Never Like

Chapter 21

"Don't worry." I rush to assure Zeke, a few days later, that I'm fine.

"Be careful with yourself, alright?"

He chews his gum as I slip another bead into my string.

"Alright Grandpa."

We smile at each other and he drops the bracelets he was looking at to plop down on the chair next to me.

"What are you doing for Valentine's day?"

"Going to school."

"That's all?"

"I can't exactly catch a flight to England, now can I?"

I do my best to focus on the stringing of the beads as tears push against my eyes. God, if only someone would have warned me about how hard this would be.

"He can't come here?"

"He's working, Zeke. What's so hard to understand about that?" I bite, annoyed.

"No need to bring out the kitten claws."

"Speaking of, how are you windsurfing in this cold?"

"I have my ways of keeping warm."

"TMI, dude. Are you at least going to spoil this lovely lady tomorrow?" I ask, only to drop the string and watch all the beads roll in every direction of the room. "SHIT!"

"Cakes!" whines Olive.

I throw up my arms.

"Look, I was trying. You can't blame me for your slippery strings."

She pouts. She enlisted me to help her make fifty bracelets to sell at her school tomorrow. But I didn't know that I was agreeing to working myself to the bone. We're only twenty-three bracelets in and I'm already at my wit's end.

"Whatever. I need a break." I turn to Zeke who is crouched over. "You really don't have to pick those up."

He drops them back into the container we're working from and sits back down.

"No worries."

"Anyway, I was saying-"

"I asked you first." He reminds me.

"Nothing. Honestly, I don't care. I'm that girl. Even with a supposed boyfriend, I'm not getting a romantic Valentine's day." I stare at the checkered floor.

"Don't say that; it's not true. Do you know if Mackenzie is home?"

"What do you want with her?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering. She's annoying."

I glance over at him. He's staring out the window.

"What's going on with you?"

"I'm thinking. What would she like?"