We lingered for a few moments. I searched for something to say. “I guess I’d better get going.”
Asher nodded again. “Yeah, me too. I’ll see you around.”
“Sure thing.”
“It was good seeing you again.”
“Same.”
We were quiet for a long few moments before Jackson reappeared. “Comeon.” He tugged on Asher’s arm and pulled him away. We each waved, my face heating as I did. It was weird, but I felt a sense of loss as Asher disappeared through the doors and out into the night. My chest ached. I pulled out my phone to text him and realized we hadn’t exchanged numbers. With a sigh, I headed out to the parking lot, but I didn't manage to catch up with him. All I had to look forward to was seeing him on the job site. I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped that thatwould be sooner rather than later, then climbed into my car and headed home.
Chapter 3 - Asher
At the job site the next day, I caught myself thinking of Micah more than a few times. He looked good, with his lean muscles and long lines, short dark hair and sparkling brown eyes. I could hardly believe the scrawny kid and awkward teenager I’d spent so much time with had grown up to look, well, like that. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. It wasn’t that I was attracted to him, it was just that he was an objectively good-looking guy. Right?
I worked on setting up my tools and materials, taking measurements and giving instructions to my apprentice, Tyler. He would be responsible for any work literally above our heads, anything that involved ladders or heights. Tyler was a good guy, amiable, easy to work with, and I appreciated everything he did. For a guy in his early twenties, he was driven and focused, and that was a refreshing change of pace from the last apprentice I’d taken on. Filming was set to start in a couple of days so Tyler was helping me get everything ready.
Just as I was giving him instructions on how I wanted the saws set up, someone called my name.
“Asher!”
I glanced over to see Micah coming my way, a huge smile on his face. I turned back to Tyler. “We good?”
He nodded. “Good, boss.”
With that, I headed toward Micah. His short, dark hair was brushed to the side and his smile reached his warm, brown eyes. His scent hit me, a whiff of cologne that reminded me of when we were teenagers, trying to find our way in the world. Between that and the scent of sawdust in the air, I was transported back to when we were kids, building forts in the woods behind my house. My stomach twisted a little and my chest heated, the warmth crawling up my neck. It was good to see an old friend again, to know he was back in my life for a little while, that was all. “Hey there. Imagine running into you here.”
He smirked. “Imagine.” His gaze held mine for a beat too long and the heat in my neck made its way to my ears, my cheeks growing warm. “Hey, so I’m here to start working. We need to get the sets up and ready before the camera crew comes in.”
“I’ve never thought of having a set designer on a construction site.”
With a shrug, Micah nodded. “Yeah, if it’s on TV, it usually has set design. Even reality shows that are more people-driven, likeDestination Love.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Were you on that show, too?”
“I wasn’t the primary set designer, but I worked on some of the episodes, yeah.”
“That’s pretty cool. I bet you get all the inside info on these things.”
“Sometimes. I have to sign an NDA on most shows, though. Don’t want us leaking the winners before they’re revealed, that kind of thing.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
“So show me what we’ll be working on.”
I grabbed a hard hat for him from the office trailer that had been set up for the construction crew and we toured the building, inside and out. As we looked at the intricate woodwork, Micah let out a low whistle.
“This is incredible. You can repair all this? Or replace it?”
“I mean, not alone,” I said. “I’ve got an apprentice. His name is Tyler.”
“But you’re teaching him how to do these things.”
“I guess, yeah.” I didn’t like feeling like I was bragging about my work, so I changed the subject. “What about you? How does this look for filming?”
He walked around, quiet for a few moments while he took in the main lobby of the post office, where most of the work needed to be done. “This is good. We’ll need more light in here. And I’ll have you set up equipment a little more centrally on some days, so we can get good shots of you working with the saws or whatever without having to cram you into a corner and pray for good lighting.”
He chuckled and my stomach did that weird swoopy thing again. “Yeah, that would be terrible,” I agreed. His laugh was warm and infectious and hearing it felt like coming home. It was a sound I hadn’t forgotten. Memories of our time together as kids and tweens kept flooding my mind, adventures we went on and late-night conversations. It all made my stomach hurt with nostalgia.
