AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Defined abs and pecs, a tattoo arcing across his chest and down one arm, just enough chest hair to show he’s all man, and the edges of a perfect V just above the waistband of his jeans.
And that’s exactly why you shouldn’t be here. I’m not getting my heart broken again.
But what kind of person will I be if I don’t help a neighbor in need? That’s what living in Heatstroke has always been about. We help each other here, even if it’s difficult.
I smile, hoping he won’t notice how pink my cheeks are. “Good morning,” I sing. “Did you have a good night’s rest?”
Cash arches a dark eyebrow, and that brooding overwhelming presence nearly suffocates me again.
I have to get over that. He’s hot. Yeah, he’s a hot guy. I used to have a crush on him, but that’s over now.
Professionalism. Just remain professional.
And this summer job might even look good on my college applications. That’s the next thing on my list: an appointment with a college entrance advisor.
Cash takes a step back.
I move past him, the scent of his cologne invading the space between us, and I force myself not to react or stare at him. Cash’s childhood home is almost the same as it used to be. Sure, there are a few new furnishings, the TV is completely new, but the same pictures hang on the walls. Pictures of the Taylor family. I stop in front of one of them, smiling.
It brings back good memories. Painful memories. It’s a weird combination, but I force myself to act happy anyway.
“How are your brothers and sisters?” I ask.
“Fine,” Cash replies.
He never used to be this closed off. Then again, we haven’t seen each other in years. “Did Leo end up going to the Eagles?” He was a rugby fanatic when we were kids.
“Yeah.” His expression is unreadable.
“What about Hannah? Lily? Jesse?”
Cash checks his watch. “They’re good. Alex is upstairs. She’ll be down in a second to say hi, and then I’ll show you around.”
All right, so he wasn’t in a chatty mood. Roger that.
“Great,” I say. “I—I haven’t made a firm decision yet. I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I wanted to come by and see if we’re a good fit. Alex and I, I mean.”
Cash nods. “Makes sense. I’ll show you around, and if you feel like you can help us by the end of the tour, you let me know. Alex will be with her Ganny today, but tomorrow’s a problem for us. Need a nanny by then.” He checks his watch again.
“Sorry, am I keeping you from something?” I ask. “You’re checking your watch a lot.”
“I’m late for work.”
“Work.” I figured that a rich country music star would be getting royalties. “Are you, uh, you’re not playing with the band anymore?”
Cash gives me a blank stare. “No. I’m helping my dad at his bar.”
“Oh. Oh, okay.”
“We’re doing construction,” he says. “Place was about to fall apart.”
Mr. Taylor’s bar was popular with the locals when I was a kid. He bought it and ran it with Cash’s mother. “That’s great, Cash,” I say.
He nods slowly, and that awkward silence between us builds.
I want to broach the topic of the letters and the fact that I stopped writing. I want to talk to him like we did when we were young and inseparable, but so much has changed. Olivia, Cash, and I were the three harbingers of the apocalypse in this town, and now we’re nothing. No longer friends. And a part of that is my fault. If I’d been able to handle the fact that Cash and Olivia were dating, we would have stayed connected.
Footsteps clatter down the steps and Alex appears, grinning up at her dad. She’s like a little ray of sunshine packaged in black and purple. She’s wearing a black skirt and a purple shirt covered in flowers. “June!” she says. “What are you doing here?”
