“Houston’s far for you to go.”
“Not really. Not if you’re up for a road trip.” Beau had absolutely no idea where that proposition came from, but when Ethan’s appeared to be thinking it over, he decided to run with it. “What do you say we sneak out of here for a couple of days?” Before Ethan could argue, Beau held up his hand to stave off the comment. “I know, I know. We’ve got work to do here, but you have to admit, getting away for a couple of days does sound like a good idea.”
He knew he was pushing just a little, but Ethan appeared to be warming to the idea. Maybe getting away from this place would help him to let go of some of the tension that had been eating at him lately. Likely the reason for the nightmare, although Beau fully intended to find out more about that. Just not now.
“You want to go to Houston?” Ethan asked, sounding as though he needed Beau to confirm the idea was his.
He could certainly do that.
“Yeah.”
“All right then.” Ethan glanced around the room. “But I have to be back by Saturday.”
“That’s right, you’ve got a babysitting gig,” Beau joked.
“You’re damn right I do,” Ethan replied. “And I sure as hell won’t be missing it.”
Chapter Twenty Seven
Ethan was ready to close up shop within fifteen minutes. He’d never done that before, never stopped working in the middle of the week, but he needed this. Beau’s plan to get away from it all, even briefly, was the only option at this point. Either that, or he was going to take out his misery on Beau, and even if they weren’t permanent or long term, he didn’t want to hurt him. Admittedly, he was developing feelings for Beau – strong ones – and the idea of hurting him didn’t sit well.
And worst case, at least he’d have these memories to fall back on later.
“I’m gonna head home and get some stuff. I’ll pick you up at your house in an hour. That work?” Beau asked as they stepped out of the shop before Ethan locked the door behind them.
“All right.”
With that, Ethan watched Beau walk away. That’s when it dawned on him that he was starting to treat this like a relationship. The problem was… he couldn’t figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
On Ethan’s way home, he had to pass by the main office and he noticed Jared’s truck out front. Shit. He truly needed to stop in and give him a heads up as to where he’d be. Not that he cared to explain his whereabouts with anyone, but he knew Jared would fly off the handle if he wasn’t made aware. Hell, he’d probably be in an uproar anyway, but that was out of Ethan’s control at the moment.
The least he could do was warn the guy.
Parking next to the Walker Demo truck that Kaleb had passed on to Jared, Ethan took his time getting out of the truck. The wind had died down somewhat, but the day hadn’t warmed up much at all. Which was a little surprising considering February in Texas was hit or miss, but it wasn’t usually this cold.
He stepped into the Walker Demo office only to hear Jared arguing with someone. Not wanting to walk right in the line of fire, he peeked in the door and noticed Jared on the phone. At least he hadn’t walked into the middle of something.
“Sable, I don’t have time for this shit,” Jared snapped, leaning back in his chair.
Sable. Ex-wife.
Ethan knew from the stories he had heard that the two of them didn’t get along. Based on the inflection in Jared’s voice, the rumor seemed to be true. Figuring Jared would see him sooner or later, Ethan made his appearance known and nodded when Jared glanced up at him.
“I’ve got to go.” Clearly not waiting for a response, Jared slammed his finger on the phone screen and then tossed his cell on his desk. “What do you want?”
“Well, good fucking afternoon to you too.”
Seems as though Jared was the lucky bastard who had found the irritation that Beau had managed to fuck out of Ethan earlier.
Jared grinned, a gesture Ethan hadn’t seen often. They were kinda like two peas in a pod, neither of them known much for their bubbly personality.
“Sorry.”
“No worries. I know exactly how you feel. It’s been one of those days.”
“Yeah, it sure has.” Jared leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk and staring at Ethan. The guy looked tired. And a little frazzled. Then again, he’d been on the phone with his ex-wife so that could explain some of it. Ethan had heard the story, but he’d never delved further because his cousin’s business wasn’t his concern. Considering Jared had never pushed Ethan to talk, he figured he’d return the favor.