But I chased the distance. “What’s your AC set at?” I muttered. “Your room is cold.”
“There’s actually a setting that’s calledArctic Tundra.”
I elbowed him in the side, and a breathy curse escaped him. “Brat,” I muttered, lying on my side to stare at his profile. “Five minutes.”
His eyes were still shut, but he gave a soft nod.
“And then we’ll do something fun.”
“Think of some ideas,” he murmured, and then his head turned toward me. His eyes slipped open, and then he jolted, almost like he hadn’t realized I’d gotten so close. “I mean, not sure if you’d be interested,” he began, flippant, “but I’m pretty sure the art store over in Jefferson opens at?—”
“Oh my gosh,yes!” I grabbed Jamie’s arm, squeezing into his bare skin. It was strange; his fingers were cold, but his arm waswarm. “Please? Oh my gosh, you can’t tempt me with art supplies and then back out. Wehaveto go!”
Jefferson was over an hour away from Addison, which would really eat into our day of fun since I had to be back by three to get the kids off the bus, but it’d be worth it. The art store wasmassive, filled with every shade of color pencil and paint under the sun. I hadn’t gone in ages, since they weren’t open that late and I normally had to watch the kids. But today was the perfect time. The perfect opportunity.
Jamie smiled at first, but the corners of his lips fellas his eyes studied me. The strange look was back, but then he shifted, once more turning his head to face the ceiling, and closed his eyes. “If I get five more minutes.”
Grinning, I let go of his arm and flopped on my back, too, body now vibrating with eager energy as I let Jamie lay still beside me.
Jamie’s shoulder brushed mine, and he laid his hand on top of the blankets near my own. I was almost hyperaware of its closeness; could visualize it in my mind. An inch away. Maybe less. If I stretched my pinky out, I’d brush his. His energy was so relaxing and calming that I could almost feel it cut through my excitement. Not in a bad way, but like pulling a blanket over my body, leaving me warm and content.
As the minutes stretched, I could feel my heartbeat slow. I hadn’t thought I’d have been able to fall asleep at home, but tucked against Jamie’s side, it was impossible to fight it off. My eyelids grew heavy as I stared up at his ceiling, dipping once, then twice, and then I couldn’t lift them the third time.
Only against Jamie’s warm side, with the sunlight seeping in through the window and his knuckles ever so slightly brushing mine, did my mind quiet enough that I was able to fall back asleep.
CHAPTER 2
CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS.
“No,” I groaned softly, tugging on the handle to the art store. The deadbolts offered a mere millimeter of give before locking into place. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
The square piece of printer paper taped to the inside of the door was cruel, written in a beautiful cursive font with little designs drawn on with COPIC markers. Had to be. The smoothness of the lines was too perfect. Mocking.We have beautiful tools within, the sign said.But not for you.
In the reflection of the glass doors, Jamie lifted a hand and scratched the top of his shoulder. “I didn’t even think to check online to make sure they were open.”
My forehead smacked the glass. The interior was dark, but I could see enough of the space to feel even more victimized. “What renovations?” I demanded. “There’s noconstruction or anything anywhere. They might as well let us in. Theywantto miss out on a big sale?”
Except I didn’t know how big of a sale it’d be, since I only had twenty bucks leftover from this week’s allowance. Well, fifteen minus the five I’d given Penn this morning. Spontaneity, it seemed, was not my strong suit.
I tugged the handle again, a darkness in my chest rearing up despite the high sun.
Jamie’s voice was cautious. “You’re going to break it, Daze.”
“We came all this way!” I whirled around, giving Jamie the full view of my devastated expression. “An hour and a half of lunchtime traffic because we got a late start. Afteryoulet me sleep in til eleven!”
He slipped his hands into the pockets of his denim jeans. “It was ten forty-five.”
“Eleven, Jamie. On Senior Skip Day. You let me waste three hours onsleep.”
“I tried waking you up. You were hogging the covers.”
I only believed him on about half of that. I didn’t remember ever hearing his voice, but I did remember waking up burritoed in his duvet cover. Jamie hadn’t been beside me when I’d blinked my eyes open, but had been sitting at his desk chair, peacefully reading.
The little jerk. Now I only had three and a half hours left of free time before I had to be home to get the kids off the bus, and nearly half of that would be spent on the drive back to Addison.
Jamie stepped up to me, pulling his hands out of his pockets and landing them on my small shoulders. Withhim so close, I had to crane my neck back to meet his eyes, because he was sotall. He said he was six-four, but it had to be closer to six-five, which was still over a foot taller than me. I liked to joke that he was like the Jolly Green Giant, just without the muscles.
Jamie gave my shoulders a squeeze. “What’s our plan B?”
