The phone clicked as someone picked up. “Merrick Landscaping.”

Gabriel. Nick almost dropped the phone.

He didn’t know what to say.

The line filled with silence for the longest time.

Then Gabriel said, “Nicky.”

Not a question. He knew. Nick couldn’t read anything from his voice. He still didn’t know what to say.

And his brother wasn’t filling the silence, either.

Finally Nick cleared his throat. “I just wanted to be sure you made it home.”

Then, before Gabriel could say anything to that, Nick pushed the button to disconnect the call. He all but shoved the phone back at Adam.

They sat there in silence for a few beats.

Then Adam held the phone out. The display was lit up with an incoming call.

Gabriel was calling back.

“Do you want to talk to him?” said Adam.

“No.” His heart was still working double time.

He expected Adam to press the button to refuse the call, but he answered it, putting the phone to his ear and saying “Hello?” before Nick fully comprehended what he was doing.

Nick sat there and stared, torn between grabbing the phone to disconnect the call, and sitting in morbid fascination about what Adam would say.

Adam drew his knees up and rested an arm against them. His voice was low, quiet and confident. “He doesn’t want to talk to you right now.” A long pause, then he said evenly, “I told you, he doesn’t want to talk to you. Maybe you didn’t understand me since I wasn’t thpeaking in thtereotypes.”

Nick snorted with laughter before he could help it, and had to slap a hand over his mouth. It was nervous laughter more than anything. His eyes were wide. No one ever talked to Gabriel like that.

Then Adam sighed and spoke into the phone. “Guess what, sunshine? It’s not about what you want. I’ll tell him you called, okay?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. He disconnected the call.

This time, the phone stayed silent.

Adam looked at him. “He wants to talk to you. That’s all he said.”

Not I’m sorry.

Nick’s emotions weren’t sure how to process that information.

Adam set the phone on the concrete. “Why did you want to call him?”

“I just wanted to make sure he got home.” Nick stared out at the dissipating fog. “I was going to tell him. Last night. That’s why we were at the coffee shop.” He glanced over at Adam. “I keep wondering if it would have turned out any differently.”

“You mean, if he would have hit you either way?”

Nick nodded.