Page 11 of A Shared Mind

I leaned forward to kiss the bronze marker, unsure of how many more times I’d come visit the love of my life. This visit didn’t feel like the last time.

As I was headed toward the gate, I was stunned to see Justin Watkins sitting on a bench across from a large granite headstone. I took him in, noticing his cheeks were wet. Much like mine before I wiped them when I left the mausoleum.

I slowly approached the bench. “Justin? Are you okay?”

Justin’s head snapped up. “Oh, uh, Clay. Hi. What are you doing here?”

“Visiting someone. You?” I couldn’t keep the skepticism from my voice. How did we end up at the same cemetery the morning after we’d had dinner? Was he stalking me?

The handsome man glanced at me. “I’m here visiting my parents.” He pointed to the grave marker in front of him.

The large rose-colored marker showed epitaphs for two people, a woman and a man. Orren and Pamela Watkins. The dates of birth were five years apart, but the dates of death were within two months. Dear Mother, Dear Father, below each name.

I swallowed. “Sorry about losin’ your folks so close together. What happened, if you’d tell me?” Obviously, it was a coincidence that we were there at the same time.

Justin turned to me and patted the seat next to him, so I didn’t hesitate to sit down. I honestly wanted to hear whatever he had to say, even though we’d barely just met.

After a moment, he turned from staring at the marker. “My mother died from a heart attack on a Tuesday. My father died from a stroke a couple of months later, also on a Tuesday. I was twenty at the time. Nothing can ever fill the void of not having them to share my highs and lows.”

The desire to wrap Justin in my arms was nearly overwhelming. It sounded as though the man had walked a hard road all by himself. I didn’t want that for him, or anyone, really.

He seemed to be an incredibly nice guy, based only on my experience talking to the man for about two hours regarding my financial future and then about an hour over a meal. Losing two parents within a few months would be devastating to anyone, I was certain. The memory of losing my own father was painful. If I’d lost Mama within a few months as Justin had, I wasn’t sure I’d have survived.

“I’m sorry, Justin. I know what it means to lose people you love, but I just didn’t expect to see you here this morning.”

He wiped a stray tear. “I’m just visiting my parents like I do every month. It was devastating when they died so close together, but I think because they loved each other so much they didn’t want to be apart for very long. I can find comfort in that.”

Family issues weren’t easy, that was for sure. I’d planned to have a family with Hunter back then, but that never happened. Hell, now? I had no idea what a family would even look like for me.

“I wouldn’t mind getting breakfast before I hit the road. Would you like to join me?” I wasn’t sure what compelled me to make the offer, but it felt right.

Justin stared at me, a nervous smile overtaking his face. “I d-don’t want to keep you from getting on the r-road.”

“A few hours won’t really keep me from doing anything I need to do when I get home. I noticed there was a diner at the turn-off up the road. Wanna meet there?”

Justin nodded, so I stood, walking back a few steps to give him a chance to say goodbye to his folks without me. He kissed his fingers and touched the top of the double marker before he turned to follow me.

“I’m down there,” I said, pointing to my white GMC Sierra flatbed truck at the end of the parking lot.

“I’m here. I’ll follow you to the diner.” He slid into a dark blue Ford Explorer. It wasn’t brand new, but it was nice.

I jogged to my truck and hopped in, leading him to the diner where Justin parked beside me. I got out and rounded the front of my truck, seeing Justin was on the phone, so I stopped on the sidewalk to wait.

He ended the call and stepped out of his SUV, removing his suit jacket and hanging it over the back of his seat. “I called Eve to let her know I’d be late. So, you’re on your way back to Sterling City this morning?”

I nodded as we went inside the diner, which was called The Pancake Palace. The place resembled a little mom-and-pop place I knew in Sterling City where everyone knew everybody else—and their business.

We sat in a booth in the back, and after we were served coffee, I settled into my side of the conversation. “You like your job at Korr’s?”

Justin offered a sad smile. “Enough. I mean, I’ve been following this path for years. My parents wanted me to do what I’m doing now, though I hadn’t been really interested in financial matters when I was in high school. After I lost them, I decided it would be something I could do to honor them. It was what they wanted me to do, after all.”

I stared at Justin for a moment. “But is that what you want to do? Will that make you happy?”

A quick chuckle came from Justin. “I’m not sure anymore what would make me happy, if I’m being honest.”

“I get it. I’ve gone through my own times of doubt, and it’s not easy to sort through things, especially by yourself.” The temptation to reach across the table and grab his hand was hard to resist. Was it possible to hold ourselves together through the connection with another person? Something I’d think about on the way home.

Our food was delivered quickly. Justin dug into his waffles, and I tucked into my western omelet. I put my fork down and took a sip of coffee, wondering what to say. Small talk had never been my—