“Oh, hush it,” Bill said, his tone soft. Though his shoulders were tight, and the back of his neck red, as he stomped back out the door.
“So what’s next?” Milo asked, his eyes flicking to his watch.
Eliana smiled, nudging him towards the door. “Go on,” she said. “I know it’s Tuesday and you’ll miss visiting hours.”
“You sure? I promised I would help.”
“And you have helped all day, so go before I make you late. We’ve got it from here. And there will be plenty to do tomorrow.”
“Good,” Milo nodded. “I’ll be here.”
He ducked back through the entrance a moment before Bill reappeared with another giant, feather-light tote in his hands—though you’d think it was housing bricks by the way he carried on. The moment he passed the threshold, he dropped the tote on the ground and flung the lid off, glaring in disbelief at the stacked pillows within.
“Well, I’ll be gosh darned.” Bill sighed, falling back into the soft cushions of the new couch.
The couch that had simply shown up just that morning with a love seat, table, recliner, and a note that read?—
Take a break. -Clem
Eliana would’ve refused it, but Clem had somehow managed to put it all in Eliana’s name and set it so that the funds for a return would deposit directly into Eliana’s new bank account. And with Clem having just gone back off-grid, Eliana was left in a bit of a quandary on what to do with the furniture . . . may as well make use of it until her friend returned to sort the matter out.
Bill ran his hands over his face, stroking his bushy beard, “I’m getting old, kid.”
“Nah, not to me,” Eliana answered, settling onto the couch beside him.Damn, it was like sitting on a cloud. “I appreciate you being here today.”
“Of course I’m here,” Bill grumbled, then cast her a quick side-eye. “I like that new kid.”
“Kid?” Eliana snorted. “Are you talking about Milo?”
“Yeah.” Bill nodded, eyeing her speculatively. “I thinkhe’s a good one. Waiting. Showing up. Doing what that first one should’ve done all along. Has that one been hassling you?”
Eliana shook her head, glancing away. She didn’t want to talk about Jesse. Not so soon. He’d messaged to set up a time to see the girls, but she didn’t know anything else about his situation. She assumed he’d gone back to his parents for support. They were strict, but they’d always bailed him out of bad situations in the past. It was likely the reason he’d never learned how to take accountability in the first place.
“What about Milo’s ex? The, uh, wasp lady who lived next door?”
“Bea,” Eliana corrected.
“To-may-to, to-mah-to.”
“I know she got out on bail after trying to rob Milo, but I’m not sure where she’s living now. Milo has a restraining order against her, so I doubt she’ll be coming around anytime soon. Her shop shut down last week.”
“Can’t say I’m sad to hear it.”
Neither could Eliana.
“What about you? How are you doing?”
“I’m alright,” Eliana said, offering a wobbly smile. She met his patient gaze and watched as he slowly arched a brow in disbelief. Then her shoulders slumped as she sighed. “I’m just tired. My entire life has been flipped over in a matter of months. I feel like I’m in a weird state of limbo. I don’t really know who I am right now. Things are just changing so fast and?—”
“Take a breath, El,” Bill interrupted. “You’re not in limbo. You’re just . . . transitioning. Pruning the old and making way for the new.” Bill slung an arm around her shoulders, giving her a tight squeeze. “Change doesn’t happen overnight, but you’re on the right path. And I’m hereif you need help. I would’ve been before, with Jesse, if you’d asked.”
There was a note in his tone that made her pause. A hint of . . . regret.
Eliana was quick to shake her head. “You were, Dad,” she tilted her head up, a smirk on her lips. “You remember that rainy day fund you gave me? At graduation?”
He pulled back to look at her, nodding.
“That’s how I hired my lawyer, and how I got the equipment I needed to catch him in the act. You always had my back, you have all along.”
