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“Okay. But it would be going great if you told me you’re going to assign me to that Garnet Valley job since…”

Donovan winces before I can even finish my sentence. “Ah, actually, I need you to go to Florida.”

Defeat drags my shoulders down. “Listen, Donovan. I know I usually love going out of town, but I was actually wondering if there’d be a chance for me to stay more local these days…”

He slaps me on the shoulder as I follow him through the front door and we head straight for his office.

“Come on, Easton. You know it’s easier for me to send you out of town than some of the other guys. It comes with the work.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t mind working close to home sometimes too, Donovan.” I wave my hand toward the yard where employees are bustling about. “I already make an hour commute to get to the office when I do work locally, but those jobs are always an hour or two away from home at least. And other than that, I’m out of town.”

Donovan stares up at me from his seat, slightly confused. “You love life on the road, remember? Hell, you took advantage of every opportunity to travel when you were first starting out.”

Yeah, because it was easier being on the road than seeing Lennon with her various boyfriends over the years.

When I finished my lineman training right after high school, the first company I applied to was Tennessee Power & Utility. With above-average pay and excellent benefits, I was making six figures by the time I was twenty years old.

Nine years ago, I loved that being a lineman gave me the opportunity to see new places while helping those in need. After natural disasters—hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods—utilities need to be restored, and that’s where linemen come to the rescue.

But time on the road is starting to get old—sleeping in hotel rooms and eating out for every meal. Plus, there are things I’ve wanted to do to my house that I haven’t had the time or energy to work on yet.

“Well, maybe I’ve changed my mind about that,” I reply, hoping I don’t sound too entitled. But I do know that I’m one of the most reliable employees he has, so I’m hoping that accounts for something.

“Since when?”

I let out a heavy sigh and take a seat in a chair on the other side of his desk. “The past few years. Look, I’ve been here for almost ten years, Donovan—”

“I know you have, Easton,” he interjects, stopping me before I can finish my sentence. “But my decisions aren’t always based on seniority, and you know that.”

I start to reply, but he continues before I can say anything. “It would be different if you were married and had kids, you know?”

My eyebrows fly up. “Is that right?”

He shrugs. “When a man has a family, I try to make it a point for him to be around. I grew up without a dad, so I know what that can do to a kid.”

We actually share that commonality, but I don’t bother mentioning that at the moment.

“And so even though you live in Garnet Valley, and I know you could take the lead on the college project and upgraded poles that need to be done over the next nine months, it just makes more sense to send you to Florida, Easton.”

“Donovan…”

His cell phone rings before I can get out another word. Groaning, he holds the phone up. “I’ve got to take this. We can talk more about this later, okay?”

I grunt as I leave his office. “Yeah, like I haven’t heard that before.”

***

A glass shatters when it hits the floor behind the bar, but it barely fazes me as I pick up my beer and take another sip.

Melvin’s is busier than usual on a Wednesday because Perimenopause Patty and her club are hosting a fundraiser here tonight, so people are packed in like sardines to show support.

“Jesus, did I miss the memo that the entire town was going to be here tonight?” My older brother, Owen, slaps me on the shoulder as he takes his seat on the stool next to me at the bar. Tally, the head bartender, comes over and drops a beer down in front of him without exchanging a word.

One of the perks of living in a small town—everyone knows everything about everyone, even your drink order.

“The Cougar Puberty Club is doing a fundraiser tonight.”

Owen nods in understanding before bringing his beer to his lips, gulping down almost half of it. “That explains why it’s so cold in here.”