Chapter 8 Family Pressure #2
"I thought I'd find you down here."
Eli looked up.
"I couldn't settle upstairs."
"You've reorganized that toolbox three times."
"I was bored."
"You were thinking."
He smiled faintly.
"You always know."
"I've had plenty of practice."
She placed the towels inside a cabinet before studying him.
"You haven't mentioned Jax once today."
"I know."
"Which tells me you've been thinking about him all day."
Eli leaned against the workbench.
"I think I'm making things harder for him."
Rosa remained quiet, allowing him to continue.
"The board's putting pressure on him."
"I've heard."
"The town's watching every move he makes."
"I've heard that too."
He let out a slow breath.
"I don't want to become another burden he has to carry."
Rosa walked closer.
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Who carries your burdens?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked around the garage.
The faded walls.
The old office.
The lift his uncle had spent years saving to buy.
Everything in the building reminded him why he had returned to Red Hollow.
Everything except one thing.
His future.
"What if I made a mistake coming back?"
Rosa frowned.
"You don't mean that."
"I don't know what I mean."
"You came home because you loved your uncle."
"I know."
"You rebuilt this place with your own hands."
"I know."
"You've earned the town's respect."
"Some of it."
She folded her arms.
"So why are we suddenly talking about mistakes?"
Eli stared through the open garage door toward the quiet street.
"Because sometimes it feels like no matter what happens..."
He hesitated.
"...I'll always come second."
Rosa understood immediately.
"This isn't really about the garage."
"No."
"It's about Jax."
He looked away.
"I knew what I was getting into."
"Did you?"
"He's responsible for an entire ranch."
"He is."
"He'll always choose that first."
"Maybe."
"And maybe he has to."
The words sounded reasonable.
Logical.
Exactly the kind of thing Eli would have told someone else in his position.
They still hurt.
Rosa rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You don't know what tomorrow looks like."
"I know what today looks like."
"And today isn't forever."
Before Eli could respond, another voice called from outside.
"Eli?"
He stepped into the doorway.
Mr. Dawson, a real estate agent from the neighboring town, stood beside his pickup.
"I was in the area."
"What can I do for you?"
The older man smiled politely.
"I've still got buyers interested in commercial property."
Eli frowned slightly.
"You mentioned that months ago."
"I did."
"My offer still stands if you ever decide to sell."
Sell.
The word lingered longer than it should have.
Mr. Dawson continued.
"Garages like this don't stay on the market very long."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"No pressure."
He handed Eli a business card.
"Just give me a call if you ever decide you're ready for a change."
After the man drove away, Eli stared at the card for several long seconds.
Dallas.
He hadn't thought seriously about returning in over a year.
There had been opportunities there.
Better pay.
More customers.
No one who knew his last name.
No one who cared where he spent an evening.
No one whispering every time he spoke to another man.
The thought settled quietly in the back of his mind.
That evening, after Rosa had gone upstairs, Eli remained alone in the office.
He opened the bottom drawer of the old filing cabinet searching for warranty paperwork.
Instead, he found a worn leather notebook.
His uncle's handwriting filled every page.
Repair notes.
Customer lists.
Small reminders scribbled in the margins.
Near the back, one sentence had been circled twice.
Don't build a life by running away from the people who matter.
Eli read it again.
And again.
He closed the notebook slowly.
His uncle had always known exactly what to say, even years after he was gone.
A soft knock echoed against the open garage door.
Eli looked up.
Jax stood outside beneath the fading evening light.
His pickup remained parked across the street instead of directly in front of the garage.
The small detail didn't escape either of them.
"You parked over there."
Jax looked back at the truck.
"I figured people were watching."
"They probably are."
"I hate that."
"So do I."
For a moment neither moved.
The distance between them felt larger than the width of the garage floor.
Finally Jax stepped inside.
"I've been meaning to come by."
"I know."
"I've had meetings."
"I figured."
He looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The confident ranch owner everyone else saw had disappeared somewhere beneath the weight he carried.
"The board wants me to spend more time with Claire."
Eli lowered his eyes.
"I heard."
"They think it'll stop the rumors."
"Will it?"
"I don't know."
Silence stretched between them.
Eli forced himself to ask the question he had been avoiding.
"If that's what you need to do..."
Jax looked at him immediately.
"...then do it."
"You make it sound easy."
"It isn't."
"But it might be necessary."
Jax took another step forward.
"I don't know what's necessary anymore."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
The quiet garage seemed unusually still.
Finally Eli let out a slow breath.
"I've been thinking."
"Dangerous habit."
A faint smile appeared and disappeared just as quickly.
"I've even thought about selling the garage."
Jax's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
"I could go back to Dallas."
"No."
The answer came so quickly that it surprised them both.
Eli searched Jax's face.
"You don't even know why."
"I don't have to."
"You'd really care if I left?"
Jax hesitated.
"I..."
The words refused to come.
He looked frustrated with himself.
"I don't know how to explain it."
Eli nodded slowly.
"That's the problem."
He wasn't angry.
Just tired.
"I can't keep guessing what I mean to you."
Jax closed his eyes briefly.
"I know."
"I've spent weeks hoping you'll tell me."
"I want to."
"Then do it."
The challenge wasn't spoken harshly.
It was honest.
The kind of honesty their friendship had always allowed.
Jax looked at the floor before meeting Eli's eyes again.
"I need time."
"How much?"
"I don't know."
Eli considered the answer.
Part of him wanted to walk away.
Another part remembered the man who had stood beside him in the storm, trusted him during the cattle drive, and quietly thanked him after every difficult day.
That man deserved honesty.
Even if it took time to find it.
He slipped Mr. Dawson's business card into the top drawer of the desk and closed it.
"I'm not making any decisions tonight."
Relief crossed Jax's face.
"But I can't wait forever."
"I know."
Eli gave a small nod.
"I'm going to give you one chance."
Jax looked up.
"One chance to figure out what you truly want."
The words hung quietly between them.
No promises were made.
No easy answers appeared.
Only an understanding that whatever happened next would depend on whether Jax was finally willing to stop living for everyone else and start speaking for himself.
For now, that was enough.
It had to be.
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