Every Breath by Tasha Ivey Page B

mutual friend of ours sent me.”
    “Ha!” His artificial laugh is tinged with irritation. “Now I know you’re lying. I don’t have no friends, so go.”
    “My name is Makenna Madison. I’m here because of Sawyer.”
    His mouth forms a thin line. “Is he dead?”
    “Oh, no! As a matter of fact he’s due to be home soon.”
    “Hmm.” His bony hands relax, no longer gripping the blanket. “I figured he was long gone by now. Hadn’t heard from him in a while.”
    “He’s doing fine, actually. We’ve been talking a little, and he told me he was worried about you. I thought I’d come by to check in on you.”
    His clouded eyes look toward me, but almost through me, as he waves me off. “Well, I’m fine, so leave. Now.”
    Okay, just when I thought we were getting somewhere. I turn back toward the door. “It was nice to meet you William. Maybe when Sawyer gets back, I can come with him to visit.”
    “He don’t need to see me either,” he grumbles. “But you can leave the chocolate.”
    I had already forgotten about the gift bag hanging on my arm. “How did you know I have chocolate?”
    He almost smiles, pleased with shocking me. “Girl, you don’t spend the last ten years blind without gettin’ a good nose.”
    I stifle a giggle, walking to the side of his bed to place the bag in his hands. “Sawyer told me how much you like chocolate, so I picked these up on my way.”
    He weighs the bag in his hand gingerly. “What day is it?”
    “Today is Sunday.”
    He nods, contemplating. “Think you could bring more on Tuesday?”
    I don’t try to stop laughing this time, which actually gets a chuckle from him. “I’ll see you on Tuesday, William.”
    After stopping for a moment to give Mrs. Georgia my number in case he needs anything, I make the trip back home. Even though the sky is dark and dreary and a light drizzle of rain is falling on me the whole way, I feel a renewed sense of life, the warmth of a good deed making me temporarily giddy.
    As soon as I make it home, Drew calls to check on me and to see if I had fun shopping. Umm . . . I sure did. I just didn’t mention that the only shopping that I did was at the candy shop on the way to see William. I couldn’t figure out a good way to tell him that I went to visit an old man as a favor to a soldier that I talk to online. I have a feeling he’d frown upon that. There’s no way he’d understand.
    If I’m going to continue to be friends with Sawyer, though, I’ll have to tell Drew. Especially if I do end up moving in with him this summer. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about that.
    He promises to stop by the school the next day to let me know what the plans are for dinner, and after he hangs up, I start my usual Sunday night routine. Laundry. Dinner. Laundry. Shower. Laundry. I should seriously consider doing more of it throughout the week, but then again, I’ve been telling myself that for years and nothing has changed. Oh well.
    By the time I get everything finished, it’s ten o’clock, so I decide to go to bed. Darcy, who sleeps at my side every night, has been waiting at the bottom of the stairs for an hour. She likes bedtime. But seeing how she has no cares in the world, she easily falls asleep as soon as she spins two circles in place and falls to the bed as a tight lump of fur. Me? I stare at the ceiling for an hour.
    I can’t help but smile about meeting with William today. He wanted so much to appear hardened and like he didn’t care, but I knew I made a big breakthrough with him once he asked for more chocolate by Tuesday. Sawyer wasn’t kidding; he is serious about his chocolate. What I thought would last a week, he expected would last only a few days. I’m just happy to have a reason to visit him again.
    The more I think about it, though, I should tell Sawyer I went to see him today. I’d hate for him to call William and find out. I don’t think he’ll be upset or anything, but he might be if I don’t tell him about