all on account of me.”
John looked over at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly, smiling.
“Listen… Home is where your loved ones are. As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I hang my hat. I know that there’s a better life waiting for us up north and I sure as hell can’t wait to discover it,” John said with a warm smile.
Rebecca smiled back, eyes a little misty.
“I feel gross. I’m going to take a shower and go throw dinner in the oven,” Rebecca said.
She leaned close and gently pressed her lips against his.
Slowly, she pulled back and cocked an eyebrow.
“Have you been smoking again, John Oliver?” she asked.
“Of course not,” he said as he gave her a sheepish smile.
Rebecca stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and stared down into his eyes.
John flustered and looked away.
“John! You remember what the doctor said! I swear, you’re such a bad liar,” she said as she shook her head. “So you’re lucky that you’re a good kisser. That’s the only reason I keep you around.”
“So does that mean I’m off the hook?” he asked as he looked back up at her.
She looked down at him and wagged her index finger in the air.
“Nope, it means that you’re doing the dishes tonight,” she said.
John sighed and nodded.
“Fair enough,” he said. “What gave me away? The kiss?”
“That and the fact I smelled the smoke all in Lucy’s fur…”
John looked away, embarrassed.
“If you don’t shape up and take better care of your health like you promised, Lucy and I will be going to Austin alone,” she threatened as she flicked his nose with her finger.
“Aw come on, Becky. Don’t play like that,” John said.
Rebecca sauntered away, opened the front door, and retreated into the house.
“Come on…. Sit out here and watch the sunset with me for a spell,” John said.
The door slammed shut.
Lucy looked up at him with her ears perked up, whimpering.
John looked down at her and narrowed his eyes.
“Snitch,” he said with a grin.
Chapter 8
Like every other morning, he was up well before the alarm clock went off.
John stood in the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth with one hand as he buttoned up the front of his boiler uniform with the other. He stared at the bathroom next to the mirror and hurried his pace.
He wished that he had Rebecca’s civilized schedule.
Getting up at four and sitting in a vehicle for over an hour just to get to work definitely wasn’t fun.
He rushed out of the master bathroom and crept towards the bed.
“I’m gone. Have a good day today, okay?” he whispered to her as he kissed the top of her head.
“You too, baby, be safe…” she mumbled without opening her eyes.
“I’ll see you later,” he whispered back.
John snuck out of the bedroom, filled Lucy’s water bowl on the porch, grabbed his hardhat off the patio chair, and hurried to his car.
It was nearly five by the time he pulled into the Love’s parking lot.
The sun was just starting to rise and it was already hot and muggy.
It was going to be another scorcher.
John parked his car, locked it, and hurried towards the van with his hardhat.
The van was already packed and idling.
He opened the side door and was a little surprised to see that Mike was there.
“Morning,” Mike said as he looked over at John.
“Morning,” John said as he sat down beside Mike and closed the door.
As usual, Tejano music was playing on the radio and the van smelled like cheap coffee and greasy gas station breakfast food.
The van slowly pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the road leading into town.
As the van sped up, the driver started chattering in Spanish to the others; they didn’t pay the two gringos in the back any attention. Soon they were well on their way into town.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before John spoke up.
“I have to admit,” he said as he looked over at Mike. “I didn’t think you’d come today.”
Mike chuckled and nodded.
“Like I
John looked over at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly, smiling.
“Listen… Home is where your loved ones are. As long as I’m with you, I don’t care where I hang my hat. I know that there’s a better life waiting for us up north and I sure as hell can’t wait to discover it,” John said with a warm smile.
Rebecca smiled back, eyes a little misty.
“I feel gross. I’m going to take a shower and go throw dinner in the oven,” Rebecca said.
She leaned close and gently pressed her lips against his.
Slowly, she pulled back and cocked an eyebrow.
“Have you been smoking again, John Oliver?” she asked.
“Of course not,” he said as he gave her a sheepish smile.
Rebecca stood up, placed her hands on her hips, and stared down into his eyes.
John flustered and looked away.
“John! You remember what the doctor said! I swear, you’re such a bad liar,” she said as she shook her head. “So you’re lucky that you’re a good kisser. That’s the only reason I keep you around.”
“So does that mean I’m off the hook?” he asked as he looked back up at her.
She looked down at him and wagged her index finger in the air.
“Nope, it means that you’re doing the dishes tonight,” she said.
John sighed and nodded.
“Fair enough,” he said. “What gave me away? The kiss?”
“That and the fact I smelled the smoke all in Lucy’s fur…”
John looked away, embarrassed.
“If you don’t shape up and take better care of your health like you promised, Lucy and I will be going to Austin alone,” she threatened as she flicked his nose with her finger.
“Aw come on, Becky. Don’t play like that,” John said.
Rebecca sauntered away, opened the front door, and retreated into the house.
“Come on…. Sit out here and watch the sunset with me for a spell,” John said.
The door slammed shut.
Lucy looked up at him with her ears perked up, whimpering.
John looked down at her and narrowed his eyes.
“Snitch,” he said with a grin.
Chapter 8
Like every other morning, he was up well before the alarm clock went off.
John stood in the bathroom, quickly brushing his teeth with one hand as he buttoned up the front of his boiler uniform with the other. He stared at the bathroom next to the mirror and hurried his pace.
He wished that he had Rebecca’s civilized schedule.
Getting up at four and sitting in a vehicle for over an hour just to get to work definitely wasn’t fun.
He rushed out of the master bathroom and crept towards the bed.
“I’m gone. Have a good day today, okay?” he whispered to her as he kissed the top of her head.
“You too, baby, be safe…” she mumbled without opening her eyes.
“I’ll see you later,” he whispered back.
John snuck out of the bedroom, filled Lucy’s water bowl on the porch, grabbed his hardhat off the patio chair, and hurried to his car.
It was nearly five by the time he pulled into the Love’s parking lot.
The sun was just starting to rise and it was already hot and muggy.
It was going to be another scorcher.
John parked his car, locked it, and hurried towards the van with his hardhat.
The van was already packed and idling.
He opened the side door and was a little surprised to see that Mike was there.
“Morning,” Mike said as he looked over at John.
“Morning,” John said as he sat down beside Mike and closed the door.
As usual, Tejano music was playing on the radio and the van smelled like cheap coffee and greasy gas station breakfast food.
The van slowly pulled out of the parking lot and turned onto the road leading into town.
As the van sped up, the driver started chattering in Spanish to the others; they didn’t pay the two gringos in the back any attention. Soon they were well on their way into town.
Nearly thirty minutes passed before John spoke up.
“I have to admit,” he said as he looked over at Mike. “I didn’t think you’d come today.”
Mike chuckled and nodded.
“Like I
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