Page 17 of The Benefits of Love (As I Am 2)

“Some godparents we are.” Isighed. “Idon’tsee them half as much as I’dlike to, and with the wedding season coming up, I’ll see them even less.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You’ll have more work than now?”

“More, yes,” Iconfirmed, my chest puffed. There was asense of pride in having my calendar closed for months in advance, asense that eclipsed my need for constant friendship. “Anyway, Ihave to go.”

Icurled my fingers around him and squeezed once, aclear sign for him to let me have my hand back.

Nothing.

“I…have…to…go,” Irepeated slower for his sake as well as mine. From the turmoil in his expression, the bushes appealed to him as they did to me. Ihoped raising my voice would wake him from these insidious thoughts, because Iwouldn’tbe able to turn him down if he acted on them. “I’ll see you next week then?”

My shout was louder than intended, and an older man turned to me with ascowl, then continued on his path. Zach wasn’tdeterred, not letting go of me.

“Laura.”

“Yes, Zach?”

There was this ragged edge to his tone when he said, “Can Isee you tonight?”

Fuck yes. Iplanned on carrying alip balm everywhere Iwent going forward.

“I’ll be ready by eleven.”