Chapter Thirty-Four
Blue
A fresh cup of coffee steams in front of me, and I can’t even enjoy it.
The paperwork in my hands may as well be written in a foreign language, because I don’t understand a single thing I’ve read.
The deadline to make the fixes at the center is fast approaching and I don’t even know where to start. In fact, thanks to Seth’s absence, I’ve made exactly zero leeway since we were handed the violation.
I didn’t expect this project to be easy, but I sure as hell didn’t expect it to feel impossible.
I take a breath and settle deeper into the booth, listening as the quiet banter lulls around me. Through the cutout that opens up from the kitchen, Uncle Dusty calls for an order pickup, and this place still feels like a second home. It’s why I chose to complete this stupid paperwork here. I thought it’d put me in a calm headspace.
Nope, I was wrong.
“Ugh!”
I say that a little louder than I mean to, earning myself a stern look from the old guy in the next booth, but I hate this. Honestly, a couple days after seeing West, I was tempted again to give up, but then I remembered the promise I made him.That I wouldn’t let a few setbacks stop me from finishing what I started.
“Let’s see,” I sigh, flipping the page.
The technical jargon is giving me a headache, but I push through, taking notes on what I believe to be the next steps. But just as I reach the point of needing another break, a warm hand grips the back of my neck, giving it a soft squeeze.
Peering up, my eyes land on West’s green stare, and I swear seeing him just unleashed an entire swarm of butterflies inside my stomach. He slides into the bench across from me, legs nearly too long to fit. He sets a folder down on the table but doesn’t call attention to it.
My eyes flash back to his.
“H—hey,” I say, sounding every bit as confused as I feel. “What are you… doing here?”
He smirks and the butterflies dance on cue.
“Checked your location,” he clarifies. “I’ve been working on this for almost a week and thought you might be interested.”
My head tilts as my eyes land on the folder again. “What is it?”
Perfect teeth flash for a brief second when he smiles. “Redemption. Hopefully,” he adds with a laugh.
The response only leaves me more confused, but I’m intrigued enough that I set my paperwork aside to grab the folder instead.
“I heard what you said during dinner last weekend, and I also couldn’t ignore how my behavior added to your stress. So… I did a bit of research with hopes of lightening your load.”
Okay, now I’msuperconfused.
I open the folder and, at first, I’m not sure what I’m looking at, but when I focus, things start to make sense. It’s résumés. About fifteen to twenty of them, all with highlights where I’m guessing West thought certain skills stood out.
“I pulled them off a local site where contractors compete for bids. I chatted with a few over the phone, had them send over their resumes, and I held onto the ones I thought you’d like.”
I blink at the words on the pages, seeing how much time and care he put into this, and I’m… overwhelmed.
“You didn’t have to do this.” My voice is softer than I mean for it to be, because I’m so caught off guard by the gesture.
“I hated seeing how you’ve been struggling to get this done, and I also know it’s on me that Seth is gone, so…”
“Seth leaving isn’t on you,” I cut in, correcting his wrong thinking. “Seth is gone because he doesn’t have any self-control, and he messed up.Bigtime.”
West lets that sit with him for a second, then nods. “Still, I thought this might help.”
It was one thing for West to say he supports me, my dream, and another for him toshowhis support.
