Page 88 of PS: I Hate You
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Dom wins.
He carries me through the fucking snow.Singing.Only for the last quarter mile, but still.
“Damn,” I mutter when he sets me down at the edge of the parking lot, my teeth clicking with shivers now that I don’t have his delicious warmth pressed up against me. “I really wanted that jacket.”
The man gives me a cocky smile and a deep chuckle as he scoops up my hand and draws me across the gravel toward our car. It’s the last one left in the lot.
“Maybe I’ll let you borrow it.” Dom holds my door open for me, and once again I notice I don’t instinctively prickle at the caretaking gesture.
Because we’re friends. I’m being a good friend, like Josh wanted.
I should’ve known that even snow wouldn’t be able to force Dom to lose control of a car. As we leave the trailhead, the flakes start to fall in heavy clumps, but he simply turns on the four-wheel drive and guides us through the storm.
A trip to North Dakota isn’t going to happen today, and we decide to try our luck at the bed and breakfast I booked us last night. As I’m entering the address into Dom’s phone’s GPS, an incoming message pops up.
“You have a text from Adam.”
“Read it to me.” He keeps his focus on the road that’s quickly turning white.
I dramatically clear my throat and try to sound like Dom’s younger brother.
Adam:I need some advice about an opportunity.
The message goes into detail about how some big-name artisanal furniture designer offered him a full-time paid gig working in his shop after graduation, but Adam is worried about giving up on swimming when it was always the plan to pursue the Olympics.
I’ve seen some of Adam’s work when he posts pictures and videos on his socials, but I didn’t realize woodworking was anything more than a hobby. Guilt scratches at my heart. I should have kept up with him all these years. Now Adam and Carter are practically strangers. There’s so much to rebuild between us, so much I missed while hiding away on the other side of the country.
“What should I text back?” I ask.
Dom rests his left elbow on the car door and pinches his bottom lip, appearing thoughtful. And my traitorous body starts tingling and growing overly warm as I stare at the contemplating man.
“Tell him I’ll call him tomorrow to talk it through.”
“Got it.” I start typing. “How many emojis should I use?”
“None.”
“Three it is. The thoughtful face lets him know you’re thinking deeply about what he asked. And then the smiling one with hearts tells him you appreciate that he came to you with such an important question. What should the third one be?”
“Maddie.” His warning tone doesn’t intimidate me.
“I’m a fan of the kissy face—”
“I’m pulling over.”
“Fine! Fine, no emojis. But don’t blame me if your message reads like nonsense without them.”
Even as I teased Dom, I had already sent off his basic text and got a thumbs-up from Adam in response. I settle the phone back on the dashboard mount so Dom knows where to go, and hope we arrive before the snow picks up. After a handful of mile markers pass, I voice a question that’s been nagging me.
“Why do you think Adam texted you, and not your parents? To ask about the apprenticeship?”
Mr.Perry might have a busy work schedule, but I know he loves his kids and makes time for them. And Emilia is one of the sweetest women I know. I bet she’d love to hear about Adam’s job offer.
I never called Cecilia, because she never cared about my life.