So much so that once he shut the door, whistling loudly on his way down the steps, I retrieved my phone from the kitchen counter and began scrolling through my past conversations with August. Although not sexual, the tone of our back-and-forth texts was prettypersonal.
As I scrolled up and up, our phone conversations started coming back to me, and my heart quickened. I couldn’t possibly have a crush on August, or couldI?
Ugh.
I worshipped him as a kid, because he was so sweet with me, so attentive. It felt wrong to crush on him today. I barely knew himanymore.
I was so wound up about this that I went for a long,longrun. By the time I got home, I’d come to a conclusion that sounded extremely wise: I would stay away from him until he lefttown.
27
Ihadn’t realizedhow nervous I was about Isobel’s surgery until I woke up on Monday so early stars still blanketed the sky. I texted August, hoping he’d silenced his phone while he slept. I’d feel awful about waking himup.
ME:Can you text me once the surgery’s over so I can come andvisit?
His answer came barely a minute later.Yes.
ME:Did I wakeyou?
AUGUST:No.
From the time Mom was diagnosed till the very end, I hadn’t slept through the night. I was about to ask him how he was feeling, if I could do anything, when a new text appeared on myscreen.
AUGUST:Sorry I haven’t come by this week. It’s been insanely busy at work. How are you and Jeb holdingup?
ME:We’re good. Don’t worry about us. Besides, been busy here too. Almost everyone in the pack has droppedby.
AUGUST:Hope they’ve been bringing you goodcoffee.
I bit my lip. I couldn’t tell what the tone of his message was supposed to be: humorous orbitter?
ME:No coffee. But I have enough confections to open abakery.
AUGUST:
Okay, so maybe August wasn’t bitter. Maybe he truly was concerned about the quality of ourcoffee.
ME:I should probably look into the bakery idea. I need a job. Ugh. Sorry to bore you withthis.
Dot dot dots bounced on myscreen.
AUGUST:We could use some help around the warehouse. Mom was taking care of the accounting, but she won’t be doing that for a while. And Dad’s planning on taking some time off to be withher.
I read and reread his message, strange emotions eddying through me. I needed to say no. Being around August was not a good idea. But, hell, I really wanted to say yes. The business had been my father’s, so I knew what it entailed. Although, considering the expansion, what the Watts did now probably differed from what Dad used todo.
AUGUST:It would come with good pay of course. Anyway, think aboutit.
It brought me back to one of our first conversations after my return to Boulder. He’d asked me if I wanted ajob.
ME:If I say yes, but I’m completely incompetent, do you promise not to keep me on because of guilt orpity?
AUGUST:Where did that comefrom?
ME:Just swear it tome.
AUGUST:OK. I swearit.
It wouldn’t have to be weird. It’s not like we’d be working side by side. From what I’d understood, August was usually on the buildingsites.
