
He thought he was doing it for Lainey. But maybe it hadn’t felt that way to her.
CHAPTER 27
Was thereanything better than a weekend at home just relaxing?
Lainey sat on the back porch and watched a pair of sandhill cranes strut around the pond. The first time she’d seen them, she grabbed Luke, ran into the house and locked the door. Birds almost as tall as she was? Taller than Luke? And totally unafraid of people? At the time, she actually thought they bit people.
Come to find out they didn’t. Although she’d learned they would peck if provoked. And they were protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. They couldn’t be killed without a permit. Although why anyone would want to hunt such magnificent creatures was beyond her.
Lainey took another sip of her coffee and chuckled as a flock of ducks chased one unlucky straggler across the pond. The little fellow paddled off by himself, sad and lonely.
She had a list of chores that needed to be done today, not the least of which was replenishing the cupboards. Luke was in the middle of a growth spurt, and anything edible in the house was fair game.
Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes, letting the quiet envelop her. Her mother was coming over later to pick upLuke for an overnight. Tonight was girls’ night. They were going to a place called Lucky’s. Joy said it was a fun bar and she’d enjoyed herself.
Lainey hoped so.
The weekends were supposed to be about forgetting work, and boy, she wanted to. But with everything going on, all she could do was wait for the next shoe to drop.
Finn rolledover in bed and cracked open one eye. The sun was streaming through the window. He didn’t need to look at his watch to know it was midmorning.
He and the guys left Fat Jack’s just before closing, something he hadn’t done in a while. But knowing the next day was Saturday, and he didn’t have to work, made the late night worth it.
Of course, if he had a woman in his bed, he wouldn’t be up for a while. However, no woman had been in his bed recently. Usually, if he had an itch, he’d find someone for the night and move on. No entanglements. It was easier that way.
Still, his mind drifted, and he wondered what Lainey was up to. What did she do on the weekends with her son? Make pancakes? Do errands? Go to the park? Was there a man in the picture? She never said. He never asked.
Then he went down memory lane for a moment, remembering their last night together. How special it was. How much he missed Lainey.
Bah, not going there right now.
He lay there for a few minutes, hands behind his head, letting his body slowly come awake, and chuckled. Civilian life was sodifferent from being in the service. There was no reveille. No barking orders. No crack-of-dawn wake-ups.
Eventually, he’d go for a run. Check out the feed on the jobsite. If anything had happened, he would have heard. But it made sense to keep on top of things.
Tonight, a few of the guys wanted to go to Lucky’s Bar. He generally didn’t do bars two nights in a row, but staying home sounded worse.
Okay, lazybones, up you go.
Finn groaned and shoved back the covers. He’d shower when he got back from running, so he tugged on a pair of shorts and padded to the kitchen. He watched the coffeepot gurgle to life as he leaned against the counter, yawning. When it finished, he poured himself a mug and stepped out onto the patio.
It was already hot and humid.
He cursed himself for not getting up earlier to run. But if he didn’t get it in, there’d be no time later. He took a long sip of coffee and surveyed the backyard. The neighborhood was quiet. Only the occasional sounds of birds in the trees and a lone car going by. It was peaceful.
He gulped down the last of the coffee and brought the mug into the kitchen. No more excuses. He laced up his sneakers, yanked a T-shirt over his head, and stepped out the door. Running couldn’t be put off any longer.
Once back, he took a long, hot shower, changed and got into his truck. It didn’t take long to get downtown.
