Ulysses.
—Up for company? Understandable if you’re not. —
I hesitated. I wasn’t truly up for a guest. Still, I didn’t want him to worry.Sure, shovel some shit while you’re at it—of course you want to see him.At least here, I could be honest with myself.
—Sure. I’m…not great company. —
A long pause.
—What can I bring? —
—Yourself. —
Another pause.
—And a burger? Soup? Chili? —
—Sure. —
—Which? —
—Any. —
—Or all. Be there soon. —
—You don’t need to bring all. —
I waited.
No responseandthe message went un-replied to.Stubborn cuss.
Yeah. Except I’d do the same damn thing. Had when Giancarlo had been laid up with that bad ankle.
Giancarlo.
For the umpteenth time, I hit speed dial. For the umpteenth-and-first time, the call went straight to voice mail.Fucking asshole. I would stand by you. Or I think I would. I’m not such a boy scout myself. I know shit happens.Would I forgive him for driving high? Probably not for a while. But I’d encourage him to get help. Stand by him if he went for rehab. Just…I needed to fucking talk to him.
I closed my laptop and put it on the end table. Then I chose to be nearly horizontal in the recliner—less pressure in my head. Less pressure equaled less pain. Or so I told myself. I really should’ve gone to lie down, but Ulysses was on his wayover.
My boyfriend? Fuck buddy? Partner? What is the label for what we have?I just didn’t have an answer for that.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ulysses
He looks so damn peaceful. I don’t want to wake him.
That said, my stomach rumbled at the smell emanating from the fragrant bags of food. I’d barely eaten anything in the last two days.
The live interview in CNC’s studio in downtown Vancouver had capped off the insane ride. I hadn’t wanted to do something so publicly—on camera, no less—but Spring talked to me about it. Said I’d bring attention to Mission City, the newspaper, and the hardworking but under-resourced RCMP force.
Sure. Yeah. All that.
And the interview had been likely to drag up my past.
I’d lucked out.
Jake McGrath, a recent Mission City arrival himself, had taken the interview. He was covering for the regular host of a show that ran across Canada. Personally, I wasn't sure this little town deserved that much of a spotlight.
