“In the fetal position, crying,” I joked, sitting near him. “But you do seem to fit.”
He cracked a smile and laid his hand on my leg. “I do.”
Maybe we fit together no matter where we were or what headspace we were in. Swinging my legs, I grinned and placed my hand over his to seal the warmth of affection. This was the most comfortable I'd been in my own bed since I was a kid.
Mom stopped in the bedroom doorway. “Oh, you came.”
I gasped and shot back into the wall, bumping my head. "Ow." Why didn't she knock like normal, at least?
Harvey scrambled upright. “Are you okay?"
I nodded and rubbed the spot.
He furrowed his brow, looking conflicted, before touching my shoulder and turning to my mother. "We made some good headway on the cookies," he said.
“That’s nice.” She eyed his tattoos.
He touched his sleeve as if he wanted to cover it up, then diverted to grab his buzzing phone.
I pointed at the potted red flowers. “He brought us a gift, Mom. Isn’t that great?”
She folded her hands. “Yes. Very kind. Thank you. Would you mind carrying some coats to the car, Harvey?”
He tensed and put his phone away. “Sorry, what?”
She sighed. “The tubs need to go in Coral’s van.”
Did he not want to go? I threaded our fingers together. “I need him on Team Cookie.”
Mom gave me a withering look. “It’s a few tubs, Shelby.”
Harvey straightened his spine. “I’ll carry a few, but I have to leave soon.”
“Shelby, why don’t you pack him a tin and get started on dishes?” Mom walked away before I could respond.
Huffing, I tugged on his arm. “You don’t have to carry anything.”
He pulled his sweater sleeves down. “I’ll carry a few. I do have to go, though. The higher-ups want to talk about the management position.”
I gasped and jumped to my feet. “Oh my gosh, is that good news?”
He dragged his fingers through his hair. “I don't know. I hope so.”
“Well, you look amazing.” I tugged on his sweater at the waist and bounced on my toes. “Youareamazing. You’ve already made so much progress, and you took it upon yourself to get training. Plus, you managed me, huge troublemaker and ball of energy. After that, you can handle anything.”
Flushing, he wrapped his arms around my waist. “Thanks, but I’m still not exactly the kind of person corporate promotes up the chain.”
“So, you’re not a cookie-cutter guy. You’re awesome. And unique. And delicious. Much like our cookies," I said, then gave him a kiss to prove it.
Harvey chuckled and nuzzled my nose. “I’ll be sure to tell them that.”
32
Space
Whether or not Harvey got the job, I’d still be proud of him.
My aunts teased me about checking my phone so much, but they would've done the same if they had cell phones and boyfriends back in the day.
