Page 11 of Still Love You

"Are you two almost here?" she asks.

"We're about ten minutes away. We'll be there soon."

"Silas has sure grown up, hasn't he?" she says in her matchmaking tone.

"Mom," I say, urging her to butt out.

"See you soon, honey," she says in a cheery voice before hanging up.

"You should've told me my dad was sick," I say to Silas.

"He told me not to. He knows how you worry."

"I wonder what it was this time. Moldy bread. Moldy cheese. Expired milk. That man needs to stop eating food that's gone bad."

"He's been doing that forever. You can't change him now."

"People can change." I swipe through my phone, checking messages, then stop as I remember what my mom said. "So what class are you taking?"

He hesitates like he doesn't want me to know. "Introductory accounting."

I turn to him, shocked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Silas Sparks is taking an accounting class? You hate math."

"Not if it's useful. I didn't find geometry useful which is why I never did well in it. I don't put effort into things I'm not interested in."

"Why is accounting useful? You don't want to be an accountant."

"No, but maybe someday I'll have my own business. It'd be good to have some basic business knowledge."

"Wait." I shake my head really fast. "Who are you and what did you do with Silas?"

"What do you mean?"

"You want your own business? A business is a lot of work, Silas. You don't even like getting out of bed in the morning."

He shrugs. "Like you said, people change. I spent the past two years working fifteen, sixteen hour days and I actually didn't mind it. I was making a difference. Putting a roof over someone's head. Planting enough food to feed a village. Digging trenches to help get water to people. If I'm making a difference, then I don't mind working hard."

"I didn't mean you don't work hard. I know how much you've helped your mom with her jewelry business. I just didn't know you wanted to go into business yourself."

"I don't know if I will. I'm still exploring my options."

"So does that mean you're staying here? You're not going back overseas?"

"That depends." He gets off at the exit that takes us to our neighborhood.

"Depends on what?"

"On how this summer goes."

How this summer goes?What does that mean? Is he talking about me? Us? Is he trying to get back together with me?

He's quiet as he drives down our street. My curiosity is killing me. I have to ask.

"Are you going to explain what you meant by that?"

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