For the second time, I made Rob laugh. He pocketed his tape measure and strode toward me, tipping my face up as he would if he meant to kiss me. My heart went nuts, but he pecked my forehead, as I’d seen him do to Nadia a thousand times, usually when she was being a goofball. In that moment I must’ve looked like a deflating balloon.
“Seriously, I just meant—wear something you won’t ruin working on the house.”
I nodded. “See you tomorrow.”
This partnership was probably a terrible idea, but since the universe kept handing me excuses to hang around with Rob, I couldn’t say no. Deep down, I suspected I’d been skating toward my first broken heart since I was thirteen years old, and there was nothing for it now but to make good. I flopped onto my bed with a heavy sigh.
Well then, world. Bring it on.
CHAPTER FOUR
The first week of working with Rob, I got two blisters and we finished his budget.
Though he wasn’t well-off, if he ate at home more and bought dinner for Avery less, it should be simple enough to make his money stretch until construction picked up again in mid-April. If he stuck to the plan, he could sock some away in savings, too. I hadn’t brought it up yet, but I had some ideas on how he could make his money work smarter, better than leaving it in a low-interest bearing savings account anyway.
None of my remodeling tasks was difficult or specialized, but some of them were messy and exhausting. At the end of the day, I was often filthy and on the verge of collapse. At least I’d acquired the knack of being around him without going tongue-tied or blurting the first thing that crossed my mind. However, I liked hanging out with him too much for my own peace of mind while he treated me like a kid sister and had a girlfriend who called every night from Omaha.
The first night, the phone rang at half past six. Rob switched off the power sander and took the call in a rush that would’ve made me superhappy, had I been on the other end of the line. At first, he was smiling, glad to hear from her, but soon his responses shortened to monosyllabic and his shoulders hunched. By the time they were done, fifteen minutes later, all of the light and pleasure had left him.
After that, I asked to leave before six.
“You’re spending a lot of time with Rob,” my mom said, cutting into my thoughts.
I focused on my Salisbury steak and made a noncommittal noise.
She persisted, “Is that wise? You had the biggest crush—”
“I remember,” I interrupted, just a shade sharp.
Her eyes widened. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to butt in, especially when you’ve been so understanding about Stuart.”
I shot her a quizzical look. “About what, exactly? That you’re not ready to introduce us or because you’re dating at all?”
Either way, it didn’t bother me. If her boyfriend would rather not get entangled with the whole faux-family scenario, it was fine by me. I definitely wasn’t looking for a father figure.
“Both. But you just got home, so it feels too soon to bring the two of you together. Once you settle in, I’ll—”
And I tuned her out. If it got serious, I’d look for somewhere else to live. My mom was fine, but I had no interest in cohabitating with her middle-aged boyfriend. But I smiled and nodded because it wasn’t like I resented Mom getting her life together and deciding she didn’t hate all men because of my dad, a healthier attitude by far.
“Did you know Krista Montgomery’s back?” That question snagged my attention.
“No, that’s awesome. For how long?” Krista had been my second closest friend in high school, and our junior year, she’d moved to California with her dad when her parents split.
“Janet didn’t say. But from context, I suspect she’ll be here a while.”
“Context?”
“She’s pregnant.”
“Oh, wow. How far along is she?” That wasn’t what I wanted to know; my curiosity ranged more along the lines of, Is she keeping the kid? What’s the deal with the baby daddy? Why’d she come back to Nebraska? But I hated gossiping about people I liked, so I’d call and talk to Krista, see how she was doing, instead of grilling my mom for secondhand details.
“Six months, according to Janet.”
“Is the landline still the same?” I had the number memorized when I was sixteen, and if I’d forgotten, it should be in my old address book. That was the last thing my dad bought for me before he left, and I’d taken a dorky pride in writing down all my friends’ contact info.
“As far as I know. I only use Janet’s cell these days.”
“I’ll call Krista later.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
It was an unspoken agreement that I’d take over the bulk of the housework since I wasn’t contributing anything for groceries or rent, so I cleaned up the kitchen and then picked up the phone. I dialed from memory, and the call went through. Krista answered on the fourth ring, sounding slightly out of breath.
“Moshi moshi.” She’d always been into all things Japanese, from guys to anime.
“Hey, it’s me.” I’d lost count of the times in junior high that we’d done this, before we got cell phones.
“Oh, my God, my mom told me you were back. How awesome is this? How come you didn’t text me?”
“I wasn’t sure if your California phone was still working.”
“Good point, it’s not. I got a new number here, and I meant to message you with it but it’s been nuts getting settled and I just found out you’re back, too.” The last sentence came out in a girlish squeal. She sounded excited and happy, actually, not like a single mother in crisis. “I can’t wait to see you.”
Unlike Nadia’s family, Krista’s mom lived close enough for me to walk. Her house was on the other side of the subdivision, half a mile or so away. As kids, that meant we could hang out without adult facilitation. Proximity contributed to our friendship in the early days but by high school, we genuinely liked each other, and it hurt when she moved.
“I can come over tonight, if you’re not busy.”
“That would be awesome.”
“See you in fifteen minutes.”
Fortunately I’d already showered, rinsing all the remodeling dust off, so I just had to bundle up and grab my purse. “Going to Krista’s,” I called to my mom, who was watching TV in the living room.
“It’s like we’ve gone back in time,” she mumbled.