Men of Law 01 - Finding Him by Chad Lane

Author:Chad Lane [Lane, Chad]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-09-23T07:00:00+00:00

ooo000ooo

Ben hadn't heard from his wife all day Saturday, and on Sunday she texted him to say she was staying with a friend, nothing more. On Monday, even as he left for work, he worried about her. He tried calling again, sent a few texts, but got nothing in return. He had to work, or else they wouldn't be able to pay their bills. He kept himself preoccupied by doing his laundry, picking up around the apartment. The entire time, he just felt empty inside.

At work, he plastered on a smile as thick and unwieldy as some of Tobias' housewife divorcees undoubtedly plastered on their makeup. He had to remain professional and upbeat, no matter how he felt on the inside.

“Hey Ben,” Patrick said, eyeing him when he came in through the back door. “Have a good time on Friday?”

It took Ben a few seconds to realize what he meant. “With Tobias? Yeah, it was nice,” he said.

He wasn't lying when he said it either. Patrick leaned forward over Ben's desk with a devious grin stretched across his face.

“Oh really? Do tell. Is there something you're holding back from me? A little secret, perhaps? Details Ben, we want details.”

Ben looked at him, dumbfounded for a moment. Then it hit him. Patrick thought he'd slept with Tobias. “Dude, no, it's not like that. I swear. I'm married.”

“Uh huh. I've known plenty of married men who liked to take the occasional ride on the bologna pony,” Patrick teased.

“Yeah, but I'm straight,” Ben said. “As straight as they come.”

Patrick looked him up and down, smiling and nodding approvingly, which made Ben feel slightly uncomfortable. But then again, this was Patrick. He was always cracking jokes and never meant any harm.

“And what a shame too,” he said before turning around and walking toward his cubicle down the hall.

Ben shook his head, but he was smiling. And it surprised him that what crossed his face was a real smile this time. Patrick was a good guy and never failed to amuse him. Looking at the clock, Ben wondered when Tobias would be in. Part of him realized that he was actually looking forward to talking to him again. It had been really nice to sit back and just talk with somebody last night. He'd needed some perspective and advice.

Ben wondered if that was what having a friend felt like. It had been so long that he'd had anyone to talk to that he seemed to have forgotten. Since he'd moved away from everyone and everything he ever knew to come out to California, and without having a steady job, he really hadn't made a whole lot of friends.

Tobias usually came in later than the others, but he often stayed later too. Sometimes he'd show up slightly green around the gills from drinking the night before, but no one else seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn't say anything about it.

As he thought about it, Ben realized that maybe Tobias needed him too.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.