Chapter Eleven
WES
I had cabin fever, big time. After Patsy left the apartment, I’d cleaned up the breakfast dishes and pulled some steak out of the freezer to thaw for dinner.
I’d been smiling the whole damned time. After breakfast, I’d walked Patsy to the door and kissed him for all he was worth before he left.
It was amazing how quick and easy I’d fallen into domestic bliss with the intriguing FBI agent.
There was something just comfortable about living here in his space, but I also knew I was in trouble because I was already starting to think of it as my space too.
Even though we hadn’t made it to bed yet, I was enjoying taking my time with him. The attraction was mutual; I knew if I stayed here much longer, it wouldn’t take much to take it to the next step. We would become lovers.
The thought of a relationship with Patsy was nice, though, I wasn’t certain I wanted to commit to him.
I told myself that I couldn’t possibly choose a better man to fall for, but I’d never done well with commitment.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to fall in love and have kids with a man who’d be my other half someday.
I wanted a man who’d be my soulmate. It was just that I never seemed to be able to make relationships last longer than a few weeks.
It felt different with Patsy. I honestly didn’t want to disappoint either of us.
I glanced around the newly tidied living room and made a decision.
I needed to get out of the house to take a long walk.
Easy strolls around Balboa Park where there was a small lake always cleared my head when I’d still lived at home with my parents, and I was desperate to do just that.
Of course, the middle of Hollywood wasn’t anywhere near Balboa Park and there certainly wasn’t a lake within twenty miles of Patsy’s apartment but just getting outside in the fresh air and sunshine would definitely help me feel better.
I pocketed the spare key Patsy had given me and grabbed my jacket before heading out of the house.
As soon as I stepped out onto the sidewalk and took a deep breath of fresh air, I felt better.
I smiled to myself and headed down the street.
The block where Patsy lived was a mix of places.
The middle of the street was a combination of houses and apartments, some modern with many units, and even more that were smaller, older buildings like Patsy’s, constructed in the 30s and 40s.
Commercial buildings anchored each end of the residential blocks that made up the neighborhood.
They comprised everything from gas stations to small strip malls which were in abundance.
Though some neighborhoods in Hollywood were seedy and rundown, Patsy’s wasn’t.
The apartment buildings appeared to be well maintained and most of the single-family homes had picket fences with garden gates, old growth trees, and flowers.
It was charming. The neighbors seemed friendly, greeting me with smiles and hellos.
I stopped to pet a couple of dogs which were being walked by their owners and chit chatted about the weather.
I couldn’t get over the fact of how friendly people were but then realized it had been some time since I’d walked around in anything other than dirty clothes with unwashed skin, and a scruffy beard.
I forced myself to put it out of my mind because I honestly didn’t want to dwell on how people were treated when they were homeless.
I thanked God that Patsy had walked into Raj and Rami’s convenience store the night of the robbery.
The man had quite literally turned out to be a knight in shining armor.
He didn’t wear a heavy suit of metal and he didn’t carry a sword, but he did carry FBI credentials.
In this case they amounted to the same thing.
While Rami and Raj were on my mind, I made a left at the corner, deciding to walk over to the store and say hi.
It had been several days since I’d been in to visit, when before the robbery, I’d stopped in every morning and usually every evening to catch up with their day, giving a hand where I could.
The two brothers had been the only family and friends I’d had in the months after losing Mom’s house while I was living in my car.
Old friends had melted away as my circumstances changed and I was too embarrassed to reach out.
The brothers always made sure I got a cup of hot coffee and a sandwich.
On very bad days, when I hadn’t been able to get a labor-ready job, their kindness and friendly faces each day had helped a lot.
I waved and greeted Raj when I walked in, smiling broadly and getting one in return.
He was serving a customer, so I waited until he was free before walking over.
“Wes!” he said, coming around the counter and hugging me.
“Where have you been, my friend? I haven’t seen you since the night we were robbed.
” He let go and held me out at arm’s length, looking me up and down, showing off bright, white teeth as he grinned widely.
“You look so good, so healthy, my friend.”
I smiled back. “Thanks, Raj.” I looked around. “Where’s Rami?”
“Did someone call my name?”
I looked up to see Rami coming down an aisle carrying a box of wine bottles. I assumed he’d been in the back room. “Hi, Rami!”
“Weston! How are you?” He set down his carton and hugged me. “Where have you been? We haven’t seen you in a few days.” He whistled. “You look great.”
“Thanks. Actually, the morning after that miserable night, Patsy Good came looking for me and he’s been letting me stay at his place ever since.”
“Really?” Both men exclaimed at the same time. “That’s great. Patsy’s such a nice man,” Rami said.
“Such a nice man,” Raj echoed. He frowned suddenly as he looked me over. “How’s your arm?”
“Yes, how are you doing?” Rami asked.
I lifted my hand and flexed beneath my jacket to show it was working just fine. “I’m good.” I smiled at them. “I think I have you two to thank since you were the ones who told him where to find me.”
“We were worried about you,” Rami said.
“And we know how stubborn you are,” Raj added. “We weren’t sure you’d go to the hospital to be treated.”
I grinned, looking at my feet as I shook my head. When I looked up, I was still smiling. “You’re right. I am stubborn. Thank goodness you told him where to find me. When he did, he knew I wasn’t doing very well, so he insisted I see a doctor. I’m so grateful to you both.”
“You’re our friend, Wes,” Raj said.
I broke eye contact and glanced around. “I’ve missed this place.”
“I think you’ve missed our coffee,” Rami said. “Let me get you one.”
I was embarrassed to take it from them but since I wasn’t working, and I needed to save my pathetic savings where I could, I accepted it. “I tell you what,” I said, nodding at the box of wine. “I’ll take the coffee but only if you’ll let me work for it. Do you have more stocking to do?”
“Oh, no, Wes, that’s not necessary,” Rami said, pouring a big cup and handing it to me.
“Yes, we got a big shipment of wine, beer, and liquor yesterday morning, and we also are in the middle of inventory,” Raj contradicted.
“I can’t pay you much, Wes, but we could use the help.
Normally, our father comes down, but he’s off on some holiday.
” He waved a hand. “You know we get the truck once a week. It takes us an entire day to unbox it and stock the shelves or sort it in the back to keep in stacks while the other one helps customers in the front of the store. And you can help me by checking things off on the clipboard. It will save me lots of time. I started yesterday but haven’t finished yet. ”
“Raj!” Rami said, rattling off something that sounded like scolding in Punjabi. To his credit, Raj shot right back. I’d never seen this dynamic between the brothers. Finally, Rami turned back to me. “It’s okay, Wes. You are welcome to help if you want.”
I grinned and held out a hand. “Thank you, Rami.” We shook, and I looked at Raj. “You too, my friend.” He patted me on my good shoulder. “Come to the back and I’ll show you what I need done.”
“Great.” I took off my jacket as I followed Raj.
Three hours later, I was hot and sweaty and a little sore despite only writing down numbers, occasionally emptying boxes one-armed, and breaking them down to stack, but the storeroom and back office were once again organized.
I leaned the broom and dustpan against the wall and admired my work, happy that I’d been of some help to the brothers.
I’d just finished washing my hands as Raj came back into the storeroom.
“Wow, Wes, you did a great job.” He wore a huge smile as he handed me a cold bottle of water. “Please come up front to the register so we can give you some money for all the hard work.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary, Raj. I told you.”
“Nonsense. We insist. Come on.” He waved at me, so I picked up my jacket, knowing it was useless to argue with him. When we walked out to the front of the store, I stopped.
A tall man with his back to me was talking to Rami as he rang up his purchases.
The man wore a navy sweatshirt, jeans, and running shoes, and from my vantage point, I could see he was balding like me.
A shiver ran through me for some reason, and I slowed my steps, keeping my eyes on him as I got closer and closer.
Something in his mannerisms seemed off even though I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
I watched Rami hand him his change, keeping my eyes on the man as he exited the store without turning around.
Raj and I walked up to the counter. “Oh, hey, Wes! Are you finished?” Rami asked.