“Well, I guess I’ll start moving these across the street. But if you lose something to the wind, don’t blame me.”
“I’ll help you. But I don’t have the key yet, so just hang tight for a second. Will should be here any minute.”
“Oh, I forgot to mention, Will’s not coming. Lola wasn’t feeling well this morning. Charlie ran over to grab it from their new place.”
“That’s way out of Charlie’s way,” I said. “Isn’t Jonah helping? I should have had him grab it.”
“Charlie wanted to,” she insisted. “He volunteered.”
“Oh.”
“Uncharacteristically nice of him, right?”
“I don’t know, feels pretty characteristically nice of him.”
Her face screwed up. “What?”
I shrugged. There were so many things I wanted to say and ways I wanted to defend him. He hadn’t just helped pack up the top-shelf stuff Sunday evening. He’d come back Monday during the day too. And Wednesday before work. Then he was here all day yesterday helping me finish labeling and taping boxes. He’d hung out so long, he ended up being late to Craft because he’d had to run home and shower and change.
He'd helped so much, that I told him to take today off since I had recruited everyone from the bar plus my sister and Shane to help. And my dad was supposed to be here any minute. There were plenty of hands for my surprisingly large amount of stuff. He deserved a break.
Besides, I hoped it would go fast because most of these people had to work tonight.
“I don’t know, it’s just that he’s usually helpful. He doesn’t get enough credit for how quickly he drops everything to help out.”
Her eyes bugged. “Are we talking about the same Charlie?”
“Eliza, seriously, when’s the last time he refused to help you? He’s usually the first to volunteer.”
She thought about it for a minute and bobbed her head back and forth. “Okay, maybe you make a fair point. He has a bad rap because he’s, uh, an idiot. But you’re right. He’s always willing to pitch in.”
Satisfied with her change of heart, I started moving toward the door. “He’s not an idiot either, by the way.”
I didn’t stick around for her response. Out in the living room, Jonah had just arrived and so had Miles and Case, who was carrying a box of donuts in one hand and a massive energy drink in the other.
“I brought sustenance,” Case said with a grin. He set the donuts on the island and flipped the lid. “These are good. You’re going to love them.”
They looked good, but I was more than a little stressed trying to organize everyone. Okay, that was a lie. I was a lot stressed because my dad had promised to come, he’d even texted yesterday to confirm the time and address, and I didn’t know what to do.
Was it going to be awkward with my friends? With Charlie?
Why would it be awkward with Charlie?It didn’t matter either way because it was guaranteed to be awkward. And that was my cross to bear.
“You’re a saint, Case.” Miles grabbed one immediately.
I eyed the donuts and wished I felt up to eating one. They did look good. Plus, trust a chef to know his donuts. “Hey, when you guys finish those, do you want to start on the couch? It’s going to be a beast to move.”
Miles saluted me, and Case responded in the affirmative. We were going to look like a sitcom today as we moved all my worldly possessions down half the block and across the street. But it was pointless to drive it over, especially with the high-maintenance downtown parking situation.
Adleigh walked back into the apartment. “I set the box at the top of the stairs. I’ll move it when the key arrives and we can actually go inside. Hope no one steals it.” She seemed to think about that before she said, “Actually, I hope they do. It would be fun to watch someone try to run away with a ridiculously heavy library of books.”
I put another manageable box in her hands. “Hey, have you heard from Dad?” she asked in a low voice.
My phone was in my pocket, but I’d turned the ringer on because so many people were coming and going today. “No, I haven’t.”
She pressed her lips together. “That’s strange. Didn’t he say he was going to stop by?”
“Yes,” I said evenly, holding back my thoughts on the matter. “But it’s still early. Maybe he wanted to sleep in.”
