Page 90 of Good as Gold
“Twenty-four seconds,” Alec says in a grudging voice. “The new number to beat.”
“Clearly you all are in this to the death, but there’re only two more holes,” Skye announces. “And I’ve just lit the grill. Let’s get some panels in place so we can chow down.” She claps her hands commandingly.
“Hope you don’t mind holes all over the lawn,” Alec says. “I’m not stopping until I reclaim my title.”
“Not even for grilled kebabs?” Damien asks. “I’ll have yours, then.”
Benito takes the posthole digger from me and quietly digs the last two holes without comment. “Okay, done. Let’s put in some fencing.”
“What?” Alec yelps. “You justhandedMatteo the title?”
“It’s okay, little brother,” I say, patting him on the shoulder. “You can borrow it whenever you need to impress the ladies. Just like you used to steal my Phish concert T-shirts.”
Everybody laughs. Even Alec. “You know they’re playing in Boston in September? If you weren’t leaving, we could totally go.”
“Tickets would be a fortune,” Benito points out.
“Designer Jesus could afford it,” Alec says with a shrug. “Rent out your sick Aspen pad for the ski season and you could buy VIP seats for the whole crew.”
“Oh, I wish.” They have no idea how unexcited I am to get on that plane. But it doesn’t matter—I have to go. My time here is up. And it depresses me to think about it. “Aren’t we here to put up a fence? Time’s a wasting.”
* * *
We put the fence together easily, and the finished product is satisfying. “You guys getting a dog?” I ask Ben as I admire our work. “Is that what this is for?”
“Maybe,” he says from the grill, where he’s flipping the meat. “Just thought the yard needed a fence.”
“So domesticated,” I tease. “All of you.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Alec steals one of the tortilla chips off the plate I’m holding. “Just do us a favor and come home again before another fourteen years go by?”
“I swear I will.”
“How about Christmas?” Zara asks.
I shake my head. “We’re all booked up. That’s my busy season.”
I haven’t mentioned my plan to come home for a booty call at the end of November. I’m trying not to make any promises I can’t keep.
“You’ll always have a place here,” Alec says. “Hope you know that.”
I look up quickly to check his face and find that it’s uncharacteristically serious. “I appreciate that,” I say quietly. “The summer has been great. Lots of time with you guys.”
“And lots of time with Leila,” my sister says, drawing out her name. “Let’s put the credit where it’s due.”
“So?” I demand. “What’s your point?”
“You seem happy. That’s all.” She shakes her head. “I think it’s great that you have multiple reasons to come home again. Means my kids won’t forget what you look like.”
There’s nothing I’m willing to say about Leila, but I catch Alec giving me the side eye. Last week he busted me in the act of leaving her apartment one morning. That was bound to happen, seeing that his apartment and Leila’s are the only two in the building.
He’s probably noticed my rental car outside, too. But he hadn’t asked me about it directly until I saw him on the stairs. And that conversation went like this:
Alec: So…?
Me:Shrug. Not going to discuss it.
Alec: Cool.
