Page 23 of Perfect Enough
Sophia: You, too, Josh. ’Night.
I looked back at my laptop, where Sophia’s picture was still pulled up. Then I shook my head, trying to clear my suddenly cloudy thoughts.
Me: Good night, Soph. Sleep well.
“You mean to tell me you’ve been talking with the same girl for a month now, she lives up in Stevensville, and you haven’t met her yet?” Nathan asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “What are you afraid of?”
I stopped working on the fence we were both out repairing and stared at my cousin. It had indeed been a month since Sophia and I had started texting each other, and I’d made the mistake of telling Nathan the truth about how it got started last night, when we went out.
“I wish I’d never told you about her.”
He laughed. “I already knew you were texting someone. I just didn’t know the details or who it was. So? When are you going to meet?”
I shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it. We’re just friends.”
“And friends can’t meet each other?”
“It’s different.”
Laughing again, he leaned against the fence post. “How is it different? Is she hot?”
Looking up, I shot him a dirty look. “What do her looks have to do with anything?”
His brow rose. “Did you just ask me that question? If she isn’t pretty, it makes sense why you don’t want to meet her.”
“Are youthatbig of an asshole, Nathan?”
“No! I’m just saying there has to be a reason why you don’t want to meet her in person. Or even on FaceTime.”
It was my turn to lean back on the fence. “Why do you avoidHaven?”
He looked surprised by my question—and didn’t respond.
“Cat got your tongue, cousin?”
“I don’t avoid her. Well, maybe I do. But that’s just because she’s annoying as hell.”
I tilted my head slightly and gave him a look that said I wasn’t buying his bull. “When we were in middle school, yeah, she was annoying. But now she’s an adult woman. Abeautifuladult woman.”
His eye twitched, and I knew he didn’t like the fact that I’d noticed how cute Haven was. No, she was more than cute. She was pretty. Even prettier when she smiled and both dimples appeared on her cheeks.
“We’re not talking about Haven. Besides, did you know she still owns a dog-walking business, and she picks the damn things up in a bus? A bus!”
“From what I’ve heard,” I said, returning to the fence. “It’s pretty popular with dog owners.”
“What kind of stupid business is that?”
I shrugged. “A profitable one. My mother told me Haven’s going to try and buy her own house.”
“How does she know?”
I glanced over at him and nearly laughed. He was curious, yet tried to act as if he wasn’t. “My mother and Haven’s mother are friends. Same with your mom.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I know. But let’s stop talking about Haven and get back to…” His voice trailed off.
“Sophia.”
“Sophia,” he said, trying to make his voice sound a little more sexual than I liked.
