Page 49 of Take My Heart
‘Used to what?’ he asks, pouring the orange juice into a plastic cup.
‘People being so easygoing. Cam was always so rigid about everything. I wasn’t allowed to do anything without asking.’
Brody shakes his head. ‘I don’t know why you dated a guy like that. I don’t even know him and I already don’t like him.’
‘Do you have any syrup?’ I ask, changing topics. I don’t want to talk about Cam.
Brody opens the fridge and takes out a bottle of syrup. ‘I didn’t know I had this,’ he says, setting it on the counter. ‘Must’ve been another thing Danielle left here.’
‘Do you still talk to her?’
‘Not really. Not unless I run into her in town.’
‘Could you get some plates?’ I ask, moving the skillet off the heat so the pancakes don’t burn.
Brody reaches above me to a cupboard and takes out two plates. He hands them to me.
‘Thanks.’ I move the pancakes to the plates. ‘I thought this might be better than eating on the counter.’
Brody smiles. ‘I don’t always do that. Just when I’m being lazy.’
I put the skillet back on the burner and add more batter to it, then turn to Brody. ‘So what do you want to do today?’
‘We’re spending the day together?’
‘Well, yeah, I mean, we’re kind of stuck here, right?’
‘Only until the snow stops. When it does, I’m going to getout there with a shovel.’
‘Isn’t that gonna hurt your back?’
‘I’m used to it. I grew up shoveling driveways as a kid to make extra cash. It sucks doing it now, but it’s better than not getting paid.’
I turn back to the skillet and flip the pancakes.
‘So about what you were saying last night,’ Brody says.
I look at him. ‘About what?’
‘About fixing that spreadsheet. I was thinking about it after you left.’
‘What were you thinking?’
‘That maybe it’s not such a bad idea. You know, adding all that stuff you were talking about.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. I mean, if you could set it up, then all I’d have to do is add stuff, right?’
‘Yeah, it’d be super easy. I do it for my clients all the time. I have this one guy who absolutely can’t stand spreadsheets, but he needed them to keep track of his business expenses. I set everything up for him and now all he has to do is plug in the numbers. And if he has questions, he just calls me.’
‘I’m open to trying it. You mind giving me your number in case I have questions?’
‘I’d be happy to!’
I’m happy because it means we’ll stay in touch. I’m not saying anything would happen between us, but I’d like to talk to Brody again. Maybe we could be friends.
‘Do you want me to work on it this morning?’ I ask.
