When August Ends(35)

Heather had been trying to figure out my deal since the moment I moved in. Maybe I could afford to open up to her a little.

“I’m working on it. Being here has been good for that. It’s been exactly what I needed.”

“You needed to work your ass off for no pay?” she teased.

“I’ve gotten plenty out of it. Believe me.”

She turned her body toward me and rested her head on her hand. “Are you ever gonna tell me what you’re running from?”

Heather had really good intuition. But she was wrong in thinking I was running away from something. Whenever we spent time together, I was tempted to tell her the truth, but I was never quite sure it was the right thing to do.

“Why do you assume I’m running? Maybe I needed to run toward something else. I was looking for a change of pace, something different—and I found it here.”

“You were looking for something profound, and you got me instead?” She smiled.

She had no clue how much she’d changed me.

“It wasn’t until I got here that I realized why I was here. Something outside of myself sent me here to help you. I truly believe that. I feel like once I leave, my job will be done. I’ve helped set you on the right path.”

I’m a better person when I’m around you.

Heather didn’t seem satisfied with my answers. “What about you? I sell the house, go away to college, start my new life. What happens to you?”

I blew out a breath. “I go back to my life in Pennsylvania. Taking photo assignments. Looking after my father. I don’t really know what’s next for me. But I’ll go back home feeling more fulfilled because I was here.”

She nodded slowly. “I really like you, Noah.” Her face turned red. “I don’t mean that in the way I did when we first met, so don’t worry. I really like you. You try to remain a mystery, but I can see right through you—to your heart. You show people with your actions what kind of a person you are. You live your life with purpose, just like I try to. I think that’s probably the biggest thing we have in common.”

“I can agree with that.”

“I can also tell you live with a lot of regret. I can sense it. Whatever guilt you’re carrying around—about who you were in the past, the mistakes you made with your ex-wife, whatever it may be—let it go, because you deserve better than to live like that.”

Her words both healed me and amped up the guilt inside of me all at once. She doesn’t know everything. “I’ll try. Thank you.”

She looked over at the television and joked, “Well, this was a good movie.”

“It was for the first five minutes when I was paying attention.” I chuckled.

Heather looked back at me. “I like talking to you better.”

“I like talking to you, too. We’re definitely good at that.”

We’re good together.

That realization stung, because being together wasn’t a possibility.

Our eyes lingered. Fuck, if I didn’t want to kiss her. Her skin was so soft and flushed. I wished I could have bit into it and watched it change color some more. It felt like she could see right through me. I wondered if my feelings for her were obvious.

She looked down at the sofa and rubbed her hands along the fabric. “This was a really nice gesture. Thank you.”

“I’ll take it back to Pennsylvania with me, so you don’t have to worry about moving it.” I rubbed the dog’s head. “Fathead seems to really like it.”

Teddy was out like a light.

“Either that or he’s asleep because we bored him to death.”

When the feelings creeping up inside of me felt like they were becoming too transparent, I stood up and said, “I almost forgot, I bought some bread. Want me to heat it up?”

“That sounds yummy. Yeah.”

I couldn’t go past the bakery in the supermarket anymore without buying a loaf of garlic bread.

Slicing some pieces, I said, “Bonnie and Clyde always look pissed when I’m making real food.”

Heather looked perplexed. “Bonnie and Clyde?”

“The guinea pigs. I finally named them.”

“Aw, that’s so cute.”

“Yeah, but they get angry when they see me eating—especially meat.”

“They’re bitter vegans.” She laughed.

We ate the bread in comfortable silence as Fathead continued to sleep.

For a moment, I considered asking her why she’d left her panties in my damn laundry a couple of weeks ago. But then I’d have to admit what I did with them and why she’d never get them back.

***

The following afternoon, while Heather was at work, Alice let me into the main house to fix a few things. The last window that needed to be replaced was the one in Heather’s room. I hadn’t told her I would be coming in to do this work today, so I hoped she wouldn’t be mad when she found out I’d been in her bedroom.

It took me about an hour to put the window in. After I finished cleaning up, I was headed out when I tripped over her bedside table, knocking a notebook to the ground. When I picked it up, I noticed my name written amongst a bunch of other words.



I couldn’t stop thinking about Noah all day. It was hot out, so I decided to sneak over to the boathouse to use the outdoor shower. After taking off my clothes, I let the water stream down on me. My backside was fully exposed.