Page 60 of Summer of You

The smile vanished off of Chase’s face, but not in a bad way. He stood in front of me and laced his fingers with mine while I kept talking to my mom on the phone.

“The job is in Seattle, and it’s mostly remote, but they want me there in case I have to come into the office.”

Mom sighed. “Guess I better make the house ready for two more bodies, then.”

Just like that, the tension was gone. “You would be okay—”

“With anyone else, I would mind. Not with him. That boy has been a part of this family for years.”

I grinned at Chase, squeezing his hand as the last question landed. “So, how do you feel about cats?”

With the situation at my parents’ house out of the way, the only thing left to do was for Chase to let Uncle Drew know about his plans. Everything felt like it was happening so fast, but it needed to since I only had three days to get to Seattle for my orientation.

We found Gabi and Uncle Drew sitting on the couch with Max when we got to the house. Uncle Drew was eating a sandwich while Max sat at his feet, begging for a bite. Gabi nudged the dog with her foot, trying to get him to leave, but he was on a mission and there would be no deterring him until he got a bite.

“He keeps trying to give him nibbles, but Papa needs his strength. Not only that, but some of the food he slips the dog isn’t the best for him,” Gabi complained as Uncle Drew rolled his eyes. He ripped off a corner of his bread and tossed it to the floor. Max jumped after it while Gabi objected, slapping him on the shoulder.

“So, what brings you two over here?” she asked as we all settled down when my uncle finished his lunch.

I explained about the job and how soon I needed to leave. For the first time, my uncle looked a little nervous. We were leaving him without the two workers for his properties. It was sort of sucky, but it wasn’t an opportunity I could pass up.

“Don’t worry about it. I can help with the houses until you hire someone,” Gabi offered.

Uncle Drew nodded. “I know you can, but you wanted to apply for school.”

“I do, but taking care of family is important. It shouldn’t take you that long to find someone to take over for the boys. I bet if you went over to that clinic on the edge of town, you know, the one that specializes in the low-income patients, you could post something and find someone really fast.”

Gabi’s idea wasn’t terrible, and it eased some of my guilt about leaving Uncle Drew in a pinch. He still didn’t look all that happy at the idea that Chase and I were leaving him so suddenly. I wanted to think of a way to make it up to him, and maybe once I started working, I’d find a way to send him and Gabi on a nice trip or something.

Chase and I left the house after sitting and talking for a while. He was anxious to get home and figure out what he needed to pack and get ready. This was a big step for him as well, and we still had to figure out what to do with his camper and lot. The good news was that we had time after my orientation. It all felt like a rush right now, but things would eventually slow down so we could breathe.

He paced up and down the walkway in his home as I watched him stuff a few items in a bag. I laughed because he seemed to be more nervous about all of this than I was. The next time he moved past me, I grabbed him by the hips to halt him. “What’s going on in your head?”

Chase gnawed his lip and let out a heavy sigh. “I’m scared. I’ve never left the coast and…”

“I’m never going to hurt you again. Well, I can’t promise I won’t do or say something stupid along the way, but I can promise I won’t hurt you like I did in the past. I have your back.”

Chase smiled, bent down to kiss me, and it was like his worries melted.

We had a long way to go. The trust between us was still being restored, but each day was better than the last. Life without Chase Dawson wasn’t one that I wanted to imagine.

Epilogue

Chase

“Is it safe to come in?” Casey asked as she knocked on the door.

I laughed and nudged Nathan, who was curled up on the other side of the bed, still sound asleep. He didn’t stir, so I crawled out of the sheets, pulled on a pair of pajama pants, and stepped out into the hall.

“Good morning. Is something up?”

Nathan’s mother smiled at me. “Not really, but one of Nathan’s friends is here. I didn’t want to just barge in...” Her face heated. She’d made the mistake once when I first moved in. Something about moms and not needing to see their children in such compromising positions. Doors were shut for a reason.

I shrugged. “Maybe it’s something I can help with.”

Being in Seattle had its perks. Art had gotten into trouble shortly after I left. He and Tilly were caught busting into a few houses and taking things. Since I was so far away, I wasn’t even questioned, but poor Daniel was dragged through the middle of everything since they had been staying with him and his family for a while. He took it as his sign and got himself a job working as a waiter at a swankyrestaurant downtown. It paid decently, and he was able to afford a small studio apartment with some help from his parents.

But Nathan’s friends had slowly started to become mine as well. It wasn't uncommon to see Brandon, Andrew, or Joe stop by, but at least two of them were always in each other's company. Brandon, standing alone and wringing his hands together in the entryway, was a strange sight.

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