rugs rolled up and set on end. "Don't bother. Take all the time you need. They'll make their way back to me eventually," she said as she reached Josey. She found an empty box and together they loaded the books into it. "What are you doing this weekend?"
Josey shrugged. "Taking my mother to tea on Saturday. That's about it."
"Do you want to go out? I don't think I could stand another weekend in that apartment alone."
"I don't know. Maybe," Josey said doubtfully. She put the lid on the box and picked it up. "So, what did you decide to take with you?"
Chloe turned and looked around the storage bay. "Nothing."
"No?" Josey said, surprised.
"No." Chloe took a deep breath, and the decision was there before she was even fully aware of it. She needed these things. She'd tucked too much of herself away as it was. But she also needed a place to put them. This wasn't exactly the happy ending books had led her to believe. But what did she expect from paper and string and glue? She shouldn't have trusted them in the first place. "I think I need to move out of Jake's apartment."
Late that night, Josey was finally able to get the box of books out of her car and bring it up to her room. She stopped by the kitchen to get the fried egg sandwich from the refrigerator's crisper drawer, where she'd hidden it earlier for
Della Lee. She knew now that Della Lee did eat, at night when everyone was asleep. She probably washed then too. Maybe even did laundry. For days Helena had been complaining about things moving around the house overnight, and about faucets being left on and the refrigerator door being left slightly ajar, causing the milk carton and jam jars to sweat.
As she headed up the stairs, she didn't have to see Helena to know she'd popped her head out of her bedroom. "It's okay, Helena. Go back to sleep," she said, then heard Helena's door click shut in the darkness.
She got to her room and went to her closet. "I found out the real reason Adam is acting funny," she said when she opened the door.
Della Lee didn't look up from reading one of her notebooks. "Why?"
"Chloe told him I was in love with him," she said morosely as she sat down with the box and sandwich bag.
This was obviously worthy of her undivided attention, so Della Lee finally looked up. "How did she know?"
"I told her." Josey still couldn't believe it. Adam was more secret than chocolate, yet she had told Chloe. What was the matter with her?
Della Lee rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you blamed me."
"Well, it never would have happened if it weren't for
you."
"You're welcome." Della Lee indicated the box. "What do you have there? Oh my God, you didn't go to my house again, did you?"
"No. Chloe loaned me some books." Josey took the sandwich bag off the box and put it in front of Della Lee. "Here. It's a cold fried egg sandwich."
"No, thanks. I'm not hungry. You have it," Della Lee said, and Josey didn't need to be told twice. After today, pride seemed stupid. "What kind of books did she loan you?"
"Romance novels," Josey said as she took the sandwich out of the bag.
Della Lee held her arms out on both sides, as if to take up as much space as possible in the closet. "Don't you dare put them in here."
Josey took a bite of the sandwich and looked at Della Lee curiously. "But that's where the rest of my books are."
"Don't you get it yet? You find out your mailman knows you love him and what do you do? You bring back romance novels to read in your closet."
"Well, obviously I can't read them in my closet. You're there."
Della Lee made a frustrated sound. "Adam knows how you feel about him. Why don't you do something about it? Ask him out. Something."
"You sound like Chloe. He doesn't want to be asked out. He found out I was interested in him, and he backed off. Way off. He's wondering what he's done to encourage me, how he could have prevented it from happening. I'm not going to make either of us feel more uncomfortable than we already do. Soon this will all
Josey shrugged. "Taking my mother to tea on Saturday. That's about it."
"Do you want to go out? I don't think I could stand another weekend in that apartment alone."
"I don't know. Maybe," Josey said doubtfully. She put the lid on the box and picked it up. "So, what did you decide to take with you?"
Chloe turned and looked around the storage bay. "Nothing."
"No?" Josey said, surprised.
"No." Chloe took a deep breath, and the decision was there before she was even fully aware of it. She needed these things. She'd tucked too much of herself away as it was. But she also needed a place to put them. This wasn't exactly the happy ending books had led her to believe. But what did she expect from paper and string and glue? She shouldn't have trusted them in the first place. "I think I need to move out of Jake's apartment."
Late that night, Josey was finally able to get the box of books out of her car and bring it up to her room. She stopped by the kitchen to get the fried egg sandwich from the refrigerator's crisper drawer, where she'd hidden it earlier for
Della Lee. She knew now that Della Lee did eat, at night when everyone was asleep. She probably washed then too. Maybe even did laundry. For days Helena had been complaining about things moving around the house overnight, and about faucets being left on and the refrigerator door being left slightly ajar, causing the milk carton and jam jars to sweat.
As she headed up the stairs, she didn't have to see Helena to know she'd popped her head out of her bedroom. "It's okay, Helena. Go back to sleep," she said, then heard Helena's door click shut in the darkness.
She got to her room and went to her closet. "I found out the real reason Adam is acting funny," she said when she opened the door.
Della Lee didn't look up from reading one of her notebooks. "Why?"
"Chloe told him I was in love with him," she said morosely as she sat down with the box and sandwich bag.
This was obviously worthy of her undivided attention, so Della Lee finally looked up. "How did she know?"
"I told her." Josey still couldn't believe it. Adam was more secret than chocolate, yet she had told Chloe. What was the matter with her?
Della Lee rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you blamed me."
"Well, it never would have happened if it weren't for
you."
"You're welcome." Della Lee indicated the box. "What do you have there? Oh my God, you didn't go to my house again, did you?"
"No. Chloe loaned me some books." Josey took the sandwich bag off the box and put it in front of Della Lee. "Here. It's a cold fried egg sandwich."
"No, thanks. I'm not hungry. You have it," Della Lee said, and Josey didn't need to be told twice. After today, pride seemed stupid. "What kind of books did she loan you?"
"Romance novels," Josey said as she took the sandwich out of the bag.
Della Lee held her arms out on both sides, as if to take up as much space as possible in the closet. "Don't you dare put them in here."
Josey took a bite of the sandwich and looked at Della Lee curiously. "But that's where the rest of my books are."
"Don't you get it yet? You find out your mailman knows you love him and what do you do? You bring back romance novels to read in your closet."
"Well, obviously I can't read them in my closet. You're there."
Della Lee made a frustrated sound. "Adam knows how you feel about him. Why don't you do something about it? Ask him out. Something."
"You sound like Chloe. He doesn't want to be asked out. He found out I was interested in him, and he backed off. Way off. He's wondering what he's done to encourage me, how he could have prevented it from happening. I'm not going to make either of us feel more uncomfortable than we already do. Soon this will all
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