Page 56 of Fish Out of Water

“Robbie.” Jake bit his tongue. He hadn’t meant to invoke that damn name again, especially to Alex, but it slipped out before he could stop himself.

“Robbie? That’s cute.”

“It wouldn’t be if you knew the backstory.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

“Another time, maybe. I’ve got to go now. Bye, Alex.”

Jake hung up before Alex could torture him further. Now that he wasn’t actively trying to carry on a conversation anymore, her words about their parents hung heavy in his mind.Hewas there too, except not for the reason he’d been there a moment before—or any other time. If anyone understood difficult parents, it was him.

“Robbie,” Jake mumbled as he texted him, “can you come over and talk for a bit? I know…” He shook his head and deleted the last two lines. “I need to—no, that’s not right either.” In silence, he forged on, hoping Robbie wouldn’t take this message the wrong way.

I’d like to talk about something. Can I come over to the bookstore?

He sent the text and waited. A few minutes passed, and he was still waiting, staring anxiously at his phone screen. Then three dots appeared, and a moment later, one word popped up:

Yes.

Jake tappedhis fingers on the steering wheel as he drove down the street. It was around the time that lots of people were getting off work, which meant three or four cars on the road instead of just one. He turned off at Eaton’s Book Nook, pulling into the tiny parking lot next to Robbie’s car.

The car looked sharp and polished from a distance, but when Jake got out, he noticed some specks of dirt that had spattered up from the wheels.

“Tsk, tsk, Robbie,” he muttered as he made his way to the front door and tried to open it.

The door was locked, and he gave it three solid knocks before Robbie could get to it and let Jake in. “Hold on,” Robbie said through the glass. “There.” Jake slipped inside while Robbie locked the door again. “Now, what did you need to talk about so badly that it couldn’t wait a couple of extra hours?”

Jake’s cheeks flushed. Robbie had a point—hecouldhave waited, and he probably should have if he didn’t want to look like a simpering fool. He turned quickly, pretending to admire the bookshelves filled with new and old books alike; books from authors he’d never even heard of before; books that promised the ideal escape for someone in Jake’s current predicament.

“My sister called,” he said, pulling a book from the shelf.

“Alex?”

Jake glanced back. “Yeah, Alex. You remembered her name?”

“Isabel’s mentioned her quite a bit in the past.”

“Oh, right.” Jake slid the book back into its place. “She, uh, she had some interesting things to say about my parents.”

“Uh-huh?” Robbie pulled stacks of books out of their shipping box, lining them up in neat columns on the counter.

“Apparently they had a few choice words for her about me.”

Robbie stopped fiddling with the books. “Are you okay, Jake? You seem a little off.”

Jake forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m good. I just thought maybe you would… I thought out of everyone here, you would understand what it’s like.” He paused before adding, “And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night.”

“So you do regret it.” Robbie folded his arms on top of the counter.

“No,” Jake said quickly. “No, I…”

“Thought it would be easier to move on.” Robbie sighed. “This is why I don’t do these kinds of things.”

“I swear to God I’m not asking to do it again.”

“One and done.”

“It’s a real rule, and I take it pretty fucking seriously. I just don’t want the fact that we see each other every day?—”