Seb reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a squeeze. We drive the rest of the way in silence, both consumed with worry for our partner. There’s a lot going on right now. Nick’s dad, E’sfamily, Alex’s engagement, Bay. For once, the drama doesn’t revolve around me, but it’s still too much. I need to make sure my guys weather these storms without too much damage being done.
Chapter 8
Summer
Zander and I are up early Saturday morning, ready to paint the outside of the house, despite a terrible night’s sleep on my part. He got a lot of the prep done last weekend and chose a classic white for the siding, wanting to preserve the original colors of the house. After we eat breakfast, I slather on some sunscreen and sunglasses, ready to get to work. As we're pulling supplies out of the garage, Bay and Nick show up to help.
I paint the front of the house with Bay as Zander and Nick set up scaffolding to work on the side of the house. “How are you today, Bay?”
He smiles at me. “I’m good, Summer. Worried about Alex, but I think we all are.”
“Have you talked to him since Monday?”
“No. We were supposed to dive Thursday, but I got a text cancelling. He’s closed us all off. I’m not sure what to do,” he shrugs.
“Does Alex often withdraw when he has something to deal with?”
“A little, yeah, but not this drastic. He’s not even carrying on conversations at lunch or in class.”
I hear another car coming down the drive, so I turn to see E’s truck. After parking, E and Seb hop out and both come in for hugs.E has bags under his eyes but gives me a small smile. “Hanging in there?” I ask him.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“Did anyone see Alex this morning?”
“For a minute. He was grabbing coffee but said he was tied up today and couldn’t help,” E says.
Hmm. First he withdraws, and now he’s breaking commitments. That’s not the Alex I’ve come to know. “Alright. Go see where Zander wants you to start. He’s on the left with Nick,” I tell them.
“You got it, Sunshine,” Seb salutes.
Chuckling, I go back to painting with Bay. Although it’s September, it’s still hot outside, and I end up in my sports bra and shorts as the guys take off their shirts, even Zander. If I was still in Virginia, I would be in jeans already. I must say, all the sunshine is definitely nice, though.
Troy and Gabby arrive close to noon with lunch for us. Everyone is glad to go inside with the air conditioning for a while and eat. Gabby and Troy help for the afternoon, and we get the rest of the prep done as well as the front and one side of the house painted. According to Zander, the forecast has changed, and they are now calling for rain tomorrow afternoon, so we won’t get to finish this weekend. That actually works out well for me, as I can spend the day with Seb and E to figure out what he wants to do.
Chapter 9
Summer
Sunday morning, Nick picks me up to go to Alex’s house for the day. I offer him a chocolate chip muffin I baked last night when we get outside, and I get a kiss on the cheek before he gets into the driver’s seat. “Any updates on your dad?”
“He has a good hacker; probably been tracking our phones.”
“How do we prevent that from happening?”
“We can’t eliminate the risk, but I can show you how to minimize it. I can’t get access to cameras near him because they’re monitored.”
“Well, that sucks. We’ll stay vigilant, Grumpy. I won’t go anywhere alone,” I say, squeezing his knee.
“I don’t like it, Shortie,” he replies, shaking his head.
“I know.” What else is there to say? We’re all worried, but can’t do anything about it.
We drive in silence the rest of the way to Alex’s house with rock music on low in the background. Nick unlocks the front door so we can head up to the third floor. E is already up and in the kitchen, so I walk over to kiss his cheek and drop off the muffins. “Good morning, E.”
“Morning Summer. Wanna get Seb up? Alex is already gone for the day.”
Shaking my head at another Alex disappearance, I agree and go into our bedroom. Seb lies sprawled on his stomach, sans shirt, his mouth slightly open. “Hurry,” I call as I sit on the edge of the bed and run my fingers through his hair. “Time to wake up.”
