Guestpost, Excerpt & Giveaway: Andrew Grey – Growing his Dream

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“But what do they want from me?” Lachlan asked, his voice touched with fear.

“Nothing. You’ll have chores you need to do, but that’s all.” Abe narrowed his eyes. “Why? Did someone try to hurt you or something?”

Lachlan stiffened but didn’t answer. Instead he went to his dresser, pulled open a drawer, and took out a couple pair of worn tan pants and a few pairs of jeans. Abe folded them and added them to the small pile of clothing. He watched as Lachlan moved stiffly around the room, keeping his back to Abe if at all possible.

Fear welled inside Abe. Something was very wrong. Sure, Lachlan was hurting, but the way he was shutting out Abe was telling. He wasn’t sure he was going to get anything out of Lachlan by questioning him, at least not at the moment, so he took the duffel bag lying in a heap on the bed and neatly put the folded clothes inside. “Is there more?”

Lachlan came around the side of the bed and opened the top drawer to add socks and underwear. “I guess not….” He scanned the room and sighed. “There isn’t anything else here.”

“What about the kitchen or other rooms?” Abe took the bag and set it next to the suitcase at the top of the stairs. “Is the television yours?” It looks ancient.

“No.” Lachlan ambled into the kitchen and returned with a small box of things. “All our stuff fit in the trunk of my mom’s car.”

“Where is that right now?”

“It broke down just after Mom died and I didn’t have the money to fix it, so it’s sitting at the garage down the street. They said they’d put it out back for a while, but I don’t know how long, and….” The abject misery was back, and Abe wished he knew what to do to try to help him.

“Do you know what’s wrong with it?”

Lachlan shook his head.

Abe walked over to him and guided him to one of the tattered living room chairs. He sat down, and Abe got him a glass of water from the kitchen and handed it to him, sitting in the chair across from him. “Try to take things one step at a time. We’ll get your things out of here so the landlord can’t take them. Foster has plenty of room to store what you need him to.”

“But why would he do that?”

“Because he’s a good guy, and so is Javi.” Abe took Lachlan’s hand, not wanting him to feel alone, and as soon as he did, a little jolt of energy shot through him. Even miserable, Lachlan was beautiful, and Abe was willing to bet that with a smile on his face, Lachlan would be radiant. Abe was determined to somehow be the one to help him smile again. “What happened to you?” He gazed into Lachlan’s big, sad eyes. The sad part didn’t surprise him, but the fear he saw as well was nearly overwhelming.

Heavy footsteps on the stairs caught his attention. He released Lachlan’s hands and turned toward the sound.

“Who’s up there?” a deep, gruff voice barked.

“Mr. Hanson?” Lachlan asked, on the edge of tears once again.

“Yeah. Who are you?”

“Lachlan.”

“I thought you were gone already.” The footsteps continued, echoing through the space. “I was coming to clean things out. I have a new renter.” Mr. Hanson entered the room, his hands on his hips. “You need to go now. This isn’t your apartment anymore.”

Abe jumped to his feet. “We know. He and I are getting his things, and we’ll be gone in a few minutes.”

“You have no right to be here. I should have changed the locks when I first kicked you out.” He glared at Lachlan, and Abe saw red.

“I said we’d be gone in a little while. He’s getting his clothes and personal things. Nothing more.” Abe stood toe to toe with the bigger man. “You can give a few minutes and we’ll be out of here.”

“How do I know you won’t try to steal anything?”

Abe growled. “Like what? The television that’s been around since the stone age? Give us a break. He just lost his mother, and all you can think about is how quickly you can rent the place?” He shook his head. “Just go and we’ll be out of here soon.” The man was a piece of shit and smelled worse than the barn after milking.

Mr. Hanson’s gaze flicked over to Lachlan and then back to him. Abe had no intention of giving an inch. Lachlan needed someone to stand up for him and Abe would do it all day if he had to. “Fine. I’ll give you an hour and then I’m coming in to clean the place out.” He turned and stomped down the stairs.

“Are you okay?” Abe said. Lachlan was as white as a sheet.

“He looked like he might hit you.”

“The guy’s a blowhard. He likes to think he’s a big, tough guy. But the strongest thing about him is his smell.” Abe waved his hand in front of his face, and a ghost of a smile curled at the edge of Lachlan’s lips. “Let’s get anything else you want out of here before he comes back.”