I’ll reserve the usual spot for us
Brooks
And I’ll already be there since Charlie will be there
I blowout a breath as I mop up the rest of my soup with a napkin from my desk. I’ll have to reprint everything I was working on. Notes made. Numbers calculated. At least it’ll be easy enough to redo.
Why can’t I be cool and keep my composure?
Maybe if I were, I wouldn’t be in this situation. An awkward, bumbling nerd who is hopelessly single. Not that I mind most days.
I like my life. I love getting to design buildings for a living. I have a close group of friends who are like family, since my own family lives across the country.
So what if I don’t date? So what if I’ve never had sex? It’s not like my life depends on those two things.
Then why am I starting to sweat?
Heading to the bathroom to clean up, I set my glasses on the counter and splash cold water on my face.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I give myself a mental pep talk. I can do this. It’s one night. One night isn’t a big deal.
I can figure something out for one night. I’ve solved a lot harder problems at work. But I’ll find something temporary. I have to. Because I don’t want my coworkers to know I’ve been lying. That’d be even worse.
Solving the problem of Ollie needing a boyfriend? Not sure that one will ever be solved.
Chapter Two
HUNTER
AN AX TO GRIND
“Which tree do you want?”
“Aren’t they all the same?” the little boy with a wide-toothed smile asks.
“They aren’t.” I kneel down next to him and point to two different trees. “That one is taller, and that one right there has more needles. Very different.”
“They look the same to me.”
“Well, whichever one you want, you’ll need to make sure it fits in your house. You wouldn’t want to cut your tree in half.”
He shakes his head, pointing to the fuller tree. “I want that one then.”
His mom smiles and nods behind him.
“Then stand back.”
Making sure the area is clear, I line up my trusty ax and take a mighty swing.
Thwack.
It cracks right into the trunk of the tree at a perfectangle. The vibrations ripple through my arms as I cut into it before it falls to the ground with a soft thud.
“Wow! I want to learn to do that!”
“Maybe when you’re older.” I smile at him before directing my attention to his mom. “We’ll get this taken out to your car and tied down for you.”
“Great.”
