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“Great,” I mutter under my breath.
“I know, right?!” Delilah grins at me as she pulls out her cell phone and taps the screen a few times. She turns it around, showing me an ad for square foam sound dampeners that can be temporarily attached to walls to soak up extra noise.
“Yeah, I’m not going to be doing that. How big are those squares? Two feet by two feet? It would take half the damn day to install that, let alone the added cost.”
“I thought that might be a concern,” she says, nodding her head. Taking her phone back, Delilah scrolls and pokes around until she finds whatever she’s looking for, then shows me her screen again. “This one is basically a big sheet of plexiglass used to dampen sound. You’d only need like four, five, maybe six to cover the wall between our two places of work.”
I shake my head no while Delilah nods her head yes, as if that’s going to change my mind. I can’t decide if I’m frustrated with her or if I think she’s too damn adorable for her own good. Probably the latter, but I can’t think about that right now.
“Are you going to pay nearly a thousand dollars for those screens? And do you know how long they will take to get delivered? I’d be surprised if they got here before we’re done with our project.”
“Okay, mister negativity,” she sasses. “Maybe you could try to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”
“I’m not the one with a problem, remember?” I’m enjoying pushing her buttons far too much, but I can’t seem to stop. Her cheeks are glowing bright red, making her freckles pop out. Those blue eyes shine with annoyance but also with a challenge. She wants to push back, she’s just not sure how to yet.
“Well, I… The thing is, Archer…. You… I mean, it’s just… ugh! Whatever!” Delilah throws her arms up in the air and spins on her heel, stomping out through the front door the exact same way she did yesterday.
As much as I shouldn’t, I can’t wait to see what antics she comes up with next.
3
DELILAH
“Ithink my luck might be starting to turn around,” Blakely, one of my oldest friends from back home, says over the phone.
“Oh? How so?” I ask as I adjust my purse over one shoulder while pressing my ear against my other shoulder to keep my phone steady. I shuffle my way down the sidewalk, juggling my bag, an accordion folder full of receipts I need to organize, my phone, and a cup of coffee.
“My aunt and uncle are taking me on a vacation to the Smoky Mountains!” Blakely exclaims.
Despite her cheerful tone, my stomach twists into a knot. I have a bad feeling about this “vacation,” especially since I know exactly how manipulative and awful Blakely’s aunt and uncle are.
“Wow,” I say, trying to at least fake happiness for my friend. She knows me far too well for that, however.
“Okay, now tell me what you’re really thinking,” she deadpans.
“It’s just…” I sigh, trying to think of a way to express my concern.
Blakely is the sweetest person with the kindest soul on earth. Her aunt and uncle take advantage of that all the time, manipulating her into doing something, and then gaslighting her into thinking everything is her fault. She never admitted to them physically abusing her growing up, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did. Both of them are rotten to their core, and I have a hard time believing they've had a sudden change of heart.
“You think it’s a trap,” Blakely says softly, reading my mind. “I thought about that, too, but things have been pretty good here lately. I haven’t had any big slip-ups, Uncle Jerry cut back on his drinking, and Aunt Carol has been in a good mood the last few weeks.”
All of that sounds suspicious to me, but I don’t want to break my friend’s heart. All she’s ever wanted is love and acceptance. While I’ve tried my best to support her and be her friend, I know the kind of acceptance she needs is deeper than what I can provide. She needs to get away from her toxic family before she can truly begin to heal. At least, that’s how it was for me.
“I really hope that’s true, B,” I tell my friend. “You know, maybe after this vacation, we can revisit the plan to have to stay with me for a bit? I don’t have a ton of space, but I’ll give you a job at my shop and you can save up for your own place. It could be really good for you.”
Blakely goes silent on the other end of the phone, and I worry for a second that I crossed a line. I can be a little pushy when I think I know what’s best for someone, but in this case, I really think I’m right. I just need her to get there, too.
“It’s complicated,” she whispers. My friend sniffles, and I wish I could reach through the phone and give her a hug. She has such a tender heart that should have been nurtured. Instead, her awful aunt and uncle stomped all over it and made her afraid of her own feelings and opinions.
“I know,” I murmur, matching her tone. “I didn’t mean to bring the mood down, I just worry about you.”
“You’re a good friend,” Blakely says, her voice a little lighter. I can hear her smiling, even though we’re hundreds of miles apart.
“I–oh!”
I come to an abrupt halt as all of me is crushed and engulfed into what appears to be a stone monolith that was built outside of my shop overnight.
“Steady there,” comes a rich, gravelly voice I’ve come to recognize as Archer. Upon further inspection, I realize I straight up crashed into his chest - not stone monument - and he looped his arms around my waist to keep me from falling backward.
