Gathered Up. Annabeth Albert

touched his face, pulling him closer. He smiled at me for a long moment, and I had a feeling he was trying to decide if he was okay with tasting himself on my lips. Just when I was about to roll away, he surprised me by capturing my mouth in a soft kiss. We made out like that for several long minutes, trading little kisses and touches.

      “Oh, Brady, I want—”

      Beep. Beep. Beep. The alarm clock on Ev’s nightstand beeped angrily. I glanced at the time and winced. “Fuck. I’m going to be late!”

      “Hence the alarm.” Ev sat up and rubbed his face. I scrambled to rearrange my clothes and get my shoes on. “Don’t forget your lunch!”

      As I hurried down the stairs, lunch tote in hand, I realized Ev had never finished his thought. All the possibilities made my stomach flop around. Over at the People’s Cup, I got my hands washed and my apron on with two minutes to spare. I had to simply hope that what Ev wanted was what I wanted, and that for once in our lives, we might actually get it.

      Chapter 8

      Dear friends, longtime reader Reba writes, “You have so many gorgeous sweater patterns for men. Which do you suggest I knit for my new boyfriend?” No, dear Reba, no. Unfortunately, I’m here to tell you that the curse of the boyfriend sweater is real. I listen carefully to the ladies in the shop and at Knit Night, and everyone, including yours truly, has a horror story of the sweater gifted too soon. May I gently suggest limiting the number of skeins required for your gift to the number of years you have been together? And for goodness’ sake, put a ring on him before you gift him a sweater. —Evren’s Yarnings

      Given Renee’s general stubbornness lately, I shouldn’t have been surprised when she showed up at six on a Knit Night with Jonas in tow.

      “I tried to see if Carlos’s mother would take him,” she said, bypassing any attempt at a greeting. Carlos was Jonas’s best friend, and his mother was already doing me a huge large by taking him the weekend I had the barista contest. The twins were going to their best friend’s house that weekend as well. Not that Renee couldn’t handle the kids for a weekend in theory, but she had a geology overnight field trip that weekend. And even if she didn’t…Renee couldn’t be trusted not to pull stunts like this.

      That night the twins were going on a birthday dinner and kid movie date with their best friend, and Renee and I had had an argument the night before about how Jonas could not be home alone while she went on a study date. She’d asked if he could come hang out at People’s Cup, something we’d had to do once in an extreme emergency, but I couldn’t have that on Knit Night, when we got so crowded.

      “Look, I can give you guys some soup and bread for dinner before you head home, but Renee, I told you to break the study date.” I kept my voice firm, but I knew my parental tone didn’t work on Renee. Neither of us had signed up for this, but we were a team. And our team had rules—like no boys over while she had the kids. We’d had some issues early on with her friends distracting her from the kids’ needs. “Look, I’ll hurry home. You can do a late-night study date. And I’ll do the getting ready for school by myself tomorrow.”

      “Why don’t you want me to be happy?” Tears filled Renee’s eyes. “This is the nicest guy I’ve ever met, and I keep needing to put him off to take care of the kids.”

      Join the fucking club. But of course I couldn’t say that in front of Jonas. I’d planned to be even later than usual by sneaking in some quality Ev groping. That so wasn’t happening now. It didn’t matter if Ev was the nicest guy or the sexiest or the sweetest—the kids came first, something Renee just couldn’t seem to grasp. In the two weeks since our lunch date, Ev and I had managed exactly one other quickie, a lot of nonsexy phone calls, one furtive sext session, and another whispered late night of phone sex. Renee needed to take a number in the I’m-entitled-to-see-my-friends sweepstakes.

      Her tears spilled over and my chest squeezed tight. She was still so much a kid herself. I knew I’d regret it, but I rubbed her arm. “Fine. This one time, Renee. This can’t become a habit. If someone complains, I could get fired.”

      “You won’t!” She waved, already backing out of the store before I could change my mind. Eventually, we needed to have a long, painful chat about this new behavior of hers. I was barely functional as a caregiver for the little kids. I had no clue how to parent a teenager. I tried. I laid down rules, but lately she just blew through everything, like today.

      I didn’t allow myself the luxury of missing Mom very often, but right then, I missed her so much my eyes squished shut and my hands clenched. She would know the right thing to say to Renee. But me? I had no clue.

      I set Jonas up in the very rear of the shop at a tiny table almost no one used, with strict instructions not to leave his chair.

      However, I underestimated Violet and her furniture rearranging crew, who came in a few minutes early. The triplets were wearing what appeared to be purses masquerading as tank tops—thick, bulky yarn in a weird tapestry pattern with leather straps. Even Portland’s penchant for the weird couldn’t make those acceptable fashion choices, but I was more concerned with their looks and clucking.

      “Who lets a child come to a coffee shop on his own?”

      “Do you see a parent, Violet?”

      “We always use that as the head table.” The triplet in the fuzzy olive-green tank shook her head sadly. “Maybe someone should report he’s here on his own.”

      Oh, for fuck’s sake. I was going to have to confess he was with me and that was not going to go well—

      “Ah! Young Jonas! You were dropped off early? How kind of you to wait for me.” Ev breezed past the triplets and Violet. I wasn’t sure how much of their judgy conversation he’d heard, but he sent me a smile as he effortlessly bailed me out. “You will sit next to me, yes?”

      Jonas studied his iPod, chewing on his lower lip. Please say yes, I tried to beam at him. If he balked, this wasn’t going to work. Finally, he nodded. “Can I have a hot chocolate?”

      Way to negotiate, kid. “Of course. Let me go order.” Ev smiled at him.

      Because Ev the almighty had spoken, the women transformed into the other type of hens—coddling Jonas and making sure he was all set next to Ev’s usual seat.

      “Everything okay?” Ev asked in a low voice as he came up to the counter.

      “Yeah—” I started, then stopped. This was Ev, the one person who might get it. “No, it isn’t. Renee couldn’t watch him. He can’t be home alone—”

      “Of course not.” Ev nodded. He’d heard enough Jonas stories from me on the phone that he understood Jonas’s special needs in a way Renee didn’t seem capable of. “You should have called me. I am thinking about doing some children’s classes and projects at the store.”

      “You’re a lifesaver.” My chest expanded at how ready he was to help me. Ever since Mom died, it had been only me and Renee, with no one to call for backup. Hadn’t even occurred to me that Ev and I were that kind of friends—the hey-I’m-in-a-jam kind—but I guessed we were. It felt weird. I’d spent so many hours trying desperately not to need help, to prove to the social workers and the doubters that I was up for the task. But every time I vented to Ev, it felt like a crane knocking away another chunk of concrete from my shoulders.

      “It is nothing.” He waved the praise away.

      “It’s not. And I’m sure Mira agrees—bet she’s thrilled you’re doing more with the store. Everything okay?” I wasn’t sure exactly how to ask how Mira’s treatments were going. Ev never wanted to talk about them on the phone. I hoped eventually he’d let me reciprocate his willingness to help and open up about his worries about Mira like he had that night in the kitchen.

      “I will be around a bit longer. It is okay, though—only some minor setbacks. It is not like I am in a rush, and I’ve thought about doing classes for a while. In fact, I’m going to run back over, get him some big needles and thick