Page 90 of Pin-up Girl

“Hey,” Aubrey said into her phone as the mover walked away. “I need a favor.” There was a pause and a light ha. “No, not that.” Aubrey glanced at me, pink dotting her cheeks. “Can Clint stash some furniture in your place for a while?… Like a few days or a month? Not sure yet… That would be awesome, too. You’re the best. Mwah.” She hung up, but didn’t put away her phone.

“Good news?”

Aubrey was texting with someone. “Evie says there’s plenty of room in her living room and kitchen, and that Sawyer will drop the keys off and help you move.... And Brodie will be here soon too.”

I let a tiny sigh of relief escape. Evie’s was only a few doors down, and was recently empty since she and Sawyer moved in with Gage. I understood a lot of her furniture was still there, since she had the same problem as me, but on a larger scale—two sets—but I was grateful for the temporary storage.

And even more so that we could borrow an extra set of hands. Since Saturday tended to be busy on Main Street, a lot of our friends were working. Aubrey had only taken the day because Dee was coming home.

I was also excited to see Brodie again. Giddy in a way that caught me off-guard.

While we were waiting, Levi, the Chief of the Fire Department, parked in front of my house in the spot the moving truck had just vacated. “You havin’ a yard sale?” he asked as he approached.

Like everyone on the fire department aside from Levi, I volunteered. Or, I had during the last school year. That would change with Dee being home full time. “It’s Dee’s. We’re moving it into storage down the street.”

“Huh.” Levi didn’t seem surprised by the explanation of random furniture. He even offered to stick around and help.

There wasn’t much to do, but with the small group of us, we managed to relocate everything before the rain started again.

I thanked Sawyer and Levi, and offered to buy them lunch.

“You don’t owe us. Ever,” Levi said. “This is what we all do for each other.”

I’d seen it again and again in this community and it was one of the many reasons I was grateful I moved back after the divorce. “Thanks again.” I sent the men on their way.

“You can buy me pizza. I can buy us pizza,” Brodie said after they were gone.

Aubrey wrinkled her nose. “Fifteen years ago, you’d never be able to convince me I’d ever say this, but I think I’m pizza’d out.”

“You don’t need a little extra sausage in your life?” I teased.

Aubrey laughed. “I didn’t say that. I’m not going to turn down good meat.”

“Gage’s then?” Brodie asked.

I wasn’t sure if he was playing along.

“Pretty sure Gage’s meat is taken.” Aubrey looped her arms through each of ours and tugged us inside. “And he’s not my type anyway.”

“What is your type?” I had at least a little bit of an idea, especially after the fun we had the other night with our dollar store finds.

She paused and looked me over, and then turned to Brodie, and gave him a similar appraising scan. “What types are you?”

That made me grin. “Oh, I think you know.”

Brodie let out a long, exaggerated groan. “I meant should we get lunch from Gage’s.”

“So Aubrey’s not the only one suffering from a meat deficiency.” Now I knew Brodie was playing along. There was nothing specific, just an overall feeling. We should stop the innuendo before Dee caught us, but it was fun. And easy. Like most everything with Aubrey and Brodie. “Gage’s is good. Let me ask Dee what she wants.”

It wasn’t a big house, and the bedrooms were behind the living room and kitchen, so it was mostly a matter of me stepping around the corner to her door, and knocking.

“What?” Dee sounded grumpy.

“We’re getting food from Gage’s Grub. What do you want?”

“Nothing. I’m never eating again.”

“You have to eat, Dee.”

---