it wasn’t a good idea, and that I wasn’t in the mood to talk.
I started unloading bags of gravel from the back of Matt’s pickup and dropping them on a pile by the cleared area designated for the gazebo. I glanced toward Adam’s office. I could see through the window to where Whitney sat at her desk with her head bent over whatever she was working on.
I hadn’t been thinking very clearly when I asked her to get coffee with me earlier. I had been running on pure emotion, and that emotion had led me to her. I didn’t want to think about what it meant. It was probably nothing. I had told her I simply wanted to bounce my thoughts off someone outside of the situation—and that was true. But it could have been one of my crew members. Hell, I could have grabbed a random person from the street.
But I didn’t. I walked into Adam’s office and went straight to her.
And talking to her, her silent empathy helped for a little while. Something was reassuring about the way she heard me. How she took in my words, my frustration, my pain, and didn’t try to fix it. She accepted it and didn’t judge me for it either.
With a heavy heart, I focused on work and hoped I would find a way out of this without losing Katie.
***
The last of my crew had just left. We worked a little longer today. We were ahead of schedule, which was great considering I had Marla Delacroix already doing regular drive-bys checking on the status of the project.
We had poured the cement foundation for the new gazebo. Mary had finished the borders for the flower beds, and Lucky was almost done staining the new fence. Jeff, Todd, and Matt had laid the last of the mulch and only had to plant the rose bushes. Building the gazebo would be saved for last, and with the way things were going, we would have everything done by the end of the week.
I wiped my face down with the towel I kept in the cab of my truck. My muscles were sore, and I felt a little light-headed from the heat and being out in the sun all day. But the hard labor had done exactly what I needed it to do. It had kept me from losing my mind over the upcoming custody battle.
“Good, you’re still here.” I looked up to find Adam crossing the road toward me.
“Only just. I’m getting ready to head out.” I put my toolbox in the back of my truck and fished my keys out of my pocket. The office behind Adam was dark, meaning everyone else had already left for the day. I hadn’t seen Whitney leave, and she hadn’t come to say goodbye. I tamped down the disappointment. I didn’t have time to get wrapped up in my old feelings for her.
“No, you’re not. You’re coming to Sweet Lila’s with me, Meg and Sky,” Adam insisted.
I shook my head. “I’ve got to pick up Katie. I can’t leave her. Not now.”
Adam’s expression softened. “You’re not leaving her, Web. You’re letting her have a sleepover with her grandparents, who love her more than anything. Dude, you’re a mess. I can see it all over your face—and rightly so,” he quickly added, holding his hand up when I started to open my mouth to argue. “But you need to let off some steam. You need to vent and be angry and drink your weight in liquor.” He clasped my shoulder. “You need your best friends, man. And we’re here for you.”
My body sagged slightly. “I know you’re here for me, but I also need to be home with my kid—”
“So you can think all night about what Josie’s doing? So you can agonize over how this is all going to go down? Katie will pick up on your anxiety, and that won’t be any good for her. Let us take care of you this evening. You did it for me after my divorce, and when I thought I had lost Meg. We did it for Skylar after Mac left. Let us help you now.” I must have still looked uncertain because he shrugged. “Look, call your mom and ask. You know she’ll do it. You don’t have to tell her what’s going on. I’m sure you’re not ready for that conversation yet.”
“And you’d be right.” I sighed. “I guess I don’t want to go home and obsess all night.