“It’s okay if you watch your step,” I said, and Ashley put her left hand on my left shoulder, standing close on my right, and said, “Well, you...better watch my step for me.” I was acutely conscious of Ashley being so close, and holding my shoulder like that, so close that I could even smell her hair shampoo, and the excitement just rose in me, as I took a few steps towards the edge of the veranda. I felt a floorboard move as I took a step, and Ashley said, “Oh! That one moved,” and she put her. "Course I do, but ... we got school." I missed my bus," she giggled."Oh." I missed you too," Julie said and my heart stuttered because she looked entirely beautiful to me. Lisa was cute, but Jules, I decided, was beautiful."I missed you," I agreed, watching her brown eyes grow warm as she looked back at me."Your mom and dad are working," she said. "Right?" Yeeeeah..." I nodded. "Why?" I don't wanna go to school," Jules laughed again, pushing herself off the tree and I put my hands on her. Carl laughed, saying just don't bend over to pick up the soap around the two guys.Abe didn't have his entire crew in, but did have six men working today. He told me he needed more area to store completed units. He had figured on shipping ten to twenty units at a time. They would be put in overseas shipping containers and taken to Miami, where they would be shipped by water to the country they were going to. He had huge packets of factory provided instructions in Spanish and Portuguese. He also. He had called her, but she had gathered up her self-esteem and refused to associate with him anymore. She didn't have anybody in her life anymore. Well, there was Danny who she still talked to. At least he cares about me, she thought painfully. Nobody else does. She felt guilty about what she had said to Matt that day, and the whole thing with him. She kept telling herself he didn't care anymore. It would be conceited to think otherwise, she thought.She had half a mind to call him, and ask him.