22. Gabriel
Chapter Twenty-Two
GAbrIEL
“Okay, what’s the schedule?” Tucker asked. His voice was muffled because he was leaning into the back of one of the planes.
I glanced at the screen on my phone, reviewing an email Nora had just sent with our flight schedules. “You’re doing the mail run, I have some supplies to deliver, and then we both have a few sightseeing trips this afternoon.”
Tucker straightened, closing the door to the back of the plane and leaning against it as he crossed his arms. “Well, it sounds like we’re gonna have the same kind of day.” His bright blue eyes coasted over me. “You’re looking cheerful this morning. Have a good night with Nora?”
I grinned. “Everything with Nora is good.” I didn’t speak it aloud, but it was such a profound relief we weren’t trying to hide us anymore.
Tucker flashed me a quick smile before his gaze sobered. “Flynn’s still worried you’re gonna break her heart again.”
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I sighed as I scuffed the toe of my boot over the pavement. “I know he is. I won’t though.”
He nodded. “Good. I think you’re good for each other.” He pushed away from the plane before curling his palm over my shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I’ll see you later. Are we landing around the same time?”
I glanced at my phone again and lifted my eyes to his again. “Yep.”
“Want to grab some burgers and beer at the brewery?”
I checked my hesitation and nodded. “Sounds good.” I always wanted to get back to Nora as soon as I could these days, but I also valued time with my friends.
Later that evening, I pocketed my keys and walked quickly across the parking lot toward Diamond Creek Brewery.
This was a favorite place for locals as well as tourists.
It was a busy brewery, and, in addition to beer, and they also offered wines, mead, and had recently begun producing a local mulled cider.
Along with all of that, they had an excellent restaurant.
I pushed through the doorway into the restaurant. It was housed in a renovated plane hangar. Tucker had texted me that he’d snagged us a booth in the corner by the windows. My eyes scanned the area, and when my gaze landed on his, I lifted my hand in a wave as I threaded my way through the tables.
Tables filled the center of the space with booths lining the walls. In honor of its location as a former plane hangar, small model planes hung from the ceiling in whimsical decoration. The expansive space had rugs scattered on the floors to soften the noise.
I didn’t think I’d ever been here at a time when it wasn’t crowded, and tonight was no exception. I was relieved Tucker had landed a little earlier than me. Otherwise, I didn’t doubt we would be waiting for a table.
Sliding into the booth across from him, I smiled. “Thanks for beating me here. I’m freaking starving, and I can definitely use a beer.”
Tucker grinned. “My timing was good. A group was just leaving when I got here. I’ve already ordered us two beers. I’m assuming the house draft will do for you?”
“You know me well,” I teased.
“Any problems today?” he asked.
“Not a one. Every flight went smoothly. The wildlife cooperated for my scenic trips.”
Tucker chuckled, leaning back in the booth and running a hand through his shaggy brown curls. “Same here. We saw a brown bear by the water. Near Halibut Cove, we saw some moose and even a few sea lions chilling out on the rocks.”
“Sweet. We saw everything but the sea lions.”
My phone rang, and I reached into my pocket to slide it out. Glancing at the screen, I saw my mother’s name. “This is my mom. Mind if I take it real quick?”
He shook his head. “Of course not. I gotta run to the boys’ room anyway.”
He slipped out of the booth as I answered, “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Gabriel!” She opened every call with me like that, her tone sounding surprised.
Considering that I answered every call from her unless I was in the middle of something, it grated on me.
“How’s it going?” I asked, preparing myself for the inevitable request for money.
“Oh, fine, fine,” she chirped. “You?”
“Doing well. Busy, as usual.” I was already annoyed with this call, I wanted to hurry it long. “What can I do for you, Mom?”
“You know, Gabriel, I’m not always calling for something. Maybe I just wanted to say hello,” she replied defensively.
I swallowed my sigh and leaned back in the booth, feeling weary. “I don’t mind that you ask for things, Mom. I do mind the bullshit though.”
She went quiet. I could picture her face, her lips tightening in a line, and her eyes flicking down.
Life hadn’t been kind to my mother, and that was the only reason I had any patience with the strange relationship we had.
If I could even call it a relationship. Her family life growing up had been unstable, so she struggled with alcohol and stability.
Having two kids when she was young wasn’t a great recipe for her to pull it together.
Pressure only added to her general state of distress.
She bounced in and out of our lives, gracing us with her presence whenever she needed somewhere to stay.
Fortunately, my dad was solid as a rock.
I made a mental note to give him a call.
He wasn’t much for chatting on the phone, but we were tight.
My relationship with him was definitely more about quality rather than quantity.
My mother’s sigh filtered through the phone line as I waited. “I’m sorry you view it that way. I do appreciate the money you sent me earlier. It turns out?—”
My impatience got the best of me. “Just tell me how much you need.”
“I need rent money again. A thousand dollars.”
“I’ll wire it over tomorrow morning. I thought you were about to buy a place,” I said. I knew better than to make that last comment because my mom often had plans fall through. In her world, she could merely be thinking about buying a home or wishing she could for it to be considered a plan.
She was quiet for a second before replying, “It didn’t work out.”
“No problem. Like I said, I’ll help.”
This time, her sigh was one of relief as it came out in a rush. “Thank you, I really appreciate it. Have you talked to your sister recently?”
I bit back a groan. “No, Mom. You know she’s not big on phone calls. We text pretty regularly. Next time I talk to her, I’ll let her know you’d like to hear from her.”
My relationship with my sister was similar to that with my dad, with a little more distance.
Because the world was what it was, adolescence had been hard on her, and we’d grown apart.
Independence was really important to her.
She wasn’t a fan of our mom. She carried more resentment than I did, which was saying something, so she rarely spoke with Mom.
“That would be great,” my mother replied with a forced cheerfulness in her tone.
After I replied with, “Mmm,” my mom fell silent.
I knew we were now at that point of the conversation where she was trying to figure out how to get off the call gracefully. Rather than wait her out, I pushed ahead. “All right. Well, do you need anything else?”
“I don’t think so,” she chirped, her bright tone scraping over my nerves.
“Take care, Mom.” I hung up after she mumbled a goodbye.
Tucker returned at that moment, just as a waitress arrived with our beers.
He sat down, and the waitress, a friendly, outdoorsy-looking type with her dark hair up in a ponytail, set our beers down in front of us.
She pulled out a small computer tablet. “Okay, guys, are you ready to order some food?”
“I’ll take a burger and fries. Medium rare, please,” I said.
Tucker flashed a grin at me before he looked up at the waitress. “Same here, except make my burger well done.”
“You’ve got it. If you need anything else, just wave when I’m nearby. Food should be out in about fifteen minutes.”
She hurried off, and I lifted my pint glass to take a swallow of beer.
When I set it down, I collided with Tucker’s curious gaze. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Nothing new since you went to the restroom.”
He arched a single brow. “You didn’t look cranky before I went to the restroom, and now you do.”
I took another swallow of beer. Setting the glass down, I traced my fingertip around the base. “You know my mom. She’s always calling for money. It gets old, but I’d feel worse if I didn’t help her out.”
He nodded. He knew the situation with my mother and had even met her once. When we were in the Air Force together and on break, she’d stopped by.
“You don’t have to give her money, you know.”
I leaned my head back, resting it on the booth. “I know I don’t, but whenever I don’t, I feel guilty. I’d rather feel annoyed than guilty.”
His mouth twisted in understanding, and he shrugged. “I get it. There’s no good answer. How are things with Nora?”
“Pretty good. I think.”
Tucker’s eyes took on a glint. “Keep them good. Don’t let this shit get in the way.”
“What the hell do you mean by that?” I returned, defensiveness flaring inside.
“I mean, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why you’ve got problems with commitment, or used to. Your mom has been a flake in every important relationship in her life. It’s no wonder it’s hard for you to believe it can work out.”
“Damn,” I muttered. “I don’t need to be psychoanalyzed by you, or anyone else for that matter. Things are good with Nora, and they’re going to stay that way.”
“Chill out. I wasn’t trying to piss you off, just making an observation. My sister always says you have to understand your past to make things better in the future.”
I opened my mouth to counter that, and he chuckled. “Dude, she’s a therapist. She knows shit like that.”
I rolled my shoulders and took another swallow of beer. “Fine. I’ll work on understanding my past,” I offered dryly.
Later that night, when I texted Nora to tell her I wanted to come by, she replied she wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to give me her cold.
I wanted to argue the point, but she read my mind from a distance. Getting sick is stupid .