When August Ends

“I want to tickle your ass, Noah.”

Nope. Not hearing things. Tickle. That’s exactly what she said. Unable to help it, I lost it and started laughing.

“God, girl, you’re something else.”

My laughter must have woken her, because she stirred.

Then she opened her eyes. She stared at me, looking dazed and confused.

She scrubbed her hand over her face. “Hey.”

My heart pounded. “Hi.”

Heather blinked. “Wow, I dozed off, huh?”

As she sat up against the headboard, she didn’t seem to have any knowledge of what she’d been muttering—or what I’d said.

“Yeah. You sure did.”

“Did I miss anything exciting?”

I bit my bottom lip. “Nope.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

* * *

HEATHER

Even though I knew it was a possibility, I never expected to get an offer on the property so soon.

When I got off the phone with the realtor on Friday afternoon, my mouth hung open. A man who had come to see the houses yesterday offered five thousand over asking. It was just a matter of us accepting, and then the realtor said he’d likely schedule an inspection. If all went well, it would be a done deal.

We’d told prospective buyers we wouldn’t be able to vacate until September. But now that this was becoming a reality, I felt a little panic.

I needed to calm down before I told my mother the news. I needed to talk to Noah.

I raced over to the boathouse, only to find he wasn’t home. Sadness washed over me. I knew he wasn’t gone yet, but his not being home in this moment when I really needed him reminded me that soon he would be gone. Soon, my world as I knew it would be different.

I sat on the porch of the boathouse and called him.

He answered, “Hey.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m picking up some supplies from Home Depot. What’s up?”

“I’m sort of freaking out.”

“Why?”

“We got an offer on the property.”

He went silent for a few seconds. “No shit. Already? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Congratulations.”

“Thanks.” I was getting teary eyed.

“That’s fantastic. Are you going to accept?”

I sniffled. “I think I should. It was a little over asking.”

He paused. “Are you crying?”

“Yeah. It’s stupid. I know.”

“It’s okay to be emotional about it. Shit…I’m feeling emotional about it, and I didn’t grow up here.”

“We’ll still have until the beginning of September to figure things out, but I feel really overwhelmed all of a sudden. Not sure I was expecting this to happen so quickly.”

“That’s understandable. It’s getting very real.” He sighed into the phone. “Heather, listen. Take a deep breath, okay? We can start looking for a new place tomorrow. Is the thing with your mother’s sister a done deal?”

His using the word we made me even more emotional. There was no way I could have done any of this without him.

“My Aunt Katy assures me she’s moving here, yes.”

“Maybe you should see if she can come up here soon, so she can look, too. If she’s going to be living there, she should have a say.”

“That’s a good point. I’ll get on that.” Fear still bubbled inside me. “What are we gonna do with all of our stuff? I thought I’d have time to go through everything. My mother has so much crap.”

“Well, maybe we can hold a yard sale. Some of it might have to go into storage for a while.”

When I went quiet, he seemed to realize I was back in freak-out mode. His voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Things are working out as they’re supposed to. It’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed. It would be odd if you didn’t. Change is scary, but it’s the only way to get to the next step.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

“There are big things ahead for you. I just know it.”

Closing my eyes, I said, “Thank you.”

“What are you doing tonight? We can celebrate.”

My brief excitement over that was squelched when I remembered I had plans.

“Oh…um, tonight is my date with Jared.”

He was silent for a bit. “I didn’t realize that. I thought it was tomorrow.”

“Yeah. We were originally going out Saturday, but he asked if we could switch it. He’s picking me up at eight.”

He paused. “Gotcha. Well, maybe another night.”

Things suddenly felt awkward.

“Yes. Definitely.”

“You want anything from McDonald’s? I shouldn’t be eating that stuff, but I’m driving through on the way home.”

I smiled. It was nice of him to ask. He was always so considerate.

“No. I just had an early lunch, but thank you. I’ll come by and say hello before I leave tonight.”

“Yeah…okay…I’ll be home.”

Home. A part of me loved this life so much, living here on the lake and having Noah nearby. I wasn’t ready for that to change.

“Thanks for listening.”

“Don’t worry, Heather. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

***

Later that afternoon, Chrissy sat on my bed as I got dressed for my date with Jared.

“Damn. You look hot in that dress,” she said, bouncing a little.

“Jared said to wear something nice, so I figured I’d go all out. I didn’t think we were going anywhere dressy until he said that.”

“What else would you expect from a Harvard boy?” She narrowed her eyes as she took a look at my face. “Is everything okay? Are you feeling weird about the offer on the house?”

Actually, all I could think about today was Noah.

“Can I tell you something in confidence?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“It’s about Noah.”

She nodded. “I should’ve known.”

“Should’ve known what?”

“That something was up there.”

“Nothing is actually up there. I mean, not really—other than in my head.”

“You have feelings for him. I could have told you that.”

“So, it’s obvious, then?”

“I picked up on something the night of your party at Tito’s.”

“You did?”

“Oh, yeah. I just couldn’t figure out if it was my imagination or if it was real. Like, I wanted it to be real, you know? You two are both insanely attractive people, and even though he’s older, I don’t think that’s a big deal. You’d make a great couple. He’s clearly very fond of you. I can tell from the way he looks at you. And the way he treats you.”

“He’s fond of me…but not in that way.”

“You know that for a fact?”

“When he first moved in, he treated me like a kid. I think now that he’s gotten to know me, he doesn’t see me as so young anymore. I’ve earned his respect. But he still says nothing can happen between us. Although…lately, I’ve been feeling a shift. I’m getting this vibe I didn’t get in the beginning. I’ve been feeling like maybe he does like me as more than a friend, but he’s afraid to do anything. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Anyway, it’s a moot point. He wouldn’t try anything, even if he did feel something for me. He’s been the biggest supporter of my going away to school, and he wouldn’t do anything to interfere with that.”

She bit the corner of her mouth. “But you wish he would…interfere.”

“I can’t seem to shake these feelings for him no matter how hard I try. Regardless of what’s about to happen in my life, I just…want him. And the feeling is getting worse the closer we come to the end of his time here.”

“Wow. How come you didn’t talk to me about this before?”

“I’ve been hoping to get over it.”

“Thus, the date with Jared.”

“Well, yeah, I mean, Jared’s a great guy. But Noah…Noah takes my breath away—always has from almost the very beginning. Now that I’ve gotten to know him, it feels so much stronger than physical attraction. We undoubtedly have a connection. I’ve come to depend on him, to trust him. I’m just…really gonna miss him.”

Chrissy offered a sympathetic smile. “If something is meant to happen there, it will. If not now, then maybe someday.”

“Like what do you mean? Years down the line?”

“Sure, why not? Maybe you go away to school, get settled in your career, and reconnect with him somehow when the time is right. You don’t know what life has in store.”

“Or he could be married with kids by then.”

“Well, that’s true.” She seemed at a loss for what to say. “Have you hinted at how you feel?”

“I’ve more than hinted. I flat-out told him I was attracted to him a while back. He shot me down. So there’s that.”

“Ouch. You did?”

“Yeah, shortly after he moved in. I vowed that would be it. I’ll never make the first move again. I haven’t dropped any more hints, aside from not-so-accidentally dropping my panties in his laundry. Other than that, I haven’t done anything else.”