The Fix (The Carolina Connections, #1)(52)

When dinner was over, Nate grabbed his hoodie and started to open his mouth to speak. I cut him off before he could get one word out. “You don’t need to tell me everything if you don’t want to, but you don’t get to leave here without saying at least something.” I leaned against the stove and waited.

He set his sweatshirt back down and then his hand went back to his dark hair. “It’s nothing, it’s just … well, have you seen Gavin today?”

I looked at him warily. “No. I usually leave before he gets up. Did something happen to him?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

I pushed off from the stove. “Stop worrying me, Nate. Wasn’t Gavin at work today?”

“No. He never showed.”

“Are you sure? Maybe he was at a different site today or something.”

“Laney, I’m his foreman.”

“Well there has to be a good reason, right?” But I was feeling uneasy all the same.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a reason all right.” He sighed and then threw his hand out to the side. “This sucks.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” My hand was predictably glued to my cheek by this point.

“Gavin asked me earlier this week if he could take today off. I told him he hadn’t earned vacation yet so the answer was no.”

“Okay, that makes sense. Why did he need the day off?”

Nate’s hand was back in his hair. “He didn’t say. He just said he had something he needed to do and it could only be done today. But he seemed okay when I turned him down.”

I approached him and laid my hands on his chest. “Nate, I’m sorry he put you in this situation. I hope there’s a good explanation and this can all be worked out, but it sucks that you were put in the middle like this.”

“No, it goes with the job, regardless of who my girlfriend is.” His hands ran up and down my arms. “The problem is now I’ll have to dock his pay and put him on probation. I’m worried he’s not going to take it well and I don’t want him taking it out on you. He can be pissed at me, but he knew the consequences, and I know things can sometimes be tense between you two.”

He wasn’t wrong. And I was pissed and disappointed that Gavin had put Nate in this position. Things had been going so well, and I thought the big dope had finally grown up a bit. Where in the world could he be and how could it be important enough to risk his job? Not to mention disrespecting Nate like that.

“Listen, I’m sorry I’m being so moody. If it’s okay with you I’m just going to go home. I don’t really want to run into Gavin tonight and I’ll have a more level head in the morning if and when he shows up to work.”

I told him I understood and gave him the biggest hug I could muster.

Damn you, Gavin!



It was eleven o’clock when I heard the front door shut—smoothly, thanks to Nate’s handy-work. Gavin’s footsteps were hardly audible and I’m sure he assumed I was asleep, not waiting on the couch to strike like a freaking rattlesnake—which was exactly how I felt.

“Where in the hell have you been?”

He jumped, his palm hitting his chest. Good, I scared the shit out of him. He quickly regained his composure. “None of your business, Mom. Go to bed.”

“It is my business when, (a) you have me worried you’re dead in a ditch somewhere, and (b) my boyfriend is your boss and you decided to play hooky like you’re sixteen again and put him in a really difficult spot.” I didn’t even try to hide my annoyance.

He stalked into the living room and dropped his bag on the floor. “See, I knew it was a bad idea for you guys to date. I totally saw this coming!”

“You saw yourself acting like an irresponsible dipshit again?”

His mouth went tight. “I wasn’t being irresponsible. I weighed my options and decided the consequences of skipping work were worth it.”

“Oh, this should be good. What exactly could have been more important? Were you donating a kidney?” My brows shot up and I leaned back into the cushions.

“Don’t be such a bitch. I went to see Coach Willis.” He inched closer to the couch.

“Why?” I was utterly confused.

“He called me up this weekend and told me he’d be in Charlotte and wanted to see me. But he was only going to be there today. I thought … I thought. Goddammit! I thought he was calling because he wanted me back on a team. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, I just got the call and I couldn’t not go.” He slumped onto the couch next to me, his head dropping back.

Well, shit. The guy looked like a kicked puppy, so I calmed myself down a bit. “What did he really want?”

Gavin choked out a humorless laugh. “He’s got some camps he’s working with and asked if I wanted a temp job coaching some kids. And he said he missed seeing my ugly mug, so he wanted me to come in person.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“I don’t want to coach some snot-nosed kids. I want to play. I was supposed to play.”

I remained silent and rubbed his arm. My heart broke for him.

But only for a second because then he went and pissed me right the hell off.

“I’m quitting the construction job and going to Virginia.”