Chapter 59

“Who are you calling?”

“Shh.” I put up my hand, like the days Archie and I stopped traffic for the school buses together at the foot of School Hill.

“Who are you calling?” he asked again.

“I asked you to shush. I’m using the calculator. Give me a minute.”

Archie smiled.

“I’ll be damned.” The numbers added up. “I thought you said you weren’t good at math.”

“I can be, if I think about it. You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Just sit with me at the reception.”

I reached over to touch his face but ended up brushing the velvet softness of the white rose pinned to his jacket, instead. “I’m glad Leslie invited you. I’m even gladder you came.”

“Me, too.”

“But…I think it would be better if we were just friends…like before, okay?” I took my hand away from Archie’s chest to swipe my own forehead again.