Family first, I thought to myself with a grim smile.
I walked through the door to our bathroom, closing her door behind me to afford her some privacy. I jumped in the shower and scrubbed some of the grime from last night off of me. I always felt so unclean next to Amy, who screamed purity and innocence. It was probably a good thing I could never be with her, for her sake, at least.
I threw on some beat-up jeans and one of my old work tshirts and bounded down the stairs. Amy’s mother was waiting for me. For a moment, she looked a lot like Amy.
“You ready to get some work done today?” she asked.
“Yes, definitely. I just gotta get my toolkit.”
“Your father is still sleeping, but I made you some toast,” she said with a smile. “He will be joining us a bit later today.”
“All right, sounds great.”
I grabbed a piece of toast and shoved it in my mouth. Emma was such a good cook that she could make even toast taste great. My toolbox was near the garage door where I last left it. I picked it up and followed Emma out of the house and into the sun.
My mother loved Victorian houses, and I must have inherited her appreciation because I thought the bed and breakfast was beautiful. It was a large, sunny building painted a pale, creamy yellow. Inside, each room had magnificent crown moldings. Almost every room had a fireplace. There was a grand staircase near the entrance, and Emma had recently furnished the old building with period-appropriate furniture.
Emma also liked Victorian houses. I wondered if Amy did. I would be fixing the shower today in one of the largest suites on the third floor. Emma was going to continue dusting everything, getting the house ready for the ceremony in a couple of weeks, followed by the grand opening of the bed and breakfast itself.
My phone buzzed.
Ryan: I heard you got laid.
Ashton: What? We just hung out.
Ryan: That’s not what Jen is telling everyone.
Ashton: I mean, I wanted to, but I had to deal with family drama.
This was a partial lie, but I didn’t understand why Jen was telling people untrue shit.
Ryan: LOL. Sure buddy. You around to play cards later?
Ashton: Yeah, maybe. If I get this done.
I grumbled to myself. Jen was starting drama. I hoped Amy didn’t see any of this. I was nervous to shoot her a text because she needed to sleep but worried she might wake up before I got home.
I parted ways with Emma, who had her dusting supplies out, and wandered up the staircase. The suite on the third floor was also pretty great. It had a room big enough for the bed, and adjoining it was a study. Just off of the bedroom was the bathroom, which had a Jacuzzi and a shower. These things were additions to the old house, of course, additions that I would have been able to put in for a lot cheaper than the company my dad had just paid.
I sighed to myself. Sometimes, he just didn’t think I was reliable. Some part of me knew he was right, but I really wished I could have helped him with this.
The shower was dripping again. Something was loose. Those goons hadn’t done a good job. Maybe this would teach my dad about having idiots do his plumbing. I set my tools down. The afternoon crept in, and the world outside woke up. I could hear kids playing and cars rolling up and down the driveway. I heard small footsteps behind me. I turned around. Amy. I nearly dropped my screwdriver.
“Amy!” I gasped.
She stood there, her hands on her hips, looking indignant. She pointed to her phone. Jen had sent her a private message. “She thanked me for not minding if you guys were screwing in the next room.”
“It’s not true,” I said, shaking my head. I stood up, excited to see her but also nervous about the backlash. “We kissed, but nothing else happened,” I assured her.
Amy looked a bit relieved. “I mean, I did think it was weird she would tell me something like that. She barely knows me. What other motive could she have?”
“What are you doing here?” I pressed.
“I came over with Gary. He and my mom are leaving to go to town and get stuff for lunch. They shouldn’t be back for at least forty minutes.”
“Nice.” I said. “I am pretty hungr—“
Before I could finish my sentence, she had pressed me against the shower with her tiny body and kissed me.
I returned her kiss, taken by surprise but loving every minute of it. She was always so well-mannered; this was definitely a fun shock.
AMY