Kristen smiles at me sweetly, just daring me to contradict her. Of course I don’t. My heart stopped beating about a minute ago, and I’m not sure I’m even still alive. I’m in hell.
“Luke can work with her to organize everything,” Kristen says. “Days. Nights. On the weekends. She’ll be so busy practicing, you’ll never see her.”
I gulp down the entire glass of wine without taking a breath.
I’m doomed.
Dear Elsie…
Dear Elsie,
I love you.
And now… I don’t know what to do.
Do I tell you? I wanted to steal you away from everyone at the cookout last night and tell you then and there. But something was wrong. The timing wasn’t right.
Will it ever be?
15
Sunny except for spots of overprotectiveness
A week passes ina blur of work and nights at the community center. There have been no practice sessions. Yet. Luke offered. I declined. Maybe if I keep saying no, everyone will forget about Kristen’s brilliant idea. I’m certainly trying my hardest. And I have other things to worry about…like finally having my apartment fixed.
A knock pounds on my door early on Saturday morning.
Cain walks through the apartment, a tool belt slung low around his hips, inspecting everything he passes with a frown. He twists his hair into a bun and fixes it with a pink elastic as he scans the kitchen, his eyes jumping from the window that refuses to close to the dripping faucet.
“How long’s that been broken?” He nods at the sink.
“Um, well…” I avoid his eyes by straightening the buttons of my sundress. “Since I moved in, Mr. Abernathy.”
He roars with laughter. “Mister!I’ll buy a new fridge for this place if you call me that in front of my wife.”
“Do you prefer…Cain?”
“That’ll do it.”
Purposeful steps thud to a stop behind us. Sawyer looms in the doorway. “Sounds like a lot of talkin’ and not a lot of fixin’,” he says.
“I just got here,” Cain replies.
“And time’s a-wastin’.”
Cain’s lip curls. “When did you become such a hard ass?”
“Right around the time I found out Elsie is livin’ in a place that should be condemned.”
“It’s not that bad!”
Wood groans behind us. Three pairs of eyes whip around as one of the overhead cabinet doors sighs one last time before finally giving up. The door tips off its hinges and crashes to the floor.
Sawyer folds his arms and gives Cain a pointed look.
“I’m going to fix it!” Cain says defensively. “Don’t get your knickers in a damn knot. I’m here, ain’t I?”
“Yeah. I s’pose.” Sawyer jerks his head at the teenage boys with matching mops of dark hair who are roughhousing in the living room. “Youandyour motley crew.”
