True. He had a way of charming people into doing things. One minute, you were trying to decipher his nonsensical texts, the next, you’d lost your best bra in the backseat of an Italian racing car.
“You’ll be back at the…” I couldn’t find a word—big blue thing with water in it…? I panicked a little and tried to rescue myself before he noticed. “In a couple weeks?”
He gave me another sad face that told me he was feeling sorry for me and my brain struggles. “Should be. This mogul dude’s house is remote, so service is weird. I’ll try to call, but if you don’t hear from me for a few days, I’ll send word by slow turtle from China.”
“Okay?” I said, squinting.
He smiled. “It’s a joke. Get it? Slow boat from China? But I’ll be in the Philippines, so they’ll have turtles instead of boats.”
Right… No use pointing out the obvious to Eddie. I used to think it was my word-pixie stopping me from realizing his potential as avant-garde humorist, but no: he just wasn’t all that bright. But he was very pretty. And sweet. I’d been gaga over him since I was in pigtails. The first time he’d ever noticed me was that night he invited me to come to the dam. The second time was when we reconnected online after the accident. That’s when I found out that he was the one who ended up pulling me out of the dam and saving my life.
His one saving grace in my father’s eyes today. I think. My father’s hard to read.
Anyway, funny that such a horrible thing could bring two people together who had nothing in common. Silver linings, I supposed.
My phone buzzed. Norma. Mad Dog’s head housekeeper, asking where we were. And another text, asking us to pick up ice, because the freezer in the lodge’s prep kitchen wasn’t making ice fast enough. Ugh.
“You’re blowing up,” Eddie said.
“Work,” I mumbled.
“The big dog? You’re on vacation, bae. He needs to chill and leave you be. You’re my girl, not his.”
No, I was not on vacation. I was being paid to do a job, and as long as I lived under Mad Dog’s roof, with my room and board provided, I wasn’t just on the clock, I was one with the clock. Besides, I wasn’t sure how in tune Mad Dog was to my affairs. Wesaw each other in passing every day and had a conversation now and then, but when I asked Dad if Mad Dog knew that Eddie and I were seeing each other, he just grunted and said, “He’s aware there’s something going on.”
Whateverthatmeant.
“Hey, make sure they put my blue bag on there,” Eddie called to the Sarafians’ family lawyer, who was boarding the plane. “I’m right behind you!”
Crap. This was it. He checked his phone again. Time to go.
“So when you come back, we’ll spend time together at the lake?” I knew I sounded clingy. Ifeltclingy. I hated that. But Eddie made me feel that way, because he was never there, and I could never pin him down to anything. Would he answer my texts? Would he call when he said he would? Would he fly into town this weekend? I never knew, and everything was “our little secret.” It was exciting but exhausting. I knew he was busy helping his dad. And yet.
He was always promising me tomorrow.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
I didn’t want to cry, but I felt tears prickling the backs of my eyelids. How dumb was that? This whole day was just too much. Graduation. Returning to the lake. Eddie and my dad.
“Hey!Hey,” he said, eyes flicking back and forth over mine. “None of that, now.”
“I’m okay,” I told him, reeling in my emotions. “I just wish we had more time.”
“Listen. When I get back, let’s look for an apartment at thelake. Like we talked about. You and me. If we find one, maybe you don’t go back to L.A. after the summer’s over… maybe? You’re not in school anymore. You could go to college here if you wanted, or maybe work for my dad. Or just chill. All kinds of possibilities. Whatcha think? Would you be down for that?”
“Eddie,” I said in the lowest voice I could manage over the sound of the jet’s engine in the distance, afraid to look back at my father. “Are you serious?”
He put his hands around my neck. “No cap. Just think about where you’d want to live at the lake. I’ll have a word with my old man. Nothing can happen without his approval, so I’d need to finesse it with him first. No promises. But itshouldbe fine? Let’s keep it between us for now. We’ll talk more when I get back, okay?”
He was talking a mile a second, and I couldn’t answer. My heart was filled with too much joy. He’d said that, right? I hadn’t gotten it wrong? This wasn’t a word-pixie brain mix-up?
“The two of us living together? Our own place?” I asked.
“Hey,” he said instead of answering me, “remember to tell Velvet to vote for Tell & Show at Battle of the Bands. That’ssuperimportant. You’re her assistant now, so make sure she gets that right, because it’s what my dad wants. It’s this weekend—don’t forget, okay? Promise?”
I didn’t care about Battle of the Bands. I cared about moving in together. “Wait! The apartment—”
“Wish me luck!” he said, pulling away and putting a finger to his lips. Our little secret. “See you in a couple weeks! We’ll talk more then.”
