Page 36 of One More Shot
‘He’s been busy with work,’ Mum chimes in defensively. ‘I’m sure he’ll get round to it once he has the time.’
She’s always quick with the excuses when it comes to Josh. There’s no point in arguing, because the excuses are endless.
He’s busy with work.
His girlfriend’s been giving him grief.
You’re justbetterat dealing with these things anyway, Eliott.
I’ve heard them all a million times before and I’m not in the mood to hear them again.
‘I’ll get someone in,’ I tell Nan, already reaching for my phone to do a search for contractors in the area. ‘And we should really make a doctor’s appointment for you. Just to check that there’s no damage.’
‘Oh, yes,’ Mum says absent-mindedly. ‘Good idea, Eliott.’
Nan purses her lips but gives me a reluctant nod.
I’m about two pages deep into a Google search when a notification pings across my screen.
DANE
hey. just checking you got to your grandma’s all right?
also. it was nice seeing you. let me know when you’re free, we can grab coffee or something
I have to hand it to him, he’s persistent. My thumb hovers over the message, ready to swipe it away and ignore. But then I remember Sasha’s question. Why did I bother even giving him my number if I wasn’t planning on giving this wholefriendshipthing a go?
And besides, it suddenly hits me that Dane could be of particular help right now.
I’m typing out my reply before I have the chance to talk myself out of it.
ELIOTT
Weird one. But do you know anything about patio repair?
DANE
pls don’t tell me you only agreed to be friends to get construction tips
this can’t keep happening to me
ELIOTT
It’s happened before?
DANE
long story
but yes, i know everything about patio repair
why?
Chapter ThirteenDANE
For the first time in years, I’m keeping a secret from Cash.
I don’t remember the last time I held anything back between us – there’s never been any reason to. Cash isn’t the type to judge and there’s very little that genuinely embarrasses me.
