Page 92 of Escape

Everything in me hated not walking her to the door, but I realized how important and necessary it was for me to allow her to set the pace and boundaries for everything. So, I gave her a nod of approval and one final squeeze before I released her.

Then I stood beside my truck and watched her as she crossed the lot and made her way to the front door of the diner. With one hand on the handle, she looked back at me, smiled, and waved.

I returned the smile and the wave, feeling myself falling harder for her.

And only after she opened the door and stepped inside did I get back in my truck and pull out of the lot.

Today was not only Josie’s first day back at work; it was mine, too.

Weeks.

I’d been gone for several weeks, and I still had a job to come back to. If I hadn’t already felt grateful for the place I worked and the people I worked with, this situation would have made me see things clearly.

When a crisis arose and my only concern was Josie, I didn’t have to think twice about taking the time I needed to help her through. The rest of the team stepped up and took over the load, knowing that if and when the roles were ever reversed, I’d do the same for them.

Though I hadn’t received regular visits at my house from the guys over the last few weeks, they’d all reached out to me, offering to help in any way they could. And that was more than enough.

I wouldn’t have wanted to overwhelm Josie with a steady stream of visitors she didn’t even know before she was ready for it, so I assured my friends that the best way for them to help me would be to cover for me at work.

And they did, which gave me the opportunity to focus all my effort and energy on getting her through the worst parts of her recovery—both physical and emotional—without having to worry about my job.

Although Josie was still my priority, I had to admit it felt good to be heading back to work. It had been a long time away, and I missed being able to do my job with my friends.

Fortunately, they knew I was coming back today, because I’d kept in touch with them regarding Josie’s progress, and they were all willing to help accommodate a revised schedule.

Finally, after spending so many weeks away, I was finally walking through the Harper Security Ops building to where the self-defense and tactical training team and rooms were located. And on my way there, I realized a class must have just ended, because I saw several familiar faces. A couple of the regulars in the group classes had stopped to greet me and welcome me back.

The closer I got to where I was going, the crowd had thinned. And when I turned the second to last corner to walk down the long hallway toward the room we used most frequently for group classes, Kane happened to be at the opposite end. “Well, look who it is. He’s back!”

I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Hey, Kane. How’s it going?”

“Good. Jake and I just finished up with a class this morning,” he answered as I came to within a few feet of where he was standing.

I tossed my thumb over my shoulder. “Yeah, I saw a bunch of students leaving as I was making my way here. How’s it been going these days?”

He shrugged indifferently, tossed an arm over my shoulders, and urged me toward the self-defense room. “It’s been alright. It’s good to have you back, though. Come on in and catch up with everyone.”

Kane yanked the door open, peeked his head inside, and shouted, “Hey, guys. Look who I found.”

He urged me forward ahead of him into the room, where I found Greyson, Jake, and Brix all standing around. Or, well, Greyson and Brix were standing. Jake had been lounging on his back on the mat until he saw me stride into the room.

“Huck, man, how’s it going?” Brix greeted me after he moved in my direction and offered a handshake.

“Good. It feels good to be back.”

Jake walked up and slapped a hand on my shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Huck.”

“Yeah. Same here.”

Greyson greeted me with a one-armed hug and asked, “How’s Josie doing?”

Nodding, I replied, “Really great. She’s doing so much better now. We had a rough time in the beginning, but she’s improved tremendously, so I’m happy for her. Today was her first day back at work, too.”

“That’s awesome. Any word from the ex-boyfriend?”

“Ex-fiancé,” I corrected him. “And no. He hasn’t attempted to reach out to her once. Josie felt some uneasiness going back to work today, wondering if he might try something, but it’s not like the guy knows this is her first day back anyway, so I think she’s going to be alright. Plus, with me dropping her off and picking her up, the only opportunity he’d have to approach her would be if he decided to go into the diner.”

“That’d be pretty bold,” Greyson declared.