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DEREK
Thx.
DYLAN
Also, Felicity wanted me to ask you if Gus needs doggie CPAP.
DEREK
Ha.
“You’re not getting out of this.” Felicity helped Dylan lift the next sheet of subfloor into place.
“Huh?”
Felicity and Dylan had spent the last week and a half getting the kitchen ready for the new floor. They’d picked up boxes of leftover tile from their dad’s storage unit yesterday, a gorgeous luxury vinyl some rich person had changed their mind about at the last moment, not caring that they’d be charged twice for materials. Once the rest of the subfloor was down, they could start the underlayment. He could have the tile done by the weekend with Felicity around.
“You’re absolutely not getting out of it.”
Dylan pressed the screw gun into place and pulled the trigger. “I’m not getting out of what?”
“The Gallagher Grill-Out, obviously.”
“Who said I wanted to get out of it?”
“You did. Every single year. This is your third summer being back here. And every single year you have an excuse. You said when I graduated and came back from Kansas, you’d come back. Lies. Two years ago, you had that ‘bad cold’… in the summer. Last year there was an ‘emergency’ with the house.” She gave him a skeptical frown. “I just don’t think you can beg off again without Mom finding you and dragging you there. You come to Christmas. Why’s this so different? Is it because—”
“I do come to Christmas, so I don’t know why missing this is a big deal.” Dylan reloaded the screw gun with a new cartridge. “I’ve heard from Derek that there are several intense summer stomach bugs floating around. They could hit at any time.”
“My point is that since you’re not getting out of it this time, you should just tell the others not to—”
“I plan on going. End of story.” He didn’t want to relive that part of his past. Felicity was too young to remember most off the worst of it anyway. “Can we talk about something else please?”
“Absolutely. Let’s discuss your smoking-hot roommate. Guess he’s not actually an asshole at all.”
“He’s still an asshole.” His conscience made him add, “Well, not lately, I guess.”
“Does he still have all those ab muscles like that day I saw him running? I feel like one would be willing to put up with a lot to get into the asshole’s—well—asshole.”
“Gross. Stop talking about assholes.”
“You’re the one who called him an asshole first.”
“Stop talking about literal assholes. Metaphorical ones are fine.”
“You’re such a weirdo.” She slid back to give Dylan room to do another section of flooring screws. “Derek’s been super nice. He makes me coffee every morning while you’re passed out on the couch, cuddled up with your laptop like in those pictures Mom has of you with your Barney.”
“You morning people are like magical, mysterious unicorns.” He’d thought Derek wasn’t a morning person, but he’d been very wrong. Even on the days he wasn’t working, he was up before dawn and at the gym. “And why wouldn’t he be nice to you? You’re the coolest.”
“Stop making me blush.” She brushed a section of wild ginger wavy frizz away from her face. “Thanks again for letting me crash here even though it’s close quarters.” She crossed to the next section of floor to apply the adhesive.
“Are you ever going to tell me what Mom said?”
“It’s embarrassing.”
“Because I don’t know what it’s like to be embarrassed by family.”
“Touché.” Felicity adjusted the straps of her overalls. “Fine. She asked if I wanted her to pay for a few months of Weight Watchers as a birthday present slash nursing school graduation present.”