I wanted to scream in frustration. "You weren't here.Iwas."
"So, tell me. What'd he say?"
For the life of me, I couldn’t even remember. But Ididknow that he wasn't overflowing with plans for the future. Mostly, it was what hedidn'tsay that counted.
Into my silence, Luna said, "Is he there? Can I talk to him?"
I gave a bark of laughter. "No. He's gone."
"Oh. When will he be back?"
My heart gave that familiar ache. "For all I know, never."
Again, she said, "No. I don't think so."
I shoved a hand through my hair. This conversation was feeling less satisfying with every passing second. Obviously, she didn't get it. Probably, she never would. After all, she and Jake seemed perfect together. For all I knew, they never even argued.
Switching gears, I said, "And just for the record, I wasn't serious about the sewer contractor."
"You're kidding. You don't need the work done?"
"No, that's not it. It's just that—"
"What? You're worried they won't do a good job?"
"No. That's not it either. But–"
"Because like I said, they'rereallygood at what they do. They're licensed and everything."
"I know," I said. "You told me in the message, but—"
"But what?" She hesitated. "Oh no. Was it the towel thing?"
"No."
"The beer thing?"
"No." I was so tired of dancing around the issue. In a fit of frustration, I finally just told her the truth. "I can't afford to pay them."
"So?" she said. "They're already paid."
"But I can't accept that."
"Why not?" she asked.
"Because it's too much."
"Then consider it a wedding gift."
I felt my jaw clench. "But I'm not getting married."
She made a scoffing sound. "Not foryou.For me."
I gave a confused shake of my head. "What?"
She lowered her voice. "Yeah. I mean, they're my brothers, and I love them and all. But they've got like another week until their next big job starts. They can either spend that week withyou, working. Or withme, making Jake crazy. And besides, they've already been paid. If you don't accept, you'll hurt their feelings. And they're um,reallysensitive."
Sure they were.