My throat burned, and a flood of shame and regret filled me. "I'm sorry I scared you."
She shook her head and patted my cheek before she composed herself. "Matty called me." She glanced at him with a loving expression. "He told me you were safe."
We followed her to the corner table, and she quickly disappeared before coming back with coffee for Matthew and a glass of chocolate milk for me. It was kinda nice to get the extra attention, and since I sensed she needed it too, I let her fuss as if I really were her family.
When she was back behind the counter, Matthew gently tapped the side of my foot under the table to get me to look up at him. "What are you thinking?"
So many things. Too many things to name out loud. "Don't say I told you so."
"I wasn't going to." He wrapped his hands around his mug and smirked slightly behind it. “But she’s on your side. You can come to her for anything, Joshua. I hope you know that.”
I nodded and glanced at Jeanette as she checked out another customer. As if she could feel my stare, she looked at me and winked. “Yeah, I do.”
We sat quietly for a few minutes before he dug into the real topic hanging between us. "So, you wanna take the job with Sal?"
Hell yeah, I did. Why wouldn’t I? “Yeah, it sounds great.”
“Don’t you think you should give it some thought?” He tapped a sugar packet on the table for something to do. “It’s a big decision.”
I huffed indignantly. "I did give it some thought."
He cocked his head to the side. "In the three seconds between him asking and you answering?"
"I'm a fast thinker." I leaned forward on my elbows, confused as to why he wasn’t on board. "It's good money and real work that I know how to do. Why do you think it’s a bad idea?"
"I don’t think that at all." He leaned back as if trying to give me space I didn’t need. "But it’s a forty-five minute drive from the house, and a forty-hour working week is a big commitment."
I sucked the last of my milk through the straw and pushed the glass toward the edge of the table for Jeanette to refill. Now was as good a time as any to address the reality of my situation. "You brought me to your place for the night. I don’t expect to stay with you forever. And if I have a good job, I can find a place near the jobsite. Besides, gas is cheap for my bike."
The table was quiet for a second as Matthew just stared. "You don't have to leave anytime soon.”
"I know." I played with the straw wrapper, twisting it and untwisting it to avoid looking at him.
"The guest room isn't going anywhere."
When I finally looked up at him, he had that patient expression that made it very hard to be strong. "I don’t wanna be a burden.”
"You’re not a burden, Joshua. And I like having you around."
Jeanette appeared at exactly that moment with our food, and then she disappeared back behind the counter.
I picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup. “I guess I can stay for a little while longer, but I need to work so I can make my own money.”
"Fair enough.” He picked up his sandwich and took a bite. “Then I think you should call Sal and let him know you want the job, but only if you take my truck. I don’t want you riding your bike on that road when it’s foggy."
"Yeah. Okay." A warmth filled my chest because not only were we agreeing that I would stay with Matthew a while longer, but because he wanted me to be safe. I picked up my burger and took a bite too. That was easier than I thought. But it also felt like one of the most important talks I’d ever had. “That works.”
10
MATTHEW
On Saturday, Joshua woke up in a good mood.
He seemed present from the first moment I saw him, and it was a nice change. There wasn’t any hesitation or insecurity about still being in my home. He knew I wanted him to stay, and even though he offered to leave, we both agreed to this living situation for a while, and that gave me as much peace of mind as it seemed to for him.
It was almost like a switch had been flipped, and now that he had something exciting to look forward to, he was a whole different person. Maybe the person he used to be before life got hard for him.
“Do you think we could see a whale’s spout from here?” He stared out at the water that was a few miles away.
