Chapter 24

“Near the airport.”

“The airport? Why?”

“I leave for New York in the morning. I think it’s for the best.”

Jack sighed. “You can’t run away from this.”

“I’m not running, Jack. I’m giving up. Surrendering. Whatever you want to call it. I should never have come back. That much is true. The cliché about going home isn’t such a cliché.”

“I’m sorry about Preston. He’s a jerk.”

“Nah, it’s my fault. I expected too much out of him. I should have just let my fantasy play out and consider it over. I let myself believe there was something more to it.”

“So you don’t love him?”

Scotty scrubbed his hand over his face and stared out at the dismal little motel room he’d rented.

“Scotty?” Jack prodded.

“I love him. So what? He doesn’t love me, and that’s that. He thinks I’m abnormal,” Scotty said, his tongue tripping over the hated word.

“I’ll beat the crap out of him for you.”

Scotty smiled a little. “Yeah, like old times, huh? Defending me from those who bullied me.”