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Heath went straight to Sue’s when he got home. He wanted to talk to her, and telling her about his meeting with Jojo was the perfect excuse. In case he needed an excuse. Did he? After the way she’d left this morning, he was pretty sure something was off. Had he said something? Done something? Or she wasn’t over her ex. No. They’d talked about that. And made love after.
She wasn’t answering the door. Not home? He peered through the blinds on the patio door. No sign of life. She’d said she had plans tonight. He should have asked her what they were. Or would that have been prying? He grabbed hold of his hair, wishing he knew how to navigate a relationship, especially one he wanted to advance.
He walked into his own house, threw his keys on the kitchen counter and prepared a cup of tea. He could record a chapter tonight, which left three more until he finished his current project. Then, he’d knock the last chapters out tomorrow with no guilt about losing Tuesday to the commercial voiceover in the city.
As he headed upstairs to the studio, his mother called.
“Can you come over for dinner?” she asked.
He glanced at the clock. His mother’s version of dinner, five o’clock, wasn’t for another hour. He might have time to finish a chapter, but not time to check it. “I was getting ready to work,” he told her. “What about tomorrow?”
“Well,” she said, her voice taking on a worried note, “the truth is I need your help. My toilet won’t stop flushing and its Sunday, and I don’t want to call a plumber out. You were always so helpful with that sort of thing when you lived here.”
“Can you call C.J.?”
“He isn’t handy, like you are,” she said.
No, C.J. hadn’t been one to get his hands dirty, dating back to when they were kids. After their dad left, Heath had been the one reading the Mr. Fix-It books with his mother when things broke. He’d been the one taking shop classes in high school.
“I’m on my way.”
“And you’ll stay for dinner?”
Payment for services rendered. “You don’t have to feed me, Mom.”
“I know, but it’s the least I can do. I want to.”
“See you soon.” He disconnected and returned to the kitchen, poured his tea into a travel mug, and headed out.
When he arrived at his mother’s, she greeted him at the door, wringing her hands. “It keeps flushing,” she said.
He went straight to the bathroom, took the lid off the tank and freed the chain where it had gotten caught. The toilet filled and the water stopped running.
“Oh,” his mother said. “That was easy.”
“Yes, but there’s a reason it got stuck. I should probably replace the innards for you.”
The relief on her face was evident. “I do hear running water in the tank regularly. Will that fix it?”
“Why didn’t you say something when I was here the other day?” he asked.
“I would have, but then C.J. stopped over, and you left in such a hurry...”
“I’m here now. I’ll go to the hardware store for the parts and I can fix it after dinner.”
She wrapped him in a hug. “What would I do without you?”
“You’d call a plumber,” he teased. “But I’m happy to help. Moving out doesn’t mean I’m going to abandon you, Mom.”
“I know. You didn’t abandon me when you moved out the first time.”
Which had been a hard thing to do. He’d vowed to be a better man than his father, someone who would always be there for his mother. A better man didn’t have fly-by-night affairs and didn’t walk out on his family. One of the reasons he didn’t jump into bed with every woman who batted her eyelashes at him. That’s why he’d tried to be sure with Sue, sure she was more than a quick romp.
Except she’d left abruptly.
“You can tell me how things are going with that new neighbor of yours over dinner,” his mother said, as if she’d read his mind.
Heat rose up his neck. His cue to exit. “I’ll be right back.” He needed the time to think about what he could tell his mother.
~ ~ ~
WHEN SUE GOT HOME, no lights were on at Heath’s. She was too nervous to talk to him anyway. Her first interview was scheduled for tomorrow during her lunch break.
Mary Ellen and Cinda told her not to rush things with Heath, to take time to think things through. Sue had decided to keep her distance until after she’d had her interviews. Even if the loser comment had belonged to his brother, she didn’t want to take anything negative with her while she pitched herself to a potential new employer.
At the risk of overdoing the avoidance thing, she didn’t turn her lights on. The second interview was Tuesday morning. Once both interviews were in her rearview mirror, she’d knock on Heath’s door and ask him outright if he thought she was a loser. She didn’t know Heath well, but he hadn’t dodged any difficult conversations so far. One of the things she liked about him. So why was she dodging him?
They’d bandied about the love conversation, more in a hypothetical sense, right? Love thy neighbor? Not “I love you.” What had she said to him?
She’d talk to him Tuesday and they could sort through all the fallout from their sleepover—a sleepover that had been the stuff dreams were made of.
What if Heath had a dark side? The way Mike had? She refused to let anyone dominate her life that way again. Heath might have been auditioning a thriller audiobook, but he’d sounded very convincing.
Whoa. She had learned something after leaving Mike. The feeling of empowerment rushed through her veins.
She cast a glance at the wall she shared with Heath. “Tuesday’s soon enough to figure this out.” She tiptoed up the staircase and sat on the edge of the bed.
Had something happened when he talked to Jojo? A tingle of fear propelled her to her feet. He shouldn’t have been in any danger but she should at least check on him to make sure he was all right.
What if Jojo had killed Derek and made it look like suicide? Rod had mentioned finger bruises on Derek’s neck. Would Jojo kill Heath?
A door closed next door. Heath was home. Sue lowered herself to the edge of the bed once more, staring into the darkness. Her pulse raced. Her body thrummed, tempting her to knock on his door and pick up where they’d left off this morning.
This morning he’d told her his brother thought she was a loser. As much as she wanted to go to Heath, she had to prove to herself she didn’t need a man or a man’s opinion of her life.
What if she didn’t get either of the jobs she was interviewing for? Would that prove she was a loser?
No. She’d taken charge of her life, like Cinda had said. Cinda, who had opened the door for her that fateful day with Mike, had helped her overcome what she’d lived through. Cinda, who had her back every step of the way, even when Sue didn’t want her to. And Mary Ellen. She reminded Sue of the things she’d accomplished on her own. They’d stuck by her. Helped her to her feet without imposing themselves on her. Well, Cinda had imposed, but only to protect Sue from herself. Even she’d backed off after Sue had left Mike.
The memory washed over her, taking with it the anxiety and the pain and the sadness. A twinge of guilt prickled when she was glad Mike had died. Glad?
She didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Remembering the good times was easy. She’d miss the man he was during those early years, but somewhere along the way, he’d turned into someone else. She wouldn’t miss that man. No more wondering if he could stay on the wagon. No more fear he’d get angry with her and attack, either verbally or physically.
She glanced out her bedroom window, at the streetlight. The light in the darkness. The beacon of hope for a brighter future.