The
drive over the Divide and down to town was mostly done in silence. Shawn seemed
to be deep in thought and Gene didn't want to interrupt him since he didn't
appear to be upset. Quiet, yes, as various emotions Gene couldn't quite
decipher flashed across his face momentarily, but not upset in a way that said
he was regretting moving away from where he and Jared had lived.
Finally
they reached the outskirts of town. Shawn glanced out the window and said,
sounding surprised, "We're here."
"Yep,"
Gene replied with a laugh. "And we didn't even come close to going over a cliff."
"I'd
say I was surprised, but you have new tires, so…"
"Noticed
that, did you?"
Shawn
chuckled. "If it's a car, I notice everything."
"Want
to stop by the garage first or go on the Max's place?"
"The
garage. Definitely."
"Figured
as much," Gene said with a smile, heading down the main street to park in
front of it.
As
soon as they walked inside, Max was on his feet, hurrying out of his office to
greet Shawn, and by extension Gene, though he came in a poor second.
"Good
to have you back," Max exclaimed, looking as if he was going to hug Shawn
before realizing the two other mechanics had joined them. Instead he clapped
Shawn on the shoulder. "Ms Johnson has been in twice already this morning
looking for you. I think she's jealous you're going to be staying with me
instead of at the motel."
"Max
Spitzer, I'm nothing of the sort," the woman in question said, appearing
at Shawn's side. "I just wanted to welcome him home." She gave Shawn
a hug, easing up when he tried and failed to hide a wince of pain. "We
need to fatten you up, young man. You're too thin by half," she told him,
stepping back to give him the once-over.
"I'm
just thin by nature," Shawn protested, smiling.
"Yeah,
he's a skinny little runt," Pat, one of the mechanics, said with a grin.
"Next
to your six-two, anyone's a runt," Shawn bantered back. It felt good doing
that, just like old times. Better than
old times because I'm not afraid… afraid Jared will walk in and hear it and…
He closed his eyes for a second against that thought.
"Anyone
mind my ordering pizzas to celebrate Shawn's return?" Max asked.
Hoping he sees he has friends who want the best for him. Pizza sounds good. I am looking forward to the next installment. Lol aren’t I always.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are -grinning-
DeleteWhat a great return.
ReplyDeleteShawn needed it, too.
Delete