“So much regret.” I sighed. “But actually, I’ll have to take a rain check on the night out.”
Without going into too much detail, I gave Brooks the report that Harrison would stay on to help.
“Just as a trial run to start. Two weeks. And then we’ll see,” I said.
Brooks was quiet after I finished. “I’m really surprised that he agreed to stay and help out,” she finally said. Her carefully chosen words worried me.
“You and me both. But I have to admit, and granted it’s only been one day—or one morning—but it went smoother than I expected. He has the boundless energy of a golden retriever puppy.”
“That’s good.” She laughed, but it was the hollow fake one she used with customers. “He just always struck me as the good-time guy of the Intrepid Trio. I feel sort of bad for thrusting you at him that day.”
“I knew you did that on purpose!”
“How could I not? I knew you had no clue who he was. Oh, man, I only wish I had been there to see the shenanigans unfold.”
“Nothing of the sort.”
I feel like I’ve known you.
She clicked her tongue and said, “Of all the kids fromTerraformative, Harrison seems the most content to exist in and embrace his bachelor lifestyle. Just seems very out of character for him to pop up and decide to stay.”
I worried my lip before I stopped myself. “I thought the same thing. But people change. I mean, in theory, I’ve heard. He cares a lot about George.”
“Of course. And people can change.” She let out another breath. “But just be aware. There were rumors of a love child once, you know? And I know your thoughts on deadbeat parents.”
It was like I swallowed a rock. “I hadn’t heard anything about that.”
“That’s because you know as much about film and TV pop culture as I know about what banoffee pie actually is.” I heard the tippy tap of a pen and pictured her hitting it against the cash register. “Okay. Don’t let me stress you out. This is good. You really do need the help. You are running yourself ragged. Plus, I don’t have to worry about you. You have oodles of street smarts. You’re in the safe zone now if you didn’t instantly fall for his charm. The crypt keeper can relax. I know you won’t ever let your guard down just for his wounded puppy eyes, and you especially wouldn’t let Collette get hurt.”
“Yeah,” I said softly. I was glad to have her support but hated that her thoughts mirrored the ones that kept me up at night. Harrison wasn’t long-term. Did he even really want to be here, or was he motivated purely by a sense of guilt? How long would that guilt keep him playing house, weighed down by commitments?
“Don’t forget, I can always help watch her if you need a night off. After the shop closes. I owe you. And someone has to be the cool aunt,” she said.
“Excuse me? I am literally her cool aunt,” I said flatly.
She tutted. “You were. Now, you’re her primary caregiver. Wah wah. I can be the one that explains PG-13 jokes to her and buy her a training bra way too soon.”
It was obviously meant in good fun, but the words cut deeper than she meant them to.
The bell dinged in the background. “I gotta go,” she said. “Imagine if we could still communicate even without a customer interrupting our conversation. Like some sort of textual version of a phone call we could send back and forth through the sky. What a wonderful magical world that would be.”
“But then I wouldn’t get the full force of all this charm. Bye, Brooks.”
I stared out the window after we hung up. The wind of my writing sails had come to a sudden stop. Had I taken on the role of a wet blanket parent? I just wanted to keep her safe. Was there a way to protect someone from the harsh realities of the world and still have any sort of zest for life? How the hell did people do this?
“You can’t believe everything you read in the papers,” George said, startling me.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?” I asked, rising to go to him.
He waved me to sit back down. “No. That was my bladder.”
“Need a hand?”
He glared at me. “My legs are fine,” he grumbled. He shuffled to stand and made his way out of the room.
“Sorry. Sorry.”
George paused to lean on the desk. “Harrison is a good man. I know how he acts like nothing affects him, but don’t you be fooled by that. Give him a chance.”
I nodded, feeling chastised. I knew how it was to be seen as unfeeling just because of my outward appearance. Was it possible I was doing the same to Harrison, only he wore a different mask, one of a charmer? Or was I simply protecting myself against an ill-timed attraction to him?
George left the room, and I sighed. How could I protect myself from the charms of a professional charmer and still accept the help he offered?
