Page 127 of Possibly Texas

“How can I be sure you’re not lying?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” they said playfully.

I chuckled as I stared into their eyes, nearly made blue by the moon that was now peeking out from behind the clouds.

“It’s a date,” I said.

Auggie’s happiness at my statement was apparent in their expression.

“Auggie,” I asked, “why haven’t I met your parents?”

They looked into my eyes.

“They’ll be around one day,” they said. “You’ll meet them if you stick around long enough.”

After enough time in Possibly, that made perfect sense.

One Night at a Time by George Strait was possibly an unwise choice for AMOR, considering Amos’ and Lilly’s history. However, as Jack and I worked on his new table all morning long, I never once heard Lilly screaming downtown whenever it played. Apparently, love songs were okay for Amos to play, as long as their understanding held true. It was very Possibly of her, to let Amos do what made him happy as long as he wasn’t trying to influence her.

All morning long, Jack and I had worked on his new project, prepping the wood, sanding and trimming and cutting. We joked and signed, sometimes I read notes from him on his pad. A temperate August day made our work easier than it typically would have been. Though I had learned plenty about woodworking from Jack throughout the morning, I wasn’t sure we had accomplished much. He’d assured me that the prep work was the most important part of the project, I still felt we hadn’t done much. Of course, I was going to trust him. He was the expert.

When lunch came around, we had leftover chicken fettucine alfredo from the night before—one of my favorite dinners. It was just as delicious reheated the next day. Especially with the buttery, garlic-y bread we decided to make on the fly. After lunch, the two of us worked together to clean the dishes. Jack washed and scrubbed while I dried and put away. It was impossible for Jack to sign or write while we worked, so I did all the talking.

I’d let him know that since lunch was over, and we weren’t going to do anymore work on the table for the rest of the day, Auggie and I were going to hang out. He smiled teasingly at me at the announcement—and I deserved it after I’d heckled him about Sofia—but I merely bumped him with my shoulder and smiled back.

“We’re going to go ghost hunting again,” I had explained. “We have to walk around town backwards thirteen times again.”

Jack made his laughing expression at that explanation. I laughed with him.

Yeah. Maybe it was silly.

Then again…maybe it wasn’t?

Is something pointless if you do it with someone you care about deeply?

Once the dishes were done and Jack was drying off his hands, I told him that I was going to head out, since I knew Auggie was probably already waiting on me. Jack gave me a stern look—quite unusual for him—before signing one request.

Be careful.

“Ghosts aren’t real, Jack,” I said with a wicked grin.

He cocked an eyebrow at me.

“I know,” I said. “We’ll be careful. Always. Promise.”

His expression softened and he smiled before signing “be careful” to me once more. I looked down at the floor to keep my rosy cheeks from being on full display, and Jack pulled me into his chest. He gave me a squeeze against his chest and released me. He didn’t prolong the saccharine sweetness of the gesture.

“All right,” I said, stepping away from him. “I’ll be home for dinner. Gotta do something before midnight, right?”

Jack nodded, amused. Then he signed once more.

Invite Auggie.

“Will do,” I nodded to him as I headed for the door. “See you in a little bit…Jack.”

He gave me a wave and then I was dashing out the door and down the front steps as All the Pennies by Mindy Gledhill began to play on AMOR. I jogged across the yard as Wyatt’s gun exploded in the direction of the post office. I could only imagine Levi Lee in the middle of a Pirouette when Wyatt had decided to fire off his gun. Not that I wanted it to have happened, but Levi Lee stumbling at the shock was just comical.

Though I hadn’t worked at Starbuck’s that day, I could tell what was on the menu. The smell rode along on the Possibilian breeze and tickled at my nose as I jogged down the street to Bend of the Road Graveyard.