Page 51 of Controlled Burn
He motioned towards the phone I’d sat face down on the arm of the couch. “The new boy?”
“Yeah, the new boy. I’ll tell you all about it on Wednesday night.”
He glanced around the room at all the people around us and nodded. “If you need me to cancel on Del so we can talk, I will.”
Obviously, I hadn’t done a good job at hiding how worried I was, at least not from him. “Nah, I’m good. It’s nothing that can’t wait a day, honest.”
“If you’re sure, but whatever has you all tied up in knots will work out. I got you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” I lied because, this time, I was pretty sure he would regret those words.
Chapter 19
Caleb
I almost never ever overslept, but that was because I had two alarms set on my phone to make sure I didn’t. But when I woke up Tuesday morning, and the sun was shining right in my bedroom window, I knew something had gone wrong. I picked up my phone and turned it over, and… nothing. Just a blank freaking screen because, apparently, I’d forgotten to plug it in overnight, and it had died. Dammit. I let out a sigh and reached for the cord to plug it in. Not hard to do since I had a designated cord beside my bed and a diehard rule that I wasn’t allowed to move it. That was supposed to make sure I plugged my phone in every night. Too bad even that didn’t mean I actually did it.
I hurried to the kitchen, checked the clock on the oven, and let out a relieved breath. It was only 8:30, so I wasn’t late for work yet. If I hurried, I’d make it on time.
I went back to the bedroom to check the phone, and in that short time, it had charged enough to turn on. I didn’t have long, but I knew Keith’s shift ended at seven, so he would’ve already texted me, and I didn’t want him to worry. I opened up the messages, and sure enough, there it was. It had arrived over thirty minutes ago.
Daddy: How are you doing this morning, baby boy?
I sighed as I typed out my reply.
Me: Not so great. I overslept. I actually just got up and need to hurry and get ready for work or I’ll be late.
Daddy: We’ll talk about why you overslept later. For now, hurry and get ready. Don’t worry about breakfast or coffee, I’ll bring it to you at the library.
I started texting out an explanation of why I was late when another message came in.
Daddy: I see the bubbles, and I know you’re trying to explain. Save that for later and go get ready. I’ll meet you at the library at 9:00.
He was right. I didn’t have time to explain now. I needed to get ready, so I put the phone down to continue charging while I made quick work of getting ready.
I’d chosen the apartment complex because of its close proximity to the library, something I was extremely grateful for this morning since the short drive meant I was able to walk in the door one minute before my shift started.
“I was starting to get worried,” Giles said as I rushed in.
I double-checked my watch to see that I was indeed on time. “Why? I’m not late.”
“You’re usually here with time to spare, and I’m the one rushing in last minute.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m fine.” I hurried past him and stashed my bag under the front counter where I’d be starting my work day. I stood back up and saw Keith coming in the front door with a cup of coffee and a bag from Caitie Pie’s Bakery.
“Here you go, Rabbit. Not the healthiest start to your day, but it’s better than nothing.” He held out the coffee and the bakery bag, and I could have kissed him, except there was a large counter between us.
I took the coffee, set it down, and then took the bag. “This bakery is my favorite. They have the most yummy cherry pop-overs, and their muffins are so good.”
I pulled out a muffin and grinned at him before taking a bite of the still-warm goodness. “Mmm, yeah, so good.”
“I’m glad you like it. Now, you were going to tell me what happened this morning.”
I sighed. “I forgot to plug my phone in, and it died overnight, and my phone is my alarm.”
“Does that happen often?”
“Not anymore, really. It used to, but I’ve been way better about remembering to plug it in here lately.”