Page 54 of Good as Gold
Really??? FIFTY grand for three months?
She responds with a string of money emojis, and:
Yup. May 15 to August 15. And with a 10k security deposit.
Hope you’re comfortable in that trailer because it looks like you’re staying awhile.
I look up from my phone and let that sink in for a second. A whole summer in Vermont, serving beer. A year ago, I was planning a summer of travel and adventure, and now I’m a bartender.
But my family is here, and there are worse jobs. Besides, keeping busy is good for me right now. I can’t spend the summer like I spent the spring—brooding on my sofa in Colorado.
So I write back to Cara.
Thank you, babe. Now we don’t have to tap our line of credit.
That’s handy. But I hope you’re not doing this for me.
It’s for me, too.
That’s not even a lie. I want to do right by Cara and Lissa. And I want to see a little more of my family.
And then there’s Leila…
Cara
I’ll send you some clothes. What else do you need?
Matteo
Not much. But some more clothes would be nice.
Tight shirts, mostly.
Cara
No problem. We’ll miss you!
Matteo
I’ll miss you guys, too!
I’m just about to shove my phone back into my pocket when I see an email from the health clinic I visited in Burlington yesterday. I open it up and scan the results. As predicted, I’m healthy. Without comment, I forward the email to Leila.
Unless she’s gotten cold feet, I expect to hear from her in four days or so with an urgent request for sex.
I can barely wrap my head around it, but I want to give Leila her heart’s desire.
It’s an honor, my sister had said, and it resonated with me.
“Dude, on your phone behind the bar? Really?”
“Jesus.” Startled, I drop my phone and glare at Alec, who’s picked this exact moment to arrive home from his honeymoon. “We’re not evenopen. I just had to reply to a text!”
Alec laughs. “I’mkidding. You’ve been awesome. Connor tells me you’re more useful than half the people who work here.”
“Oh.” My irritation falls away. “How was the honeymoon?”
“Didn’t want to come back. Best two weeks ever.” He strolls up to the bar, looking tan and relaxed. “What did I miss?”
