Gabs
A week later, I was sitting in the break room at Silky Ink, about ready to fall asleep at the table.
With my father home from rehab, I thankfully didn’t need to drive Mom into Houston to visit him anymore. While her injuries were mostly healed, the doctor didn’t want her doing everything she normally did just yet, so I was still spending a fair amount of time over there. Christopher was thankfully helping out more than he ordinarily would. Guess Dad’s embolism was the wake-up call he’d needed. Or maybe Boone had spoken with him, said something before he took me to the hotel.
I mentally shook my head. It didn’t matter. Even with Christopher helping out, it didn’t ease my load all that much. I was back to working nearly full-time hours. My bills didn’t care that I had other priorities lately, and were stacking up. I was also going to the barn twice a day to tend to the horses while avoiding Royce. Despite the fact he said he was too busy to do everything, he managed to find the time to get under my feet, finding me to ask the most basic of questions. It was annoying as hell, and I didn’t have time for whatever game he thought we were playing. On the upside, there’d been no more vandalism of my trailer in the past week, which only confirmed my suspicion that Royce was behind it. But I didn’t have the energy to puzzle that one out.
That didn’t leave much time for anything else, including sleep. Boone and I had texted a couple of times, but there hadn’t been any more calls and I hadn’t taken him up on any of his offers to help with the horses or anything else.
“Gabs? You in here?”
Silk’s softly spoken question jerked me out of my thoughts.
“Yeah.”
I lifted my cup of coffee and took a drink as she walked into the break room and sat opposite from me at the table. She was frowning and watching me like I was a high school science experiment that was about to blow up.
“Talk to me, Gabs.”
Tears pricked my eyes, and I fought them back. Part of me wanted to crack right open and just let it all pour out at Silk’s feet. To share my burden with her. But she couldn’t do anything to help. No one could. I was stuck with each of my responsibilities at the moment, so there was no point in stressing her out with my issues.
“About what?”
“The fact you look like you haven’t slept in a week, maybe longer. You’re burning the candle at both ends and about to run out of wax, babe. Did something else happen with your dad?”
After another mouthful of coffee, I shook my head. “He’s still home, slowly getting better.”
“Your brother pulling his usual shit and leaving you to do it all?”
That had me smiling. “Surprisingly, he’s been helping more than I’d have expected. But he’s still putting in long hours at the hospital and can’t get down here more than a few times a week.”
Silk frowned as I took another sip of coffee. I was delaying the inevitable at this point. There was no putting her off when she got like this.
It was nice to have the old Silk back, even if it was just for a little while, although I wasn’t sure where to even start with all that’d gone on lately.
“Gabs, seriously, quit stalling on me. Clearly, something has happened this past week. Has Boone done something?”
My eyes stung again. Silk seemed determined to get me bawling today.
“Boone’s gone. I, uh… I broke things off the day they found that embolism in Dad’s lung.”
She sighed, and I cringed, waiting for her opinion on how stupid I’d been.
“You’re set on being an island, aren’t you? You can’t keep bottling everything up and trying to do everything yourself, Gabs. It’s going to destroy you from the inside out. Yeah, I’ve got Raven and Eagle now, and that takes some of my time, but not all of it. I’ll always have time for you. I’ll always be here, ready to help. Boone seemed like he could be someone you could count on too. What’d he do that had you pushing him away? Talk to me, Gabs. Let me in, just a little so I can fucking help you already!”
Emotion rose up in me, and I wanted to run away from it. From everything. The last thing I wanted to do right now was discuss how badly I’d screwed up with Boone. I’d sent away a man I was missing like crazy.
Shoving my seat back, I stood and turned to take my mug over to the sink.
“I need to get back to work.”
Silk stood and followed me, leaning against the counter beside me. “I know you have at least another twenty minutes before you need to go prep for your next appointment. Enough bullshit. Talk. To. Me.”
I wasn’t up for talking about Boone, but I could tell her about the horses. Maybe that would be enough to satisfy her.
“Last week, while Christopher was with Mom and Dad, I went home for the first time in ages. Whiskey was waiting for me.”
My voice cracked on the last word. I stared down at my hands as I rinsed my mug a second time before drying it, trying to get my thoughts and emotions under control.