“You have to get that scholarship,” Ellery says.
“I don’t know.” The scholarship hasn’t been far from my mind since Shaleigh told me about it, but I just can’t wrap my brain around making it work. “The hours would be so long. I don’t want to miss out on spending time with Harper.”
“It wouldn’t be forever,” Ellery says. “And I’ll help with Harper.”
“You can’t commit to that. You don’t know what the future will hold for you. What if you finally get serious about someone?”
She waves a hand. “Why would I do that when I have so much fun being very unserious about several someones?” Her eyes go wide, and she sits up straight. “That’s it. You need to get unserious about someone.”
I laugh, and it feels really good. I don’t think I’ve laughed this heartily in days. Weeks maybe. “Like I have time for that.”
“You need to make time.” She crosses her legs under herself and gestures with her hands as she speaks. She is such the perfect children’s librarian, so animated and energetic. “Think about it. All you do is give to other people all day every day. You take care of Harper and your parents, and every animal you find. It makes sense that when you’re faced with a difficult human, your well of kindness and compassion is dry. You need to feed the well, Amelia.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?” My eyes are damp from laughing so much.
Ellery blows out a breath, clearly annoyed. “I’m serious. You need some fun in your life. Some adult fun.”
“I don’t think that’s the answer, El. I’m just blunt and short of patience. I always have been.”
She rolls her eyes. “You aren’t with Harper. You aren’t with your parents. With them, you suppress it.”
I shake my head. “You’ve never seen me with my parents. Not for any length of time.”
“But I’ve heard you talk about them. I know they frustrate you, and I know how much of your limited patience you expend on them. Your choice is to find a kind of release that doesn’t involve telling off citizens with animal problems or releasing your attitude on your own family. Which do you choose?”
I’m not a perfect mother or daughter. I don’t always manage not to be overly blunt or impatient with my family, but Ellery’s not wrong. Around them, I do suppress the harsher parts of my personality. “Maybe the citizens need a little bluntness. What am I supposed to say? Sure little Johnny, go ahead and pet rabid animals?”
Ellery laughs. “Right. That’s what I suggested.”
She leans back in her seat and just waits. Sometimes, she knows me too darn well.
I fold my hands under my chin and rest my elbows on my knees. “Let’s say you have a point. Where would I even find this unserious person to spend time with?”
"Online.” She’s practically bouncing in her seat. “That’s the perfect place to find someone for unserious fun.”
I rub a hand over my face. Why can’t being charming to everyone I meet just come naturally to me? “At this point, I guess I’m willing to try anything. What’s your favorite dating site?”
“Like I’m going to just tell you and expect you to get a decent profile set up. Hand over your phone and I’ll do all the legwork.”
I give her my phone and sink back into the couch, hoping I’m not making a huge mistake.
CHAPTER FOUR
Deacon
Itrip over a power cord for the third time today and curse, my usually infinite patience fraying. I’ve converted Levi’s garage into a workshop, and the space is way too tight. But I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to make custom cabinets for our kitchen design. Not just for the payout, but for the opportunity to use my creative side in a way I rarely get to anymore.
I grab the sander and turn it on, only for my phone to buzz in my pocket. Since I’m waiting to hear from Sebastian about a job that’s higher priority than these cabinets, I turn off the sander and pull out my phone.
Only to see an email from the dating site. These aren’t supposed to be coming to me. They’re supposed to be going to Levi. It’s probably an ad, but I open the email, just to be safe.
It’s not an ad. It’s a notification of matches. Sebastian has five women interested in his profile. “What the hell…” I mutter.
“What’s wrong? Sebastian on the warpath again?” Cash asks as he walks into the garage. He’s in a suit and carrying a tablet, probably about to go talk to a homeowner about interior design.
“No. Somehow, the matches are coming to me after I set everything up to go to Levi.”
Cash chuckles. “He changed the setup, apparently.”
