Page 21 of One Small Spark
As though I spend my days thinking about Callahan.
“Are you okay?” Tess asks. “You’re wringing out that washcloth like you want to tear it in half.”
I shove Callahan out of my mind like a woman throwing her ex’s belongings out the window. I smooth the rag in my hand and lay it on a shelf behind the counter. In between customers, I’ve been rage-cleaning the bakery. Countertops, tables, even the mopboards are sparkling.
“I’m fine.”
I don’t love lying to my sister. The problem is, I know how this goes. The second I bring up Callahan, people start smirking and giving me knowing looks as though they didn’t hear a word I said. It’s obnoxious.
I’ve witnessed zero cases of enemies turning into lovers in real life, but everyone thinks the guy I can’t stand is my one true love. Make it make sense.
“You’d be a better liar if you fixed one thing.” She points at me, her finger inches from my nose. “Your face. It’s obvious something’s bugging you.”
True. And if I tell her, she’s going to take a running jump right into Lake Callahan’s Not So Bad. Everyone I know loves swimming there. As far as I’m concerned, the waters are infested with brain-eating parasites.
I’m not in the mood to discuss him with Tess. But I can deflect a wee bit.
“Hope isn’t moving into an apartment with Griffin.” An issue I haven’t looked at head-on again since she told me. “They’re going to stay where they are until their house is ready. So I’m back to square one on finding my own place to live.”
It’s disappointing enough that I don’t even have to fake extra emotion to go with the fib.
“Oh.” Tess’s expression falls. “That’s a bummer for you. Understandable, but a bummer.”
“But, hey! Maybe you and Ian want to move in together? Then I could take your apartment. Or his. I’m not picky.”
It’s a really nice duplex, and they get it for a steal becauseIan’s aunts own it. I wouldn’t expect the same hefty discount on rent, but I’d take one of the units in a heartbeat. I would have my own place and be close to August’s cuddles again. A win all around.
Tess doesn’t break out the “What a great idea!” smile I was hoping for.
“We’re not ready to move in together. We’ve only been dating for a few months. We know where this is going between us, but we don’t want to rush anything—for us or August. Plus, I need this time living on my own, even if Ian is right next door.”
“Ugh. Why do you have to be so sensible?” The Responsible Oldest Sister Curse, I’m guessing.
“You’ll find a place.”
“Yup. Just like you found a place—by having one dropped in your lap by a well-meaning friend.” Ian’s aunts not onlyaskedher to live there with reduced rent, they practically threw a boyfriend into the deal. All the rentals I’ve found want first, last, deposit, an extra fee for my lack of rental history, and my firstborn child.
We are not the same.
“You could ask around more,” she says.
“Brilliant plan. So many people we know have a sweet apartment they haven’t advertised.”
She leans a hip against the front counter. “You’re being a pill.”
I drop my sarcasm. None of this is her fault. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just annoying. Why is rent so expensive?”
Whenever I see the massive total I’ll have to shell out for a subpar apartment, my enthusiasm for finally moving out of Mom’s house fades a little more.
“You’re not exactly broke.” She gives me a critical once-over. “Unless you’ve spent all your money on something crazy.”
“Yarn is not crazy.”
I go to the fiber goods store at least once a week. I tell myself I’m just going to look, but then I start touching, too. Touching usually results in purchasing. It’s a vicious cycle.
“Are you still saving for New Zealand?” she asks, all soft and sympathetic.
Her borderline pity makes me ready to slam the door on this conversation. Just because I’ve been dreaming about traveling for years and haven’t actually done it yet, everybody wants to make it out to be some tragedy.
