Chapter 12 Wayne
WAYNE
Life is pretty fucking good right now.
Sure, I'm still batting zero on the job search, but I haven't really been putting much effort into it.
I haven't even checked my email for the last few days.
The freedom to do whatever I want whenever I feel like it has been nice, and the contracts I look over for the ranch are enough to keep me from going stir crazy.
Besides, staying up to date with those keeps Jenny off my back, and that's worth way more than any job.
Spending time with Katie has been great, too. I slept over a couple nights ago, when she invited me for dinner, and it was really nice to just curl up and hold her. I haven't done that in years.
I wound up leaving before she woke up the next morning because I didn't want to explain where I'd been to my dad and Jenny.
Even so, I lingered for longer than I intended.
It's hard to get up and put your clothes on when the sun is peeking through the curtains and making everything look hazy and warm. Katie’s hair was all spread out over the pillows, golden curls sparkling against the light green sheets.
She looked so pretty, and part of me actually wanted to stay — to maybe grab some coffee or breakfast together.
Instead, I found a happy middleground. I didn’t stay, but I did text her that I had to get going. This ended up being a good decision. I only barely made it into my bedroom before I heard Dad and Mary getting up for the day.
Since then, a few days have passed and no one’s said anything, so I think I managed to slip beneath the radar.
Mary’s a little sharper than I'd like. Maybe it's just because she doesn't know me, and it's harder to pull the same tricks on her that I use to get my family off my back, but I feel like she sees right through me. Even with the added hurdle of Mary being around, though, life is going good. I’m more relaxed than I have been in years.
This morning is set to be relaxing, too, but I get a phone call as I’m brushing my teeth. I lean out of the bathroom and glance over toward my nightstand, surprised to see Aaron’s name on my screen.
I spit and rinse quickly before picking up the call.
“Big man, what’s up?” I ask, grinning widely.
We haven’t seen each other since we hung out at the bar, but he texted me the other day asking about my weekend plans. I feel like I’m forgetting something, but I never schedule anything on my weekends. That’s my time to party.
“Wayne, hey,” he says. “I’m on my way to work, so I can’t talk long, but you’re still free this weekend, right?”
“Yeah, you know me, man. Always keep my weekends free. Are we getting up to something?”
He chuckles on the other end of the line as I pull my shaving cream and razor out of my medicine cabinet.
“Cody, Travis, and I are going to go camping,” he says. “We’re driving down to Vegas this weekend. Not hitting the strip or anything, but I figured you might want to join.”
What am I, an idiot? Like hell am I going to say no to Vegas.
“Oh, I’m in,” I say, grinning excitedly. “When are we leaving?”
“Heading out tomorrow night,” he replies. “I’ll shoot a text to everybody.”
We say our goodbyes, and I decide against shaving. If we’re going out to Vegas, I want to look a little more rugged. Sure, he said we won’t go to the strip, but that doesn’t mean that we actually won’t. The lure of the Vegas lights is stronger than any of us are.
I can hear everybody else down in the kitchen, and I’m in a good enough mood to go down. We’ve only had meals together a few times, and it’s been awkward each time, but maybe breakfast will be easier. At least we all have the easy out of needing to start the day if things get awkward.
Then I hear laughter from the kitchen. It catches me so off-guard that I pause halfway down the hallway. I can’t remember the last time I heard my dad and Jenny laughing together. It must have been before Mom died.
I round the corner to find Dad, Jenny, and Mary making breakfast together, smiles on all their faces. Mary is at the stove scrambling eggs, Dad is grating potatoes for hash browns, Jenny’s making fruit salad. They look like a family. Like they all belong here.
I haven’t felt like I belong here since Mom died.
The sight hurts more than I expect.
“Wayne,” my dad says. “You're up early.”
Jenny and Mary turn to look at me in surprise, and it only serves to make me feel more alienated. I'm really not a part of this anymore, am I?
“Yeah, well, early bird gets the worm,” I say flippantly.
Dad hums in response, turning his attention back to the potatoes.
“There’ll be plenty for breakfast, if you want some.” He sounds a little hesitant, and I wonder if Jenny’s been hounding him to talk to me. “We're doing a roast for dinner, too. Are you going to be home tonight?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I'll be home.” It's all so civil, so stilted and awkward, and I fucking hate it. “Be gone all weekend, though. The boys and I are going camping, leaving tomorrow.”
Jenny stops cutting strawberries to shoot me a tense glance. The light in her eyes is decidedly distrustful, but she can't say anything about me going on a trip with my friends. I’ve done everything she wanted with the contracts she sent me.
“Should be fun,” Dad says, his eyes still on the potatoes as he mixes the seasonings in. “It’s been, uh… nice having you around. Jenny says you've been real helpful with stuff. It'll be a shame when you head back to Billings.”
I clench my jaw in frustration.
You could cut the tension between us with a knife, and I hate the distance in his tone. Am I not still his son? He can't even compliment the work I've done around here himself, he has to say that Jenny told him.
And he won't give up on getting an answer about what happened that brought me home in the first place.
“Yeah, well, keeps me busy,” I say tersely. “I’m glad Jenny’s been keeping you updated on everything I've been doing.”
My words are pointed and barbed, pushed between gritted teeth. I'm not going to tell him shit about my job, and I'm not going to pretend like everything is fine between us.
He won’t even look me in the eye.
“I appreciate you doing it, son.”
I want to laugh when I hear that word fall from his lips. It sounds so forced that I can't even bring myself to be hurt.
I’m just angry.
“Whatever,” I snap. “All the contracts Jenny sent me are good to go. I'll do a final check before I leave tomorrow.”
My dad looks up, seeming startled by the venom in my voice, but I don't care. I'm done tiptoeing around and pretending like he didn't throw our relationship away when Mom died. If he wants to play that game, he’s more than welcome to.
I'm just not going to be a part of it.
“Yes, that sounds great,” Mary chimes in, looking between me and Dad in confusion. “Jenny and I can get things signed and ready to send out for Monday once we get the green light!”
Dad and I stare at each other for a long, tense moment before he glances off to the side. He clears his throat and wipes his hands clean on a paper towel before stepping away from the potatoes he's been preparing.
“I’m just going to run out and make sure Bill and Tony are good to start the day,” he says to Mary as he leans over to kiss her cheek. “I'll be back in a second.”
I watch him walk toward the door, frustration and bitterness boiling in my gut.
I’m used to the look in his eyes—the disappointment, the blame, the regret.
But I'm not used to him walking away from what could easily turn into a shouting match.
I want to call him a coward, to hurl insults at him, but it won't make me feel any better. It'll just be the same as it always is.
Quiet falls over us as the door swings shut behind my dad.
“So is Katie going on this camping trip, too?” Jenny asks in an attempt to diffuse the sudden awkward tension.
“What?” I blink at her in confusion, uncertain of where she got that idea from. “God, no. Why would she? It's just the guys.”
Jenny’s brows cinch together for a moment, as she looks at me in blatant disapproval. I'm half-surprised she doesn't spit at me with how her lip curls in distaste.
“The guys from high school?”
I roll my eyes at the judgement in her tone. She never liked my friends, which I don't really get. They all stayed out of her hair when we were in school.
“It’ll be me, Aaron, Cody, and Travis,” I tell her. “Cody’s getting hitched, so it's sort of a stag party, minus the strippers.”
Jenny scoffs at me, sharing a look with Mary that speaks volumes. Honestly, I'm just being an ass to get a rise out of her. This trip has nothing to do with Cody’s bachelor party. I don't even know if he's having one.
“How lovely,” Jenny says witheringly. “What’s up with you and Katie, anyway? You two are spending an awful lot of time together.”
My mind immediately jumps to that night we had dinner at her place, conjuring up plenty of memories of exactly what we've been up to.
I'm not about to tell my sister that I've been sniffing up Katie’s skirt for the past month.
She'd beat me senseless if she thought I was trying to get myself some easy nookie while I'm home, especially with the family vet.
Although sleeping in Katie’s bed and watching the sun play over her hair as it rose this morning doesn't really fit with the idea of keeping things casual.
Good sex will make anyone go insane. I'm not different.
“Nothing, dude,” I huff. “What, I can't have friends?”
“You're going camping with your friends,” she points out.
God, why can she be so reasonable sometimes? It's fucking annoying.
“Oh, right, I forgot I have to hang out with all of my friends at once.” I sneer at her, intentionally inflammatory. I really don't want to have this conversation right now. “God forbid I’m friends with people who don't all do the same things.”
Jenny shakes her head as I push up from the table, her brown hair waving with the movement.
“You're kind of a douche, dude,” she says drily.
“Pot, kettle,” I say with a careless shrug. “Let me know when dinner’s ready.”
I head down the hallway toward my bedroom, ignoring the snarky comment Jenny tosses my way. She can think whatever she wants, it doesn't matter.
Yeah, sure, she's technically right. Like hell I'm going to tell her that, though.
We’re not just friends, but it's not like there's anything serious between me and Katie. I like spending time with her and being around her, but that doesn't have to mean anything. I've liked plenty of the people I've slept with in the past. It just means we have good chemistry.
People make friends with benefits all the time.
Just because we're sleeping together and going out sometimes doesn't mean that I need to strap in and give up my freedom. We haven't talked about any sort of relationship, so I'm pretty sure that's not what she's looking for.
Besides, I'm not going to be in town for that much longer. I'm enjoying my freedom for now, but once I get back from this trip, I'll get serious about finding a new job.
It doesn't have to be a big deal. I'm not going to make it a big deal.
I'm just living life.
I'll deal with whatever I need to deal with as it comes.