world, she knew.
She'd seen him cry. She knew.
And as much as Henry thought he was some sort of guardian or protector because he had the warped sense he was at fault for Ken's death, Ellen liked to take it as an opportunity. From here on out, she was going to guard and protect Henry.
He might not think so, but he needed it. And she needed something…worthwhile to do.
"Do your parents know?" he finally said, wariness engrained into every line on his face, the downward turn of his mouth mostly obscured by beard.
She looked down at his roughened work boots. Even though in the years since she'd graduated from college he'd grudgingly accepted she wasn't a little girl anymore—evidenced by the fact he sometimes looked at her with a little more interest than before—he still had a way to make her feel small.
Though it wasn't pleasant, at least someone treated her as though she were a real enough person to make mistakes, to be wrong, to exist.
"I'll take that as a no."
"Reminder—I'm twenty-six."
"Reminder—your parents hate me for good reason."
She took the two steps to the concrete landing next to him. She touched his arm. "It's not a good reason."
The heavy, world-weary exhale he let out was one she knew well. One she'd memorized. Maybe even fantasized about on occasion.
"Not going down this road again."
"Okay, I'll fill in your part. Henry, it's not your fault Ken drove drunk." She adopted a gruff, gravelly voice. "Ellen, I gave him those keys." Back to her own voice. "Henry, you didn't make him drink and drive and—"
He turned abruptly from her, toward his side of the building, walking away. "It's not a joke."
"My brother's dead. I know it's not a joke." But she had lived in the shadow of her parents' sorrow for fourteen years now, all while trying to deal with her own. More than half her life, and she'd learned long ago to find the happy, seek it. Bad came no matter what. She was after the happy.
Now that she was home for good, she was going to spread some of that happy to Henry—no matter how much he resisted. He of all the people needed some happy. To move beyond one bad decision he'd made right out of high school.
"Aren't you going to come in and look around? Check out my plumbing for me?" she called after him.
He stopped, as she'd known he would. He turned around and trudged back to her side of the building. Dread. Defeat.
When he stepped onto her porch, she entwined her arm with his and looked up at him imploringly. "Be happy I'm home."
"If you're happy, I'm happy."
A lie, but she was determined to make it a truth.
Chapter Two
Henry wasn't much for lingering around MC unless it was expressly required for meetings. He'd been with the restoration company for four years, and it was by far the best job he'd ever had. Any job that wasn't unclogging toilets on a regular basis was a pretty sweet deal for a plumber.
Unfortunately, the tight-knit group he worked with were forever hounding him to be more a part of the non-business side of things. He dealt with this by being scarce. Or hiding behind the business manager Kyle's steadfast standoffishness.
Unfortunately, Kyle had gone and fallen in love. Which meant Henry was the only enigma left. If he had a dollar for every time Kelly or Susan had tried to pry more information out of him, he'd be a wealthy enough man to live out his dreams of hermitism.
"Henry!"
He froze. He was hallucinating because of the shock of Ellen showing up yesterday. The shock she was going to be living right next to him. Sharing a wall with him. The only positive in the situation being Ellen never stuck with anything for long.
Henry swallowed and turned to face Ellen. She was standing in the lobby of MC, coat hung over her arm, her body clad in some green, tight…thing that made every curve very…
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, probably too harshly.
"Oh, Henry, there you are." Leah, MC's electrician, appeared from the kitchen, an
She'd seen him cry. She knew.
And as much as Henry thought he was some sort of guardian or protector because he had the warped sense he was at fault for Ken's death, Ellen liked to take it as an opportunity. From here on out, she was going to guard and protect Henry.
He might not think so, but he needed it. And she needed something…worthwhile to do.
"Do your parents know?" he finally said, wariness engrained into every line on his face, the downward turn of his mouth mostly obscured by beard.
She looked down at his roughened work boots. Even though in the years since she'd graduated from college he'd grudgingly accepted she wasn't a little girl anymore—evidenced by the fact he sometimes looked at her with a little more interest than before—he still had a way to make her feel small.
Though it wasn't pleasant, at least someone treated her as though she were a real enough person to make mistakes, to be wrong, to exist.
"I'll take that as a no."
"Reminder—I'm twenty-six."
"Reminder—your parents hate me for good reason."
She took the two steps to the concrete landing next to him. She touched his arm. "It's not a good reason."
The heavy, world-weary exhale he let out was one she knew well. One she'd memorized. Maybe even fantasized about on occasion.
"Not going down this road again."
"Okay, I'll fill in your part. Henry, it's not your fault Ken drove drunk." She adopted a gruff, gravelly voice. "Ellen, I gave him those keys." Back to her own voice. "Henry, you didn't make him drink and drive and—"
He turned abruptly from her, toward his side of the building, walking away. "It's not a joke."
"My brother's dead. I know it's not a joke." But she had lived in the shadow of her parents' sorrow for fourteen years now, all while trying to deal with her own. More than half her life, and she'd learned long ago to find the happy, seek it. Bad came no matter what. She was after the happy.
Now that she was home for good, she was going to spread some of that happy to Henry—no matter how much he resisted. He of all the people needed some happy. To move beyond one bad decision he'd made right out of high school.
"Aren't you going to come in and look around? Check out my plumbing for me?" she called after him.
He stopped, as she'd known he would. He turned around and trudged back to her side of the building. Dread. Defeat.
When he stepped onto her porch, she entwined her arm with his and looked up at him imploringly. "Be happy I'm home."
"If you're happy, I'm happy."
A lie, but she was determined to make it a truth.
Chapter Two
Henry wasn't much for lingering around MC unless it was expressly required for meetings. He'd been with the restoration company for four years, and it was by far the best job he'd ever had. Any job that wasn't unclogging toilets on a regular basis was a pretty sweet deal for a plumber.
Unfortunately, the tight-knit group he worked with were forever hounding him to be more a part of the non-business side of things. He dealt with this by being scarce. Or hiding behind the business manager Kyle's steadfast standoffishness.
Unfortunately, Kyle had gone and fallen in love. Which meant Henry was the only enigma left. If he had a dollar for every time Kelly or Susan had tried to pry more information out of him, he'd be a wealthy enough man to live out his dreams of hermitism.
"Henry!"
He froze. He was hallucinating because of the shock of Ellen showing up yesterday. The shock she was going to be living right next to him. Sharing a wall with him. The only positive in the situation being Ellen never stuck with anything for long.
Henry swallowed and turned to face Ellen. She was standing in the lobby of MC, coat hung over her arm, her body clad in some green, tight…thing that made every curve very…
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, probably too harshly.
"Oh, Henry, there you are." Leah, MC's electrician, appeared from the kitchen, an
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