“About to pull into the driveway,” I yawned, the adrenaline fading, and the day’s events hit me almost instantaneously. I could hear rustling on the other end of the line.
“All right, I’ll meet you at the front door. Kinda have a lady visitor tonight, and Mama Deen’s been out cold for hours now.”
“That’s fine, do you. I just need to sleep.” I said, fighting off another yawn. I ended the call and killed the ignition. I was so tired, I left all my shit in the trunk and locked it, dragging my exhausted limbs to the front door of Dare’s Mom’s house.
He was already there, holding it open. Dressed in a pair of jeans and probably nothing else, Dare stepped back and pushed his hand through his long hair. “You and the old man fought?” he asked quietly, leading the way down the hall to the living room.
“Yeah, a little bit. I’d rather not talk about it though, I’m fucking bagged, and I’ve got a lot to do tomorrow.” I yawned again, unable to help myself. The lack of sleep over the last few days was beginning to take its toll on me, and the exhausting exchange with my father wasn’t exactly helping.
“No worries, I’ve got somewhere else to be anyway,” Dare grinned. He gestured to the beige couch, where there was a folded throw blanket, a pillow, and noise-cancelling headphones.
“Nice touch,” I shook my head, chuckling a little. Sitting down, I tugged my boots off and leaned back. “Get the fuck out of here.” I lifted my jaw, and Dare gave me a weird, nervous half-smile before turning heel and heading for the basement.
He wanted to be able to sneak girls in and out easier, so one ambitious summer, we got together and finished the basement—turning the far corner of it into a large bedroom for Dare.
We even roughed in a bathroom, although Mama Deen ended up calling my dad when we accidentally flooded the basement. We were fifteen or something like that. He came over, all pissed off, and finished the bathroom properly while making the three of us work the entire time, too. He didn’t mention the great drywall job we did in Dare’s actual bedroom, or that we finished an additional common area prior to the flood—the flooring had to be ripped up, but still. Pretty good for three fifteen-year-old kids teaching themselves by YouTube videos.
Yeah, I could have asked him for help before stuff escalated—but asking my father for help was never a good thing. He acted self-righteous and condescending like his time and knowledge were a gift that had to be acknowledged and celebrated. Watching the YouTube videos was the far easier option, as Dare and Evan came to learn.
Tossing the pillow on one end of the couch, I lay down and tugged the blanket over me. I hadn’t bothered to remove my pants or shirt—I was far too exhausted, the task seemed almost pointless. No sooner had my head hit the pillow; I was drifting to sleep.
Harper
Some days are just meant to be fail days. Everybody has them—or at least, that’s what I tried to tell myself as I drew in a calming breath.
“I’m sorry, Mom.” Asher’s eyes were downcast like he was afraid to look directly at me.
I exhaled, brushing a hand behind my ear. “It’s okay. These things happen.”
He’d been so eager to help out this morning, and starting the car was something he’d done a hundred times before—but today, he’d accidentally locked the door with the keys in the ignition.
We were already running late—extremely late, in fact. It was well past three o’clock this morning when I finally managed to drift off to sleep, after replaying the entire day—every second, every moment, every smile, every sidelong glance, and every touch.
I’d slept straight through my alarm, and it wasn’t until nine o’clock when Asher popped into my room and asked if it was a snow day.
It wasn’t. I glanced at my Fitbit watch, wincing at the time. Thirty minutes past nine.
“I’ll just call CAA, that’s what they’re for, right?” I said, gently taping his little nose. His littlecoldnose. “Why don’t you go inside and warm up? I’ll be right in.”
“Okay,” he said, his shoulders drooping. Before he could pass me, I swept him into a hug, making sure he finally met my eye before speaking.
“You’re not in trouble, bud. Things like this reallydohappen. I’ve locked the keys in the car before too, and I’ve locked myself out of the house. We’re both having an off day, I think. Are you tired?”
“No, I’m just excited! I can’t focus.” He admitted, lifting a shoulder, a smile tugging his lips out of the serious line they’d been. “I can’t wait to see Dad today!”
“I bet he’s excited to see you too.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Go wait inside, where it’s warm.”
He trudged up the front steps and into the mudroom, leaving me alone in the driveway. I drew in another icy breath, tugging my phone out of my purse to call my mom.
It rang a few times before she picked up. “Harper. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, well, sort of. I was wondering if you could drive Asher to school? My keys are currently locked in the car, which is running, and I’m sure CAA is going to take another half hour, at least.”
Before I’d even finished speaking, I could hear her moving, keys jiggling when she picked them up. “Of course. I’ll be right over.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I sighed, moving toward the porch. “Gotta call CAA now.” I disconnected, reaching the door. I opened it, popping my head inside. “Come on, Asher! Grams is gonna take you to school.”
“Can’t we call Dad? I bet he’d take me.” Asher appeared in the entryway to the kitchen, blue eyes hopeful.
