One Day Soon (One Day Soon, #1)(84)

“No, I did not pick him up. What he said is the truth. We’re old friends. I knew Yoss when we were teenagers.”

“So, what? He called you and said he’s coming to town and could he shack up with you?” Lee asked incredulously.

“No, he didn’t call me to ask if he could shack up. Who does that anyway?” I scoffed, pushing the eggs around on my plate. I checked the time on my phone again. The thought of going into work filled me with disquiet.

I loved my job. Most days it was the thing that got me out of bed.

Not today.

“Earth to Imogen!” Lee waved his hand in front of my face and I narrowed my eyes. He pursed his lips and looked irritated. “What’s going on? This is incredibly out of character for you. Perhaps you’re not coping with the separation from Chris as well as I had originally thought.” Lee seemed worried. I put my hand on his arm.

“This has nothing to do with Chris. Though he did show up here last night,” I told him.

Lee’s eyes widened. “Chris came here last night? Why?”

“He wanted to pick up his bowling shoes.” Lee gave me a look of disbelief.

“What kind of bullshit excuse is that?” my friend asked.

“Well, whatever, he got his bowling shoes and left. He never saw Yoss. Which is just as well.” I dropped my fork onto the plate and drank the rest of my coffee.

“It’s obvious moving on will be harder for some than others,” Lee remarked pointedly.

“I already feel like a heartless bitch where my ex is concerned, don’t make it worse.” I winced.

Lee put his arm around me, squeezing my shoulder. “You’re not a heartless bitch, Im. I think you were trying to capture something with Chris you had felt before. Maybe with a certain dark-haired man taking up temporary residence in your house.”

I pulled back and looked up at my friend. “Someone’s wearing their shrink Imogen pants today.” I made a face and Lee pinched my cheek as if I were a five year old.

“I’ve shared a room with you and Yoss for all of twenty minutes and I could pick up on the under current between you. He’s your second chance, isn’t he?” Lee asked softly.

“I’m hoping,” I admitted, knowing the words were safe with him.

“Then tell me who he is. Be straight with me, Im. It’s hard to miss the old bruises and scars on his face.”

Lee was my only genuine friend, even if at times it was very one-sided. I didn’t give him much and he knew that.

However, self-imposed isolation was highly over rated.

“I told you about my time as a teenage runaway,” I began and Lee nodded.

“Very briefly. Getting you to talk about anything is akin to pulling teeth,” Lee chastised good-naturedly.

“I know I haven’t been the easiest person to be friends with—”

Lee ruffled my hair in a platonic gesture. “Loving you is very easy, Im. It’s getting you to love back that’s the hard part,” he said softly.

That hurt. More than it should. But he was right.

“Yoss and I were together. When we were teenagers. When I was on the streets,” I explained, feeling strange about sharing my story. Even with Lee.

“So, Yoss was homeless too?” Lee asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin and getting up to take the dishes to the sink.

“Yes. He took care of me. He protected me. And then we were together. I loved him. He loved me.”

Lee turned around and leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his chest. “That had to make the experience very intense. First love is profound enough without throwing in the whole trying to survive part of it. What happened to the two of you? What happened to him?”

I listened to see whether Yoss was coming out of the bathroom, but all was silent. I made sure my voice was low when I answered Lee. “We were going to go away together. Leave town. That was the plan. Things had happened…” I trailed off, fisting my hand over my steady, thumping heart. “Anyway, we were going to meet underneath the Seventh Street Bridge. The usual spot. Where all of us hung out. He had to take care of some things before we left. He had promised he’d be there. I knew something was off about him but I was young and na?ve and refused to see what was right in front of my face.”

Lee snorted. “We’ve all been there. Love makes even the smartest of us incredibly stupid.”

I gave a half smile that I didn’t really feel. “He never came. I went looking for him…”

“Did you find him?” Lee prompted when I didn’t rush to finish the story.

“I found him,” I whispered. Remembering. I couldn’t tell Lee that part.

“And?” Lee asked.

“And nothing. We never went anywhere. I decided to go back to my mother’s and I never saw him again. Until ten days ago when he showed up at the hospital, nearly beaten to death.”

“You are leaving out some pretty big pieces. There’s more than you’re telling me.” Lee took a drink of his coffee, peering at me over the rim. Then his eyes widened as he made the connection. He put the cup down and smacked his hands on the table. “Wait a second. Is this the new case you mentioned? The one you said was complicated?”

I nodded, swallowing. “Do you see why?”

“So, he’s homeless now. Well not now because he’s staying with you,” Lee deduced. “Is that why he’s here? Because I should probably point out how unethical the whole thing is. Him staying with you like this. Considering you’re his social worker and all.”