seven."
"Could you be ready any earlier?"
I smile. "Why? Seven isn't soon enough?"
"Truthfully? No." He laughs a little. "I'd like to see you right now but I'm helping out Bryce at a house reno on the west side of town and then I have a meeting at four."
"How about six?" I say without even thinking.
"Six would be great. I'll see you then."
"Yeah. Bye."
Why did I suggest six? I have to check on my dad, then go home, shower, get dressed, do my hair. Six doesn't give me enough time to do all that. But I really wanted to see Jake, which is bad. Really bad. I can't get attached to him. This is only temporary. But when I heard his voice just now, it took me out of the bad mood I was in, and the thought of seeing him in just a few short hours made me feel even better. I actually had butterflies jumping around my stomach, knowing I'd soon be able to kiss him again. Does he have this effect on all women? Is this why he gets so many girls? I don't know, but I certainly didn't expect to feel this way.
I leave work at five and race over to my dad's house to check on him because Liza's been at class all day and then has to go straight to work. I could just call my dad, but I stop over instead because he's been stuck in the house all day by himself and needs some human interaction.
"Dad, it's me," I yell as I go in the house. I hear the TV on in the living room and find him sleeping in his chair. He normally doesn't sleep during the day like this. That new med is really knocking him out, which isn't good because he's supposed to be up walking throughout the day. It gets the blood flowing and keeps his back muscles from stiffening up.
"Dad." I nudge his shoulder.
He opens his eyes. "Hi, honey. Did you just get here?"
"Yeah. It's after five. How long have you been asleep?"
"About an hour." He shuts the TV off.
"You should probably walk around a little. Need some help?"
"No. I'm fine." He slowly gets up from his chair, cringing in pain as he does.
I hold his arm. "Dad, you okay?"
"My back's just a little stiff from sleeping in that chair."
It's not the chair. It's his back. It's getting worse but he won't tell Liza and me because he doesn't want us to worry. But all I do is worry. I've worried ever since it happened, and now I'm even more worried because his pain is getting worse.
"You want to walk outside?" I ask. "It's not as cold as it's been and the sidewalk is clear."
He hasn't been able to walk outside for weeks because the sidewalks were covered in snow and ice, and the last thing he needed was to fall and hurt his back even more.
"I suppose I could use some fresh air."
I help him with his coat and we go out to the sidewalk.
"I can't stay for dinner," I tell him. "I have something to do tonight."
"You going out with friends?"
"Kind of. I mean, yeah, he's a friend. Never mind."
My dad grins at me. "Is this friend of yours a boy named Jake Wheeler?"
"Liza told you?" I huff and shake my head. "That girl can't keep a secret to save her life. Well, I guess I didn't tell her it was a secret, but still. She wasn't supposed to tell you."
"I know you just started seeing him, but don't rush into anything."
Oh, God, here we go. He's going to give me his dad lecture about taking things slow, being friends first. I've heard it a million times. He thinks if Liza and I start out being only friends with a guy, it'll delay the physical part of the relationship, which he tries to pretend we've never had. He prefers to think we're both virgins, even when I was living with Ryker.
"So Jake is the oldest?" he asks. Even before I started working for the Wheelers, my dad knew who they were because of their company. After years of working as a carpenter, my dad knows most everyone in the construction business.
"No, Nash is the oldest," I say. "He's 25. Jake is 23. He's the guy I worked for last fall on the Victorian." Shit. I shouldn't have told him that. When I was working for Jake, I know my dad overheard Liza and me talking
"Could you be ready any earlier?"
I smile. "Why? Seven isn't soon enough?"
"Truthfully? No." He laughs a little. "I'd like to see you right now but I'm helping out Bryce at a house reno on the west side of town and then I have a meeting at four."
"How about six?" I say without even thinking.
"Six would be great. I'll see you then."
"Yeah. Bye."
Why did I suggest six? I have to check on my dad, then go home, shower, get dressed, do my hair. Six doesn't give me enough time to do all that. But I really wanted to see Jake, which is bad. Really bad. I can't get attached to him. This is only temporary. But when I heard his voice just now, it took me out of the bad mood I was in, and the thought of seeing him in just a few short hours made me feel even better. I actually had butterflies jumping around my stomach, knowing I'd soon be able to kiss him again. Does he have this effect on all women? Is this why he gets so many girls? I don't know, but I certainly didn't expect to feel this way.
I leave work at five and race over to my dad's house to check on him because Liza's been at class all day and then has to go straight to work. I could just call my dad, but I stop over instead because he's been stuck in the house all day by himself and needs some human interaction.
"Dad, it's me," I yell as I go in the house. I hear the TV on in the living room and find him sleeping in his chair. He normally doesn't sleep during the day like this. That new med is really knocking him out, which isn't good because he's supposed to be up walking throughout the day. It gets the blood flowing and keeps his back muscles from stiffening up.
"Dad." I nudge his shoulder.
He opens his eyes. "Hi, honey. Did you just get here?"
"Yeah. It's after five. How long have you been asleep?"
"About an hour." He shuts the TV off.
"You should probably walk around a little. Need some help?"
"No. I'm fine." He slowly gets up from his chair, cringing in pain as he does.
I hold his arm. "Dad, you okay?"
"My back's just a little stiff from sleeping in that chair."
It's not the chair. It's his back. It's getting worse but he won't tell Liza and me because he doesn't want us to worry. But all I do is worry. I've worried ever since it happened, and now I'm even more worried because his pain is getting worse.
"You want to walk outside?" I ask. "It's not as cold as it's been and the sidewalk is clear."
He hasn't been able to walk outside for weeks because the sidewalks were covered in snow and ice, and the last thing he needed was to fall and hurt his back even more.
"I suppose I could use some fresh air."
I help him with his coat and we go out to the sidewalk.
"I can't stay for dinner," I tell him. "I have something to do tonight."
"You going out with friends?"
"Kind of. I mean, yeah, he's a friend. Never mind."
My dad grins at me. "Is this friend of yours a boy named Jake Wheeler?"
"Liza told you?" I huff and shake my head. "That girl can't keep a secret to save her life. Well, I guess I didn't tell her it was a secret, but still. She wasn't supposed to tell you."
"I know you just started seeing him, but don't rush into anything."
Oh, God, here we go. He's going to give me his dad lecture about taking things slow, being friends first. I've heard it a million times. He thinks if Liza and I start out being only friends with a guy, it'll delay the physical part of the relationship, which he tries to pretend we've never had. He prefers to think we're both virgins, even when I was living with Ryker.
"So Jake is the oldest?" he asks. Even before I started working for the Wheelers, my dad knew who they were because of their company. After years of working as a carpenter, my dad knows most everyone in the construction business.
"No, Nash is the oldest," I say. "He's 25. Jake is 23. He's the guy I worked for last fall on the Victorian." Shit. I shouldn't have told him that. When I was working for Jake, I know my dad overheard Liza and me talking
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