As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew he was reliving the memory, too. Silence swelled between them.
“Whatever you want.” His T-shirt lifted as he scrunched his shoulders to his neck. “You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?”
“No,” Augie snapped. “No. I do not.” She again fought back thoughts of Micah. “Okay, really, I have to go. Let’s just keep our distance. I have a lot going on right now. So, good luck with the Crawleys. Have a good summer.”
She took a few fast steps up the stairs.
“Hey, wait,” he called after her. “I don’t want to overstep, or piss you off, but can I at least know your real name?”
Augie slowed to a stop. She turned around, feeling even more humiliated.
“Because you said Allie before, but your name tag says Augie. I’m still Chat, by the way.” He smiled softly, teasing yet kind.
Chat.It was almost as weird as her name. She didn’t know how she had missed it. She didn’t have it in her to explain, so she simply pointed to her name tag. The lights above reflected off the fake gold.
“Okay. It’s nice to meet you, Augie.” He raised his hand and pretended to shake the air in front of him. “And I’ll assume that while Allie lives in New York, you do live here?”
Augie sighed. Normally, she’d be irritated by such a remark, but something about it felt more flirty than snarky; through and through, he seemed like a good person.
“It’s okay if you were trying to impress me,” he added while picking up the teddy bear and tennis rackets. “I’ve never been to New York.”
Augie turned back to the stairs.
“You’re not missing anything,” she said as she reached for the railing. Still, a second later, she looked back over her shoulder. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Chat.”
She hated to realize it was true.
3
Cooper had lost his crayons, and now they were running late.
Normally, this would send Danika into a frenzy—blood heating up, shoulders pinching—but with Chat on her side, everything came easier. As the clock ticked to noon, Danika even laughed aloud as Chat dropped to the ground in a push-up, searching under the bed.
“You said you had them last night?” His voice was half muffled by the carpet.
“Yes, right before bed, like I said,” Cooper whined. He stood over Chat while itching the last of the scab on his cheek. Thankfully, it wouldn’t scar.
Chat popped up—he was undeniably athletic—and shrugged his shoulders.
“Did you go in the Big Room?”
Cooper said no. Chat had learned by now that Cooper was reliable, particular, and, like Danika, had a sharp memory. He didn’t waste his time rushing to the Big Room, the massive greenhouse that held their toys. He ran one hand through his thick black hair.
“It’s okay, Coop.” Danika stepped inside the doorframe with Max on her hip. “I’m sure you can borrow some today, and we’ll get you a new set for tomorrow, okay?”
Cooper’s face twisted in irritation. It was Monday, the start of his second week at art camp, and they’d all heard about how he had to draw five pages a day to finish his fairy-tale books on time. The exact right colors so everything would match: “Pool Float” and “Pizza Crust” and “Dandelion.” Last week, Cooper and Chat had made a game naming their own colors.
Chat caught Danika’s eye from across the room. She could hear both their silent wishes, a held breath between them.
Cooper was kind but headstrong. Determined and meticulous. He knew all the words to every Selena Gomez hit. He was quick to tell you if you’d miscounted your spaces in Candy Land. He refused to wear mismatching colors. It frustrated Bill, the way he was always “on edge,” but Danika admired Cooper’s attention to detail. Bill wouldn’t admit he was also high-strung. Max, on the other hand, was a ball of goofy sweetness.
Cooper huffed and picked up his backpack. “Fine. I’ll do the outlines today. Let’s go.”
Chat and Cooper moved in a flurry from there: whipping down the wide white stairs and through the expansive, marbled kitchen; disappearing into the cedar mudroom. Danika followed, adjusting Max against her body.
“Okay, so. I’ll be back in thirty, I’ll take Max, and you’ll be home from work by five?” Chat asked.
Danika smiled—she was smiling so much lately, it embarrassed her—and set Max down on the ground between them. As she stood, she suddenly worried she’d flashed Chat a full view of cleavage via her loose linen shirt, but he didn’t react.
