Wow. So she's been dating this guy since high school, and he's been gone since graduation. I understood her dad's reservations, though it wouldn't be supportive to say so. Part of me wondered if she'd checked out the alternatives. At this point, Krista had less experience than me, which wasn't a good thing.

But hey, it's her life.

"I know what you're thinking," she said then.

"You do?"

"That we should've broken up. I should see other people. Two years ago, we took a break, and...I did. But n.o.body makes me happy like he does. So we got back together."

"Gotcha. Well, I bet your dad's just being protective. That's his job. Hopefully he'll get over it by the time the baby gets here. Have you thought about names?"

"So far, we can't agree on one. My mom was bothering me about delivering on my own, so I finally agreed to move back." She let out a quiet sigh. "Honestly, she didn't push much. I was so scared, thinking about doing this by myself."

"You know I'll do anything I can to help, right?"

I was thinking more of a baby shower, but Krista perked up. "Really? Mom offered to be in the delivery room, but I can't handle the thought of her seeing that. I will never understand people who film it. Would you stay with me?"

While your kid's being born? s.h.i.t.

But I'd already offered. So I answered, "Sure. I don't promise not to freak out, but I'll hold your hand and feed you ice chips, the whole nine, okay? Are you doing natural childbirth?" I thought there were cla.s.ses or something, so I was probably too late to be her partner in that.

"Depends on how much it hurts. The idea of a needle in my spine..."

"Right? Welcome to modern medicine." Though I hadn't thought much about how I'd handle reproduction down the line, I wasn't a fan of pain. "So when are you due?"

"Late May."

"I'll be there," I promised.

After that, we went downstairs and joined her mom. We watched TV and made popcorn; Krista put real b.u.t.ter on it, and it was so good that I probably gained five pounds just from the taste. My cell phone complained that I was down to ten percent battery, so I shut it off. It was late when I walked home, but this was Nebraska, and it was only six blocks, so I wasn't worried. Still, we'd watched horror movies, so I was twitchy by the time I got in the door.

Mom was asleep, so I checked my email. I had the usual spam, plus notes from all my former roomies, which made me happy. I missed all of them, even Max, though things were unspeakably awkward between us at the end. I opened Nadia's first: LB! You know I miss you like crazy, right? Courtney's in your bed right now, and she has completely alphabetized my books. I'm pretty sure there will be a lending library program implemented the next time I get home from work. So how's Nebraska? Did you find a job yet? Have you started applying to any schools? I have like ten more questions but you'll get grumpy if I dump them on you all at once. Hug and kiss my family for me, okay? Write back soon or I'm sending my brother to track you down.

She didn't mention the hot single dad she'd broken up with right before I left. Mr. Hot Ginger had dumped Nadia for her own good, which would drive her quietly crazy. I'd felt horrible about the timing, but there was little I could do about it. I hadn't gotten to know him well before I left, but Ty seemed like a good guy. He was only a few years older than us, but already had a four-year-old. That was the crux of the conflict.

Writing back, I didn't quite nail the tone, talking about Rob too much and inventing interesting anecdotes because there was so little going on. I could've mentioned Krista, but Nadia had never been as close to her, and there was some tension by the time she'd moved. Mostly I didn't want Nadia to worry; things would be fine once I got a job and had less time to fret about whether I'd made the right decision.

I opened Angus's email next: Hey, you. Got your check. It appears not to be rubber, but I said you didn't have to pay me back. I hate you for leaving. Come back right now. I'll wait. This is me, waiting. It's been at least five minutes. You're shattering my faith in humanity, Lauren. Take responsibility for it! Not sure what you've heard from Nadia, but she's such a hot mess. I can't believe you abandoned us. All the light has left my life. All of it! Okay, enough drama. I'm working on getting over Josh. Cla.s.ses suck but I will survive. (You're singing it now, aren't you?) "d.a.m.n you, Angus Starr. You know me too well." I got up on my bed with a hairbrush and sang two verses before reading on.

In all seriousness, there is a Lauren-sized hole in my life. Please don't lose touch. Write soon. Love and hugs, Angus.

It was simpler writing back to Angus; our friendship was sweet and uncomplicated. Briefly I considered deleting Max's email without opening it, but that seemed like an a.s.shole move. In the end, I read it, two lines only: I'm sorry about everything. Take care of yourself.

Max had nothing to apologize for; if anything, I should be saying that to him. But I couldn't. So I just closed the email without replying.

Belatedly, I remembered to plug my phone in and when it powered up, I saw I had a message waiting. I dialed into voice mail and listened. Could I come in to interview for the receptionist position? I'd applied for, like, ten jobs, but only the car dealership had called. The months I worked in the fine arts department at Mount Albion must factor into this request. They were likely looking for someone inexperienced so they could offer the lowest possible salary.

It was too late for me to do anything tonight, so I went to bed and checked first thing in the morning. The woman I spoke to asked if I could make it at one-thirty on Thursday, and I said yes, though I was less sure how I'd get there. My mom had a forty-five-minute commute and she needed her car. I obviously had to sort my transportation situation as soon as possible, but my resources wouldn't stretch to running a vehicle, to say nothing of gas and insurance. The chicken-and-egg problem made me cranky-to get a job, I needed a car, to get a car, I needed a job.

So I was in a mood when Rob picked me up. I didn't smile at him as I usually did, and I must've been distracted, because by the time we parked at his house, he was frowning.

"Are you okay, Lauren?"

My head jerked up. His arm was across the back of the seat, and he'd shifted to face me, one knee crooked away from the steering wheel. It would be so easy to fall into his arms like I did when I was seventeen, but he wasn't my big brother, so that meant I needed to solve my own problems. I mustered a weak smile.

"Oh, just life, y'know. s.h.i.t happens. What excitement do we have in store today?" I reached for the door handle, and to my astonishment, he clicked the lock b.u.t.ton.

"Nope."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't accept that answer. Something's wrong. You should tell me."

"Why?" I'd never snapped at Rob, but I hadn't slept well the night before, twisted up about Krista, childbirth and the potential job interview.

"Because we're friends."

"Nadia's my friend. And you're not my brother."

His quiet, patient expression made this moment even worse. b.i.t.c.hing at Rob made me feel like Avery, and I'd rather be a sponge or a sea urchin. If I could've gotten out of the truck, I'd have run for it.

"I know that." He was just too calm, and it irked me. Did anything ever rile him up?

"You want to know about my problems? Fine. I have an interview on Thursday, but I don't have a ride. And if they make an offer, I don't have a way to get there because this is Sharon, there's no public transportation and I have no idea why I wanted to come back here."

"Because it's home," he said quietly. "And I'll take you to the interview. You know I don't mind...and it's not the farthest I've driven you by a long shot. If you get the job, you can borrow my old truck. It looks like c.r.a.p but I keep it running."

I stared at him. "You have two trucks."

"You remember the green one? It's handy when I have the other one serviced."

"I can't just take your truck." Avery would s.h.i.t her pants. Plus, there should be a law against anyone being as nice as Rob. People probably took advantage of his good nature.

"I'm not giving it to you. When you can afford wheels of your own, it'll go back in storage. Not a big deal."

Once more I tried to get out of the truck, but he didn't let me. I sighed. "We'll freeze to death if I don't agree, huh?"

"Nope. I've got a full tank of gas, a working heater and all day."

"You win," I muttered.

He smiled and brushed a hand against the top of my head. If only he didn't look so amused and indulgent, whereas I wanted to rub against him until I purred. It had never stung so much to be Nadia's best friend. There didn't seem to be any way I could make him realize that I was twenty-one, not eleven, and Rob was focused on Avery like a laser beam.

He climbed out of the truck and led the way to his front door. "To answer you, I thought I'd let you try the power sander. I moved everything out of the dining room."

"It sounds like you expect things to go horribly wrong."

"Nah," he said with the smile that wrecked my heart. "I'm just careful."

How well I know it.

CHAPTER FIVE.

After I ran the power sander like a boss, finishing the dining-room floor, Rob fixed one-pot macaroni and cheese for lunch. He started it while I was sweeping up the dust. I didn't even know it was possible, but he boiled the pasta in b.u.t.ter and milk, so by the time it was soft, he just added cheese and bacon crumbles. It was pretty close to the best thing I ever tasted. On a hot plate. In a real kitchen, he had to be amazing.

We took our bowls up to his room, and he turned on the TV. I made incoherent this-is-so-delicious noises as we ate. I probably would've licked the bowl, if I hadn't noticed him staring. "What, this is really good. Tell me what else you can cook, preferably with pictures."

He smiled at me, an easy warmth in his expression. "Sorry, no food p.o.r.n for you, or I'll never get you back to work. But I'll brag a little. Should I start with breakfast?"

"I'll allow it."

"Oatmeal, omelets, sausage scramble, French toast, pancakes."

"How the h.e.l.l do you make all of that on a hot plate?"

"The key is preparation. I have cooked bacon and sausage in the fridge at all times."

I nodded sagely. "In case of a meat emergency."

"You never know," he said.

Suddenly I wasn't in a bad mood anymore. I hadn't set out to let Rob solve my problems, but I'd be an a.s.shole to blame him for caring, just because his affection didn't take the shape I preferred. Surrept.i.tiously I licked my spoon.

"Lunch," I prompted.

"That's usually a sandwich. I'm showing off because you're here."

That made me happy. "And dinner?"

"Stir-fry, various soups, quesadillas, country-fried steak. I can't make anything that requires more than one burner and a microwave. If I get in the mood for something else, I go to my mom and dad's."

Or you take Avery out for dinner. His receipts had told me that much.

"It sounds like you enjoy cooking."

"In a better kitchen, I do."

"Yours will be beautiful when it's finished."

"I hope so. Once we finish the dining room, it's next on my to-do list."

"Most people would've done the kitchen first." I didn't mean to criticize; it was just an example of how Rob's thought processes differed from the rest of the world.

His pleasure dimmed. "Yeah. But I'm already taking my food up, and even if I finished the kitchen, there's no room to eat it in. So I wanted to have somewhere to go first."

"You mean when you christen your new stove and cook something complicated, there should be more ceremony than just carting it up the stairs." Put that way, it made sense to finish the dining room first, even if it seemed backward and lengthened inconvenient meal preparation. It also established the fact that such milestones mattered to Rob; he was sentimental.

He seemed relieved, flashing me another bright smile. "Yeah, exactly."

"You should invite me over. After all this effort, I'd like to be part of the inauguration." After I said it, I realized my mistake. He'd be cooking for Avery, not me, when the kitchen was pretty and polished, the dining room ready to receive guests. My next breath actually hurt.

"Maybe." He didn't mention her, much to my relief. "We should get back to work."

"Don't remind me."

Rob did, in fact, have running water, but he washed up in a basin. I went back to the dining room and got the right grit sandpaper to complete the final pa.s.s on the floor. If I'd processed everything he told me correctly, the next step would be staining. After that, we'd wash the walls and paint them, along with the baseboards. It was possible I'd never see the finished product, of course. Once I had a job, there would be no excuse to hang around.

I was on my hands and knees when he came in; I didn't look up. He stood over me long enough for me to feel weird, so I finally sat back on my heels. "What?"

"Let's do something else."

"But we're almost done with the floor." The perfectionist in me was going to be annoyed if he decided the built-in hutch was more important.

"Not in here. Out there." He gestured at the world beyond the windows.

"Like what?"

"I'm wondering if you know how to drive stick."

s.h.i.t. Now that he mentioned it... "The green truck's a manual, isn't it?"

"Yep."

Sighing, I shook my head. "My mom never taught me. I don't think she's ever owned anything but automatics."

"You need to learn." His tone was no-nonsense, as he plucked the keys out of a basket by the door. There were so few on the ring that I knew this was his spare set.

"Right now?"

"I'm feeling cooped up," he admitted.

"Then by all means, let's uncoop you, chicken-man."

Rob laughed and slung an arm around my shoulders. When I leaned against him, my eyes closed. This was the first time he'd hugged me since I was seventeen. Interesting that making him laugh had the same effect as my tears. I didn't know what I'd do with that information, but it fascinated me. I expected him to shove me away or to hear the impatient jingle of keys, but his other arm came around me, closing the circuit.

Surprised, I tipped my head up, waiting for the punch line. "Are we having a moment?"

His eyes were warm and soft, roiling deep like a thunderhead, and he wore a half smile that melted me down to the bone. "I'm glad you came back."

Then he ruined it by messing up my hair and shoving me out the door ahead of him. I could absolutely envision him treating Nadia this way, and I ground my teeth against the certainty that he didn't see a pretty face or nice rack, cute b.u.t.t, none of my feminine attributes. I could honestly say that Rob loved me like a sister, and that was a deep hole to climb out of. I mean, he'd been looking after me and keeping me out of trouble for, like, fourteen years.

Glumly, I followed him to the garage, shivering while he hauled the doors open. The green truck looked a bit better than I remembered, which meant Rob had been working on restoring it, too. That fit with what I knew of his personality; he didn't discard things or give up on them. It was in his nature to tinker and repair, even if it took forever and other people would've given up long ago. Not for the first time, I thought, Lucky Avery.